Smaller RPTV  

Greetings

Jury is out on the JVC.
Panny needs a lot of work OOTB ... but is really nice after the work.
Toshiba is nicer OOTB, but has more image limiting problems.

Regards

In this category, I prefer the Mits 46809 and the Hitachi 43". The Mits can probably look the best of all these sets once calibrated (and many calibrations you may be able to do yourself if you are moderately technical). The Hitachi has a nice picture out of the box and even better once calibrated (gray scale and color decoder often need calibration if you are sensitive to these things).

Kurtis,
if you can wait a couple of months mitsubishi will be unveiling a 42" non-integrated unit, a 48" non-integrated unit, and a 48" integrated set. I believe some of the early streets on the 48" integrated are around 2800.
they should start shipping this summer. They've got the other integrated and non-integrated offerings that i won't bother to go into. They are not making a 46" for the 2003 model years
I'd say go with one of them, with a little tweaking they look nothing less than stunning, although i don't know if the 2003 are the exception, if the past is any indication, they will be nothing short of exceptional.

I was looking for the smaller size RPTV & after much research I went with the Hitachi 43UWX10B & I am very pleased. I did run into a problem with the screen, but its a known problem & the screen is being replaced very soon under warranty

kurtis,
the units that i eluded to are not on the shelves yet. They are the upcoming "2003" model year. They are not making the 46" this year...they are going with 48 and 46.
i've had the opportunity to calibrate a 46 and they track greyscale VERY VERY VERY well.

In response to the integrated vs. non-integrated, I think AgtCooper is referring to the presence/absence of an HDTV tuner built into the set. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

KurtisJ, the place I was shopping at had the JVC, Toshiba, Panasonic & the Hitachi-Actually, all the sets there had a pretty good picture(they were using a Time Warner HBOHD feed)-I decided the Panasonic & JVC were too big for the room they were going in so it was down to the Toshiba & Hitachi. Both pics looked good(although, it should be noted that analog cable looked like crap on ALL the sets), but I thought the Hitachi edged the Toshiba. Other deciding factors were the tabletop design & the extra inch on the Hitachi. I did end up getting a set with the "Bullseye" defect. However, the place I bought it from(and Hitachi) are aware of the problem & a new screen is on the way & will be installed for free+thats an opportunity to have the tech calibrate the set.

tboo,

the Hitachi is actually one of the sets I have my eye on - can you explain what the 'Bullseye' Defect is??

Thanks

They look like multiple small transparent circles when a bright image or onscreen graphics is shown on the screen(they really are not that noticable). Hitachi is aware of it & there is a ton of info on it at the ***************.com in the hitachi section(do a search on "bullseye"). From what I have gathered it has to do with bacteria growing between 2 of the screens-something do do with the screens being made overseas & then the problems occured when they were shipped overseas to mexico. Honestly, I really dont know-Im just reapeating what some guy at hoetheaterspot said hitachi told him. The good news is I called about mine on Wed this week & the screen was shipped overnight to my service center & arrived today. Tomorrow it is being changed-gotta love hitachi's customer service!

Let me comment as one who has two small 16:9 rptvs--a 40" Toshiba (TW40X81, 3yrs old) and a new 43" Hitachi (43UWX10b). Both look fantastic with either HD signals or input from progressive scan DVD players. The Hitachi beats the Toshiba, however, in displaying standard NTSC signals from cable. Cable actually looks good on the Hitachi, and the Smooth Wide viewing aspect works very well with 4:3 material. It's at least as good as the Toshiba's TheaterWide 1 mode. The Hitachi also has a brighter display than the Toshiba. I've done a service level convergance on the Hitachi and its relatively easy to do.

Personally, I believe you can't go wrong with either the 43" Hitachi or the 42" Toshiba. And if you watch a lot of NTSC programming, the Hitachi may work better for you. Just my $0.02. Good luck!

Is this a size or a price restriction?

-Steve

I'm very curious about this, since I'm in the market fo a smaller HDTV that will be used mostly to watch cable. Can you expand a little more on why you think the Hitachi looks better than the Toshiba for cable?

Thanks,
Sal

The hitachi does have the choice of upconverting cable to 540p or 1080i-personally I dont notice a difference between the two.

I think it looks better because the Hitachi line doubler is better. You may want to check the Hitachi web site and look at their description of the Virtual HD feature.