Best 16:9 TV around $2,000 range? (newb) (1 Viewer)

[chris_tj]

First I'd like to admit that I'm pretty much a newbie. I need YOU guys to help make me a bit more learned.
My fiance and I want a nice wide format TV to support our DVD watching habits. Right now, we're watching DVDs on a 19" 4:3 which makes the picture smaller than the doors on most microwave ovens.
Once our wedding is out of the way next month, I'm going to launch an initiative to buy a good new TV. Price does matter. I want it to cost no more than $2000-ish.
Size matter too. Most everything is going to be bigger than what we have now, but we live in a townhouse and really can't seat ourselves further than 8' away from the screen. We will be seated at all angles, horizontally, from the screen. I'd like to have a somewhat small 16:9 TV, but I'd like it to be of good quality.
I must say, that I've seen a couple of "small" Toshibas in stores that I've really liked. TW40X81 is one that I've seen that looks nice, and the price is working for me as well.
DVD player we use is Sony DVP-S330
Any recommendations, advice, opinions y'all have to share would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
- Chris

 

[JasonZ]

hi,
welcome to the forum!
i recently purchased the toshiba 40h80 based upon the price ($1900) and the small size. this is a great tv IF you know how to tweak it and are willing to shell out another $4-500 for an isf calibration. i would recommend only buying this tv from a reputable dealer (best buy, tweeter, etc.) because there have been meny documented problems with some of these units and toshiba customer support is a joke.
however, i think that if i had more room in my apartment i would probably wait and pick up that new panasonic 47" 16:9. no reviews yet but time will tell.

 

[Bryan Chew]

chris,
the toshiba 40h80 is a nice set. if you are pressed for space, it is a very sleek, only 18" deep if i remember correctly. if you have space, check out the mitsubishi ws46807. it is a 46" widescreen and the picture is pretty good out of the box. if you are willing to tweak or have it calibrated, it can produce an outstanding picture. you should be able to find the mits for $2,000 or less. you might want to check outwww.hometheaterspot.com as well. they have boards separated by manufacturers so you can see what other toshiba, mitsubishi, etc owners have to say. happy hunting.
bryan

 

[David Susilo]

If you want something small and cheap, you may want to go with Samsung 30" 16:9 diret-view TSk3092WF. I can get it here in Canada for US$1300 plus our 15% taxes. The TV has a built in line-doubler but NOT an HDTV, just EDTV (480p max.).
This TV was featured on a DTV Shoot-Out by Hometheater magazine (www.hometheatermag.com ) and the result seems to be pretty good.

 

[Abdul Jalib]

The Mitsubishi WT-46807 is just a tad more expensive, and I consider it a better choice than the Toshiba 40H80. It has the "Mitsubishi promise", has superior HDTV resolution (probably), and has a 480p VGA RGB input that should allow you to pump in 1440x960i from a HTPC if you so choose. However, I suppose the "Mitsubishi promise" may not be worth much for this set - like in 3 years if the Mitsubishi upgrade costs $1000, but you can buy a new firewire-equipped set superior to the 46807 for just $1000, then the promise would be of no use.
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[ThomasL]

Chris, will this tv be exclusively for dvd/hdtv viewing or also for regular cable viewing (i.e. NTSC 4:3 material). You may want to make sure you will be ok with vertical letterboxing of 4:3 material on a 16:9 set. Also, from 8 feet away, I wouldn't go any bigger than 32 inch in a 4:3 set if you will be watching cable on this tv as well. I find that the bigger better sets simply highlight all the problems and interference in the crappy cable signal thus making it look worse. It still seems that cable looks best on a 13 inch Sharp kitchen tv that I have. Something like the Sony 32XBR or the Panasonic CT32HX models that were mentioned in the Home Theater article may be something to consider since both do the automatic 16:9 squeeze on anamorphic 16:9 dvd material.
good luck with your search,
--tom

 

[Jim Tudor]

Chris, I am in pretty much the same boat as you are - getting marrried next month, and in need of a good 16x9 set under $2000! I have been waiting for the new Panasonic PT-47WX49 to arrive in town, but I have been told by folks on the net who have seen it already that it's picture is beautiful. It's just starting to appear, so keep an eye open. The sales guy at Best Buy yesterday never heard of it, but supposedly they'll be carrying it for $1999.99.
In another thread about this set, someone pointed out that this site has a good price on it: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/discountmaven/panpt47diagh.html
JiM T

 

[Don]

i wonder if discount maven is anything like crazy eddies. Don,

 

[Ron-P]

I'll throw in a vote for the Mits 46807, 46" 16:9 HD-ready RP.
I picked this set up for $1995.00 three weeks ago and am constantly impressed. It was $200.00 less than the 40" Tosh. at the time I made the purchase. I have two rows of seating. The front row is 6' away and the back is 9' (eyes to screen). At 8' away the Tosh. 40H80 might be a bit too small, IMO. I currently have a Sony DVP-S530D player.
Good luck and congrats on getting married

Peace Out~

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