As far as CRT goes, the Samsung TX-R3079WH "slimfit" is extremely nice. It has a shorter picture tube than the normal, so it doesn't take as much space. Also the color reproduction is amazing (something LCD has trouble touching). For a small HDTV solution it is perfect and includes a tuner and HDMI.
1. CRT Rear Projection - Not as bright as the others listed below so it isn't always ideal for off axis viewing or very bright rooms, but the image quality is second to none. Requires you to converge it occassionally, which may take 30 minutes every few months to do. No bulbs!
2. LCD & DLP rear projection - BRIGHT! Looks very good but often shows flaws with regular TV viewing. Optomized for HD and DVD viewing really. These are very slim which is nice, but not always important in a room. They have bulbs that will need to be replaced every 1-4 years depending on usage. These bulbs are USER replacable and run $150 - $500.00 depending on manufacturer.
3. CRT tube type television - limited size, outstanding quality. Very few issues, but 34" or so is pretty much the max size.
4. Plasma - At 42" - 60"+ these provide a bright image in larger displays. They seem to range in price from about $1,600.00 for a entry level 42" Samsung or Panasonic all the way up to $10,000+ for the big guns. A nice 42" HD model with cablecard and speakers can be had for about $1,800 for a 853x480 model (EDTV) or about $2,600 for a 1024x768 model (HDTV) Not a bad price for sure.
5. LCD - Much less variety over 40" and a bit of a premium price tag. Generally a slightly lower quality image than plasma, but very close. They have a great selection under 40" though. In a couple of years, they may well be a better value than plasma, but in my opinion they are still a bit more pricey than they should be and the image isn't quite to the level that it could be at.
I just got one of these a couple weeks ago for $1,199 at CCity. I couldn't be more pleased with the quality of TV and DVD playback. Yes, it is fairly large and weighs 160 pounds. However, I'm more than pleased with what I got for my money.
I first got a Samsung TX-R3079WH "slimfit", but returned it within 48 hours. The geometry on the set I got was horrible and not correctable...I tried for hours to even out lines...impossible. There are forums that have groups of consumers who have returned this TV and the delivery guys who brought my Panasonic said they were picking up several of the Samsung TX-R3079WH "slimfit"...at the very least, an inconsistent product.
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NAD C320BEE, Sony SCD-2000ES, Quad 11L monitors, Van den Hul Interconnects
I just got one of these a couple weeks ago for $1,199 at CCity. I couldn't be more pleased with the quality of TV and DVD playback. Yes, it is fairly large and weighs 160 pounds. However, I'm more than pleased with what I got for my money.
If you are going for a CRT I highly recommend this set. My in-laws have the Panasonic 34" and it has an amazing picture. It probably has one of the best pictures for SD viewing.
At least with the current technologies, CRT has the best color reproduction. Plasma is pretty good as well. LCD is getting better, but still doesn't quite measure up to a good 'ol CRT.
As far as size goes, it really depends on how close your seating area is to the screen. If I remember correctly, the recommendations for HDTV are three times the diagonal measure for the best experience.
In other words, a 34" is "best viewed" at around eight feet.
As far as size goes, it really depends on how close your seating area is to the screen. If I remember correctly, the recommendations for HDTV are three times the diagonal measure for the best experience.
In other words, a 34" is "best viewed" at around eight feet.
Weird... I've never actually heard this.
The only standards I know of are the SMPTE and THX standards which, for an HD image, recommend from about 1.5x to 2x screen WIDTH. This is far closer than what you are listing, but is the standard used with 720p projectors in the home so that a fully resolved HD image does not reveal individual pixels.
So, for a 34" diagonal, we will call a 30" width, and about a 45 to 60 inch viewing disance... 4 or 5 feet.
Time for a new TV
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