I bought that exact from Ultimate Electronics 2 months ago and I love it. A little too much glare on the screen in bright light but the picture easily rivals conventional tubes. I paid about $2500. List was $2800.

 

I also bought the same television. The picture is razor sharp unless you're sitting within 10' of the screen. If the tv is going in a generally bright room, make sure you can get it fairly dark or have a really big black sheet behind you. The screen is quite reflective and combined with the glare you will think you're looking at your bathroom mirror. Like everyone already stated, make sure the tv is the best fit for the room.

HD-upgradable is nice, too, while they figure out some sort of standard.

Temin

 

MNS2K,

I bought the Mitsu 55819 a couple of weekends ago. So far I love it. The only downside is that since it's a 16:9 ratio set stuff done in 4:3 ratio doesn't look perfect. I think this is a trait of all the 16:9 ratio sets, or maybe just the projection models. I also think Mitsu did about as good of a job as possible to make the 4:3 stuff look decent in the 16:9 format. You see, while they offer a 4:3 mode on the TV they discourage it's use for any extended period of time. It can cause uneven aging of the 3 guns and/or leave ghost images on the screen. All that being said, I wouldn't buy a 4:3 ratio set since I don't plan on buying another TV for at least 10 years and everything is headed the 16:9 direction. I think the set is great. The other thing nice about the Mitsubishi is that it gives you 64 point convergence. Many of the other brands have a much smaller amount of convergence points and that's key.

 

Some of the Mitsus are pretty good, I remember being impressed by their Diamond line. One thing though, is that within each line they use the same projector for sizes, so the larger the screen, the dimmer.

I have a 53" Sony HDTV (KP53HS10) and am very happy with it - I'll always buy Sony. Unless you're only keeping it a short while, I wouldn't get anything that isn't HDTV. 16:9 is cool but expensive and not really necessary just yet. For the same price you can get a 4:3 TV that gives equivalent screen area while viewing 16:9 media, but looks right and has more screen area for the currently standard 4:3 TV broadcasts.

At the top end, the Pioneer Elite TVs are probably the nicest rear projection units you can buy.

Despite this advice, I think the coolest way to go is a projector mounted on the ceiling, projecting onto a retractable screen. This setup takes almost no floor space, and you can use it for your PC too. Not much more expensive than some of the nicer TVs either...

Good luck!

 

Two of my friend's just bought Sony 50-something inch XBR's - the plastic shield that protects the screen from damage is highly reflective. One of them had a 32" tube XBR prior. We've always converged on his place to watch movies, sports, etc., because he designed that room for home theater when he built it - wall speaker jacks for surrounds, sound deadening materials, etc, etc. I noticed that compared to the previous tube, the big screen is a lot less forgiving in terms of viewing arrangement/conditions, as mentioned in a few posts above. We play multi-player video games on it (I know, supposedly bad for the tube) and since we're relatively close, it's hard for everyone to see the screen well.
When viewing, he tends to turn the lights down/off, because there's so much reflection that at times you end up staring at yourself instead of watching the movie.
During the day, there is alot of glare. It would be really distracting if you have a window opposite the TV.
There are a few other minor quibbles... just take all this into consideration when buying. If you have a really large area, then it should be fine. Or, if all your free time is spent in-doors, it will probably be worthwhile also. Or if you have too much money and just want to 'see what it's like'. If not, you might consider taking a look at the Sony 40" tube. The colors/saturation on their flatscreens are simply incredible. Absolutely stunning, with less viewing accomodations.

Good luck

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shoyu Burner
[B]Two of my friend's just bought Sony 50-something inch XBR's - the plastic shield that protects the screen from damage is highly reflective.

 

I have a 53" Sony XBR. Since I don't have small children I just removed the screen protector, it cuts the glare immensely. DVDs and High Definition stuff looks amazing on it. I bought mine two years ago, and at the time, I felt it was the best value. If I had the extra $$$ to spend, I would have bought a Pioneer Elite, those things are gorgeous.

 

Go with tube

 

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input. Lots of things to consider prior to purchase. Some conclusions:

No small kids so plastic can go

Room is large enough (17 X 17) to utilize a 55" with a window that can be darkened.

If I had another grand I would buy the Pioneer Elite but funding is a little short.

Viewing is in the eye of the beholder.

Thanks again