Looking for a $2000 to $3000 big screen ...

["The Dude"]

With the hot rumors of the sw trilogy being released next year,a big
screen tv has now become a top priority.Master Replicas sw props will
be taking a back seat for a while.I'm looking to get one around may or
june and plan on spending $2000-$3000 for a tv.I'm looking at a 55" to
65" rptv.The brands I'm checking out are mits,sony and hitachi.I've
checked around on various site like home theater forum and magazines
for opinions and/or reviews and can't come up with anything helpful.Can
anyone here help?I'm looking for opinions on what is the best tv in terms
of quality.Everyone tells me that the mits. is the best one to get.But
everytime I go check them out and no matter what store I go to,the
mits. display always looks grainy and edgey to me.Maybe no one can
set it up right.Any help would be appreciated.

[I 8 Piglet]

There are a lot of big screen tv threads here, do a search and youll find a lot of info, and members opinions.

You will also find me in each of them, chimeing in to tell the thread starter to look into front projection. This past spring I started looking for a HD RPTV, and when I couldnt find anything I liked I decided to look into an FP setup. For that price range you can get an awfull nice FP setup. It will completly alter your perception of a "big screen", 65" is just a baby

[tomdkat]

First, you should get the LARGEST set in you can afford and fit in the designated place.

Mits HDTVs are very popular given their great video performance with HD material. I own a 57" Toshiba 57HX81 (2001 model) and I love it. Toshiba TVs are generally less expensive than the Mits TVs but offer comparable performance. Sony HDTVs are popular too, but not as popular as Mits HDTVs.

Personally, I think Home Theater SPot is a better place to get detailed info on HDTVs since they have forums dedicated to various HDTV manufacturers (all of the names you're heard of will have forums there.. ).

If you can, try to audition some HDTVs and see which ones have the best picture to you. Of course, the TVs in stores like The Good Guys won't be calibrated well so don't base your decision solely on that. Just see what sets you like, then start researching those.

Peace....

[PunkMunkey]

Originally Posted by I 8 Piglet

This past spring I started looking for a HD RPTV, and when I couldnt find anything I liked I decided to look into an FP setup. For that price range you can get an awfull nice FP setup. It will completly alter your perception of a "big screen", 65" is just a baby

How does you FP perform in conditons with an overabundance of ambient light?...I'd really love a projector, but I'm afraid that the room will contain far to much ambient light to give me the best picture possible...my house has got windows galore and I think that the inconvenience of blacking out all of them might far outweigh the benefits of installing a FP...oh and how far is your seating area from the screen?

[I 8 Piglet]

Well thats the major fault of these things. Mine is quite suseptable to ambient light. SDTV is bright enough that its not really affected, but to watch a movie during the day I need to have the drapes closed. Artificial light is not as bad as sunlight, its fine as long as its not pointed directly at the screen.

[jlb]

If you can push your budget up a bit, I think there are $800-$1000 rebates going on for the Pioneer Elite RPTVs. I think the $800 applies to the 55"/58" (foget which) and the $1000 applies to the bigger one, and the newer 60 something that is coming out in January. I've seen the 58" Elite for about $4500. With the rebate, that is not much more than your original budget and this is one damn fine RPTV. IMHO, the best on the market.

["The Dude"]

After checking out big screens for a while now,I've decided to go with
the Mits. 65" platinum series.It's basicly last years diamond tv except
with a tru-focus lens and a integrated HDTV tuner.It will set me back
around $3500.Around apr. or may I should have it.

[I 8 Piglet]

HDTV built in is a nice feature. G/L man

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by The Dude

After checking out big screens for a while now,I've decided to go with
the Mits. 65" platinum series.It's basicly last years diamond tv except
with a tru-focus lens and a integrated HDTV tuner.

Cool.. be sure to let us know how it works out for you. Does this set have DVI inputs?

Peace...

["The Dude"]

It has a DVI input. Should I upgrade my dvd player?It's a pioneer,don't
remember what model off hand but it was the model before progressive
scan was a reg. feature.I'll have to get back on the model. No progressive scan.

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by The Dude

It has a DVI input. Should I upgrade my dvd player?

Based on what I've been reading here and elsewhere, if you've got DVI capability in your display you should definitely use it. Having a digital video "path" from the DVD player to the TV is a GREAT thing. Since your display isn't a "fixed pixel" display, you won't be able to get the *full* benefit of a DVI video connection.

Before buying any NEW players, get your TV in house and setup FIRST and see how you like the performance of your current DVD player when connected to the TV. If you like it, keep it. If not, then you can try a progressive scan DVD player. Check out the "DVD Player Recommendation" thread in this forum for discussion about various DVD players.

Let us know when you've got the TV and post pics in the "Your Home Theater" forum so we can all see it in action!

Peace...