Good Deal on 36" Tau HX40 - Should I Buy? (1 Viewer)

[Dan Curwin]

A local dealer has a few Panasonic TAU CT-36HX40 in stock which he is selling for $1400.

I have been considering either a WEGA 32" FV or XBR, but the 36" Panasonic for $200 more than the FV is tempting.

The primary feature I would like to get is auto-anamorphic compression. I use standard cable so HD is not in my immediate future. My Sony DVD player is not progressive scan. I am upgrading a 10-year-old 32" Sony "S" series (vertically flat).

I have been doing some research on the forum and elsewhere. Sounds like there were some geometry problems on the early HX40's, as well as a tilt problem. I am concerned about that.

As for features, the HX40 has a line doubler but it's not a deinteracer (no reverse 3:2 pulldown). It is my understanding that if I upgrade to a progressive scan DVD player, I won't need this anyway.

Also, I have read some comments that the Panasonic auto-detect for vertical compression doesn't work with all DVD players. Anyone have any experience with this?

The price is tempting, but not if I'm just going to be buying a headache.

Opinions?

 

[Matt Taylor]

Dan,

I have the CT-32HX40 which is the smaller version of the same television. I know some people have had problems with them, but I have had no problems with mine since I bought it about a year ago. It is our secondary TV, so it doesn't get a lot of use, but the HD picture is great, and the picture with interlaced DVD is great too (haven't seen it with progressive scan DVD). $1499 is a good price, but not a must-buy price. If you could work them down to $1350, then that would be a great deal.

Matt