...because it's getting very hard to find a decent CRT TV - there are few options. I found a 34" Toshiba 34HF85 on Craigslist and a 30" Philips 30PW9110D/37B refurb on their outlet site. They're both about the same price - but I can't compare the specs very well because I'm not used to the way they name things. I read through the forums, but am overloaded with the various issues people describe.

I should not that I only have analog cable and want a CRT TV for picture quality over LCD. HDTV will be good for DVD's and broadcast and, if I but an external HDTV tuner for $50 on eBay, the Toshiba will be the same price as the Philips.

Philips pro's:
-90 day warranty
-PIP
-NTSC, ATSC, QAM Tuner built-in
-Digital sound?

Philips con's:
-only 30" screen
-refurb, maybe a cheap TV when it was on the market?

Toshiba pro's:
-34" screen
-maybe it was a high-end TV a few years ago (1k+)

Toshiba con's:
-used, no warranty
-only analog tuner
-no digital sound
-made by Orion

Below are the manufacturer specs for each TV - thanks in advance for any advise.

30" Philips 30PW9110D/37B - refurbished:

Picture/Display
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Visible screen diagonal (inch): 30 inch
• Display screen type: Real Flat picture tube
• Picture enhancement: Progressive Scan, Scavem,
2D Combfilter, Active Control + Light sensor,
3:2 pull-down, AutoPicture (5 modes), Black
stretch, Blue stretch, Color Transient
Improvement, Dynamic Noise Reduction, Green
enhancement, Luminance Transient Improver,
Tint, Widescreen Plus
Sound
• Output power (RMS): 2 x 10W
• Sound Enhancement: Auto Volume Leveller, AutoSound (4 modes), Incredible Surround
• Sound System: AC-3 Dolby Digital Decoding, Virtual Dolby Surround Convenience
• Ease of Installation: Auto Volume Leveler, Autostore
• Ease of Use: Easy toggle Dig/Analog modes, DVD, TV
• Teletext: Closed Captioning Full Text
• Picture in Picture: 1 tuner PIP, Double window
• Screen Format Adjustments: 6 Widescreen Tuner/Reception/Transmission
• TV system: NTSC, ATSC
• Cable: Unscrambled Digital Cable -QAM
• Video Playback: NTSC
• Aerial Input: 75 ohm F-type Antenna Connectivity
• AV 1: CVBS in, CVI
• AV 2: CVBS, S-Video
• AV 3: HDMI
• AV 4: YPbPr
• Audio Output - Digital: AC3 over S/PDIF (Optical)
• Front / Side connections: CVBS in, Headphone out, S-video in


34" Toshiba 34HF85 - used on Craig's List:

-16:9 FST PURE® Flat Picture Tube Wide Band Video Amplifier
-Invar Shadow Mask
-DFine™ (High-Speed Velocity Scan Modulation
-CrystalScan HDSC™ (all time 1080i)
-CableClear® DNR+
-3D Y/C (4MB, 10-bit) Digital Comb Filter
-Color Temperature Control (Warm/Medium/Cool)
-Black Level Expander
-Movie & Sports Modes
-TheaterWide® Modes (5 - Standard, Full, TW1, TW2, TW3)
-Cinema Mode (Film/Video)
-Tilt Control
-MTS Stereo/SAP with dbx®
-BBE® Sound
-StableSound®
-Audio Wattage (20 Watts total)
-RF Input
-Rear A/V Inputs 2
-Rear S-Video Inputs 2
-ColorStream® HD Component Video Inputs (Y, Pb, Pr) 2
-Front Panel Inputs A/V/S
-HDMI™ Digital A/V Input X

There is no way that I would buy something from Philips outlet. Certainly not a TV. You might want to look at the experiences that others have had with Philips outlet before you make your decision.

I think you may be right – I just visited the guy I trust at Best Buy (very knowledgeable and helpful) and was told to skip the Philips.

He said to look for a Sony XBR HDTV first. If I don't have luck then buy the Samsung at BB anf get the extended warranty.

Any thoughts if that's sound advice?

I'd look for a Sony. If you can't find one, get the Toshiba and an Avia calibration DVD and tune it up a bit. You'll be satisfied.

The problem with the online outlets is that a large majority of TVs they sell are unsatisfied returns, and the "refurbishment" process is often just powering them on. Read the thread for that Philps model here; those sets had beautiful picture quality but really poor quality digital tuners that resulted in ghosting. Owners say that hooking up to a good quality digital set top box cures the ghosting.