[SteveSatch]

My 35" Mitsu TV died. I need something fast. I spent the last two days reading up on 16x9 TVs and I thought I'd get a 16x9 until I really thought about my family's TV needs. 90% of what we watch is 4:3 off of SD DirecTv. The other 10% is DVDs. I guess 4:3 makes more sense for us for a couple more years (until HD DirecTivo and plasma TVs are within my price range). So, I need help picking a 4:3 set. After reading this forum I thought the Sony KV-40XBR800 was the way to go. After reading other forums though I hear A LOT of owners get color distortion problems on the edge of the screen. I don't need that. Since this TV will probably be replaced in 2-3 years for a 16:9 It wouldn't hurt to not spend the money required to get a Sony KV-40XBR800. What's a good 36" 4:3 set to pick to fill those needs? Around 1K since I'm thinking it's a stop gap TV. I could spend more if I had to.

 

[Xcalibur_255]

If you buy the right tv it should last you for 10 years. If you truly think you'll be replacing the 4:3 in as little as 2 years then I'd just buy a 16:9 set right now. I'll be the first to beat Thumberboy ( ) to recommending the Sony 34XBR910, which has the finest picture of any tube tv on the market today.

 

[cajieboy]

SteveSatch,


No green blobs on my 40XBR, no white verticle line problem, no fuzzy wuzzies & misc. anomalies....just great PQ!!!!!!

 

[ThumperBoy]

Either get a good quality WIDESCREEN HDTV set or just get the cheapest analog set you can find until you can upgrade to HDTV, don't settle for something in between. Believe me, once you have a widescreen set your viewing habits will change and you quickly will be watching 90% widescreen material instead!

 

[cajieboy]

According to a Consumer's Report reliabilty survey of over 20,000 Tube owners, Sony has a better than average reliabilty, and was second only to Toshiba. ALL XBR's have double the warranty period of their other TV's, and have been known over the years to be more reliable & a better build quality. This may be subjective, but from my experience of owning XBR's for over 18 years I'd have to agree. ALL Consumer Electronic Mfg. have problems, and some more than others. Do some better research that just reading a few Forums.

 

[Xcalibur_255]

I also agree with Thumperboy's advice about the cheap analog alternative, and it's what I did. The dropping costs of HD sets will prett much absorb the cost of a cheap analog tv, so it's basically a free time buyer if you look at it that way.