Sony KDF-E42A10 42-Inch LCD Rear Projection Television
Pleased with my 42" A10
Well, after wayyy too much research and hemming and hawing, I finally decided on this 3LCD RPT by Sony. What finally swayed me was the sweet combination of picture quality (PQ) and price.  In side by side comparisons I just couldn't detect enough (with my eyes at least) PQ difference between this RPT and the plasma tv's to justify spending twice the money.  While standard definition signals are only mediocre, the HD and DVD signals are simply awesome.  I use component cables and a Motorola set top box (stb) provided by Adelphia.  The side to side viewing angle is greatly improved over previous generations of projection tv's (as is the brightness and crispness), but beware; the vertical viewing angle is quite narrow. My built-in media niche is elevated a bit, which puts the tv above my head when seated on the couch.  There is a very slight dimming from this angle.  However, it's nothing that I haven't been able to compensate for with some picture adjustments (or a subtle shim ;-)).  The remote has a \\"Wega Gate\\" feature that works kind of like the \\"Start\\" button in MS Windows.  I think it's pretty user friendly, but I don't use it much since I mostly just use the remote from the Adelphia stb.  As an engineer, I also appreciate the other features this LCD RPT technology offers over plasma. It uses less energy, generates less heat (a factor when building it into a wall unit with tight clearances), it's light enough for one person to move around (the salesperson in the store carried this 42\\" tv singlehanded!), the plastic screen has less glare than glass, and the single bulb is user serviceable. Best of all; no burn-in issue to worry about!  Just plug it in and start watching tv, use it as a computer monitor (I haven't tried this yet), or just run a static image all week.  Who cares! Sony offers this tv in a 50\\" version, but because our viewing distance is 8'-10', I didn't want to go any bigger.  If you get too close to these screens you will see some screen door effect.After having this tv for several weeks now, I can honestly say that I am very pleased with my purchase.