hi,
here in southern NH
i bought the 34xbr2 after years of research & pining
for a 16:9 screen. $3800 from tweeter and am
very happy with it.
with a poor cable signal yes indeed ntsc looks like
crap on the 34xbr2, and *any* tv i've ever seen.
i think even the cleanest ntsc signal looks like crap
on all tvs. yes, i hate ntsc.
on the rare occasions when i watch ntsc on my 34xbr2,
sometimes i like to watch two channels side-by-side since that
size image is really all the resolution of ntsc is good for. but usually for ntsc material i use the linear
zoom mode and watch that way, unless i want
to read the banner text at the bottom...
i bought
the tv mainly for watching progressive/dvds but as a bonus i discovered that i can get pbs,abc,nbc,cbs,fox DTV
signals out of boston. now i almost never watch ntsc
except for cnn/fox/etc, or if i'm stuck watching my
old panasonic 1st gen 480p TV (32xf55) downstairs, which has no DTV tuner...
i don't see how the dtv tuner in the 34xbr2 will become outdated - i think atsc is here to stay and i am solely
interested in over-the-air reception. but i could be proven wrong if that cofdm yutz "bob" on the usenet is right about how cofdm is going to displace 8vsb, or whatever line of bs he always spouts.
the 34xbr is pricey and possibly orphaned by
the new models this fall which do not have integrated DTV tuner, but do have HDCP/DVI or some such copy-protection handling. i can't imagine that an external dtv tuner would work as seamlessly and awesomely as the 34xbr2 dtv tuner but maybe they will do a nice job with
the new fall models. channel-changing between dtv
channels is pretty quick with the 34xbr2, less than a second.
i looked at the anaconda lowe set but
rejected it due to its nonflat screen , also i think
it was more expensive than the sony.
as for the 34xbr2's color rendering, i find it
very bright and vivid which is good for me;
i can't comment on color accuracy because i am
green-deficient color-blind, dichromatic deuteranopia
is the technical term i think.
this tv does have a video out but i have never tried it.
i don't think it is supposed to work for when the tv
is receiving a dtv signal, but would have to try
it and/or check the manual to be sure about that,
in case any readers give a hoot about that detail.
if that jvc d-vhs vcr had a built-in tuner, i'd buy one
for the many nights when i wanted to watch one HD
program while recording another. the local affiliates
convert ntsc->1080i and their upconverters are fantastic - way better than what is in any hdtv.