HDTV purchase

[Fouts]

I'm going to buy a widescreen HDTV at least 50".

This one is at $1299 at circuit city right now.

RCA 52" Widescreen HDTV (http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_0&oid=58406&catoid=-8041)

Anyone have one of these? Any opinions?

Thanks.

[gstelmack]

My main advice is to go down to Circuit City and actually look at the picture compared to the others around it.

Other than that, it's primarily about what inputs it takes (my Sony has 2 sets of composite inputs and one DVI input, so I have room for my XBox, DVD player, and soon-to-be-acquired HD Satellite receiver) and whether or not you need a separate HD receiver, or if one is built in to the TV.

You might also want to consider what resolutions it supports. Not all TVs will accept 480i (regular analog television) over their HD inputs, for example.

[moriarty]

You're definitely going to be at the low end of HDTV's, but if you don't have a discerning eye (or the budget for a nicer set), then it's probably not a bad set. I've heard some good things w/ the only major complaints being some people saying there is a problem w/ streaking (or ghosting/shadows around some of the images). Someone says it stretches all standard television signals, so that might bother you too.

There's no 3:2 pulldown (at least according to the link), but if you have a nice progressive DVD player, you won't have a problem w/ DVD's.

I would follow the advice above ^^ and see if it looks good to you at the store. Determine how far away you are going to sit from the screen and test it from that distance. Also determine what you are going to watch most with the set (if it's cable/direct TV, DVD's, Xbox, etc..). If you plan on watching alot of standard television, make sure you view the TV w/ a cable or direct TV feed in the showroom (ask a sales associate). If the set does stretch every feed, you might find regular television to be annoying or poor quality.

Also, just as an FYI - if you're looking to watch alot of HDTV, you might need to budget in another $300-600 for a HDTV receiver as well as a $100-$500 for a rooftop antennae (for local signals).

[mtolson]

I'm going to buy a widescreen HDTV at least 50".

This one is at $1299 at circuit city right now.

RCA 52" Widescreen HDTV (http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_0&oid=58406&catoid=-8041)

Anyone have one of these? Any opinions?

Thanks.

In addition to the other good advice provided, I recommend searching for information on the tv at the AVSForum website (www.avsforum.com ). I recent purchased a Mitsu 65" from Sear and found a lot of useful information regarding the set at AVSforum. My experience with going to some local stores is that the TV's are not often tuned or even displaying HDTV signals, leading you believe the TV's are of a inferior quality.

[moriarty]

In addition to the other good advice provided, I recommend searching for information on the tv at the AVSForum website (www.avsforum.com ).

Great forum, and you'll if you do a search on the RCA model number you'll see references to some of the potential ghosting problems w/ the unit. Go to the display devices > rear projection forum for your unit.

Just be warned, most of the people in that forum are VERY discerning visually (they're used to looking at $5-10K telvisions). So don't get too discouraged if you hear some negative remarks about picture quality, and let your own eye/taste being the final judge.