ViewSonic VPW425 42-Inch Plasma Flat-Panel HD-Ready TV
Pretty Darn Good For Under 3K!
O.K.----I think our man Steve from CA. might have been better served if he had read the owner's manual first, and then had professional installation. THIS IS NOT A HDTV!  It will take the signal, but will have to &quot;dumb it down&quot; to display.  But that display is absolutely gorgeous: sharp colors, wide viewing angle and NO artifacts.<BR>       As for using the display as a computer monitor, I would be hard pressed to recommend it any higher.  As with all viewsonic monitors I have owned in the past, apps from word processing to the newest games are just perfect.  I connected my cable to a media center computer I built, and now use a nifty program called Snapstream that puts the old TIVO to shame!  Now my wife can tape her soaps, easily burn her favorites to DVD, check her E-Mail, surf the web, video chat with her mom, play Tetris (O.K.---she's a little behind the times in her gaming!), find that song she has been looking for, etc----all from the comfort of our bed.  She's now happy as a clam, which any guy will tell you pays the ol' hubby dividends far greater than the sub 3K cost of the unit.  And I must admit, I can't wait for Halflife II on a big monitor with the display settings jacked to the max!<BR>       Two caveats:  Again, no HDTV.  Perhaps more importantly, if you are going to set this unit up yourself, you ought be an enthusiast.  Trying the many input choices enabled me to decide on the best option for myself, which proved to be the DVI for the computer, and the S-Video for all TV functionality except for DVD playback, which benefits with progressive scan connections (you know, that red blue yellow thingy).  If you rely on the manual alone, you are apt to be left confused, as it is far too brief and poorly written.<BR>       If you feel, as I do, that the PC is the future engine to drive home entertainment, this unit is an excellent partner!