Lower end RPTV's - which do you prefer? (1 Viewer)

[NatL]

I'm debating which set to buy among the low end 50" - the Pan 53wx42, the 50h82 from Tosh or the Hitachi in this range (I believe 51uwx20b).

I just have not been drawn in by one over the other yet. The Hit. and Tosh both have DVI (tosh upgradeable), but then the Tosh is supposed to be not as good at upconversion than Hitachi and the Panny doesn't need it w/480p.

I've heard a lot of horror stories around Pan. and Tosh but not Hitachi.

Maybe it'd be worth a couple extra to get the latest Mitsubishi in this range?

Anyone know anything about Philips?

N

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

I have a 43" Hitachi 43x10b (or something like that) and am very happy with it. I preferred the picture quality to the Panny 47" wide (dunno the model) in 480i, 480p, and 1080i. I chose a 4:3 model because until analog tv is turned off, i have a feeling the majority of programming will remain 4:3. By 2005 i'll probably be in the market for a newer bigger set regardless. $$$ was a big issue for me as well, being a college student and having no true income.

 

[Mike I]

If you are talking about Prime time programming, the majority of it is widescreen..There is currently over 480 hours per week of HD widescreen programming..An amazing increase from less than two years ago..Also for the past few years just about all prime time program is shot widescreen and framed for 4.3 even if not broadcast in HD...Production companies know it will bring higher syndication dollars if available in widescreen.

 

[Jan Strnad]

I love my Toshiba. Upconversion is a non-issue, IMHO, not something you'll notice in real life (unless most of your viewing is of test charts); most DVDs don't even have the sharpness necessary to bring out the difference between upconverted 540p and passed-through 480p.

Sure, you hear about problems with Panasonic and Toshiba. They're extremely popular and have their share of problem sets, and those are the sets people post about. Keep digging. You'll find problem posts about Mitsubishi, Samsung, Hitachi, Philips, everybody.

I chose the Tosh because I loved the picture and it was the shallowest set (18"), making it fit best in my small room. Panasonics can be tweaked into a great picture, as can Hitachi, though tweaking the Hitachi is more difficult (I've heard) than with the Tosh or Panny.

Odds are, you'll be delighted with any of them. Good luck!

Jan