[NJDevil]

Hi,


I've been reading a lot of posts here and am in the process of selecting a new TV. On my 'short list' are the Hitachi 43UWX10B, Panasonic PT47WX49(51) and the Toshiba TOS42H81.


A few things concern me as to what I've read in the posts --


1. VCR movies/video said to be 'unwatchable'


2. Some satellite channels (I have DirecTV) very bad


3. Terrible reflections from the protective screens


4. Bad quality viewing regular NTSC broadcasting


5. Stretch modes (smoothwide, etc.) ruining sports tickers/score boxes.


So, based on this list, how bad are these things really?? 'Unwatchable' - really ? 'Very bad' - how bad is very bad?? Are these the comments of overly critical video fanatics or is this stuff REALLY THAT BAD?? I haven't really been able to evaluate this stuff myself (except for the protective screens) because all the places I go in to have either HDTVnet or a DVD running only.


Also, are these problems somewhat alleviated by smaller screens and distance from the TV? FWIW, I'll be about 8-9 feet away from these sets. And, do any of these TV's do a better job with some of these problems than others?


Thanks in advance for your answers.


Regards,

Chris

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings


You are dealing with enthusiasts and fanatics here. Most of the time, one is dealing with just plain unrealistic expectations versus reality.


All NTSC images are still very viewable ... they simply are not great.


They are good enough for TV ...


Don't worry about it.


I have DISH on a 61" 4:3 screen and find it just fine.


Whenever people here talk about things being unwatchable ... or poor ... take that description and add two measures of goodness to it for the real world viewability index. Unwatchable = average ...

Poor = decent


Regards

 

[Matt_Stevens]

Well, my friends and family, all of whom are nowhere near as picky as I am, find VHS to be unwatchable on my TV. "So soft it hurts my eyes" is how one person desribes it. I agree. NTSC Cable and Satellite are certainly better, but you'd best sit at least 8 ft from the screen on a 47" RPTV.

 

[greeno]

I have a tosh 50hx81 and sit 9 feet back. I think that you'll find that on the 42h81, vhs and cable will look fine (my opinion, ymmv). I find vhs on my set to be a bit soft, but watchable. I've not heard a complaint from my kids or my wife (we watched real world and the osbornes taped last night while we watched NYPD Blue in HD ). since you're looking at a smaller set, it will only look better than mine, i.e. less magnification of signal flaws.


I'd suggest that you make another trip back to the store and just focus on comparing the 42h81 and the 50h(hx)81 for the same feed at the same viewing distance. I think you'll see what I mean. The smaller screen will look sharper at a given distance.


Just to give you a heads up, I think that your reaction after the first couple of days of having the set in your house is that you should have gone bigger. Most of us who have the 50'' sets, provided you have the room and the $'s, would opt for bigger...


Best,

jeff

 

[NJDevil]

Any comments as to sports/stock tickers across bottom and sports scores in upper corner when these sets are in a 'smooth wide' mode?


Chris