First let me say that any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Circuit City and Best Buy both have the Samsung HLT5075S on sale for $989, while I can get the Hitachi 57F59 for $894 from ABC Warehouse in town. The Hitachi is 57" while the Samsung is only 50". I'm sure most of you are already familiar with the differences in these 2 sets. Everything seems to make me think the Samsung is a no-brainer, but I am very curious to see what you guys have to say. Thanks again for all your time and help!

LINK TO THE SAMSUNG AT CIRCUIT CITY (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Samsung-50-DLP-HDTV-HL-T5075S/sem/rpsm/oid/174306/catOid/-12870/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do)

LINK TO THE HITACHI AT ABC WAREHOUSE (http://www.abcwarehouse.com/product_catalog/pc_proddetails.asp~assort_id~1299~prod_ID~24420)

Well, I own the Hitachi (actually the 51" version, so you know I'm biased) and LOVE IT. As with most CRT RPTVs, a bit more OOB tweaking is in order to get the most out of it.

Now, I've spent a bit of time dialing things in to get to where I am now, PQ wise. But I can look at my set, displaying an HD image andhave yet to find another set for 2-3 times the price that looks significantly better...in any TV tech type.

I guess the biggest trade-off is the Hit's susceptibility to phosphor burn-in (which, with the correct settings and some common sense use is not a real worry) VS. the Sammy DLPs potential for DLP "rainbows" (I see 'em on EVERY DLP RPTV I see...even the ones that are supposed to elminate them).

Second to that would be the Sammy's future (and pricey) lamp replacement VS potential convergence drift in the Hit CRT (although my convergence has been pretty rock solid for nearly a year...only had to do a few minor touchups frm time to time).

For the price, you really can't beat the F59s. The F59 Tweaks thread here has all the DIY tweaks/calibration info you need to get 'em looking good (and most of the F59 threads have screenshots of them in action, too). And a pro calibration can take it even further.

Both models have threads dedicated to them here (the F59 has several!). I say cruise them all for the info you desire, then use that with what your eyes (and wallet) dictate to make your final decision.

Good luck! Either way, you should end up with a very nice set.