Best HDTV for standard def viewing?

[deanbrew]

OK, I live in the boonies and am unable to get HD programming with an antenna, no matter how big an antenna or how high I mount it. My local cable company offers a whopping total of two (2!) HD channels, and wants to charge $10 a month for them. DishNetwork and DirectTV are a little better, but not much. They both offer a package of 5 HD channels, but no network channels, just a group of channels that I would watch very little. There are also a couple of other reasons I'm not ready to switch from cable to satellite. In addition, there are decades of SD programming in the can.

So, it's a given that we will be watching SD programming for a long time to come, and I have been disappointed with the SD pictures on LCD and DLP big-screen TVs I've seen so far. Are there any big-screen HD TVs that are better in this respect than others? FWIW, my viewing distance is about 15 feet straight back and about 10 feet along both sides.

I would buy a 50-60" TV if I found one that suited my situation. I've been ready to buy a big-screen HDTV for months now, but am more disillusioned than ever. My current TV is crapping out, and I don't really want to replace it with a picture tube TV. But I also don't want to buy a new big-screen TV and then hate the picture I get with SD programming.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[oman321]

Prepare for the future, you'll hopefully have better options in a year or so for HD. Buy the best set that suits your needs for DVD's, future HD and if you game. SD cable looks better on regular digital cable stb's or when the coaxil is connected straight to the set instead of a HD STB feed.