Hi guys,

I'm in the market for a big screen tv. Probably around the 50" range. I had done the initial research and had originally decided on a hitachi crt rpt.

However when I went into the actual shop I couldn't get over the quality of the new LCD and DLP models. Much sharper. Plus I'm not really an electronics buff so they also seemed like they involve much less maintenance. No need to do convergence, issues with burn-in, etc.

Problem is that its a little over my price range (1 - 2 grand).

Do you think its worthwhile to get a regular RPT or should I a) save more $$ or b) wait until LCD and DLP RPT decrese in price ??

Just wondering what people in the market for big screens have done ??

Jas

Don't know about the particular models you looked at, but in my eyes a standard CRT widescreen HDTV always looks better than the others. The color and contrasting of CRT is hard to match.

I agree that CRT based RPTVs have better PQ than their digital counterparts. Digital HDTVs like LCD, DLP and plasma all look sharper than CRT based TVs but they lack detail IMO. It's like they're oversharpened and look ..... well digital and fake. Yes they have less maintenance issues than CRT sets where you need to adjust convergence but even that is not something that needs to be done all the time once the TV settles in. But for some types of digital sets you have another kind of maintenance and that's the cost of replacement bulbs. I won't even get into the screen door effect or rainbows that drive me and othe viewers nuts.

DLP is the one that is closet to the video quality of CRT based HDTV's and probably in the nest few years it will equal or surpass CRT quality but LCD or plasma are really never going to reach the quality of CRT's. There is a new technology using lasers that should be coming out in the next few years that will blow everything out of the water.

Forgot to mention that the main thing the other technologies have over CRT is size. Don't think we'll be seeing a 60" CRT screen in the near future

RPTVs based on CRT are at least up to 65". CRTs don't have to be direct view.

And once you get the crt rp set up, as noted above, maintenance is minimal. I converge it about once a month (65" Mitsu) and it really doesn't need much adjustment at all, if any. Just playing a bit of a game with the remote for a few minutes is what it feels like.

Don't go by the pq you see in stores. CRT rp's are notorious for being poorly set up. One good session with a calibration disc (or good 'eyeballing") and you get a sweet, smooth, natural-looking picture. Pretty much every plasma I've seen looks too saturated/contrasty, and adjusting things still doesn't give a natural-looking picture. On HD, my set looks like a window at times, no excessive contrast or color that shouts "I'm bright and colorful!" like so many sets are adjusted to do these days.

Other downside to crts is the cabinet size, but if space is not an issue they are the cheapest and best pq going.

I just bought my Mitsubishi 48" TV (WS48315) last week,this being my first big screen I wanna make sure its setup right. What do you guys mean by "converge" , and also what other maintence issues go along with CRT's? Sorry if this is off-topic

Convergence is the process of aligning all three CRTs to each other for a clear, sharp image. If there is any misalignment you'll see red, green or blue peaking out of the edges of some colors or type. Your Mits has two ways to converge in the user menus. The first is a simple, single cross in the center of the screen. The second is a grid that covers the entire screen and you're able to select every other intersecting line to converge different ares of the screen as needed. See your manual for more info and visit www.hometheaterspot.com for a lot more info for Mits owners.

Heck, Mitsubishi came out with a 83" model this year so your statement needs to be clarified that you meant CRT base Tube HDTV's not CRT based Rear Projection.

[Nevermind, I was completely repetitive of the response above re: hometheaterspot and reading the manual! They *DO* include manuals for a reason, y'know... I highly suggest you go through it.]

If they are all set up perfectly, I still think CRTs have the best overall picture. But they require frequent fine tuning. But still a good picture and a lot cheaper.

If you have the space, get a projector instead. You will save a lot of money and have a much better setup.