Want HDTV? Well, you can't have it! At least not very often, at the moment HDTV programming is pretty scarce. You can use a tuner such as the RCA DTC100 HDTV Digital Receiver to pick HDTV signals up off the air (many metropolitan areas have several stations transmitting at least some content such as PBS specials in HDTV), but most broadcast television content is still in the 4:3 aspect ratio.

Therefore, if you buy a 16:9 TV, such as many of the new projection TVs, for much of the time you'll only be using the center of the screen, with annoying gray bars on the sides. On many sets these bars will get "burned" into the screen over time. Furthermore, the current generation of HDTV sets are optimized for high resolution, or at least high quality (such as DVD) input, and don't do well on low resolution analog NTSC input. Many showrooms are set up to show you only optimized content, not what you'll be seeing coming out of your antenna or cable. Please perform an extensive search for consumer reviews on any set you're tempted to buy. When I bought this RCA I saved about $2000 by NOT buying the 56" Toshiba I was considering, and I think I'm better off for at least the next four years or so (stations have to switch to the new HDTV wavelengths by 2005, when the U.S. Federal budget has $70B down as an estimate for how much the existing broadcast bandwidth will be auctioned off for).

When it comes right down to it, the 36" size is also better for the 9-10 foot viewing distance we have in our curent viewing location. Resolution in graphical terms of dots per inch is higher in smaller sets. Direct view ("tube") TVs also have better color, brightness, and convergence than projection TVs.

Now about this particular TV, MSRP is $1899 at RCA. I had been researching high definition and HDTV sets for some time, and did confirm that this set is Thomson Consumer Electronics' current top of the line set, even more advanced than their most recent 36" ProScan (their high end brand which I'm sad to say they seem to have dropped in the U.S. at the moment).

I also compared it to the Sony KV-36XBR400, which does offer some nice features such as a flat screen for reduced glare, and conversion of "normal" (interlaced "480i") signals to higher resolution 980i. Sony does not publish the resolution of this set on their Web site (1080i is a signal type, it does NOT specify or require any particular screen resolution upon display), and most stores will mislead you into thinking that it offers 1000 or more lines. Check out what etown has to say:
"This Sony's resolution is much lower than that of many HDTV projectors and 16:9 direct-view TVs. Sony specs the number of horizontal aperture grille slots at just 721. That translates to a maximum horizontal resolution of 721 pixels, which is way below the 1080i maximum of 1980 pixels and just slightly higher than what DVD is capable of. The greatest number of (horizontal) holes in a "consumer" direct-view TV today is 1280. "
Sorry Sony if I'm one of the few to let that cat out of the bag. It's interesting that none of your literature seems to be designed to educate consumers on what they're buying. Surely you could produce something at least as educational as this consumer has:
http://hometown.aol.com/ajaynejr/vidhdtv.htm

Folks interested in the Sony should browse consumer reviews such as on CNET.com and audioreview.com, where people note the display quality for common TV signals.

While RCA's promotional text claims that "The RCA Digital High-Resolution Monitor can display 1080i (interlaced) television signals (864,000 pixels)", the product specifications confirm that the actual physical resolution of the set is 950 x 700 (665,000 pixels), similar to the Sony's.

In practice, a lower resolution screen actually does better on most of today's video signals, and this RCA performs particularly well on DVDs (especially through component inputs, which enable better color and resolution), and digital DirecTV signals upgraded to 1080i through an RCA DTC100 satellite receiver. Although we're upgrading to a new Sony KP-53HS30 HDTV-compatible rear projection TV for its 53" size, it has a noticeably worse picture from most sources, in spite of having greater resolution and Sony's "Cinemotion" progressive scan conversion for incoming interlaced video signals. The picture quality of the RCA does even better on HDTV signals delivered through the RCA DTC100, either from DirecTV or from the many Bay Area channels broadcasting at least some content in HDTV. Unfortunately Sony chose not to support the VGA-style connector or the signal output from the most common HD set-top box on the market (the RCA DTC100), so it may be some time before I pay $700-800 to see an occasional HDTV program on our new Sony TV.

There is some glare on the RCA's curved screen, but our room is set up so that it isn't an issue(we installed recessed ceiling lights, and when I really care about picture quality, I'll dim room lighting and close blinds as needed).

So what's the net outcome of all of this? This is a VERY nice standard TV set. It offers compatibility with many digital formats, which will produce noticeably better images than what you're accustomed to. It does perform better than most projection TVs. From what I've seen and what I've read it will do better or worse than the Sony XBR400, depending upon how well the two sets are calibrated and what the signal input type and quality is. It will serve as a great "bridge" set to get you through the next few years of transition towards higher resolution digital formats, at which time you'll be able to upgrade to something far better than what's available today, and this will make a fantastic second TV for your bedroom, vacation house, or kids. Just be fully aware of what you're buying.

Here's what RCA says in a nutshell:

Product Features:
36" diagonal Digital High-Resolution Monitor-Receiver

HDTV Ready*
-1080i Capable
-800 x 1080i Pixel Resolution

Up to 864,000 Pixels

1080i Display of High-Definition Signals

DPP-Digital Precision Pitch Picture Tube
- 0.78mm Center Dot Pitch
- Dark-Tint, High-Contrast Picture Tube

3-Line Digital Comb Filter

Advanced Twin Tuner™ Picture-In-Picture (NTSC Only)

SYNCROSCAN™ HD Component Video Inputs

SRS(•) Focus Audio Technology

Seven Sets of Audio/Video Inputs

GUIDE Plus+ GOLD On-Screen Program Guide

HDTV Ready* = HD/Digital receiver required to receive digital TV signals.

Product Dimensions:
28 1/2" x 38 3/4" x 26 1/2"
Weight:
190.00 lbs

For more detailed technical information on this set, go to RCA.com:
http://www.rca.com/content/productspecs/0,1327,PI45059-CI207,00.html?

For more information that you might want about resolution and digital vs. analog signals, try:
http://hometown.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

Recommended: Yes