I need some OPINIONS...

Alright fellas,

It's time for me to upgrade my Sony 32" Trinitron to a new HDTV Monitor.

I have found one that I am interested in and want to know if any one out there has seen this particular set or heard anything about it?!

<a href="http://www.prodcat.panasonic.com/shop/NewDesign/ModelTemplate.asp?ModelId=15025&show_all=false&product_exists=True&active=1&ModelNo=PT-40LC12&Category" target="_blank">http://www.prodcat.panasonic.com/shop/NewDesign/ModelTemplate.asp?ModelId=15025&show_all=false&product_exists=True&active=1&ModelNo=PT-40LC12&Category</a> Id=2710

I was thinking about getting another CRT, but there is a size limitation of 34"! (New set MUST Be 16:9 format) Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Kpj

What a badass tv!

Panasonic makes some nice equipment, if you look in best buy or tweeter or whatever you have out there they actually look better than the sonys and toshibas lines up next to them. We actually have a Panasonic 34'' CRT coming in soon, so of course I recommend them.

If you want to watch movies on it, go for it, but these 16:9 TV's tend to stretch out the images weird when you're not using HDTV signals. Also it doesn't look like the best model when space is an issue.

Do you want to play games on your new TV? If so, you'll have black bars on the sides with a 16:9 setup.

KJP, give this one a serious look. It's a 38" direct view CRT from RCA. It's available for ~$2000 and already has the HD tuner and HD DirecTV tuner built in.

It got great reviews from some pretty respected home theater mags and such.

<a href="http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI45045-CI105,00.html?" target="_blank">http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI45045-CI105,00.html?</a>

Brent

I believe that set is ether an lcd or lcd on silicon projection system, which is different from standard projectionsets. might want to see one first hand before you buy.

I'm not sure how much of the TV RCA even makes. I KNOW they aren't making the tube. Loewe sells basically the same TV for ~$5000.

BTW, that Panasonic is LCD based. Make sure to take a close look at it. All the ones I've seen have had bad pixels and looked washed out. I haven't seen the Panny, but I recently checked out the new ~$8000 Sony and it looked terrible.

RCA review:
<a href="http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/SoundAndVision/FrameSet/0,1670,_sl_SoundAndVision_sl_Article_sl_0_cm_1653_cm_109_4401_1_cm_00,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/SoundAndVision/FrameSet/0,1670,_sl_SoundAndVision_sl_Article_sl_0_cm_1653_cm_109_4401_1_cm_00,00.html</a>

Loewe review:
<a href="http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/Equipment/articledisplay.asp?ArticleID=123" target="_blank">http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/Equipment/articledisplay.asp?ArticleID=123</a>
Brent

Originally posted by ORPHEUS:
<strong>


I like that tv and all but still.....IT's RCA! they suck royaly. we have had two of those fuckers die out on us at the store I work at. don't take A gamble with A set like that.</strong><hr></blockquote>

[ May 20, 2002: Message edited by: brentsg ]</p>

Click to expand...

I am well aware of the RCA model that you guys have been talking about. I am not a fan of this unit. For one, the screen is NOT flat. Two, it's made by RCA. Three, it only has 1 Component input. This is unacceptable! (Plus, it is a year or two old. The new one should be arriving soon!)

I was thinking about the CRT Tube units (Panasonic CT-34WX50 or Sony KD-34XBR2) but saw that Panasonic just released the LCD HDTV and it caught my eye. No one around the Detroit area has one in a "showroom" (sucks ass)

The Sony CRT was awesome, but at roughly 4K, it's a little over budget! (Had a GREAT selection of inputs/outputs & built-in receiver)

The Panasonic CRT was tits! I was SO close to buying this unit a few months ago, but have heard of the successor is just around the corner! The only problem here is that I will be paying $2000+ for just 2" of screen difference. On top of that, it doesn't support ALL HDTV formats & lacks an internal tuner. Picture quality was BETTER than the $4K Sony. Those "TAU" tubes are the shit...

I have never seen this LCD unit, but I can tell you from experience, that I am RARELY dissappointed with Panasonic's gear. They are a great company and my room is littered with their equipment!

I have the $4000 Apple Cinema Display (22" Digital Display) which I bought sight unseen and was overjoyed with it's quality/performance. I couldn't ask for a better computer monitor. I have a feeling that the Panasonic will look very similar to the ACD.

Thanks guys and let me know if you hear anymore info on this set.

Kpj

any more help?

when i say that the panasonic is LCD I don't mean that its an LCD screen, it's an LCD projection system. it uses lcd panels as the picture/projection source instead of three seperate crt "guns" like regular projection sets. A true LCD set,in that size,that could display all those formats like the panasonic can would be an absolute shitload of $.probably over $10,000.

I expect that what you'll see with the Panasonic LCD unit is a limitation in the technology, not a knock on Panasonic. As mentioned earlier in the thread, it's a projected LCD image that you view. If Sony couldn't make a decent looking LCD projectof for $8000...

It's a toss up.

Direct view: fantastic image all around, don't have to worry about burn-in, but size is limited, prices are high

CRT projector: fantastic image, huge sizes avail, but has burn-in, geometry, and convergence issues to deal with

LCD projector: decent image, perfect convergence/geometry by definition, large sizes, no burn-in, but has difficult time with blacks, tends to look washed out, gets stuck pixels

DLP projector: very nice image, perfect convergence/geometry by definition, large sizes, no burn-in, but has difficult time with blacks, looks digital at rare times

Plasma: very nice image, WAAAAYYY expensive, still has burn-in

I'd give the Panasonic DLP set a close look. The local Ultimate Electronics store had the 52" DLP sets for $5000. These don't look quite as good as my CRT projector, but it's probably worth it to lose the burn-in worry. They resolve 720p natively. When I bought my Pioneer, they were ~$9000.

edit: sorry, just saw your budget comment!

Brent

[ May 21, 2002: Message edited by: brentsg ]

[ May 21, 2002: Message edited by: brentsg ]</p>

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the additional info. I am only going to this LCD Projector method &/or CRT tube. I would have bought the tube already, but the size just sucks on the sets that I want. (Panasonic's & Sony's)

The RCA I will be staying AWAY from. I have heard from a few online review sites that the Panasonic's LCD Projector is sharp and impressive.

If only Panasonic's/Sony's 16:9 CRT Set would hit 40 inches....... <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" />