Ok, my sister is buying a new tv for my brother-in-law's 35th birthday and asked for my help. I was also in the market for a new set, and thought I had convinced myself to go for the Toshiba 65H80 until I saw the two sets above at a local Sears.

I originally thought I wanted a 16:9 set but I do watch a lot of regular TV and after a lot of research decided that I might be better off with the biggest 4:3 I can get (which at 61 still gives me the equivalent of a 56" widescreen in 16:9 mode).

Anyway, back to the decision. Of the sets listed, which do you guys think is the better decision? I thought the picture on the Hitachi was unbelievable at the store, but the Sony (which they had side-by-side yet in the 53") was just as good.

I have read that the Sony is better because it does a true squeeze of HD and progressive DVD sources for 16:9, but that there is a glare off the screen and there is banding if you don't use a Sony DVD player. How many of you have actually experienced this, and is the glare really that bad?

Is there another set both my sister and I should be considering instead? She is going to buy in the next week, I was going to do the same, but she is building a new garage with a 2-bedroom apartment over it for me, so I decided to wait a few months until it was finished so I don't have to move the set. (by then I understand that Sony will be releasing a KP-61HS30 version---anybody know anything about this set??)

Sorry to through a lot of info at you, but I would really appreciate your input.

Thanks.

1) if it's going into a room w/ alot of light (1.e. big window-no drapes etc) glare will be an issue for you. i have mine in the basement w/ only minimal lighting so i don't have any problems.
2) the anamorphic squeeze feature is INCREDIBLE! a good anamorphic disc will put out a picture on this set that will make you VERY happy. the only thing that sucks now, is that i have to think twice before buying non-anamorphic discs.
3) i have a mftg date of Dec.2000 on mine and saw no banding when it was hooked up to a toshiba 5109. not all sets experience this and i believe there is a hardware as well as a service mode fix to this anyway.
4) the new HS30 models should have 2 HD inputs, 3:2 pulldown w/ the drc, and something else i can't think of right now.

5) so far since i've had mine, i've been very happy with it. it was set-up incredibly well right out of the box and although i used Video Essentials once, didn't really need to change the settings much anyway. in fact everytime i use it i enjoy it more (now that i'm over my initial nervousness... waiting to find some problem w/ it, i can sit back and relax) Sometimes the picture has a slight silverish sheen to it and with all the lights off you would swear you were watching film projected onto a screen.

check out the reviews on http://www.audioreview.com for the 61 & 53" (mines a 53)
if you don't mind waiting till fall, the HS30's should be even better.

I work for a Sony dealer, and I'll tell you that the banding issue is completely false. I have no idea where that started. Get the Sony, it is world's better than the Hitachi. Like ckolchak said, the anamorphic squeeze feature is truly amazing, and the glare issue is really only bad in a highly lit room.

I appreciate the responses, and it's comforting to know that the banding problem is really a non-issue. I will recommend to my sister that she go with the Sony.

As for myself, I was planning to get some sort of room blackening screens for the windows in my new apartment when it's finished, but I think I can wait the few months for the newer HS30 model. Perhaps the glare issue will be addressed in the new design and the extra features won't hurt either.

Anybody want to convince me to go 16:9 or do you think I'm making the best decision?

Again, thanks for the input.

i can see wanting a 16:9 (they are sexy as hell), but not at the current prices.
theres a philips model (cant remember the exact #) but the 16:9 version is effectivly the same width as the 4:3, but of course not as tall, and still goes for considerably more money.
to me it makes absolutely no sense, unless you have a lot of people coming over to the house who'll drool over this still relativly new technology.that's worth something (pride of ownership is nothing to sneeze at) but when your watching the set in a dark room...who cares?
if there are any 48" 16"9 sets out there (i couldn't find anything locally) it probably would have cost as much as my 53" 4:3, which gives me a 48" 16:9.
the way i figure it...i'll probably get tired of this set in 3-4 yrs, and by that time 16:9's should be a lot more reasonable. it looks to my uneducated eyes like the transition is going to be a lot longer than people are estimating now anyway.
besides i like classic movies and there's something to be said for having Rita Hayworth doing her black satin semi-striptease in a full glorious 53" :)