Sony vs. Toshiba Projection TV?

[Defshep]

Okay, I was all set to finally get my first big screen tv, a Sony 51ws520. It's got great features, great user reviews everywhere, and the price is right at a local store. My wife suggested we go ahead and get a bigger screen (yes, HER idea!), so I found a comparably priced option. It's a Toshiba 57h84. The reviews for Toshiba have been a little spotty at best, but stil favorable. I'm a little over-analytical about these things. Would I be sacrificing quality for size in this case? I want to buy locally, and the sales guy said he'd do the same price for either. They both fit the budget I had in mind.
Thanks!

vance

[kexodusc]

Most people I know and trust recommend the Toshiba's over the Sony's anyday. Toshiba and Hitachi are pretty much the two best as far as RPTV's go...this is a no brainer for me...
Take reviews with a grain of salt, especially HDTV...a lot of problems are user caused, and you generally hear from more of the bad cases than the good ones...

[agtpunx40]

I recently bought the 51 inch version of the Toshiba you are thinking about. Other than one section of the manual regarding which viewing mode to use on DVDs that had me all confused, it is a great tv. I went with a crt rptv because of price and value, black levels, and reliability (no tv is perfectly reliable, but with a crt there are fewer problems to worrry about, although if the crt starts to go, you're pretty much screwed).

The big reasons why I went with this particular tv were pretty simple. As kexodusc said, toshiba and hitachi seem to be the most reliable and recommended brands for crt RPTVs out there. While price was a major consideration for me, as it is for pretty much everyone, I would rather pay the few hundred extra for a better picture, and more reliable product, over say one of the super cheap rptvs from no name brands or rca or something. I guess if the tv goes in 2 years, I'm pretty much stuck, but toshiba does at least have something to lose by making a bad product, unlike ultra cheap and no name brands, who can just pop up under different names and no one will know the difference.

I also agree that most problems, especially with bigscreen hdtvs are user caused. For one thing, DVDs are not going to look as good as HDTV, and I think some people are shocked when they don't (just a guess there, but I think people sometimes have incorrect assumptions about dvd). Probably an even bigger reason people end up disappointed is that most people do not set up their tv properly. Why on earth people are willing to spend $1000-$6000 or more on a tv, and not spend the small amount of time and money to get a disk and set up the tv right is beyond me. I would go as far as to say that if you buy this tv, set it up properly, sit the correct distance form it, and are still unhappy with the picture after a week or two, either your tv is on the fritz, or you are just in the wrong price range.

[Defshep]

Thanks to you both. You've put me at ease with the Toshiba.

[s dog]

Okay, I was all set to finally get my first big screen tv, a Sony 51ws520. It's got great features, great user reviews everywhere, and the price is right at a local store. My wife suggested we go ahead and get a bigger screen (yes, HER idea!), so I found a comparably priced option. It's a Toshiba 57h84. The reviews for Toshiba have been a little spotty at best, but stil favorable. I'm a little over-analytical about these things. Would I be sacrificing quality for size in this case? I want to buy locally, and the sales guy said he'd do the same price for either. They both fit the budget I had in mind.
Thanks!

vance I purchased the 57h84 about 6 month ago and have been very happy with it so far. good bang for the buck.

[topspeed]

My wife suggested we go ahead and get a bigger screen (yes, HER idea!) Hmmm...

Maybe she's trying to tell you something, eh Vance?;)

No, no, I'm kidding. Sorry, I think I had too much caffine this morning.

Although I wish I didn't have to, I'll give you Woodman's opinion, a longtime member who was our resident TV guru with 50 years of experience under his belt. In a nutshell, Sony isn't close to the company they used to be. Toshiba has a far better track record with regards to reliability and their PQ is right there with anything Sony puts together. I'm a big fan of Hitachi as well and rumor has it they build most of the guns used in competitors RPTV's anyway. Still, Toshiba builds excellent sets so if you like theirs, you could certainly do worse.

Hope this helps.

[Defshep]

Hey! I thought size didn't matter! You guys are great. Thanks for the info. Toshiba it is!
Have a great 4th!
-vance

[ryjam282]

I agree, Sony is all hype these days. I had the same dilemma as you a few years ago but I was going either Hitachi or Sony and after consulting those on here felt good about my Hitachi buy. Got it home, got the setup disc off eBay and I tell you what, my TV rocks. After over 3 years, this TV's picture is really second to none, especially with HD signals. I got my HDTivo and I can't watch standard definition again. It is amazing the clarity and this TV brings it all to me in great quality.

[edtyct]

Not me. Though Sony has certainly lost its aura of complete ascendancy, and Toshiba, Hitachi, JVC, and Panasonic equal and surpass Sony in some areas of video display these days, I don't see Sony in terrible decline by any means (despite the unfortunate recourse to Mexican assembly in some cases). Sony has continued to work magic in CRT technology until the very brink of its extinction. Its aperture grill for the direct view XBR CRT creates a thing of beauty, and its rear projection is no slouch either. RP LCD has made leaps and bounds in Sony's hands, at times creating black levels that rival those of DLP, and at surprisingly low prices (Sony and Hitachi, in fact, are partners in LCD). Its SXRD sets and projectors are nothing short of exquisite. What I have found to be unfortunate in Sony's sets is its failure to include certain practical features, like separate picture settings and color temperature controls for each input. But c'est la vie.

Ed