i have looked a bit just now and i did find a few but too expensive for me right now

Depending on what size you are looking for, I know there was a 37" Sceptre 1080p display that was running ~$1,400. Costco had them at one point. The reviews on AVS were quite positive.

Going much larger than that (or maybe 42") with direct-view LCD is going to start costing more and more.

I was looking for something around 32

Do they make these? That would be interesting. It sucks only having ONE HD Input on my MITS TV. I already have two components going through my receiver and if I added an HD-DVD player, I would need to add a switch box.

Oh well.....probably waiting anyways, but I always love NEW technology.

Sounds like you would really benefit from heading over to www.avsforum.com and checking out the user reviews and what not. That site is an excellent source of info. That said, you are still best off taking whatever you glean from there and then going to some stores to check out the units in person. No online opinion is going to have the same effect as seeing it in front of your own two eyes. I would bring some good reference dvd's with you as well, and make sure you turn the brightness down and tweak some of the other settings to bring them in line with what you will have it at in your home.

As far as specific LCD sets to look for, off the top of my head I know that Sharp's Aquos line and Sony's Bravia line are both highly regarded, and Samsung's tend to get more mixed reviews. You should expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of at least $1500- $1700 for a decent 32 incher, such as a Samsung, and significantly more for either an Aquos or Bravia. If you are serious about your tv, then you will also definitely want to have your set professionally calibrated. It often makes a huge difference, especially on LCD sets.

As soon as they are necessary, they will...they always do.

This article seems a pretty convincing reason to avoid 1080p sets for now, but I'm not up on the technology enough to know if everything here is 100% accurate. Good read though.

BTW, some of this did come up at the HD DVD demo and a few people with 1080p sets were fairly ticked to find out their TVs couldn't handle the 1080p signal from Blu-ray. Thankfully he didn't bring up wobbulation.

http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/reality.html

I think I'm gonna wait another 2 years because I have an older HDTV from 2002 that only has component inputs for the HD input, no DVI or HDMI, and only handles 1080i, but I have a Samsung SIR-T165 that upconverts DVDs to 1080i . I guess I'll be okay with ATSC (HD OTA) and conventional DVDs for the interim while the market sorts out the HD-DVD/BRD battle. There's so much stuff to watch via OTA/cable/DVDs, can't say I'll be too bored on the HD-DVD/BRD sidelines in the interim.

Once the dust settles in a couple of years, and I'm hoping the prices for the HDTV's (with HDMI and 1080p) will be also much more affordable than being on the bleeding edge of HD-DVD/BRD now.

That article appears to be dead on balls accurate. (it's an industry term)

People like me want the 1080p output capability from these players in reference to our next TV. Which presumably will solve some of the problems listed in that article. But at this point it's really just assumption/wishful thinking.

One thing that the article didn't quite say is that most TVs that accept a 1080p signal right now do it only as an analog PC input over VGA. They only mentioned one product, it is true of most. This isn't exactly what we are looking for.

I LOVE my HDTV and would never want to replace it, but I only have component inputs on it.

I've read that studios might flag HD discs to disable component output as a copyright measure and the only way to get HD out of the new discs is through an HDMI input.

If true, that sucks, because with my TV, I'd be shit-out-of-luck yet I have never ever copied or burned a disc - and this measure actually hurts their good customers, while the thieves will still find a way around it.

Or maybe I'm just crying "the sky is falling", not understanding the issue too well....

For right now, you're not screwed. But you will be...probably...eventually.

so how long will it be after everyone upgrades their HDTVs because of a missing HDMI input only to find out that HDMI is announced obsolete and need to upgrade again?

how many people buy a set with firewire beause that was going to be the "next" connection?

Flashback to 1997:

How many people will buy a DVD player only to have it be eventually replaced by HD players?

Welcome to the wonderful world of technology. If you can keep up, get out of the race.

I'm not complaining about new technology at all. I'm all about upgrading as $ allows. as we speak I'm saving for my next new tv/reciever that will be obsolete before the ink on the check is dry.

It's not changing THAT fast. come on!

I know, I'm just having some fun.

But this isn't about "new" technology - flagging a disc to prevent component output isn't about technology, it's about the studios' greed.

Both "technologies" (or, input devices) can coexist very easily.

Maybe they'll make a converter that can take an HDMI cable and convert it to components for the TV.

It will be YEARS before HD actually replaces DVD...as long as it took to replace VHS with DVD. DVD will easily have a 20 year lifespan (from 1997-2017 at least).

And, this is coming from someone who just bought the Toshiba...just looking at it objectively, this will be a niche for a long time.

And while this is true, for all technology, it can be 'too much.' It might reach a point where people *do* stay out of the race, because it's either a. too complex for "Joe Consumer" to decide what to get, or b. too expensive to keep upgrading stuff, or c. the upgrade lifecycle is too short.
I consider a TV to be a purchase something like a car. It's something you'll keep for a while. My parents used one tv for something like 20 years. Granted, we bought a new tv in 2003 to expand, but the other tv [previously the main one] was 8 years or so at the time, and is still used.
Buying a 100-150$ TV for the kitchen or the RV or something is one thing, but 'dumping' a 4 year old, 2000$ TV to buy *another* 1500-3000$ TV is not something I want to do.

DVD's success is partly due to the cost of players and disks [once the initial 'new tech' premium passed] and the inclusion of DVD playback on video game consoles. I'm concerned that HDDVD/BluRay will not have that cost benefit to help it succeed. And, imho, elitist attitudes like "If you can't keep up, stay out" will not help matters either.

I'll admit, I'm a consumer. I like buying cool stuff. But when I do buy cool stuff, I research it to make sure my return on investment is suitable. A couple of things I'm seeing with the hd formats seem to be limiting that ROI.

HDCP/DVI - I'm currently using my tv's "HD" compenent inputs for HDTV and 480p DVDs. DVI is the connection, and HDCP is the 'method' of connection? I'll admit I don't understand those two. And where does HDMI come in?
My current TV, the one I don't want to dump and upgrade, does this:
"HD INPUT-AV 5—use to connect digital equipment with DVI (digital video
interface) 1080i or 480p output. DVI is a specific digital input allowing
encrypted transmission of uncompressed HD content. DVI includes
HDCP (high-bandwidth digital content protection)"
But it says:
"Because DVI is such new technology, the electronics industry is still working toward a decision on one standard. Philips testing has determined that compatibility issues exist with respect to a limited number of high-definition
receivers when they are connected to the DVI input on this television."

So even though I don't have HDMI [whatever that is], I could get an HDMI to DVI cable/converter and still get 'full' resolution [actually mine would be limited to 1080i, my tv only does 480p and 1080i]? And *for now*, I could just use the component cables and get 1080i, unless/until they decide to use that analog blocking thing [which would, imho, be a total insult to consumers while not really solving any problems]?

I am in the same boat as the OP regarding my TV (Mits 55805 bought in 2000). My set has only one component input that accepts 1081i (the other component only accepts 480P). I bought the HD A1 and hooked it up along with comcast HD through my Denon 2803 receiver using component cables all around. I've had no issues with this setup to date and have experienced fantastic HD from the A1. So far I've watched Last Samurai, Phantom and Million Dollar Baby without a glitch.

I am however out of HD input options with my current setup so I figure I will enjoy this setup until my TV needs an expensive fix. Having gotten 6 years out of it to date I would like to get another 4 or more before I upgrade. I also see a new receiver in my future about the same time as I upgrade the TV. I see HD as the format to support now due to my current setup. I don't have any problem if they both succeed though.

Thanks for postng bhpaul....I believe I have the same TV. I may wait a bit and see what the XBOX360 HD-DVD accessory is....

DVI is a connection, mostly used in the computer world. HDMI is a version of DVI, used in the TV world. HDMI has better video specs than standard DVI and can carry audio, too. It's potential is to remove all the wires from the back of your TV and replace them with just the one. HDCP is copy protection for HDTV broadcasts, so it is software. All HDMI components have HDCP built-in. But not all DVI components do, so if your TV has DVI, you want to make sure it does have HDCP so it can accept copy protected material. Otherwise it won't play protected programs.

You are correct in your last paragraph of questions. I would only add that 1080i is full resolution. It's only issue is that interlaced isn't as good as progressive, it can be a little jumpy. But BD/HDDVD would look fabulous on your TV in 1080i, I have no doubt.