Toshiba HD vs. Sony Wega

The Sony should have a better picture when showing over-the-air and dvd video, but it does not have the resolution to be "HDTV" ready. There is limited HDTV broadcasts currently available. In my area, the only choice is Directv's HBO and PPV channel. If you are planning on keeping the set for a number of years, the tradeoff of worse picture today for better tomorrow might be worth it. If it was me, I would keep the Sony.

Do you think the Progressive Scan inputs on the Toshiba will produce a better DVD picture with a Progressive Scan DVD player than the Sony which can't accept them?

I don't know about your area but in Charlotte NC - Best Buy is running a deal on a 36" HD set the oblong dish and the DSS/HDTV decoder box for $2500 installed. Which is not a whole lot more than we paid for our Wegas. Personally I like my Wega better on DSS or DVD material it rivals most anything out there. Then again I'm not so gung-ho for HDTV or a progressive DVD player yet anyway.

I have the 5109 Toshiba progressive DVD player and the 56 inch Toshiba HDTV ready TV. Almost all DVDs have the 480p formate on them and the picture blows away the Wega... BUT playing normal broadcast TV the WEGA is very close for lots less money. I am waiting (Denver area) for HDTV broadcasts to happen (DTV has a few) but again not enough to justify getting into satellite. So now its just DVDs, but they more then justify the digital TV purchase.

Hi, I generally prefer Sony for televisions, but from what I've read (E-town reviews, audioreview, epinions) the Toshiba HD-ready tv is a more capable television. The Toshiba's progressive scan inputs used with progressive scan DVD (be prepared to pay at least $550 for a Progressive scan capable DVD player though) are supposed to be far superior to interlaced output. Also the Toshiba is able to "scale-up" regular interlaced TV broadcasts to progressive, I believe that the process introduces tiny artifacts in high motion scenes but most agree that the improvement in picture quality more than makes up for that. However this is an issue of personal preference. You should take a look at the Toshiba at a local store and see how you feel about it. I personally, am so used to Sony's vertically flat and 'flat' screens that I have reservations about other displays, but I saw an RCA HD-ready TV at a Best Buy store (I am generally neither fond of Best Buy or RCA), but I was quite impressed with the picture quality. It obviously scaled the image to progressive scan, since the scan were MUCH harder to see. I am a college student right now so I watch my tv and dvd's on my computer and although people in this forum may not find that to be exciting, one has to remeber that I get progressive scanned full resolution DVD and progressive upscaled TV, in addition Anamorphic DVDs are played at full resolution since the video setup on most modern computers can display at least 1024x768 resolutions, so the hardware simply squeezes the image without removing lines. So take a look at the Toshiba, and read some reviews about it and make your decision based on what you see. I've heard good things about it, and I was personally swayed to take a look at it for my next TV purchase for me it might be a compromise between the high resolutions that a computer monitor is capable of and the size of a real TV. I'm sorry that I cannot speak from personal experience with the Toshiba, I've only done internet research on the TV. (another thing - the HDTV and DSS HDTV decoder that Simonsez mentioned seems to be the RCA TV I mentioned along with RCA's new $649 - at www.rca.com - HDTV DSS reciever)

I have experience with both and, because I was a Sony employee, was able to purchase any product under dealer cost. I have stayed with the Toshiba line simply because they are a more accurate television set. For around the same amount of $$$, you should consider TRYING to obtain a the Toshiba TW40x81. It's a widescreen TV and is the most friendly for calibration and for Progressive Scan DVD players. (The Sony HD sets will upconvert 480p to 1080i, which will definitely not yeild as good results as native 480p). I asked one of the two people in the US that has the $15,000 color analyzer for the Toshibas what set to get (at any price) and the answer was alwasy the same: TOSHIBA..

Yeah, I looked up that TV at Toshiba's web site, and boy it is nice!

I purchased a 32" Sony WEGA about a month ago, after comparing it to a Toshiba of similar size. For the past 5 years, I have had a Toshiba, and been very pleased with it. Considering all factors, I think the Sony WEGA has a better picture than the Toshiba. A couple of points about the Japanese TV industry might interest you. For many years, the Japanese Ministry of Trade (MITI) has promoted Japanese electronic equipment using a national system whereby one major manufacturer normally "led the way" with new models, and the technology then "trickled down" to other brands. In the case of TV's, Sony has been the technology leader, with Toshiba close behind. The other point you might want to know is that Sony is due to introduce the 2nd generation of WEGA models in August or September. They will look like the current generation, but they will be capable of scanning 1096 lines, making them HD-compatible. You may be aware that the "XBR" version of the WEGA sets differs from the less-expensive "F" and "V" series because it uses its full 520-line scanning capability for the picture only in widescreen format. The "F" and "V" models, on the other hand, use the 520 lines over the entire screen, including the black bars at the top and bottom of the letter-box image. If you are in no hurry to finalize your purchase, you should give serious thought to waiting until the next WEGA version is available.

If you folks don't mind a little divergence from the essence of this thread- I have had a real hard time dealing with the "flat screen" of the Wega. It (the immage) always looks like it is concave to me. The color and resolution are awesome, but the content always seems distorted. Is it me or what?

I have a Toshiba TW 65x81 and it's similar to the 40x81, but with better CRTs. I had it calibrated by Robert Busch, one of the only two people in the US to have the Toshiba Color Analyzer. Of all of the sets that he has calibrated, the Toshs come closest to full accuracy, especially after calibration. The Sony Wegas are very nice, but have the most "out of box" problems of any direct view set (just check with the large volume dealers and they'll confirm it). It's not that I don't like Sony, but it really comes down to what it important to you. I tend to steer my friends toward the Toshiba because of its HDTV capability and its superior calibrated accuracy. For those who absolutely must have a Wega, more power to them. ( the replacements are due out in the Spring and will be HDTV ready) Elbert