Hitachi 53FDX20B 53-Inch Projection HDTV-Ready Monitor/TV
And the winner is...Hitachi
Deciding on a big screen has definitely been a grueling and frustrating task.  I have been looking for a Projection HDTV for almost a year now.   I never wanted to spend more than 2,000 so I waited till now to actually buy one.  There are so many models out there and once you start doing your research many of the contenders will drop out of contention.  When I first started looking, I considered every brand and model and went from there.  Deciding on what you want can really narrow down your search.  First decide on whether you want standard or widescreen.  I think there is no clear answer for this and its more of a preference.  I myself went withthis standard screen because I do mostly TV watching with occasional DVD viewing.  Remember if you buy a widescreen when you are watching TV there will be bars on the sides.  Go to a store and ask them to show this to you on a Widescreen, you have to see it to decide whether you can live with it or not.  Many people say that Widescreen is the future especially with HD on the horizon, but I'm not so sure its coming as soon as more people think.  Yes there are some channels now offered in HD, but not enough in my opinion.  With cable and satellite systems offering hundreds of channels, I did not want to invest in a widescreen just for a few channels.  I think it is coming but in my opinion by the time HD broadcasts have reached a substantial level (about 5-7 years or maybe longer) then sure it will be worth it to get it then.  My logic is that I will get a Widescreen HDTV in a few years and by then maybe I plasmas will become affordable or if not I could get a really nice projection widescreen HDTV.  I could go on but now I'll get to the TV.<br />I think picture is the most important thing when buying a big screen.  I would rather have a 42 inch with a great picture than a 52 inch with a so so picture.  The picture on this TV is the best in my opinon.  The Toshiba 50 inch H72 which comes in standard and widescreen is the onlyTV that comes close to this one.  The few other competitors that I was considering such as the the Sony and Phillips had ok pictures but not as good as this one in my opinion.  I really did not like any of the Panasonic TV's they didn't look like they were worth it even though they were a little cheaper.  My advise is not too skimp, I understand how budgets are tight but don't buy a lesser TV just to save yourself a few bucks.  This is a multiyear investment and evey buck helps you.  I also have to say this by the way.  One thing that really confused me was how I would read all these different reviews for different TV's and everyone would practically swear that they had the best picture.  I think there is no \\"best\\" picture.  It really depends on so many things such as the source that is being watched, the lighting, the angle, the calibration, and a whole bunch of other things that make it difficult to buy the \\"best\\" TV.  And remember that the sales people ...can easily manipulate the picture.  They can easily make a great TV look [bad] wih just a few presses of a button.  Keep that in mind and when you go to look at TV's ask them to show you the TV with different sources such as TV, DVD, and HD if available.  Sometimes you can tell that they have messed with the TV's by just checking the brightness and contrast.  I apologize for giving more shopping tips than I have on this actual TV.  <br />I chose this TV because it consistently looked the best at five different store.  Hitachi consistently gets better technical ratings and has the best lens for this type of TV.  They manufacture their own parts and have some of the best display technology in the business.  One thing that really helped me was that I look through at the \\"Consumer Reports\\" analysis on HDTV's and this TV was very highly recommended.  Unlike many of the editorial reviews on other websites, Consumer Reports does no advertising and really puts the products to the test.  I also really like this TV because of its flexibility and options.  There are plenty of inputs and you can adust many of the setting including aspect ratio, temperature, utilize BBE, and the on screen display is very easy.  I don't know why some companies make their controls so hard to use.  The remote control for this TV is ok, but nothing spectacular.  To be honest, I really didn't pay much attention to the remotes when I was researching.  I obviously did check them out but its one of the least important thngs in my opinion especially since they all perform the same basic function.  <br />DVD's look beautiful on this TV and in combination with a good home theater system, say good bye to Loews and say hello to Blockbuster.  And remember don't freak out if you open the box, plug in the TV, and it doesn't look perfect, this TV's need a lot of adjusting and many manufacturers suggest the best picture that these TV's can produce will be evident after about a hundred hours, this give the guns a chance to warm up and spread their wings for lack of a better term.<br />Finally, I know this is a hard decision and I hope my review has helpd you somewhat.  Just remember to do your homework, don't rush it, look for prices online and in stores, and don't forget to buy an extended warranty-you'll need it at some point.  Last thing, buy premium cables-like Monster.