Best HDTV?

Sony will be coming out with a 40" tube 4:3 HDTV this late summer early fall. Retail price should put it about $3400.00
I agree with an earlier post, with the limited number of HD shows this may be the best way to bridge the gap until 2006.
What does a 4:3 36" screen measure when viewing a 16:9 program? 33"?

Brad

If you are looking for the best value right now in HDTV IMHO it is the two Sampo models recently introduced. I own the 32 inch 4:3 and run a dv-37 into it and DVDO from satellite and the picture is tough to beat when properly tuned up. Best thing about it is it come standard with some forward thinking features like not wasting any money on the quality of the NTSC section, and having both RGB inputs and outputs to double as a desktop monitor. I use it for this and found a great driver for it on the internet. Best of all it can be had for $1200 on Ebay.

The panasonic 16x9 set is nice. Crisp picture, but I could not get past the fact that the screen was just too small. Ended up with 55" Mitsubishi Diamond series. I highly recommend one if your room can fit it.

sorry, i like to make a correction. the panasonic that I have is not 3:4. it's actually 16:9 , sorry

i have the panasonic Tau 3:4 HDTV 34". It's an excellent set. it retails for $3999. with a progressive scan dvd player, it can do wonders.

In my humble opinion, unless you are going to sit within 6 to 8 feet of the screen, there is no advantage to HDTV on such a small screen.

For around $2,200 you can get the Sony 36inch XBR. It may only be 4:3(an advantage, I think, given the current availability of HDTV programming) but at a normal viewing distance (12 feet in my case) it has a great picture (after it is properly setup) and I can't tell the difference between an HDTV signal and DVD input via progressive scan unless I sit to close.

mezmo: i sent you a private email. BTW, i find the picture quality of the loewe to be much sharper with better blacks than any plasma screen i've yet seen (and i've seen lots). -kelly

I was having fun imagining a 50 foot Runco plasma screen.

Any feeling for reliability and service track record on the Aconda?

Just for the record, my previous post makes a lot more sense if you tink of the screen sizes mentioned in inches, not feet...

Cornfedboy: Where did you find a discount on an Aconda? Been looking for one for months, and was almost ready to pay full retail, as much as that pains me. Is your source a shareable wealth, or do us pedestrians just have to suck it up? (And, for the sake of staying on topic, I can second the opinion that the Aconda is really, really nice and that it is the anticipated '38 version that is set to retail for $5,600, while the '30 clocks in at $3,600). It will be my next TV, for what that's worth (unless someone feels like donating one of those '50 Runco plasma screens to a good cause, namely, me...). Cheers.

i have a loewe aconda (30"), which retails for $3.6k. it's worth every penny, tho must admit i got a nice discount on mine. -kelly