HDTV Reviews

I'v had this for three weeks and still think this is the best HD moniter on the market. The picture quality really stands out in comparison.
I looked at DLP TV from RCA - Thomson and it looked like a lower resolution display, even though they say they use the same device from TI as Samsung.
The minor things noted in other reviews;

1. not the best at standard broadcast TV. Yes, if your only watching this - and no HD or DVD - than save your money. Especially if you view from 12 ft. away or less.I have Directv HD with a Pansonic receiver and a progressive scan DVD player hooked up and use them to get widescreen and HD programs.
Play the new Digital Video Essentials DVD on this system to see how good a picture can get.

2. Minor issue with audio timing to the picture when watching cetain broadcasts using the built in analog tuner. Using the Mute button repeatedly brings this out on my set. This should be fixable with a software upgrade from Samsung - when they are ready.

3. horizontal viewing angle is great - just as they say. But the vertical viewing angle is about 90 degrees max.(45 up or down), like other rear projection TVs. Set the TV at seated eye level and you won't even notice this.

I would have been nice to get a digital TV tuner built-in. Since Directv and cable make you use their tuners for DTV, it's not worth waiting for this feature.

I have not yet used the DVI and PC interfaces. I like the split-screen display using the PIP ( two tuners) in the set. Even the PIP as a window is clear.

2.

Very sharp picture (when viewing HD broadcast or DVD). Vibrant colors right out of the box. No calibration needed.

Regular analog broadcasts, however, are inferior (which I believe is more a function of the larger screen size magnifying the imperfections of a non-HD signal).

Highly recommend obtaining HD cable service with this set. Locally, Comcast is offering HD service at $5/month. Plus they provide their own box with no charge for installation.

What a picture!!!!!!!when you watch a dvd on this baby...you will be in heaven!! I will be getting hdtv thru directv soon..and after that I may never go to the movie theater again..it is that good! The only problem i have is the set is in my bedroom and when i have it on late at nite and the volume is low i can hear the fan...but don't let that stop you from buying this t.v.

this tv has the best picture of any projection tv i have ever seen, and give many a tube tv a run for the show as well. i have seen alot of them, as i deliver for a tv and appliance store. the price i paid for this item is unbelievable as well. so needless to say i am a very happy hatachi watcher. dvd quality is out of this world, i have pioneer 600 watt surround sound w/5 disc changer hooked up through red blue green on both units. just switched from cable (clear picture aint so clear) to direct tv the picture from direct is much much better. when not using the pioneer, the sound still sounds good from the hitachi. even though i got a tremendous deal it is well worth the regular price.

Bought this HDTV in early December 2002. Prices have gone UP since. We are very happy with this unit.

DVD progressive-scan picture quality is flawless. I challenge anyone to see more detail in a film like "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells" (an HBO film shot with HD equipment): I can safely describe every scene as of "photographic quality". "Shrek", "Matrix", "Moulin Rouge", and "Moonstruck" are also fantastic.

Watching satellite from DirecTV is another matter, though. We don't have an HD satellite receiver yet, and the image quality we get varies greatly from channel to channel and from show to show. It can be great (some car and beer commercials are super) or only fair ("re-runs" on West Wing are grainy). With an HD satellite receiver (we witnessed at Circuit City) this unit has nearly perfect picture quality.

Lets face it, if you spend this much on a large screen TV, you will want to fill the screen edge to edge, and the six aspect-ratio settings let you do just that. We choose 16:9 (1.85:1 "widescreen") viewing most of the time. Breathtaking stuff!

When you watch 4:3 images (1.33:1 "full screen") you can expand the image to fill the screen, but the distortion bothers me. So we mostly watch those at the "Zoom1" setting, which provides an edge-to-edge viewing experience with some cropping. I prefer cropping to the grey or black bars that otherwise frame the image.

Compared this 51" to the 57" Hitachi and was surprised that the 57" picture quality was better, considering it uses the same elements. I thought that picture would be grainy or washed out, but it was also superb. However I could not justify the additional cost - and this 51" screen fits our basement viewing area well.

I am very happy with this HDTV watching 50/50 DVD and satellite TV, but I am hunting for the best HD receiver to complete our video experience.

For sound, we use an RCA 700W surround system. Despite small satellite speakers, the sound is incredible large, thanks to a large subwoofer. The Hitachi's 40W speakers provide good sound, though, and we usually set the volume at 50% while watching movies. They fill in nicely in the mid to high-range frequencies.

I strongly recommend this set and challenge anyone to find a better quality image for the money.

I am very impressed with this set. In comparing the quality of the picture with other manufacturers the picture far exceeded their capabilities. This set far exceeded my expectations and I am happy I bought it. It is even better than I thought it would be by seeing it in the store.

I had a long time to research which TV I was going for and if you want a theater style experience with lots of great features, and fit it into a budget, get this set. The biggest consideration in my opinion AFTER image quality (which is outstanding, but that's been dertermined in other reviews) is Aspect Ratio and how the TV deals with the two different formats. (There are several aspect ratios, but I'm speaking on 16:9 "theater" & 4:3 "television") This set does a good job of giving you several basic formats in which to choose from. If you're looking for a TV that you can completely fine tune your picture with several zoom settings, this may dissapoint. I found that they've included the perfect mix and I constantly find a perfect aspect ratio for me. One setting titled "JUST" takes a 4:3 image and keeps the center 2/3's in original aspect and gradually stretchs the remaining 1/3 equally to the edges, this gives the most pleasing results for TV viewing. On another note, Please read the manual for any TV you purchase. The manual of this set says to not use the 4:3 drop down (which will make a television (4:3) signal display in the correct aspect, but will leave you with bars on the left and right of the screen) should be used LESS THAN 15% of the time. If you don't you'll get image burn in. And nobody wants that.

I would recommend Panasonic TV's to anyone, this is my second, and I will continue to purchase them in the distant future.

If you want a nice HDTV and have the room, I recommend the 53" rear projection PANASONIC.

Take a look at the Amazon reviews, Circuit City (or Best buy, can't remember which has reviews between BB and CC).

The reviews were so stellar that I actually bought it sight unseen and shipped it from Amazon. And man!, were they right....the features and clarity is amazing (remember to lower brightness and no game systems for 1st 100 hours to avoid burn-in...also, avoid playing in 4x3 mode with vertical black bars for same reason).

When you do all the math, it is cheapest to buy from Amazon (but only with an Amazon Credit Card) becuase it sells for $1499 at Amazon plus $119 for shipping... but then there is NO TAX (most states) and with the Amazon CC you get Triple point for Amazon purchases (and for every $2500 points you get a $25 Amazon Gift code in the mail), so that gets you *almost* enough points for $50 in Gift codes.

Even with free shipping promo's or the $100 GC from BB, Amazon beats them becuase of the no sales tax.

IMPORTANT: Everything I have read and heard from tech people in the industry (not you minimum wage CC or BB sales clerks) say that Plasma is too young of a technology, doesn't generally come with a tuner or speakers, costs a ton more and has a lifespan measured in hours (instead of years). My research suggests your plasma will last 5 years (and start to get fuzzy in about 2) and the rear-projection will last approx 20 years (but will of course need some maintenance over that time frame).

Also, I have also heard that you should stay AWAY from LCD Projection TV (just get the standard 3 gun projector type) becuase the LCD type is driven by a bulb that costs $200-$300 and blows out every 5000 to 8000 hours (but indications are that your first one will happen in approx one year...which seems even faster than the the hourly guestimate). In fairness the bulb (on some models) is user replacable and the bulb may come down in price if the technolofgy catches on, but i wouldn't bet on it.

The panasonic 53 inch has a native resolution of 1080 (and I believe you need a converter box to scalle the 720 broadcasts....it does regular old cable without a box , but becuase it is digital the picture ain't amazing with regular cable...but that doesn't matter to me...I wanted the HDTV for DVDs and when I eventually feel like shelling out more $$ for HDTV cable.).

BTW, My last box was a rear-projection and died in about 6 years, so I was NOT ready to buy another rear-projection. But after research I found that my old box was notorious for a very high failure rate...there was even a class action lawsuit. I would mention the manufaturer, but it wouldn't matter becuase it was branded under multiple names and they don't make it anymore, so I don't want to prejudice people against a brand becuase of one particulr (defective) 6 year old model. However, I will say the manufacturer was NOT Panasonic.

Suffice it to say, that I was all gung-ho for plasma and NOT looking for rear-projection, but after all the research and info I got, rear-projections in general, and the 53" panasonice model specifically, won the contest hands down !

If you have info that counters all this, please post for others to see...These are just my opinions based on my experiences/research and this is a big purchase...the more opinions the better.

Panasonic Part Number: PT53WX53 (They also make the same unit in 47 inch: PT47WX53)

I bought this TV last month but before I did, I surfed the web for about 2 weeks to read reviews and compare prices. I even went to the Electronic stores that sold the models to see which one was more appealing. This model in each and every store I went into was CRYSTAL CLEAR, the picture was GORGEOUS. The Amazon price is so/so but right around the store price. I bought mine from a MErchant affiliated with amazon and WHAT A DEAL I got !!!!!!! $350 cheaper then the Amazon price.

When I got the TV 8 days after ordering, it was delivered and opened. I then realized how big it was compared to how small it looked in the store. I WAS PLEASED. the sound was EXCELLENT, picture perfect. I bought some home theater speakers and WOW. AMAZING !!!!!!!! 1 tip- when fine tuning the picture set it while your on a nature/wildlife show/channel its a good measuring stick for picture tuning.

negatives-per channel watt output is only 15w, and it doesn't really look good inside a enclosed wall unit. other then that I LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!! YOU WILL TOO !!!!!!!!!

I finally took the plunge and purchased the Samsung 50" DLP. And "wow" is pretty much all I can say. The picture quality is unbelievable. I finally understand why everyone is oogling over HDTV. I hooked up the DVD player (an old Sony, non-progressive scan) and I sat there dumbfounded. I started the "testing phase" with Apollo 13. Wow. I could tell very little difference between S-Video and Component Video, and while Component gets the slight edge, you have to be picky to care because the picture quality is outstanding either way. Hooked up the digital cable box... and again, two wows! The first wow is for how bad a standard television signal looks! It was embarrassing... I can't believe we've been watching this junk for decades! The second wow is for how much better the digital signal looks.

I then ran out and upgraded my cable box to a HD box.... ok, this is a big wow! It's so good it's almost stupid. I sat there mesmerized by this almost surreal picture. Travels through Italy, Hogan's Heroes (who knew this stuff was in HD?), Three Days of the Condor, and the College World Series... it was almost like being there... actually it was better. I may never leave the house!

Hookups are great. Plenty of component, s-video, and even a DVI (which I haven't used yet, although my cable box does have DVI, hard to believe the picture could be better). As integrated speakers go, the Samsung sounds great. It has a simulated surround sound mode which I tested with Apollo 13 and, while not high end surround sound, I was quite impressed. This ain't your daddy's tv speaker. Out-of-box experience was as good as it gets. It was well packed, easy to unpack, and everything worked perfectly. The remote will not win awards for revolutionary design, but it was intuitive enough for me to get to everything I needed.

My only real world experience with big screen tv is my dad's Sony rear projection. What impressed me with the Samsung compared to that experienece is... you can't get too close (no tunneling), it looks great from the side, from the floor, and standing up.... you do lose a little brightness, but it's still very watchable. It's not as good as plasma, but it's not far off. One of my pet peeves with big screens is the finish on the glass... I much prefer the "matte" non-reflective finish of the Samsung. And when combined with the superb brightness, you can watch (and enjoy) the picture even in a brightly lit room.

It wasn't easy for me to pull the trigger... I've spent the past several years of lusting over big screen televisions... never passing up the opportunity to peruse the aisles at BestBuy and Circuit City... watching the evolution from rear projection to plasma to LCD... and nothing really impressed me (ok, the plasma did impress me, but the pricetag was beyond comprehension). But there was always something that turned me off... my dad's Sony projection is cool, but when I watch a movie on it, I can see "CNN" and "Live" burned into the corners of the screen... and then I learned that you can get burn-in on plasma as well. Yikes. Then I saw the DLP... and I came close to falling in love.

If you're thinking about going HD and you can afford it, you will not be dissappointed with the Samsung.

We Searched for the best TV and this is what we came up with.This TV hooked up to a HI Def. signal is one of the best pictures you can get.When we hooked up the dvd player I was blown away, the picture was like glass then we had the HI Def Sat. hooked up and that was even better.I sit only 7 to 9 feet away from tv and there is no blur at all, and the best thing about DLP is to bring the tv back to new all you have to do is change a lightbulb about every 4 or 5 years.(No tech. has to come to your house to realine your tubes or color like in plasma or LCD. Also there is no way to burn image in to this screen unlike plasma or LCD.(for the kids who like to play video games.) Stay at 50 to 55 inch screen anything larger will tend to strech the picture then you get the blur! All in all the hookups are great and i can lift this tv myself.

I got this from Best-Buy in January. It is about 2 months and the picture quality is great. HD channels look even better. Most of the SD is acceptable. One thing that annoys me about this TV is, it takes about 20-30 seconds to fireup. But I can wait that much to see the great picture. If you buy this from Best-Buy, make sure you enroll in their rewardszone program. you will get about $130 worth of gift certificates for your purchase price through rewardszone.

I've had this TV now for about 6 mos. and am very happy with it. However, I also bought the Samsung HD TS160 Directv converter and realized once I got it home that the TV did not have DVI (HDCP) input and was very disappointed. However, I got the TV for a very good price here at Amazon and can't complain. It was my fault I did not look for that interface on the TV and believe me I really did a lot of research. The one other thing I wish this had was the capability, ala Sony, to detect automatically and change from 16:9 to 4:3 or vica versa on it's own. Other than this, the picture is excellent, I mean really, really nice.

The Samsung TXM3298HF is a true winner in every regard. I spent weeks looking at televisions of every make and model in electronics stores all over town, and the Samsung came out on top in both picture quality and price. Compared to a 32" HDTV Sony Wega, the Samsung was just as crisp and beautiful, yet sold for hundreds less. On top of that, the Samsung was also 3 inches slimmer (depth), so if you have a tight space that requires a semi-shallow depth, yet you don't want to scrimp on screen real estate, the Samsung (which is only 22 inches deep) is the way to go. I've watched DVDs on it, and even bought a component video cable for my Nintendo GameCube, and it all looks stunning. Digital cable looks wonderful as well. Like others in these reviews, the color does take a little fiddling with to find the right setting for your environment. But once you get that right, it truly does offer a stunning, rich picture that'll leave you glued. Set also comes with tons of video / audio component inputs and outputs on the backside, plus a few handy ones on the left side in case you want to quickly plug in a DV cam or other device. The remote is easy to use and well designed, and can be programmed to handle your VCR, DVD, or Cable box. The set is heavy - at least 120lbs or so - so if you purchase one online and have it delivered, keep in mind you'll need a friend or two to pick it up.

When I purchased this TV, I was in the market for a direct view 32" HDTV. My goal was to find the TV set with the best possible picture (for both analog cable and progressive scan DVD playback) regardless of brand name or price (in the past, I have usually bought Sony or Toshiba). After weeks of research, I narrowed the field to Sony, Toshiba and Samsung Tantus. All 3 received very good reviews from Consumer Reports and CNET, among others. All 3 were comparably priced, with the Sony being slightly higher.

In showroom viewing, all 3 TVs performed extremely well, displaying vibrants colors and sharp detail, with both cable and DVDs. They clearly stood out from the others. When properly tuned using the Avia DVD, the Samsung Tantus produced the most brilliant colors and sharpest detail. Toshiba was also excellent; its picture quality was nearly identical to that of the Samsung. The Sony was very good as well, but it seemed to fall short when displaying text; instead of the sharp, fine edges produced by the Toshiba and Samsung, the Sony produced text that was a bit pixelated and choppy.

In the final analysis, I concluded that you cannot really go wrong with any of the 3 (Samsung, Toshiba, Sony), as they are all very good TV sets. Distinguishing between these 3 sets is somewhat a matter of personal preference.

In terms of personal perference, I also took into account these additional non-picture-quality-related factors:

1) Aesthetics of the cabinet (Samsung had the coolest looking cabinet, followed by Sony, and then Toshiba). Samsung's cabinet is simple and zen-like, yet very stylish. It goes well with any decor and accompanying components.

2) Ease of use (Sony was best, then Toshiba, then Samsung). This is Samsung's biggest shortcoming. Although Samsung's on-screen menus are not difficult to use or confusing, the on-screen displays on the Sony and Toshiba required fewer steps and were more intuitive than the Samsung.

3) Remote control (again, Sony was best, then Toshiba, then Samsung).

4) Annoying "bee-bee-bop" sound when you turn on the Samsung TV. Fortunately, you CAN shut off this "feature" through an on-screen menu option. So, this is not really a factor.

5) Inputs (Sony had the most, then Samsung, then Toshiba). All 3 sets had two component inputs. Again, this was not a factor, as all 3 sets had adequate inputs.

6) Sound quality (Samsung and Sony were a notch above Toshiba). Samsung comes with excellent BBE enhanced sound as well as a subwoofer mounted inside the cabinet. It also has EQ controls (a nice touch). The Sony also had very good sound.

All in all, I am very pleased with my Samsung Tantus TV and enjoy watching it daily! Overall, I would give it an A- grade. It's almost perfect and certainly the best TV I have ever owned.

If you're in the market for a 32" HDTV, I hope the above helps you make an informed decision.

Overall I've been pleased with this TV, however what keeps it from getting a perfect score is the annoying "brightness problem". In my case this means that during dark scenes (in movies, video games, TV shows or whatever), dark bars are appear on the left and right side of the screen. They are faint and some people might not even notice them. But I do, and it is damn annoying. 99% of the time it isn't noticable even when looking for them specifically, its only during scenes with dark backgrounds. Apparently this is a problem with all models of Sony Wega. I had a repair man come out, but it seemed to do nothing (maybe even make it worse). After doing some research there doesn't seem to be a fix for this. Other than that 1 annoying problem the TV is great.

HOLYCOWTHISISTHEBESTTELEVISIONIHAVEEVEROWNED

See, I told ya!
Seriously. this thing is incredible.

I've had this television for about 3 months now, and I'm VERY happy with the purchase, although I paid more than I wanted to for a television ... But what a television!

The sharpness and contrast of your standard cable-fed programming is noticibly improved. However, if you have digital cable, you'll see an even more dramatic improvement. The picture is clean from any angle and glare is reduced compared to that of a non-flat tube. The sound quality is impressive and, while playing a game on PS2, I actually thought some of the ambient sounds I heard were coming from upstairs.

The remote control is large, but well thought-out, buttons are easy to push/find and it's backlit. The wireless headphones are a wonderful addition, and they're really well made and comfortable with fantastic sound quality.

There are plenty of input jacks for whatever you want to hook up to this baby, and there should be, as this is currently Sony's top-of-the-line 36" model (aside from HDTV).

However, before purchasing, make sure your stand or entertainment center can hold this set, because it weighs close to 300lbs! I had to purchase the stand Sony makes for this model (and the FS17) for an additional [money]. It looks okay, but is of IKEA-type quality.

This really is a remarkable television. One factor that will make the price easier to swallow is that this will most likely be the LAST 36" you'll ever buy. In a few years when HDTV is more affordable/available, then you can upgrade. But for now, this is it!

I BOUGHT THIS IN BEST BUY A MONTH AGO. THE SET IS GOOD FOR ITS PRICE AS A HDTV. HOWEVER, IF YOU USE THE AUTO FOCUS, YOU WILL FIND OUT THAT THE SCAN LINES ARE NOT TOTALLY STRAIGHT. I HAVE GONE TO OTHER STORES TO CHECK OTHER TOSHIBA SETS AND THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. OTHER THAN THAT, ITS A GOOD SET AND MY WIFE SAID THAT IT DOES NOT BOTHER HER. SO, WATCH FOR WHAT YOU GET!

Bought this for myself and my family as a surprise Christmas present and we all love it! It fits very nicely in our family room, and the screen is just right for 8 foot viewing distance. I found the picture to be superb (especially with the TimeWarner Digital Cable). The setup was easy, and I found that while I could move it around...using two people is easier. The connections to home theatre were easy to do; and the sound from the Toshiba set alone was almost as good as from the home theatre system. The two antenna input allows easy Picture Out of Picture (better than PIP!). Feature setup is easy, and fun to play with; I'm still experimenting. If you can get it for less than $2000, you'll really be pleased!! Pop the popcorn; DVD viewing on wide screen is just like being in the theatre!!

This TV is superb! I have spent the last 6 months trying to decide on which TV I wanted to buy (that wouldn't cost me an arm & a leg), and saw nothing that compared to the Toshiba. It has so many features, especially all the connections (for example 2 component video inputs). DVD movies on this are incredible. I can only imagine what it would be like to have a full surround sound system as well. The one thing I would like to point out is that if you have conventional cable (as I do), you will get a stretched picture (just the way things work out), but with the surge of HDTV and digital cable channels, it won't be long before every channel is HDTV. The other slight annoyance is the channel label option. Toshiba only allows you to input 32 channel labels...well who has just 32 channels anymore?? Like I said, more of an annoyance than a major downside. All in all, great TV!

Just got the set couple of days ago. 1)It DOES NOT take 2 minutes to "warm up" it is on fully bright at 15 seconds or so. I haven't seen it with an HDTV source yet but I can tell you that a "superbit" DVD looks stunning. It also looked very crisp with my XBOX hooked up. The EZ picture formatting is great for stretching the 4:3 TV signal (i like the 2nd zoom best) there are plenty of inputs on the back and the set has lots of nice features (pic in pic, pic out of pic, 3 window channel scanning)
You can view the display at almost 180 degrees and it doesn't "black out" like an LCD panel. Don't be disappointed if a standard TV signal doesn't look "stunning" I think it's just the nature of the beast. It still looks pretty good. I am anxious to switch over to "the dish" so i can get HDTV. Oh yeah, it's light (for a big set) 135 lbs. you can actually move the damn thing if you need to! Aesthetically the set is gorgeous to look at even when its turned off. My favorite thing is to put 2 large pictures side by side and watch the main channels (coming straight from the cable) and then "surf" the cable box channels and the window beside it. This can be done by piping the cable box output into a video input. I was very hesitant buying the tv sight unseen but am very pleased. BTW, you can go to the Zenith website and download the PDF manual for the set, that is very helpful. Finally saw picture in HDTV and it was STUNNING. Downside, NO DVI INPUT! DVI is apparently the newer pure digitial uncompressed connection (a little larger than an RGB jack) Newer TVs have them WHY DOESN'T THIS ONE? That's the only drawback I can think of. The HDTV picture into the RGB jack still looks fantastic.

Got this baby a week or so ago and it's great. I almost bought the 50" Sony which I had seen at the store but a last minute search revealed some issue with the bulbs burning out so that scared me enough to choose the Zenith. I'd wanted a plasma originally, but the quality of this picture is comparable to a $6,000-$7,000 plasma of the same size. Nice.

The HD programming while limited in availability looks outstanding. I thought the brightness levels might be an issue in a bright room like I have but it's not. The TV is surprisingly slim, and not particularly heavy for a set of this size.

I had alot of time to research TV's. We just built an addition
that will serve as a media/rec room. I wanted to buy a tv that we could surf the internet and play video games on without worrying about burn in. The picture quality is just as good as the Sony and Panasonic and is 2" bigger. It is very stylish. The pictures dont do it justice. You can't see the front speakers like in the pics. I could not find a picture of the matching stand anywhere online, but ordered it any way. The stand is just as stylish. It has 2 heavy glass shelves for components that are open and do not have doors. The TV only takes 15-20 secs to turn on. My kids won't let me near it. They have been playing Xbox on it non stop. The built in speakers are very good. I purchased mine for $2,499 right here on Amazon. $1000 cheaper than Bestbuy. It goes on sale periodically. I recommend waiting for such a sale. It was delivered in perfect condition.

Just got the set couple of days ago. 1)It DOES NOT take 2 minutes to "warm up" it is on fully bright at 15 seconds or so. I haven't seen it with an HDTV source yet but I can tell you that a "superbit" DVD looks stunning. It also looked very crisp with my XBOX hooked up. The EZ picture formatting is great for stretching the 4:3 TV signal (i like the 2nd zoom best) there are plenty of inputs on the back and the set has lots of nice features (pic in pic, pic out of pic, 3 window channel scanning)
You can view the display at almost 180 degrees and it doesn't "black out" like an LCD panel. Don't be disappointed if a standard TV signal doesn't look "stunning" I think it's just the nature of the beast. It still looks pretty good. I am anxious to switch over to "the dish" so i can get HDTV. Oh yeah, it's light (for a big set) 135 lbs. you can actually move the damn thing if you need to! Aesthetically the set is gorgeous to look at even when its turned off. My favorite thing is to put 2 large pictures side by side and watch the main channels (coming straight from the cable) and then "surf" the cable box channels and the window beside it. This can be done by piping the cable box output into a video input. I was very hesitant buying the tv sight unseen but am very pleased. BTW, you can go to the Zenith website and download the PDF manual for the set, that is very helpful. Finally saw picture in HDTV and it was STUNNING. Downside, NO DVI INPUT! DVI is apparently the newer pure digitial uncompressed connection (a little larger than an RGB jack) Newer TVs have them WHY DOESN'T THIS ONE? That's the only drawback I can think of. The HDTV picture into the RGB jack still looks fantastic.

Got this baby a week or so ago and it's great. I almost bought the 50" Sony which I had seen at the store but a last minute search revealed some issue with the bulbs burning out so that scared me enough to choose the Zenith. I'd wanted a plasma originally, but the quality of this picture is comparable to a $6,000-$7,000 plasma of the same size. Nice.

The HD programming while limited in availability looks outstanding. I thought the brightness levels might be an issue in a bright room like I have but it's not. The TV is surprisingly slim, and not particularly heavy for a set of this size.

I had alot of time to research TV's. We just built an addition
that will serve as a media/rec room. I wanted to buy a tv that we could surf the internet and play video games on without worrying about burn in. The picture quality is just as good as the Sony and Panasonic and is 2" bigger. It is very stylish. The pictures dont do it justice. You can't see the front speakers like in the pics. I could not find a picture of the matching stand anywhere online, but ordered it any way. The stand is just as stylish. It has 2 heavy glass shelves for components that are open and do not have doors. The TV only takes 15-20 secs to turn on. My kids won't let me near it. They have been playing Xbox on it non stop. The built in speakers are very good. I purchased mine for $2,499 right here on Amazon. $1000 cheaper than Bestbuy. It goes on sale periodically. I recommend waiting for such a sale. It was delivered in perfect condition.

We bought this TV because my stereo receiver went out and since we were buying a new receiver my wife talked me into getting a new big screen HDTV. She really had to twist my arm. Even though I am an audio file and have extensive stereo equipment, I do not know that much about big screen TVs so I went primarily with the salesman's recommendation and price and appearance of the unit in the store. I like the styling of the product. We like the fact that the speakers for the TV are protected with a hard plastic mesh rather than a soft cloth mesh. We thought this would hold up better with kids. This has TWO component inputs to connect with DVD or Laserdisc player and it has DVI input to connect with the HDTV receiver. It has Three S Video inputs also two in the back and one in front. We have only had the TV for two weeks. Right off the bat we had and still have many problems with the cable company getting HDTV we only have 4 channels and they do not work very reliably but that is a different issue. It is a tribute to the quality of the TV picture, everything in HDTV looks awesome but regular TV not so great. Then yesterday the TV went all RED with HORIZONTAL LINES across the screen. I went through the troubleshooting tips in the manual and called JVC and found out I do indeed have a bad unit and they will repair it no problem. I also called the store I bought it from and they are just going to replace it with a new one. I surfed the internet and found other people that have had the exact same problem!! JVC says I need to move all my stereo equipment far away from the TV to eliminate electro magnetic interference!? That aint gonna happen! I hope the replacement TV works better. I am still giving the TV a 4 star review because initially the TV was very nice.

i love my JVC 56. Its my other wife. But for real its the real deal. compatible with everything and the sound, dear god the sound magnifical.

The first time I saw this TV at Best Buy I knew it was the one I wanted. That was around Thanksgiving 2003. I waited patiently until the week after Christmas, and sure enough the prices dropped. It was $1800, and dropped to $1707 at Best Buy. I got Sears to beat Best Buys price and used my Sears card for 12 months free and they delivered it in 3 days.

People should note that before buying a TV like this (rear projection) make sure it suits your own location. I selected this to go 2-3 feet from a king sized bed only for watching while laying in bed. It is perfect for that. In my opinion it is not suitable for a larger living room type setting because you have to be watching the set from as near the center as possible. It is very focused on direct viewing, and it dims just by standing up and looking at it. For a TV right next to the bed, it's perfect. So I am very pleased with it.

I will be buying a large plasma for the living room which can be viewed from wider angles.

The sound on this set is superb. Very rich stereo with a lot of bass. I can't turn it up over more than 1/3 of the volume or it will shake the ground through an entire 4000 square foot home. It has an output jack for a sub-woofer but there's no way I would want to add a sub-woofer as it's fine on it's own.

The cabinet is very modern and quite attractive. The blue power light looks great and the square shape and JVC logo top it off for a very nice looking unit. My first VCR was a JVC back in the 80's, one of the first 4 heads that ever came out, it too looked very nice and was quite durable (I still use it 20 years later). So JVC is a favorite of mine.

The remote control has a logical key layout and is very simple to learn and use. However JVC calls it a "lighted remote" which is a joke. There is one small button that lights up the 4 navigation keys for about 2 seconds. I do not consider this to be a true "lighted remote" and you can not use it in the dark until you have memorized your main keys (which is not hard).

Since it is a rear projection, it's about 2 feet deep, but that to me did not matter because the location in a bedroom has plenty of room for the case "depth".

I am going to have to give this set a rating of 5/5. For the price it is a wonderful set perfectly suited to my exact by-the-bed application and it's price is right. I feel it's worth every penny I paid for it.

Greg Deeter
Houston Texas