Yeah, I went with the JVC D series 202. Served me well for picture and ease of use, but there's a slight hum that only exists in that model I think. Only noticable at low volumes, but still irritating to the discerning ear.
How easy/difficult is it to do the 16:9 squeeze on the JVC D-series TVs? I've read that the Samsung's can do it from the remote, and a new line of Toshiba TVs that will be released soon is supposed to do it too without having to go into the service menu.
Basically, many people seem to consider Toshiba, JVC and Samsung as good buys in the 27" size and sub-$400 price range. Since I'm not much of a video buff, I'm pretty sure I would be happy with any one of these (especially since a TV setup at Best Buy is probably pretty poorly calibrated), so then it comes down to features and price. I don't watch cable so PIP etc. aren't needed, I do watch DVDs so an easy way to do the squeeze would be nice.
Can a learning remote be programmed with a macro to enter the service menu and perform these changes? I would think not, since the procedure usually seems to involve pressing multiple buttons, some on the TV and some on the remote.
Actually on my 32 inch JVC I have the service menu squeeze set up on macros. I just hit the buttons and since all the commands are remote based it just does its thing without me having to remember how the hell I did it or going through the process more than the first time.
My first color TV I owned was a JVC 20" back in 78 (+/- a year). It had a real wood case and had was model number (I'm guessing) 7820 or 7830 something I think. It was a dynamite set I was talked into by the salesman after walking in the store planning to buy a sony. It was cheaper and actually did have a better picture.
I have the 32 inch JVC D-Series, and looks great. The only thing I have noticed on my set is is that when I do the Video Esentialls calibration I find that it has a hard time holding black.