RPTVs?

[Max Power]

Well I'm new to this whole scene. I have a 27 inch GE surved tube tv. Awesome right? So in MA we are having a tax-free day due to the disaster we called the Democratic National Convention. The bottom line is I work for a local appliance store on weekends for extra cash and I can buy TVs for cheaper than average prices with no tax. My cash flow is however limited at around 2000$. Here's what has impressed me so far.

1 Mitsubishi WS-48513
2 Toshiba 46H84

Does anyone know much about reliabilty of these brands/sets? Are there any others I should be looking at. By the way my viewing distance will be less than or equal to 9.5 feet.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[sy_lu]

For CRT based RPTV, I like the Mitsubishi better. Without attempting to do any degree of serious comparison, I do feel my Mitsibishi has better picture in terms of details and color than my friend's Toshiba. My tv is about 2 yr old now. So far so good. Before the Mitsubishi, I had a Pioneer (none HD of course) and that lasted about 7 years.

[pwh03]

I;ve been doing a lot of research lately and those two brands are both great, decide based on your needs and t he picture you see. Make sure you play with the settings though.

Just to let you know what I have read has led me to belive that

mitsubishi, toshiba, and hitachi make the best sets.

Good luck have fun

Ph

[hifimaster]

"Make sure you play with the settings though."

Include a A/V calibration disc (Digital Video Essentials, Avia, Sound and Vision, etc.) in your budget. The days are gone when we used to adjust our picture settings until it "looks good".

Factory settings on TV's are affectionately called "torch mode". They are boosted to look "brighter and sharper" in the showroom, compared to their competitors. Contrast and brighness levels should be brought down immedialtely. Especially before you use any of the above mentioned calibration discs. (Some of the test patterns can cause burn-in in a very short time.)

James

[Max Power]

Hey thanks guys. I found a good deal on a Mitsubishi ws-48413 for a lot cheaper than I would have expected. Plus it was tax free day on Saturday so I saved some cash. I am picking up the TV tuesday and I'll try to find some calibration discs when I do. Is Avia the name of the disc or the company?

[Max Power]

So on another note, will this TV that is 1080i capable be able to also show 720p in HD? I now see that different networks show HDTV differently. Once again bare with me; I'm new to this. Thanks.

[sy_lu]

Not necessary. Many older CRT based models like mine do not have 720P mode. At the time only ABC uses 720P mode. Most if not all HD tuner however, can convert 720P to 1080i. I use a Zenith HD box to watch ABC on my 1080i TV without any problem.

[Max Power]

Thanks man. I got myself a little worried there. Why would a station deviate from the norm in this situation? Is 720p cheaper to broadcast?

[sy_lu]

Well, since 1080i is interaced, it uses about the same bandwidth as 720p in theory and less in most cases. This why they are more people uses 1080i. In the CRT days, it is also more expensive to make a good 720p tube as it require more precision than 1080i (540 line vs 720). For LCD and plasma due to their pixels, they are progressive and most of them (except low end plasma) are 720p. Many low end plasma are more like 480p. They down convert 720p or 1080i to 480p.

Unless you always look at resolution test pattern, you don't see much difference between 1080i and 720p in real life programming. 480p however, is different story.