Newbie narrowing search for RPTV - advice? (1 Viewer)

[jeff ha]

I'm officially new to the forum today but have be browsing as a guest here for a couple of weeks. The wealth of knowledge freely shared is amazing! I have a background in A/V including owning my own DJ rig/system and working in a TV studio as a tech for a couple of years. BUT...I haven't bought any new equipment for over 10 years (save a cheap DVD player) and am looking to make significant upgrade in my HT setup from basically non-existent (Sony/Bose purchased in the early 90's) to a modest entry level setup. So far I've amassed a Denon AVR 1603 receiver and Klipsch's Quintets (w/10" powered sub) for the basic audio portion of the system. FWIW, I have a bit of Klipsch fetish dating back to my college days roughly 15 years ago when my DJ rig was set up with big 4 Klipsch Cornwalls that blew most other DJ's out of the water for sound quality. So anyway, the Quintets were a way for me to get back into Klipsch on my budget and away from my old Bose Acoustimass system.

On to the video section of my new system...By spending the better part of 3 days researching RPTV's locally and via internet forums, I've basically narrowed my search down to 2 models - the Toshiba 42H83 and the Panasonic PT47WX53. The price difference on the two is negligible.

For some reason I'm pretty enamored by the little 42" Toshiba (42H83). Its a cool looking set and seems to get lots of kudos here on HTF and elsewhere. I see the advantage of the Toshiba in having the built in screen protector and a slightly better reputation for quality (???) from what I can tell. I have also actually seen the Toshiba in person. Probably the biggest disadvantage to me on the Toshiba is its size. If only it were available in 46-48" it would be perfect. I'm setting the TV up in a basement and the 51" version of this TV (51H83) would actually fit in the opening I have perfectly (49" wide opening) but I'm not confident I could get it down the stairs without somehow dismantling the stair railing so I've eliminated it in favor of the smaller sets.

The Panasonic seems to have a very good reputation as well but I'm at a bit of a disadvantage having never actually seen one in person. I'm relying primarily on info on this set from what I hear from retailers and read about it online. At 47" (44" wide), it should fit down the stairway nicely and still fill my 49" wide opening pretty well. It does not have a screen protector which is somewhat of a concern to me as I have 3 1/2 year old twins in the house ;-)

I'm also looking for a good progressive scan DVD player to add to the system but nothing has jumped out at me as markedly better than the rest in the $100-$150 price range. Anyone???

I appreciate any words of wisdom that forum members can give on the two TV's mentioned or any others that I've overlooked in the same price range. Also, right now, I'm finding good deals at Onecall due to free shipping - any place else I should check out online? I'm pretty limited locally on selection (no Best Buy, Curcuit City, etc.)

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Mike>Mob]

Just wanted to reply to you in this thread as well about the DVD player that I purchased. There's a company simply called V that sells the Bravo D1 for around 200 bucks. It has a DVI output that you can plug into your RPTV if it has the capability. Since I purchased the pt47wx53, I was able to take advantage of the purely digital output that the connection can provide. You can buy a 10' DVI cable at pacificcables.com for around 18 bucks, and I feel you can save a little more money this way, because component cables seem to run about double in price. That is unless you buy a high quality DVI cable. But really, I've been using the 18 dollar one and the DVD quality is marvelous!

So this way, you spend a little more money on the DVD player, but save a little on the cabling, and you'll get a much more superior video output!

 

[jeff ha]

Mike - Do you have the web address for "V"? Thanks, Jeff

 

[KennyF]

I think I remember hearing that the larger Toshibas are actually two pieces and can be taken apart reasonably easily for transport and then reassembled. You should ask your dealer about this and get the bigger set.

 

[Mike>Mob]

Address is vinc.us

Hope the researching is going well for you!