I have Dish Network with HD package and it's pretty nice. Watching the olympics is HD ROCKED. Pus the fact that there's a lot more programming in DD than I had with comcast(though it may have changed) and sound is almost as important as picture to me(who wants to listen to martin logans in stereo BLECK)

I'm so hooked on it I'm ready for a BIG tv now(looking at a 55" LCOS philips). I currently have a 32" Sony Wega and I love that thing. If they made 55" bottles I'd rather have that, but LCOS is the next best thing(other than an LCD which I don't particularly want due to price). Personally due the majority of programming still in 4:3 I'd go with the 32" 4:3 as opposed to the 30" 16:9 but it depends on your predminate viewing. If you're going with a monster most of them are 16:9 so you don't get to pick(phew).

For the price I think you can't go wrong with the sony. I paid $1599 for mine right when it came out and I'd pay it again today in a hearbeat if I wasn't thirsting for a big sceen.

 

you're kidding right?

content-wise... according to NBC the olympics consisted of 4 sports: swimming, gymnastics, track&field and diving.

picture-wise? that sucked too. they didnt get to or received the full bandwidth alloted to a real ATSC signal, which is around 19.2 Mbps.

they were getting like half that so any quick movements of the camera or if they show any replay and used the OLYMPIC rings as a transition special effect, everything became MUSH or was pixelated.

NBC in their infinite wisdom delayed everything 24 hours so why would i bother watching something 24 hours later when i knew who won? so i ended up watching the analog (SD - vs the HD) feed instead...

NBC claims that in 2006, for the TURIN winter games, EVERYTHING will be in HD.

we'll see...

 

Comparatively I liked it. The content they did have was better than watching it on the analog box in my bedroom. I would have prefered all content in HD, but I'm still suckling the teet appreciating every bit of HD I can get lol

I was noticing some pretty harsh pixelation as you noted, but to me it was better than a stick in the eye

 

Alternative: save the money and read some books.
Suggestions: Al Franken's Liars....
Orwell's 1984
The Princess Bride
Impreza service manual (a real page turner)

 

Target carries a 32" widescreen HDTV for $699 with component input... I set one up myself. I wish I needed another TV so I could use my discount on it

 

aint it a samsung?

i was at the local target and i thought it looked like a good TV.

came with an ATSC tuner, IIRC...

not bad for the price. and the 10% discount i coulda gotten from a coworker's sister woulda be cool...

 

55" phillips at best buy. it's about $300 over your budget, but that sucker is HUGE.

 

I think its samsung.

 

Got the sony. I love it.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

get a sony tv over a toshiba. our Sony tv's have all lasted like 10 years each. our toshiba lasted 1 month!

 

sorry...

but lately sony's stuff aint what they used to be.

granted even some of their $2000+ sets are getting a bad rep.