Big bang-for-the-buck HDTV
Written: Jan 09 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Highest Quality Picture, Inexpensive Price, Reputable Brand
Cons: Can't think of any.
|
|
|
| HomeShopper's Full Review: Panasonic PT-61HX40 61 in. TV |
For years, I have loved the thought of having a big screen TV, but before HDTV, big screens just were not as clear as a traditional TV, so I have settled for a 36" in my family room. However, I always hoped there would be a day that the big screens would be as good as a tube TV.
As everyone knows, HDTV came on the scene, and about a year ago, I had my first looks at the HDTV offerings. WOW! They are awesome! I knew that I had to finish off my basement so I can get one of these babies! So I worked all year to get the basement ready, and then proceeded to evaluate which TV I was going to get.
Last year, the prices for HDTV were prohibitive (for my wallet, anyway). Well, the good news is, the prices for HDTV have come down to what I will call reasonable. Sure you can still get a GREAT Analog TV for a GREAT price, but it's hard to walk out of a store purchasing an analog TV if you had the chance to see an HDTV next to an Analog - I mean, there is really no comparison - the HDTV quality just leaves you speechless. And the price gap between the two is narrowing!
So I looked at about 20 or so HDTV's across 3 stores -- Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears. My preference for ALL audio/video equipment is SONY - I like their quality, and their models. But I must tell you, when it comes to HDTV, there seemed to be very little difference in picture quality from one brand to the next. Dont get me wrong, I loved the sony products ( I looked at a 53" and a 61" Sony, both looked awesome). However, when you look at a Sony next to a Samsung, and the Samsung picture looks almost as clear as the Sony, the thought process becomes "how much is that extra 5% of picture quality worth?".
Well, don't think I would even consider a Samsung - No, If I am going to spend $3000, I want to make sure I have confidence that my purchase will last. So my best judgement limited me to SONY, MITSUBISHI, and PANASONIC.
I also Wanted to get the largest TV available, which in this market, is a 61". Sure, the "Widescreens" have a larger size, but until HDTV comes out (the broadcast, that is), that extra "wide" in the screen is wasted. Plus, the Widescreens are on average $1000 more, it wasn't worth that extra grand to me for that space.
So, it was down to 61" screens. They had a Sony, a Panasonic, and a Toshiba. To me, the Panasonic had a better picture than the Sony. Don't misunderstand - the Sony looked GREAT, but the edge had to go to the panasonic - it just seemed to be a bit brighter, and the detail was a tad sharper. The Toshiba looked ok, but was noticably not as good as the Sony and Panasonic. To be fair, lets call the Sony/Panasonic picture quality a tie.
The features on these 2 TV's were pretty much equal - both had PIP, a nice remote (the Panasonic Remote is Truly easy to use), very good sound quality, sleek cabinet, plenty of inputs, etc.
The big difference was the price - the Sony was about $ 1000 more! WOW! How can that be? Was the Sony expensive, or was the Panasonic inexpensive. Well, I could not find a justified reason to spend the extra $1000 just because it was a Sony. Like I said before, I prefer Sony, and if the difference was a few hundred dollars, then MAYBE I would have gone with the Sony. But, the Panasonic (in my opinion) had slightly better picture quality, was equal in all other features, and was $ 1000 less. It was really a no-brainer.
So how do I like it? Well, lets be honest folks. First, once you get a TV into your home, you don't have a dozen other TV's next to it to compare - so more often than not, the TV looks awesome. That being said, as a first time big-screen owner, and a first time HDTV owner, I can not even begin to describe the awesome feeling I get sitting on my sofa watching a movie! Now, although I like the sound quality of the TV, I do have a nice Surround Sound 5-speaker system (yes, its Sony.). Add this to the LARGE, HDTV picture, and it is incredible. I mean, the first time I watched a movie (had to whip out the Matrix DVD for the 10th time, but the first time in HDTV), I literally had chills running up my spine. It's simply unbelievable that you can have such a theatre-like experience in your home.
Now, let me say that I believe that just about any 61" HDTV (any brand) would give you a great visual experience. But when one of the most INEXPENSIVE models (this Panasonic) is also one of the BEST models, you can't go wrong.
I paid about $2800 for this, but I have recently seen this model online for around $2500. For me, the extra $300 to buy at a local store gives me piece of mind that if I have any problems, I will have no hassles. For you, the $300 savings may be worth it.
All in all, I can not say enough about this TV. My rating is 5 star - as a "Big Bang-for-the-buck" buy!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
HomeShopper
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.