HDTV Reviews

Deciding on a big screen has definitely been a grueling and frustrating task. I have been looking for a Projection HDTV for almost a year now. I never wanted to spend more than 2,000 so I waited till now to actually buy one. There are so many models out there and once you start doing your research many of the contenders will drop out of contention. When I first started looking, I considered every brand and model and went from there. Deciding on what you want can really narrow down your search. First decide on whether you want standard or widescreen. I think there is no clear answer for this and its more of a preference. I myself went withthis standard screen because I do mostly TV watching with occasional DVD viewing. Remember if you buy a widescreen when you are watching TV there will be bars on the sides. Go to a store and ask them to show this to you on a Widescreen, you have to see it to decide whether you can live with it or not. Many people say that Widescreen is the future especially with HD on the horizon, but I'm not so sure its coming as soon as more people think. Yes there are some channels now offered in HD, but not enough in my opinion. With cable and satellite systems offering hundreds of channels, I did not want to invest in a widescreen just for a few channels. I think it is coming but in my opinion by the time HD broadcasts have reached a substantial level (about 5-7 years or maybe longer) then sure it will be worth it to get it then. My logic is that I will get a Widescreen HDTV in a few years and by then maybe I plasmas will become affordable or if not I could get a really nice projection widescreen HDTV. I could go on but now I'll get to the TV.

I think picture is the most important thing when buying a big screen. I would rather have a 42 inch with a great picture than a 52 inch with a so so picture. The picture on this TV is the best in my opinon. The Toshiba 50 inch H72 which comes in standard and widescreen is the only TV that comes close to this one. The few other competitors that I was considering such as the the Sony and Phillips had ok pictures but not as good as this one in my opinion. I really did not like any of the Panasonic TV's they didn't look like they were worth it even though they were a little cheaper. My advise is not too skimp, I understand how budgets are tight but don't buy a lesser TV just to save yourself a few bucks. This is a multiyear investment and evey buck helps you. I also have to say this by the way. One thing that really confused me was how I would read all these different reviews for different TV's and everyone would practically swear that they had the best picture. I think there is no "best" picture. It really depends on so many things such as the source that is being watched, the lighting, the angle, the calibration, and a whole bunch of other things that make it difficult to buy the "best" TV. And remember that the sales people ...can easily manipulate the picture. They can easily make a great TV look [bad] wih just a few presses of a button. Keep that in mind and when you go to look at TV's ask them to show you the TV with different sources such as TV, DVD, and HD if available. Sometimes you can tell that they have messed with the TV's by just checking the brightness and contrast. I apologize for giving more shopping tips than I have on this actual TV.

I chose this TV because it consistently looked the best at five different store. Hitachi consistently gets better technical ratings and has the best lens for this type of TV. They manufacture their own parts and have some of the best display technology in the business. One thing that really helped me was that I look through at the "Consumer Reports" analysis on HDTV's and this TV was very highly recommended. Unlike many of the editorial reviews on other websites, Consumer Reports does no advertising and really puts the products to the test. I also really like this TV because of its flexibility and options. There are plenty of inputs and you can adust many of the setting including aspect ratio, temperature, utilize BBE, and the on screen display is very easy. I don't know why some companies make their controls so hard to use. The remote control for this TV is ok, but nothing spectacular. To be honest, I really didn't pay much attention to the remotes when I was researching. I obviously did check them out but its one of the least important thngs in my opinion especially since they all perform the same basic function.

DVD's look beautiful on this TV and in combination with a good home theater system, say good bye to Loews and say hello to Blockbuster. And remember don't freak out if you open the box, plug in the TV, and it doesn't look perfect, this TV's need a lot of adjusting and many manufacturers suggest the best picture that these TV's can produce will be evident after about a hundred hours, this give the guns a chance to warm up and spread their wings for lack of a better term.

Finally, I know this is a hard decision and I hope my review has helpd you somewhat. Just remember to do your homework, don't rush it, look for prices online and in stores, and don't forget to buy an extended warranty-you'll need it at some point. Last thing, buy premium cables-like Monster.

I tried a Samsung T351 because it has a DVI output. However, with a small Zenith ZHD-TV1, I couldn't get all the local channels in DC. After switching to Motoral HDT100, I got all the local channels as well as Baltimore's. Impressive!

The picture quality seems no different with component input of the Motorala and with DVI input of SIR-T351 on my Sony XBR800 34 inch wide screen. The only picture quality difference can be seen when there is an overlay menu. The picture would jitter a bit before an overlay menu disappears. But you don't have to worry about picture jittering when a menu is not activated.

The only real complaint I have is that the unit has mysteriously changes its password twice in the past 3 months and the unit became non-responsive. Since a password is required to change any setting on the Motorola or to set it up for use, its sudden changes are annoying. Not only the password was changed without any intervention from me, its setting was also changed. Luckily, password can be reset to default using a backdoor, i.e. entering a sequence of depressed keys. Once the password is reset and the unit is reset to default settings, it is functional again. Each time that happened, the channels have to be scanned/programmed again. Scanning for stations can be a slow process. But it is more bearable than not getting stations/channels that the Samsung couldn't get.

This doesn't seem to be a feature-rich device. However, I don't need all the bell and whistle and a remote control that does everything for you. This unit is simple and functional, most of the time. The Samsung didn't have this strange problem but it couldn't tune in enough channels. Hence, the Motorola is staying with me for a while.

Our 52" projection TV was dying so we initially replaced it with a 22" Panasonic LCD. It was waaaay too small compared to what we were used to, the picture was fine though. So we decided to return the 22" and go for the 32" TC32LX20. This thing is BEAUTIFUL! The picture quality is fantastic and it has a wide viewing angle, much better than our old projection screen. The TV itself is pleasant to look at even when it's off. :) The only reason I gave it 4 stars is due to the high price. Compared to other LCDs though I think, it's 'reasonable'. A projection LCD would be a good alternative if you want a big screen for much less though they're still not as slim as an LCD or a plasma screen.

Pros:
-Excellent video quality, vibrant colors and wide viewing angle
-Slim for a screen this size, pedestal has a small footprint
-LCDs supposedly have a 15 year lifespan and don't have the same issues plasma and projection TVs have

Cons:
-Very pricey for a TV but worth it if you have the budget for it
-A protection plan is gonna make it even more expensive
-Menus and documenation not as slick as Sony

If your looking for hdtv for the price this is the one to buy. My wife and I looked at 6 or seven different models,picture wise and clarity and color looked just as good or some what equal to a plasma tv.

Well, I finally received the product and so far, it's been great! You can adjust the color. This TV has almost everything. I love the split screen effect that you can do on the TV and the sound quality is good. You can change the picture the quality (color) if you so choose and that's not as good as I want to be but my husband and kids love it!

When I purchaced this TV back in 2002, I was simply amazed at the quality of the picture. 2 years later I am ready to throw it out the window. I've had it in for repair 3 times and I now have issue with it Ididn't have befor. I origioanlly had to have it repaired for a screen flickering on HD signals. It turned out the HD tuner built in was on the fritz and they ended up replacing the tuner. Thing is the problem cam back 3 weeks after I got it back. This time they blamed it on faulty capacitors that were overheating. After another 3 weeks in for repairs I finally got it back. Not 2 months later I am having issues with the audio not matching the video signal. It's almost like watching a chinese movie dubbed in english. I am now past my 2 year warranty and don't know if I want to sink more money into this. If I leave my TV off for a few minutes it clears up the audio, but an hour later it's right back to it. I can't even get through a movie without having to turn off and back on the TV. The tv repair place claimes that the work they did could not have caused this and want another $95 to just come out and look at it! Do not but the RCA 6130 without an extended warranty.

Major drawbacks on this product (versus the Panasonic widescreen 34 inch, CT34WX50, which I also own) include 1) When switched on, the television defaults to "WIDE" viewing mode, which is fine for anamorhphic DVDs but is not appropriate for watching any other source, where "PANORAMA" OR "ZOOM" are better choices. The previous viewing mode choice is not saved once the TV is switched off. 2) There is no "AUTO" mode, where the TV automatically adjusts the aspect ratio as different programs alternate between widescreen and 4:3 formats. 3)There is no leeway to fine tune the aspect ratio in ZOOM or WIDE formats.

The picture quality itself is beautiful, particularly in HDTV and EDTV (DVD source).

I bought this tv a few months ago after a lot of debate. Sony always seemed to be the more expensive product, then it went on sale. 13,999 was the sale. after having to buy the necessary stand for 200, the sale price kind of vanished. Keep in mind that you will need some sort of stand for this unit as it sits too low for good viewing angle without it. The picture is great. As most people say, unless you have a good cable signal, the flaws will be very evident. But I bought this for movies. DVD's look awesome!! I only wish it was widescreen as most all dvd's come in 16:9 format. I know, why did I buy a 4:6 aspect then? Well, I don't like how if you are watching normal tv and the picture is cut down. I would definitely recommend this tv to others, but I would warn people to weigh their priorities.