[wd_allen]

hello all,

i am planning to purchase a new tv soon. i had decided on a rp hdtv monitor, no brand or model yet, but i was sure that was what i wanted. now that i have read about the firewire based copy protection, and have read many posts about how bad some units are at upconverting ntsc signals i am having second thoughts.

let me give some background on my situation. i live in a rural area, have a hard time picking up ota stations, and even if they were clear, i feel like hdtv is a long way off for them. my local cable provider is AWFUL. i get 4 channels in stereo, and they are the locals. i am planning on going with directv as soon as i get my new tv. i have a budget of around 4000 for a new tv, and would like something in the 45"-51" range for my size room.

so here i ask for advice, should i buy a hdtv monitor and hope the dtcp issue is resolved, wait until i can afford a dtcp compliant monitor. or should i just buy a high quality analog set, and wait until hdtv is a little more mature.

by the way, i am watching my wifes 27 inch rca, so i need something better soon..........lol....

i will be totally rebuilding my a/v system around the monitor i purchase.

thanks in advance.....

dirk

 

[del]

If your worried about firewire get a Mitsubishi. I would not get a analog big screen it will be obsolete before any digital set will.

 

[Dark Cobra]

Hi Dirk! I'm new to the group also, but I do have a few comments on your situation as I have been in a similar situation. I currently only have crappy analog cable and I'm also too far away to receive OTA HDTV. I originally purchased a Toshiba 56H80 HDTV that is actually a great set. I had it ISF'd too. I then got Direct TV and was immediately very disappointed. This particular set has the ability to resolve tremendous detail and consequently it revealed the horrible high compression algorithms being used by Direct TV. Direct TV seems to be compressing their signals even more than Dish Network. My set revealed a lot of pixelation and I eventually got rid of Direct TV and returned to analog cable which actually provided a better picture...unreal.


I am now getting ready to move back to the clarity and brilliance of a good old fashion direct view CRT set and will probably get the new Sony KV-34XBR2 with an ISCAN PRO outboard doubler.


As for the whole 5/C, Firewire, copy protection mess, no one really knows right now where any of this is going. It is quite disturbing, but I have the feeling it will not happen. If it does happen, I believe some sort of compromise will take place that will not leave any one with existing equipment suddenly in the cold with obsolete equipment. Another posted suggested your purchasing from Mitsubishi. Not a bad idea, since they seem to have been the only company that was dumb enough to actually "guarantee" that their sets would be future proof from any new standard, format or technology. However, read the fine print on that "guarantee". They don't promise to do this for free, in fact they state they will only charge you a "reasonable" fee for whatever upgrade may be necessary. The issue will then revolve around what is considered "reasonable". Still kind of a mess huh?


Dirk, I wish you luck in your quest to get the most bang out of your hard earned buck. This whole new digital realm will be evolving at a much more rapid pace then a lot of people anticipated. Those of us who have chosen to take the early plunge are simply going to have to ride out the wave and see where we wind up. Enjoy the ride buddy and hold on! Waving!


------------------

Cobra