As the owner of an Elite analog PTV, I obviously prefer Pioneer. After viewing the new Elites, I feel they smoke the Mits and new Sony XBR widescreens. The reg Pioneers are damn close to the Elite. I can't speak for the Toshibas and Marantz--I only saw the Pioneer next to a Sony and a Mits (Diamond). My own opinion--if you can't (or don't want to) afford the Elite, get the regular line Pioneer and a good progressive scan DVD like Pioneers DV37 or Sony DVPS9000. This will make the TV look like an Elite when viewing DVD. Of course, for the price of the Sony 9000, you could have an Elite! Thru HD sources, they are also very close, but viewing NTSC, the Elite clearly (Hah!) outperforms the others. Particularly nice is the lack of digital artifacts that appear on the Mits. The Mits also has a different color balance. This can lead to a perceived "brighter" picture, since the reds and yellows are predominant. The Pioneer TVs both lean more toward greens and blues. Whichever you decide, definitely use a video setup disc, and consider the ISF option. If possible, try to view one with a direct DVD feed with component video. Most dealers use a distibution feed with a mediocre signal, typically composite video.
