Recomendations on direct view 16:9 T.V. (1 Viewer)

[Joseph Kim]

I have owned a Toshiba tw-40x81 for about a year and half. My conclusion is I think I prefer direct view tv. The picture on the toshiba was great with dvd, but for some reason, I rather have a direct view. Anyway, I just sold the Toshiba last night and I need a new TV. I went to the Good Guys, and took a look at the new 34 inch Sony hdtv. Looked great, but the price tag didn't, $4000.00. Looked at Toshiba, Panasonic, Loewe and the Philips. I liked the Sony the most. Do you guys have any recomendations, and what you guys think is the best deal. Also, it would be great if any of you could recomend a place on the net where I could save some money. Thanks
joe
[Edited last by Joseph Kim on August 16, 2001 at 09:56 PM]

 

[Abdul Jalib]

The RCA F38310 is an awfully good value, though owners are bitching about problems.
The 38" Loewe Aconda is based on the same tube, and then they add a bunch of lead to make it weigh more to justify the huge price.

It accepts 720p.
The 34" Sampo is high value, but lacks a line doubler. It does 720p and is great with a HTPC.
The Philips direct view sets have good (if glitchy) line doublers.
The 34" widescreen Panasonic gets raves from its owners, but it's the Loewe and Philips sets that catch my eye walking through the store.
I've heard one person besides you say the 34" ancient Sony has the best picture of all, but I've never seen it.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of these sets - just make sure you can return a set if it has a glitch, as glitches are common in big direct view sets. I would probably pick them in this order, with cost a consideration: Sampo, RCA, Philips, Sony, Loewe, Panasonic. But it's really close.
Check out Fry's, Costco, Sam's Club, and even Walmart. Fry's had the Sampo for $2000, whereas it was $3000 just a few months ago. As the new models for this year come rolling in, the old models start appearing at such discount chains for very low prices.
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[Joseph Kim]

Thanks for the response Abdul, anyone else have any input.
joe

 

[george king]

The RCA has a sweet picture,and a built in tuner, so it is a great deal (especially if you get the price match from Sears). Some people have had some serious problems with the set (quality control may be a problem), but others have reported no problems what so ever, so it may be a bit of a crap shoot.
The Sampo also has a great picture, but like Abdul says, it does not have a built in doubler, so you would need to get a progressive DVD player at the least (or more likely the iScan Pro).
I also really like the picture of the Philips, but it is pricier and has a smaller screen.
Hope this helps