Projection-TV Reviews

I researched RPTV's for over a year and my decision ended up coming down 2 RPTV's - the Philips 46PP9302 and the Hitachi 45F500, I looked at a number of manufacturers including Sony, JVC, RCA, Panasonic. My decision to go with the Philips was based on the extra video processing enhancments that come with this TV and the "classy" styling of this unit. As far as the picture quality goes both units provide excellent video but the Philips just seemed to provide a more stunning picture on HDTV and DVD progressive scan. The picture adjustments that can be made to tailor the picture to how "you" want it to look are seemingly endless - each input can be adjusted the way you want it. One other notable thing about the philips is the picture with satelitte - This is one of the few TV's with which the satelitte picture looks even good - and when it comes down to HDTV images it is downright amazing. One thing anyone should consider when buying a RPTV is the ability of the TV to provide some sort of screen protection from phosphor aging as I found out from my research there are some Tv's out there that have only lasted 3-4 years before the black bars wear into the screen. I have found that the 4.3 format is what I am using the most to view programming from satelitte so you get the black bars on either side of the screen so the black bar burn in could be a potential problem. The Philips auto format screen sizing is also one of the best available and not many of the RPTV's I looked at even had anything auto period! - you had to use the remote to fill the screen and the resulting picture was quite unporportional. Another deciding factor with purchasing this TV was the dealer I bought it from offerd me an additional 2 years parts and labor warranty as his comment was " We have very few problems with any of the Philips TV's we sell and that's why we offer the extra 2 years" . On the downside , (if any) this television as with most RPTVS is the viewing angle - it is very location sensitive - you need to view it sitting down and not to far off center - I have found that about 8-12 ft out and no more than 3-6 ft off center on either side is about maximum.
A highly recommemded HDTV RPTV.

Mw

Spectacular picture, spectacular sound, at least when coupled
with high-res DVDs (which is what I bought this for). EGL
delivery service is well worth the extra charge too; in my case
they got a little confused about which of their stations was
closest to me, but I live in the boonies...and they were quick
to correct the problem when I contacted them by phone.

I looked at a lot of different rear projection wide screen tv's and found this to be the best. I opened it up out of the box and it worked great. The horizontal viewing angles are good, however virticaly it is challenaged. The picture changes (dims) if you are standing up. Not bad for the money. It has awesome features and has one of the best picture qualities. I also like the sound. I give it an A+++++++++++++++++

I just purchased this product and had some concern because of a couple of the ratings given. After a couple of days rerunning wires from my DVD, VCR, Audio System and of course the most important thing of all my HD cable box, I was in a New World of TV enjoyment. The key is that everything from TV is not HD compatible yet, but there are channels out there to get you through the night. This product provides you with great bravado. I'm not going to go through a lot of tech stuff to justify what I see, but if you want what you see and hear about in adds about really feeling like you are looking through a window, this is the way to go. Hay dudes go for this one and stop wasting your time looking.

PS
Yes I did research which included a number of testimonials.

OK, OK, it's spendy.. but this is clearly not a must-have item for any household, it's a luxury! As far as luxuries go, this is one of the best and most affordable considering what you get.

I love the fact that this TV only weighs 60ish pounds. I've had to move it a number of times as I've been hooking up peripheral devices, and the light weight of the TV is appreciated!

Also love the fact that, unlike other widescreen projection TV's, the DLP technology assures there will never be tube or burn-in issues. Since much of the TV we all watch is not broadcast in widescreen, viewing in 4:3 is required if you don't want to add 20 pounds to every actor/actress (well, that might not be all that bad these days..) or stretch scenery to where it looks unnatural.

DVD's look AMAZING, especially if you have a DVD player with a DVI output. Samsung makes and Amazon sells one and I can't recommend it enough.

Long story short - this is an expensive TV but the light weight and the outstanding picture quality (esp from a distance of ~10 feet) make it worth the purchase. You won't be disappointed!

To get the best from this TV you MUST feed it a good quality signal. The best way to connect this set to any source is via the DVI connector. An HD signal from DirecTV or a DVD played on a HTPC (Home Theater PC) looks absolutely stunning. On some of the standard definition channels that have a lot of compression, you will see flaws in the picture because the TV is quite revealing (almost ruthlessly so). Also, the picture is spectacularly bright, so viewing in a well lit room is no problem.

[...]

QUICK SUMMARY: PT-53WX42
If you are looking for a quality widescreen at a reasonable price, this is definitely a model to consider.

As of Feb '03, in my opinion this Pansonic model is the biggest screen with the most quality features for the best price. NOTE: there is a similar model that ends in a "52" instead of a "42"... the biggest difference is that the "52" has the protective screen shield ... but don't let that stop you... many people try to take off screen shields to get rid of the annoying glare and to brighten their widescreen tv's. Also, you can always purchase & install a separate Micro-Perf brand screen shield (90% glare free) down the road.

DETAILED SUMMARY:

I finally decided on this model after several weeks of serious research, including at online and offline at major stores (CC, BB, WM), not-so-big-of-a-name stores, price comparison websites, user opinion websites, consumer reports, home theater forums, etc. I researched TOSHIBA, PANASONIC, RCA, ZENITH, HITACHI, PHILIPS, SAMSUNG, and SHARP... 45"-61" widescreens. Originally I was also comparing the "normal" 4:3 projection screens, but then decided to go wide so that I don't have to purchase another tv in a few years. I also went into the buying scene without an opinion of any particular brand, I already had a mish-mash of these manufacturers in my house so it didn't matter to me what name was on the product... I was looking for quality vs price.

The whole process was challenging, since each store seems to cater to certain brands (they don't admit it though). :) It also makes it hard to compare "features/quality vs. cost" when everybody is throwing different deals at you. The icing on the cake... you read the reviews of products... and you see that some people give certain models horrible reviews, yet others give top notch praise. What is a consumer to do? :) Oh wait... I forgot about the obscene prices certain stores charge for an extended warranty (Visa Gold-Platinum holders: remember that Visa instantly doubles the manufacturers warranty, and sells 3-5 year extended warranty's at a fantastic price, check their website). Also, this tv comes with a little mail-in thing to learn more about extending the manufacturers warranty.

MORE INFO:....
Definitely pick up high quality cables (this goes for any HDTV), and a progressive scan DVD player. And if you like to tweak things, get the AVIA home theater DVD to help you calibrate your tv so you get the best viewing quality out of your set. You'll never want to go to the movie theater again.

That said... this is a great HDTV for the money. I'm not allowed to list the price I paid here, but... to date, I'd say it's one of the top 3 values in the 50-57" range (comparing price vs. screen size vs. features). Until I pickup a 2nd satellite receiver I am unable to take advantage of the Picture-in-Picture and split-screen features... but, even without that perk I have no regrets about owning this widescreen projection tv.

CONS..........
1) From the moment eagleUSA delivery service unpacked this tv I've been impressed. The only thing I would change about it is to make a wider flat-top to put your electronic goodies on. This is a challenge with 95% of widescreens. There is roughly a 6" top flat lip, but only 1/2 of a dvd player can rest on it.... it's a balancing act. So, keep in mind that with any widescreen, you will probably need to have a little table nearby, or be creative and use velcro to secure your devices.

2) The remote is not backlit. However, this is the first universal remote that actually works all my mix-n-match brand goods. A nice suprise indeed, the coffee table looks much less cluttered. If you want a remote that lights up, go buy one. :)

All the best to you in your widescreen shopping experience!

Great tv for a great price!

I've had this set for over a month now and do not regret the purchase. It sells for significantly less than other sets with similar features but is comparable in picture quality. HD source material is outstanding. Even DirecTV source material looks OK - this was a concern before I bought the set. You simply cannot beat this set at the price. It was my understanding that perhaps the reason for a lower price was that this set was not calibrated as extensively as others before shipment (labor-intensive). It appears this has been improved with this years' models however. By the way, other reviewers have complained about the manual 9-point convergence - a full 64-point convergence is available via the service menu. Also, while the "JUST" stretch mode is generally thought of as average at best compared to other HDTV sets, I find it acceptable. Of course there is no "distortion" viewing 16X9 or other wisescreen material as long as your DVD player is set up correctly.

Excellent TV.

I am a little confused by Amazon's pricing on this Panasonic model. $3299.00? The Panasonic website has a MSRP on this model of only $2,499.00! This set retails in the mid to low two thousand range everywhere I have looked. Am I missing something Amazon?

After looking for a big screen tv for a long time I selected the PT45LC12. I am a broadcast engineer and work at a television station. I watch HDTV off air signals on a regular basis and
have to say that the picture is far superior to anything I have seen for under $10,000. The LCD bulb lasts for about the same time as the life of a plasma display. Unlike the plasma display
that you now throw in the garbage, the inexpensive bulb takes one
minute to replace and your good for another five years of viewing
pleasure. This technology is a winner!

I love this set. I got a great deal that I couldn't pass up. This set is much lighter and smaller than the similar size CRT based displays. Great universal remote incorporates most functions of my cable box, DVD player and audio equipment. Only weighs 95 pounds - easy for 2 people to move without getting a hernia.

Great crisp picture in comparison to the CRT based models. Blacks are a bit weaker than CRTS when comparing side by side. This LCD set has a bulb that will cost $$$ to replace after 5,000 hours but that is still better than having to have a technician come in and align the 3 colors for the CRT type displays. The sound quality is good/marginal but if you are going to invest the $ in a HDTV set chances are you have a sound system with all the bells and whistles, subwoofers, surround speakers etc. I don't think anyone will argue that there are any TVs on the market that produce sounds to the extent of a good system. However the TV does make one sound a tiny bit louder than you might hope. The cooling fan for the projection display does make a noticeable background noise. Chances are you won't notice it if you aren't listening for it, but be warned it does make a small noise.
Check availability of HDTV in your neighborhood before purchasing it based upon getting HDTV signals. Chances are you don't need anything more than a HDTV monitor. (Which this is) Your cable provider will be able to tell you what they offer as well as provide you with a receiver/cable box for receiving the HDTV feeds anyways. Chances are there aren't many HDTV channels you can receive with an antenna anyways. Which the need for the cable boxes makes buying a set with a HDTV tuner really obsolete. I love this set and highly recommend it.

TV is great, love it, nothing bad to say about it, other then the picture quality could be just a little bit better.

For starters is a great looking TV (on the outside), looks great in the living room, your wife will not whant to hide it in the closet and most important it looks super great with a DVD player, I just traded my old 50" for this set and on the old set there was hardly any difference betwen the way my DSS system looked and the way my DVD looked, on the new set there is a whole world of difference. I had some friends ask me if this is HDTV. BUT! one thing I really hated about it was that it has a Video out but not a tunner out, so when I hook it up to my A/V receiver, if I whant to watch regular TV I have to use 2 remotes, one to set my A/V to TV and the other one to set the TV to TV, can you belive that? , my old system 1989 model had a Tunner out! , some body at Sony was sleeping on the Job. Besides this small fall back its a great TV and people will say "wasnt projection TV supposed to looked bad! "

great value buy it!

I love it except that it is too big for my small New York appartment. Ideal if you have space.

I bought this tv when my Sony KP-53XBR300 53" Projection TV went out after six years(the red "pot" went nova) and to fix it was out of the question. As the Sony KP-53V80 had very good reviews I went for it. Bad idea for me as the more I watch it the worse the picture gets. Sharpness was nowhere to be found, the soft colors will not blend, and an all black screen has an area that shows white. The Sony KP-53XBR300 53" Projection TV was the best I had ever seen. The reviewers for the Sony KP-53V80 said it had the best picture. Not this one. I bought this one for the price and the reviews, I should have paid more and got the Sony KP-53XBR300. Just thought you might want to know.

When my Sony 53"XBR300 went nova and I was told by fourrepair men that it would cost too much to repair...I wentshopping and I came across these reviews. As most of the the reviews said that the picture was the best they have ever seen I thought that I would save.... Now I wish that I had spent the extra bucks and got another XBR300. .... My equipment is top shelf with a Sony DVP-S7700 connected with Monster component video cables and I use a Sony satellite system (SAT-A50, refined with a REPLAYTV. Selecting the picture mode from the presets was not much help as the "Vivid" selection was worthless, the "Standard" was the factory preset, too bright. The "Movie, Personal 1 and 2" modes can be adjusted but getting warmth and sharp is next to impossible, at least on the set I got. One of the nice touches on the V80 was the convergence adjustment, which is automatic. As I don't use cable or the sound from the tv very often I won't review those features. So, maybe it is the set I bought and maybe it is the best I can expect for the price. I did not buy it for the whistles and bells: I really bought it for the monitor (CRT) and that is my disappointment.

This was my first large screen tv purchase and I was a little apprehensive that the picture might fade from view as you move side to side.

The Sony has no fade that I have been able to see. It has a clear picture -- similar to looking at a regular "tubed" TV.

The only complaints I have are:

a) The remote control is very touchy. The large buttons stick out a ways and I'm always brushing up against them by accident.

b) The speakers seem a little underpowered. I don't know if these large screen tvs are meant to have external speakers, but I sometimes have trouble hearing the sound. The brilliant picture however makes up for this shortcoming.

I recommend this TV as a real solid purchase. Everyone who has come over remarks on how clear and nice the picture is.

I purchased this TV in November after much research online and in the various stores...This was the best set for the price and I could not be more satisfied. After 5 months of owning it, I don't know how I did without it! The picture is clear, the sound is terrific and nicely complements my home theater system...Although leary about spending nearly [$] for a purchase online, I was very happy to save the cost of shipping and sales tax. My only complaint was that the company that delivered the set sent only one person for what is clearly a two person job. I ended up having to help the guy get it into my house.

I did a lot of research before buying this widescreen tv. I chose this tv for its price point and features and was I pleasantly surprised at the picture quality. The picture is so sharp and the colors are really vivid. I especially like the 16:9 widescreen format. It is great for watching dvd's and future upgrade to high definition picture. The free shipping was also a plus to be considered, I had no difficulties with the delivery company. This is a great buy.

I did alot of researce before selecting the toshiba 57"hdtv.I am well pleased with the selection.The picture is wonderful.This is
a really good set at a great price.When I ordered there was free shipping,which I thought was really nice.Amazon keep me posted on my order and did a good job seeing the order through.It was strange placing an order for a tv online,but with the service Amazon gave me,I felt like they really delivered the goods.Amazon
made a good impression on me.The tv speaks for itself,it really rocks.

Very good overall but a few annoying glitches. The set is very difficult to watch when the screen turns black as the screen mirrors everything in the room when lights are on.The directions in the manual could use a great deal of improvement. when directions are followed the desired result is not always accomplished.. The picture is excellent if you can control the lights. The set is very heavy and this resulted in delivery problems. You must be very knowledgeable if you are going to set up the wiring of vcrs, dvd, Direct TV, Cspan, Roof top antenna ,cable etc. You must also spend a lot of time reading and playing with the remote to find all the goodies this TV can do.

Besides having a good picture this TOSHIBA is an excellent Projection TV in the 4 by 3 aspect ratio. Remember that term: 4 by 3. Don't pass this one up! Manufacturers are moving toward the 16 by 9 aspect ratio. For conventional antenna, cable or satellite TV broadcasts and VHS playback this TOSHIBA is the one of a handful of the best Projection sets available. Get them while they are still around, 4 by 3 aspect ratios that is. Many people going with the 16 by 9 sets are not happy because there are very few HD signals out there at least for the next 4 or 5 years. 4 by 3 is the way to go right now. People are complaining because when viewing a widescreen program on a 4 by 3 set you get black bars on the top and bottom. On 16 by 9 sets you get black bars on the left and right sides of the screen all the time unless you watch a wide screen program! That means that you are going to get black bars on the sides for over 90 percent of what you are going to be watching for the next 5 or 6 years. You see, the FCC, the major Broadcasting Networks and Cable companies still can't agree on how they are going to broadcast High Definition Television signals. And that decision does not look like it is gong to be made any time soon! Stay with the 4 by 3 aspect ratio like this Projection set has. You can't go wrong and you will be much happier. Many people are returning their 16 by 9 projection sets according to an area dealer because they can't stand the black bars on the right and left. Remember to stay with the 4 by 3 aspect ratio! I have seen this TOSHIBA set and it really has an excellent picture. It is truly incredible that you are looking at a 61 inch projected picture.

Projection set technology has come a long way but the current television market is in a state of flux. We keep hearing about HDTV or High Definition Television but what does it all mean to you? High Definition Television refers to a complete product and/or system with the vertical display of 1080i (interlaced) or higher lines of resolution. The aspect ratio has to be capable of displaying a 16:9 image at the minimum resolution level. (All HDTV is in the 16:9 image). The current standard for color television in the United States is called NTSC (National Television System Committee). It is based on 525 horizontal scanning lines capable of displaying a 4:3 image. Many cable companies are resisting the change to HDTV and want to carry only the NTSC standard. The FCC wants the networks to start broadcasting HDTV but they are now also resisting because they can't settle on a conversion system. Currently satellites are carrying a few HDTV signals, but they are far and few in number and show little signs of increasing. Don't forget HDTV signals have to be converted so you can watch them. Then you have Television manufactures who are getting way ahead of themselves. Many are pushing the HDTV formatted screen on most of their projection sets, which is 16:9. If you are still watching cable TV, VHS videos and Laserdiscs you are in big trouble. You are only going to get a picture in the center of your 16:9 set with big black bars on the sides. The best way to go is with a 4:3 projection set, like this one, which is going to give you the full frame. You are going to get the entire screen you paid for. In addition projection sets have come a long way. This is a state of the art set. The image is clear and sharp and the colors are very exact. You can't get much better.

The clarity of the picture is good, and I was happy with the controls. I cannot recommend the purchase of this TV. After just 2 years of normal use, it went up. No picture at all. It has been out for 6 weeks because Best Buy can't seem to find qualified people to work on this TV. Also, I overheard them talking about the poor construction of the boards. They making it very difficult to repair by glueing the parts to the board so you have to purchase an entire new board.

Best Buy also has very poor service and I will never purchase their PSP warranty package again. They are not customer oriented and are only the middle guy for the service people, which has you running in circles.

I bought the varient of this model 50H12(some people are telling 50H12 is better than 50H82) which in my view are same at Costco for $1600 including taxes. It really rocks for the price. Picture Quality is great & Audio is excellent. I feel now why Consumer Reports rated hight for Toshiba in Projection TVs.

I have owned my Toshiba 50H82 for approximately 6 months and have nothing but praise for the set. I have not had the luck of experiencing any HD pictures yet, but my progressive scan DVD (hooked up through component video) is remarkable! Digital cable looks great too (Analog is decent). I love the fact that this tv has wheels underneath as well as the fact that the top of the TV has about a 6-inch depth to act as a "shelf" so I can set my center-speaker for my surround on top.

Very highly recommend this set!

Recieved our 57H82 Toshiba monitor on approx March 7. Great picture quality! very crisp, clear images. Very good sound quality for a television. Unfortunately the set broke after only 2 hours.

The tuner and convergence modules both went out. Two month later the television is still broken. Numerous calls to Toshiba Product Support has been of little help. Although, they are very polite on the phone, the product support personel have acutually have done very little to fix the problem. When I pressed one supervisor if six weeks (six weeks at the time of the call) to fix a big screen repair was acceptable, he stated that "The television will be fixed as per our warranty. But, our warranty does not specify how long it will take".

Currently:
*The set is still broken.

*One part is still on backorder - they can make new sets but can't get me a replacement part for mine.

*The price has dropped [$$$]since I bought it.

*20% of the warranty has now been used waiting for Toshiba to fix the problem

*I'm missing the basketball playoffs and will probably miss the Championships

Great picture quality, very good sound. But you play Russian roulette if your need product support.

The set arrived on time but was delivered by a company that Eagle had sub-contracted. Getting it to our Family Room was a nightmare as the 2 guys(both elderly)who brought it in had NO idea what they were delivering! We helped but they damaged our walls getting it downstairs.
We LOVE the TV and it's great for DVD's (the sound quality is great). We don't have HDTV available in our area yet but can't wait because that will improve the picture quality. My husband loves the SPLIT SCREEN feature (he can watch 2 ball-games at once)! We like that feature much better than a PIP.
The size is great and easy to roll around and on top has room for DVD, VCR, Cable box, etc.
We shopped for TV's and chose this one because of it's size, price and split screen feature. The only bad thing is: Now, my husband rarely leaves the house!!!

I did some homework before I bought this TV and I am very happy with it. The picture is super clear with directv satellite. For this price with such size, I highly recommend it.