[dagman]

I am very happy with my Toshiba 56H80's "Theatre-Wide-1" mode that stretches in a manner that leaves the center of the picture relatively undistorted. The prices of the Toshibas are very competitive too. Your mileage may vary.


BTW, most DVD viewing is in 16:9 normal mode since most DVD's these days are anamorphic (AKA enhanced for 16:9 TVs) transfers.


I was looking for a set that did 720p but there are not many. The only one at the time was a panasonic and I think even they are giving up on it. 720p (sadly) looks like a dying format.

 

[RichR]

Dagman,


That'd really suck if 720p went by the way the wayside. I hope not.


BTW...Which STB are you using?

 

[HiDefGuy]

Quote:

Originally posted by RichR: Other than the Pioneer, are there any RPTV's that do just as good a job with the 4:3 stretch under $4000.00?

I believe that most all recent 16x9's do a very credible job of stretching 4x3 images to 16x9 in an intelligent way; I have a relatively cheap Hitachi 16x9 53" set (now available for closer to $2k than I paid for it at some online outlets) and the "smooth stretch" which stretches mainly the left/right edges of the image is extremely good; you really don't consider you're looking at a 4x3 image.

They all look a little shakey in this kind of mode when the image moves quickly between left-right.



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

"You can't argue with a confident man"

- Napoleon Wilson, Assault on Precinct 13

 

[RichR]

I'm looking to upgrade my RCA MM36100 to 16:9. I was at a friend's house and he's got the Pioneer elite set. When watching regular 4:3 in natural wide, I (more importantly, the wife) had no problems viewing the stretched image.


Mostly, we watch DirecTV and DVD's and I was thinking no larger than 56". Other than the Pioneer, are there any RPTV's that do just as good a job with the 4:3 stretch under $4000.00?


Or should I wait and go with one that handles 720p as well and upgrade my STB?


Now that I've got clearance, I was thinking of jumping on this!


Thanks,


Rich