30" 16x9 set for $496.56?! (1 Viewer)

Hello all,

It is time for a new television set. I finally got rid of my Akai CFT2791, which i hated. More info on that here. I had pretty much decided to replace it with the Sony KV-27FS100 (I am still in awe of my parents' 36" XBR) when I stumbled upon this. The Akai CFT3090, is advertised on the Sam's Club website as a 30" direct view 16x9 set selling for $496.56. This is NOT a clone of the Samsung TXM-3096WHF, and is in fact an analog TV. Has anyone seen or had any experience with this unit? My budget is around $500 and I pretty much watch DVDs only. I might be willing to give Akai another shot, but I'm just not sure. Can anyone give me any cons of getting an analog 16x9 set besides not being able to view hi def?

-Jesse

No progressive scan viewing either. Also, a 30" direct view is pretty small for today's home theater. OTOH, you're not going to get an HD set for $500. I can't vouch for the quality of Akai sets (frankly, I've never even heard of them), but your previous experience should tip you off.

I was at Sam's yesterday and checked out this TV...looks pretty nice...it aint HDTV...but its a good lookin analog set...

Oh and theres quite a few who have 30' 16:9 sets...I just ordered Samsung's new 30' 16:9 model for this year...not everyone has a big living room ya know...

Thanks Josh, I am anxious to check this set out for myself. I'm pretty sure it's going to be either the Akai or the Sony, and since I watch basically ZERO 4:3 programing, I am leaning towards the Akai. I basically want the biggest/best DVD picture for around $500. Anyone else have any opinions about the Akai?

-Jess

Well....this is definately the cheapest 16:9 TV your gonna get...I dont believe this model has component...but does have S-Video...Samsung as a 26' 16:9 HDTV coming out later that should be around $600-$700...

According to the Akai website (see link in original post) the CFT3090 does have a component video input.