Sony KD-30XS955 30-Inch FD Trinitron WEGA CRT HDTV
The best HDTV, bar none!  Here's my story...
I recently went shopping for HDTV sets on the internet. After researching as much as I could about the different types, LCD, Plasma, Directview, and many makes, models, and sizes, I was still undecided. Before paying more than $600 for a direct-view or more than $1000 for a 27\\" and higher size set, I had to be sure. So I went into a Best Buy, looking at the different HDTVs they had on display. After looking at every LCD, Plasma, (with and without projection) and directview TV they had and speaking candidly with various store personnel, I came to the same conclusion: LCDs (and certainly Plasma's) are not worth the cost, due to their limited life, burn-in problems, and their overall good but not great picture quality. TVs having the greatest contrast, best color, and most vivid pictures were the Directview (or picture tube, CRT) TVs. Furthermore Directview TVs cost a lot less and would be likely to last a lot more because the technology is very robust (picture tubes can last ten to twenty years or more without a problem). The only downside for me was the extraordinary bulkiness and weight of these behemoths (140 to 150 pounds for a 32 inch standard 4:3 aspect TV, or a 30 inch widescreen). Also, for very large screens (40 inches and more), you need to go with LCD (with back projection) or a Plasma, costing many thousands of dollars. Since I was looking for something around 30 to 32 inches, this was not a problem. I found that most directview TVs had very good definition (certainly much better than my eight year old 27\\" RCA CRT), and I could not decide between the different brands, Sony and Samsung were the best, but Panasonic and Philips were good as well. The price differences between the different models ranged from 50 to $100 (Panasonic and Philips being the cheapest and Samsung and Sony the most expensive).  <br /> <br />After racking my brain, I was just about to leave the store when I stumbled upon this baby (Sony KD-30XS955). I was immediately struck by the incredibly high definition of the TV, showing regular (not HDTV) cable broadcasts over a simple cable connection (not even composite or s-video, let alone component video input). This TV was very different from all the other ones I looked at. I asked the personnel and they said the TV had super-fine pitch (four times the resolution of a normal TV) and a HD-detailer which can clean up and improve even a standard TV signal and make it look almost like HD. <br /> <br />I was blown away! Even though this TV was outside of my budget (about $1399 + tax), I decided to get it (but not at Best Buy). I shopped around and got it on uBid for $600 (manufacturer refurbished with warranty of 1 year parts and labor and 2 year on the tube). Home delivery cost $349 which was expensive I thought, but you get the TV itself for less than half of the Best Buy price. I also paid $180 for two years extended on-site warranty service. The total price for all of this was $1129. Not a bad deal considering the Best Buy price would have been close to $2000 (including tax, home delivery and extended on-site warranty service). <br /> <br />In short, I would recommend this TV to anyone on the market for a new TV and with a little bit of extra cash. The TV also has a HD tuner so you can pick up HD signals over the air without renting a receiver from your cable or satellite company (if they have them in your area). This TV is definitely not perfect, as CRTs tend to have geometry problems (straight lines appear crooked on a contrasting background), but unless you watch news tickers all day, you won't notice this. Besides, the picture quality is unmatched by anything else out there right now. Go out and buy it today, but shop around to get the best deal!