[Jason Kelly]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here and I'm very much interested in a CRT RPTV. I was previously thinking of getting a 51" set but I think I've shifted my size requirement down a bit to the 46/47" models instead of 51" (based mainly on my room size, but may also bring the price down a bit too - cost matters for the moment at least). LCDs, DLPs, Plasmas, etc are all out of my price range for the time being, and I personally have no beefs with CRT RPTVs (although this will be my first time owning one).


Right now its a fierce FOUR-WAY comparison between these four models:
Hitachi 46F510

Panasonic PT-47X54

Sony KP46WT520

Toshiba 46H84C

(likewise I was considering the same four equivalent models in the 51/53" size recently too until I downsized my thoughts).


I've seen roughly equivalent pricing between the Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba models, with the Hitachi sticking out as always seeming to cost a bit more (~ $200 CDN more typically).


I've also noticed the pricing of 51 and 46 sets is so close nowadays that it sometimes seems like the 51" are the better deal and can even overlap eg. sale prices on 51" sets become cheaper than regular prices of some 46" models. Another peculiarity: I was at a store the other night and saw the Toshiba 51HX84 for ~$50 (CDN$) LESS than the 51H84C model right beside it. ?? Weird


Here's where I stand right now:

- I can get the Sony through a friend's employer for a nice discount: ~$1760 (CDN$), incl. the stand - which is supposed to be worth another $200. (The stand which is comprised of glass shelving underneath is quite nice). However I have yet to try to *bargain* the best price possible on the other three brands from other places for final price comparison sake.

- I think hands down the Panasonic is the nicest looking set aesthetically (I'm referring to the enclosure, not the PQ) of this group. Another advantage of the Panasonic is it has a nice flat platform on top to rest a large centre-channel speaker, something the rest are kind of lacking.

- while I really like the look of the Toshiba 51+ and larger sets, the 46" Toshiba set looks a bit ugly on the bottom with the matching stand - looks kinda bad, like merely a cheap extention.


So I don't know..

* I've really been happy with my Toshiba 32A40 (I think that was the model) regular CRT tube set, and my SD-2200 DVD player. So I kinda feel a bit of brand loyalty to Toshiba, and I've had my eyes on their sets for a while. (But I'm curious why not many seem to discuss the Toshiba sets here on this forum)

* My friend has the 51" Sony RPTV (his is actually the 510 model from last year) and everytime I see it I'm impressed with it, and I can get the "deal" through his company on Sony.

* I like Panasonic as a brand too, however I seem to recall some older Panasonic RPTV sets didn't score so well in Consumer Reports tests a few years back (doing poorly in things like SD TV reception, relative to its peers). Don't know how relevant that is.

* And the Hitachi I don't know much about except salesmen everywhere keep touting about "the best quality guns, etc.", although the Hitachi 46/51 sets I've looked at never look noticeably better than the other ones, to my eyes anyway.


As far as my usage goes... I have Bell ExpressVu digital satellite (just standard definition for now) hooked up via S-video, and have a Toshiba SD-2200 DVD Player (which is still 480i unfortunately) connected via component video.


As far as picture quality goes I really have a hard time determining which LOOK better in the store. And I don't know much about the finer subtleties of "tuning" the picture on a TV so I don't even know how to make a valid comparison (eg. I wouldn't know if a store jacked one set to LOOK better than another intentionally).


Shrug... I dunno. Help me pick, please!


PS - Does anyone have any good links to reviews on any of the above specific sets?


Thank you very much.

Jason

 

[Steve S]

Panasonic=very good pq but needs more tweaking than most to achieve it.

Hitachi=Reliable sets in general, usually will go brighter than most other brands if you need to compete with bright ambient light. Hitachi consistently offers more "spifs" to the sales types, hence the hype in the stores. They won't display a native 480p scanrate, only 540p or 1080i. May not be the best choice for SD sources.

Toshiba=among the best stretch modes for 4/3 aspect ratio programming.

Good line-doubling, low price, possibly not the most reliable of sets.

Sony=Will do native 480p, needs less tweaking than most and what little you may need is easy in the service menu. Not as bright as Hitachi. Stretch modes almost as good as Toshiba, line doubling quite good (you can easily delay purchase of a 480p dvd player until your current one breaks down). Cabinet design sorta cheap looking on the floorstanding models, "table" models with stand look nicer. Some sets may do one or two things better but most also do some other things considerably worse.

Sony doesn't excel to the Nth degree in any one area but they also don't do anything really badly.

 

[DCJ98GST]

I have narrowed down to PT53x54 or Hitachi 51F510. It seems most people will agree that the Panny has better PQ if tweaked right.



But what about features? Does the panny have all the 4x3 aspect ratio adjustments that the Hitachi has? which does it better?


The panny has auto convergence over the Hitachi.


Is the panny as reliable as the Hitachi?


Thanks

 

[SmokeMaster]

One thing about the Panasonic is that it won't display a 720p signal at all from what I've read. So if you intend to game on the TV that might be a drawback as there are currently several Xbox games that look incredible outputting 720p and I'm pretty sure the next gen will pretty much have 720p as standard.

That's the major reason I'm going with the Hitachi as I much prefer a set that can upconvert a 720p signal itself than not display it or downconvert it (which is what I beleive the Sony does). I can live with no native 480p as from what I've seen the Hitachi converts pretty well.

 

[DCJ98GST]

I agree, but from what I read you could send the xbox signal through a Digital Set top box and have it upconverted there. Any down points to this?

 

[Marc Alexander]

Quote:

Originally posted by DCJ98GST The panny has auto convergence over the Hitachi. Is the panny as reliable as the Hitachi?

The Hitachi also has auto-convergence. Historically, panny is not as reliable as Hitachi.

 

[ventro]

The panny is amazing, go for it!

 

[udp]

Jason, I'm assuming that you are looking at these at either future shop or visions. All of these tvs are usually listed in the store at about 2000. With some haggling, you should be able to get 10-15% off the listed price, so choose the one which you think has the best picture. The deal you're getting on the sony doesn't seem that great to me.


By the way, I was looking at the same set of tvs and had decided on the hitachi before I came to the conclusion that rp crt are just too big for me. Now deciding between lcd and dlp.

 

[rgriffing]

I recently compared three of the above sets and found the Sony to be head and shoulders above both the Hitachi and Panasonic. I suspect some of the opinions you are getting are from people who have not seen the just introduced Sony 520 series. Check it out yourself. Also, try comparing it to the LCD's and DLP's. You might be surprised.

 

[SmokeMaster]

Does the Sony 520 series upconvert a 720p signal to 1080i or downconvert it to 420p?

I'm planning on just getting an HD cable box which could do any conversion I would need for TV broadcast, but I don't believe that it would be able to take any kind of input for gaming as DCJ98GST suggests to try (I could very well be wrong in this). I would think that I would need a separate scaler to do the upconversion if the TV doesn't do it and I have no desire to purchase a separate scaler. I'm having the same delima as many when it comes to chosing between these CRT's and I want the best for all my viewing needs. Gaming is a pretty big one so I need some way to view the 720p signal as true HD on a CRT. Is the Hitachi the only CRT in this price range that upconverts 720p?

 

[pittdog1]

Toshibas will convert 720p to 1080i. Sony's use to down convert to 480 but i'm not sure about the newer models.

 

[sparrow_69]

I'm looking for an answer to the same question. Does the sony 520 convert 720P to 480P or 1080i?

 

[caltvdude]

I know this is a little off topic, but there is one comment on here I have to reply to.



"Hitachi consistently offers more "spifs" to the sales types, hence the hype in the stores."


- Steve S


Exactly what do you base this off of. Hitachi is about the worst when it comes to spiffs. Sony and Panasonic tend to give out the best spiffs right now. Toshiba does as well, but not on this TV.

 

[sparrow_69]

I seem to be answering my own question here, but I emailed Sony and the rep told me an incoming 720P from component cables will be converted to 1080I and NOT 480P.

 

[SmokeMaster]

Great, I had my mind all made up to get the Hitachi because of the 720p issue and now I'm back to liking both equally


Can anyone with a 520 series Sony confirm that it upconverts 720p?

 

[mlbdude]

Quote:

Originally posted by SmokeMaster Great, I had my mind all made up to get the Hitachi because of the 720p issue and now I'm back to liking both equally Can anyone with a 520 series Sony confirm that it upconverts 720p?

How would I be able to tell for sure? I was guessing that it did because my DVD's output at 720p looked just as good as they do at 1080i but looked like crap(relative) when output at 480p.

 

[Marc Alexander]

Quote:

Originally posted by mlbdude How would I be able to tell for sure? I was guessing that it did because my DVD's output at 720p looked just as good as they do at 1080i but looked like crap(relative) when output at 480p.

What display and DVD player do you own?

 

[mlbdude]

51WS520 with an HTPC connected via DVI from a nVidia 5700 output at res 1280x720. NVDVD Decoder with ZoomPlayer.

 

[t10]

mlddude, I just sent ya a PM about your setup, hope you dont mind.



I am about to buy KP46WT520 for my HTPC setup too.

My choices are Limited to Samsung HC-P4241W and the Sony KP46WT520, since I already got a stand for my TV, which was made for a beefy direct tube, so any tall TV's wont fit.


But since Samsung doesnt have the HDMI or DVI ports, its out of the equation.


Quick question, since Sony upconverts 720p to 1080i, should I run my HTPC at 720 or 1080? Would there be any difference? Also, is HDMI plagued with oversan issues like component? Or is it, plug it in and enjoy?


Thanks ;p


Cant wait to run again through Doom3 on this TV.

 

[Jason Kelly]

Hi Guys! I just wanted to thank everyone so far that's offered some help. I haven't bought a set yet but I think I will probably pull the trigger sometime in the next week or two.


Just a quick review of my "current" setup with a Toshiba 32A40 conventional CRT set.

- my DVD player is a 4 year old Toshiba SD-2200 which I love. The picture quality has been fantastic, although its not a progressive scan player, just 480i. The DVD player is hooked up via component video.

- my SD tv signal is via a Bell ExpressVu satellite system, hooked up via S-video. For SD I am actually quite impressed with what I have now.


I am not planning on upgrading my DVD player for a while and will probably wait a while longer before getting an HD satellite receiver. My decision on which RPTV set to get will have to factor in both what I have now for viewing options as well as future options.


I've read in the Panny x54 thread that the 47x54 will not handle 720p signal. How important is that? If I get an HD satellite receiver later on will it convert to 1080i? Will any of the four sets handle my non-progressive 480i DVD signal better than the others, or display my SD satellite picture better?


Perhaps the question I should ask is for a relative newbie like myself, is there any of these sets that would be particularly more difficult to use than the others (remote, onscreen menus, setup procedure, etc.)?


Right now I *think* I'm leaning towards the Panny, with the Sony in 2nd place. AHHHH.........decisions.