Replace 35" TV with something bigger

I went through this agonizing purchase about two months ago. Initially, I said the same thing someone else here said--sit closer and buy a better direct view set. So I found a good deal on a Sony KW34HD-1. Excellent picture, widescreen image--had it all. But after watching this thing for about a week I kept coming back to the same thought. The picture was just too D@#! small for that kind of money! So the set went back. In its place came home a brand new Mitshubishi Diamond series 55 inch (and it was cheaper than the sony!). I love it. DVDs look great. The viewing angle is very good from left to right. Moving your seats vertically could cause a problem. I have noticed the image brightness only drops off if I stand up or sit too low. I think that one thing that anyone purchasing a RPTV should know is that they are not really designed to project low resolution cable tv or pixilated satellite. These sets are for high definition broadcasts and anamorphic DVDs. If you use the room primarily for movies or want to go HD, then buy a RPTV. As for the center channel, buy a 12"-15" speaker stand for just in front of the tv.

We went to a slightly larger format for the same reason as you, we wanted something to watch DVD's on AND we were tired of having to read the fine print (the eyesight ain't as good as it once was!) to find "standard" format, since we didn't like the black bars at the top and bottom.
We bought the Toshiba 40" theatre wide (16:9 aspect ratio). That way all movies were seen as they were meant to be without the bars! It is a nice TV and not too big. Here's a link if you are interested.
http://www.toshiba.com/tacp/tv/TW40X81.html
Good luck in your search.
Also, I ordered a different (larger screen) TV for my parents from Amazon.com. They had a great price and offer "white glove delivery" They bring it in, unbox it, put it where you want, and take all the garbage with them. My folks had the TV in two days with no additional charges.
Hope this proves helpful. Good luck! -

banksmcclintock, the Fujitsu 4222 is a plasma model.

my understanding is that Plasma sets will NOT have as long of a lifespan as that of a good quality RPTV or especially a standard "tube" set. The various reasons escape me right now. As such, i do agree that the picture on them is typically excellent.

I would like to recommend to Argent to pick up a copy of the Video Essentials DVD and to calibrate your Mitsu. If you think it is good now, just wait till you have it set up "right". While the price on these discs keeps creeping up, you might be able to find them online for about $30 or so.

For the record, i like the Video Essentials calibration dvd better than i do the Avia. While the Avia is much more in depth and time consuming, the Video Essentials version will give you extremely similar results with half the work and time. Kind of the "quick and dirty" approach, but it works. Sean
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Sean, where to get the disks you mention? I want an Avia, but have never seen one for sale, though I've honestly never looked very hard either.
Thanks,
Chris