Toshiba 46H84 46-Inch Projection HD-Ready TV
Good TV, but a few things you should know ...
Just a few things you should know before buying this TV, or any rear projection HDTV in general: <br /> <br />1. If you live nearby a brick and mortar store that carries this TV, see if they will let you hook a DVD player up to it, and then get the TV out of 'torch mode' by lowering the brightness and contrast (easily done via the remote) to about 50 - this will give you a much better idea of how it will look in your home. Also, when you get the TV home, bringing it out of torch mode is the first thing you should do, as leaving these settings cranked up to the max could damage your TV. If you see this thing on display in a store, they usually have it connected to an HD signal running at 1080i, the best resolution possible. Movies on DVD will not look *quite* that good. <br />2. These TVs don't exactly come ready to watch, as they require a little tweaking, especially this TV, as it tends to have a 'red push' that you'll need to get rid of. Doing this is not exactly brain surgery, and the Avia Home Theater guide (also available on Amamzon) is a big help, but you should at least be aware of this. <br />3. Burn-in: While not as bad as Plasma TVs when it comes to image burn-in, you must be consciously aware (but not paranoid) about the possibility of burn-in with this set. If you're the type of person who likes to play video games (which usually display a lot of static images, such as health meters), for hours on end, you may want to go with an LCD or DLP rear projection TV, if you can afford one :) Otherwise, a direct view (conventional) CRT HDTV may be better for you. <br />4. If you plan to use a component video cable for DVD playback, some people will say that the kind of cable you use doesn't matter. While the kind of cable you use does not matter on other TVs, it DEFINITELY matters on this one. From my experience, there was a HUGE difference in picture quality between a set of $30 Acoustic Research cables and a $100 set of Monster Ultra THX cables. After trying the Monster cables, I ordered a set of component cables from [...] which are about as good as the Monster cables for a much lower price. Even if you elect to start out with a cheap cable, you should look into upgrading the cable if you notice the picture quality is not as it should be. <br />5. There is no HDTV tuner built into this set, which means you'll either have to buy the tuner seperate ($200+) or get one from your cable or satellite company, which will usually provide one for you. You don't need a tuner simply for watching DVDs though. <br />6. About the look of the TV - previous reviewer said it doesn't look like the one in the picture. Actually, it looks very close, except Amazon shows the TV sitting on its optional stand - the bottom part of the TV is actually one piece, not two. If you want to see what it really looks like, search for the model number on [...] <br />7. In regards to what the previous reviewer says about room size, since I have the TV in a small room, I don't think the size of the room matters, just as long as you're setting at least 6-8 feet from the set. <br />8. For more information about these topics and more, check out [...] <br /> <br />Hopefully, I didn't scare you away with all of this info, because this is probably the best 46\\" CRT rear projection HDTV you'll find in this price range - I highly recommend it!