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My suggestion is to go with HD-RPTV. I think it will satisfy you in all your viewing, 4:3 material and 16:9 material. Here's what I looked for before purchasing my first RPTV:
1. The t.v. needs to have a line doubler that will upscale all signals to at least 480p. Larger sets (57 inch or larger) I believe will actually do 1080i on all signals. The only problem with RPTV is that VHS looks absolutely horrid. You can't fix it unless you have S-VHS.
2. The t.v. should have DVI (Digital Visual Input) at least or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) that's HDCP (High Definition Copy Protection) compliant. This will future proof your video to the extent whereas when HD-TV via ASTC becomes more and more available, you won't have a problem with connecting it to your t.v. set.
3. Follow some of us that can't wait for HD-DVD or Blue Laser HD DVD discs by purchasing an upscaling DVD player. Having HDMI or DVI allows you to pass the signal digitally with out and D/A and A/D conversion.
4. Despite what some may say, I think the set should be 16:9. Each rptv has it's own stretch mode to fill the screen with 4:3 material and some do it well and others are pretty damn good. If you view a few DVDS a week, then it's definetly in your best interest to go 16:9 widescreen. Remember all HD material via Broadcast or HD DVD will require this format to look immaculate.
My view on RPTV is that I think it looks so much more film like in viewing DVDs than Tube. Tube is nice and I still have my 32 inch Toshiba but watching shows like Futurama and other shows looks really great on my Sony via SD (Standard Definition) and watching DVD via component upscaled to 1080i is simply beautiful on this patticular set and you will get the same reviews on other quality sets like Hitachi, Mitsubishi, etc,.
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