Direct-view widescreen best bets? (1 Viewer)

[Jimmy Reece]

I am scouting for a 32-40" direct-view HDTV widescreen monitor.
I hear the 40" Sony is nice @ $3,499. I am hoping to land a fairly impressive unit for under 3 grand.
Is this is a realistic possibility without waiting for months for price decreases? Any model/brand recommendations?
Thanx much...
ReecesPieces

 

[BradZ]

first, the 40" sony is not a widescreen, so if you want widescreen cross this off your list.
as far as direct-view widescreen sets under $3K you might want to check out the RCA 38" unit. It contains a built in DirecTV HDTV tuner so all you have to add is the dish and or an antenna. The RCA is currently going for around $2500. only downside is that it's not a flat-screen.
Other than that Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, and Philips all have 34" direct view 16:9 sets around $3K.
You can actually find quite a few HD-RPTV's cheaper. If you can live with the inherent limitations of RP, this is where the deals are. Bigger screens and cheaper prices. lots of options around $2-$2.5K.
good luck.
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zaphod
end of transmission...

 

[Bob D]

Jimmy,
Brad is correct - the 40" Sony is a 4:3 aspect ratio TV. They do however, make a 34" widescreen(KW-34XBR2HD)that lists for $3999 although I'm sure you can find it discounted in many places. The matching stand lists for $399. This set has an integrated HD tuner which will allow you to pull in over-the-air HDTV broadcasts as well if that is in your plans.
How close are you to Morgantown, WV? I know a dealer there that offers pretty substantial discounts on Sony products. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll supply the name. Good luck.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Jimmy,
Unless you must use the set in brightly lit room, you'll get a lot more bang for the buck in a widescreen rptv. For the $3k a typical 34" direct view set costs, you can get a 42" Tosh, 43" Hitachi, 47" Panasonic, 46" Mits, or possibly even a 50" Tosh and still have enough left over for the HD stb.
Unless your veiwing distance is going to be down around 5 or 6 feet, a 34" directview just isn't big enough.
I know RCA makes a 38" directview but there have been many reported problems with it, and I would not want to take a chance.
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Steve S.
I prefer not to push the subwoofers until they're properly run in.