Toshiba 65H80 or Sony Wega 36"? (1 Viewer)

[Lucas Hale]

Greetings,
I am having a bit of trouble deciding which upgrade route to take in regards to my video display. I currently have a 19" Magnavox tv (yuck!) and it desperately needs replacement. Also, I will ultimately get a projector for my HT, but that's at least 3 years down the road. My budget is flexible, from $50-$3K, so price is almost no object. My thoughts are:
1. Buy a nice 36" KV-36FS13 Wega (pricematched from Sears) for ~$1K
2. Buy a nice 16:9 Toshiba 65H80 widescreen display for ~$2.5K or so
In case it matters, I live in an apartment, which I'll be moving out of (and into another apartment) within the next 2 months. Also, I don't currently have a progressive scan DVD player, and it's not really in the budget yet. I'm leaning towards the Wega just due to size/portability concerns, but am open to suggestions. Any comments from owners of the above sets are also much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Vishwa Somayaji]

Going from a 19" TV to a 36" may look like a big jump and it is. However, people get used to the new size very quickly and the big 36" will look smaller pretty soon and you will have buyer's remorse. In the case of Televisions, whenever you have a doubt, err on the side of the bigger TV. Since you are moving in two months, my suggestion is to wait for two months and buy either the next generation of Toshiba(65H81) or the current generation(65H80) at a better price. With 3:2 pulldown built in(65H81), the set should work great even with an interlaced DVD player. Most people(including me) who bought projection systems wished they bought a bigger one.

 

[JohnnyG]

I'd rather move the 65" in and out of apartments rather than the Wega any day! The 65" is on casters, so just push it out your door, onto the elevator (make sure it fits!), up the moving trucks ramp, and back onto the elevator of the new place!
Don't forget that Toshiba also has the 56" and a new 50" set right around the corner. If this is going to become a secondary set when you get your projector, maybe it doesn't have to be so big?

 

[Damien Montanile]

The current 65h80s manufactured after 1/23/01 all of 3:2 pulldown. I just bought one last week and Im absolutely loving it..the price was right the picture is great. the hardest part was getting it into the house..(shipping guys couldnt do it so I did it myself)
-D

 

[Dennis Kindig]

Lucas,
I can understand your size concerns, but portability is not a great feature of the 36" Wega. Mine weighs 225 pounds.
Dennis

 

[Brett G]

Just FYI,
I recently upgraded my 36" (not Wega) to a 65H80 because the 36" just wasn't big enough. My Dad has a 36" Wega, though so I've seen the quality. Even so, if you are even contemplating the 65H80, I would go for it (or the 65H81). If you go with the 36" you will be bumming because of the size, especially when you realize that widescreen pictures will be 4x the size of the 36".
Of course, if you're moving in two months, I'd wait and get your new 65H80 (or H81) delivered to your new place. And yes, the 36" Wega is definitely not portable by any stretch of the imagination.
-Brett
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[AaronP]

To me, its a no brainer, BIGGER IS BETTER!
I went from a 31 to a 36 and after about 2 days, I adjusted to the size, and all of a sudden, it was smallish feeling. (especially after I saw my friend's 92 inch image from a Sony projector!)
Go with the Tosh.

 

[Michael Lee]

Even with anamorphic capability on the Wegas, it is still smaller when watching any widescreen flick. Once you see anamorphic DVD on a widescreen TV, there is no going back.
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[Gary_E]

Once you see anamorphic DVD on a widescreen TV, there is no going back.

Amen!
-Gary

 

[Paul Kunze]

As another frequent apartment mover, and viewer of a 19" Samsung (Double Yuck!!!), I was planning on purchasing a 65H80, but then saw that the new specs for the H81. 150 pounds lighter!!!!!!!! For me that is a good enough reason to tough it out a few more months.
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