need some expert advice!

[k-rock]

i'm looking at buying the philips 43pp9202 43 inch hdtv. this tv fits perfectly into my budget. i just want to know what some of you think about it. i've been to the store and looked at it probably 100 times! they've had it set up with different devices. dvd, to me, looks wonderful on it! vcr is ok, the only thing i use my vcr for is to record tv programs. the majority of my use will be dvd, ps2, and xbox. i'm thinking of getting the hd box from time-warner. just wanted to know some opinions. from my stand point it does and looks like what i want it to. the 4:3 aspect is not a major factor for me, i can deal with that.

[aj327]

Hey k-rock,

I don't want to discourage you from you decision to get this tv, but you should know a couple of things if you're an avid video gamer. I almost didn't get my rpCRT until I realized that I really don't play video games that much any more.

The issue is (and I know this might start a controversy) is burn in. Any time you leave a static image up on your screen you're in danger of getting burn in - which basically means that the image will be permanently burned into the screen. I've seen some open box specials at circuit city for instance where you can see a dvd player logo burned into the screen. It's most visible inbetween commercials or the like, when the screen fades to black. But when you see it - it's impossible to ignore - especially when it's something like a logo or a picture.

Now getting burn in isn't a foregone conclusion with a rpCRT tv but it will probably mean that you're going to turn into a tv nazi when your friends are over - or even with yourself - making sure that people don't play certain games for very long - ones that have an energy bar constantly on the top of the screen - things like that. That's why I really didn't want to get a rpCRT, because I just didn't want to deal with the stress.

Now I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one - but I think you virtually cut your risk down by a factor of 10 with a non projection CRT based tv. At least from personal experience - I've never had an issue with burn with my previous CRT tvs - and I would leave games paused for hours not knowing that I was putting my tv at risk. rpLCDs and LCDs are also less likely to get burn in but those are more expensive - and then of course there's DLP which will never burn in no matter what you do with it...of course the DLP set is way out of your price range - as is the rpLCD, about 3500 dollars and 2600 respectively for the comparable 43 inch set.
Plasma is way too expensive, but you don't want plasma anyway - from what I've heard and read, they're just as bad if not worse than the rpCRTs.

So, in my opinion, the one alternative you have - if you're a super hard core gamer - is to get a CRT tv. These do tend to be pricier for less screen - but your paying for peace of mind really (no service contract covers burn in because it's considered abuse). There's a 30 inch Samsung for $999 out there -which I've heard good things about (but in all honesty it looks like two 19 inch monitors put together - so you really don't get that big screen feel. And then there are the Sony and Panasonic 34 inch CRTs (these are all widescreen by the way) for around $1999, if you look hard enough. And these are just on the borderline for that big screen feel.

Actually, and I'll probably get some flak for this, you might also consider looking at the RCA 34 incher (or maybe it's even 36 inches)...apparently people have had some problems with it - but everyone on this site who owns one seems to be pleased with theirs - and that tv I think is actually right in your price range.

Plus - and again people will disagree with me on this one - there are a camp of people who think that CRT tvs still deliver a superior picture to the rpCRTs because they don't suffer from the same convergence issues. So basically you'd be paying 400 more dollars to get a smaller screen, but a sharper picture and virtually no burn in worries. Though with widescreen dvds the picture wouldn't be that far apart - we're talking 34 inch widescreen to what would be around a 39 inch widescreen (if you do the math).

Anyway, I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there who own a rpCRT and play video games - so maybe they should tell you their experience, but I know that I tend to worry about my big purchases - and I'd be a nervous wreck if I played video games all the time.

Good luck,

-a

[k-rock]

thanks aj. i guess i should add this, philips has APAC, they say it shifts the picture in small increments in order to fight burn in. i would be extremely cautious of playing games too long. do you think this would help or is it just another sales tactic? i'v had some gaming friends who've had their big screens for a few years and say they haven't had any problems. someone please "un"-confuse me! right now i'm at 32 inches but i REALLY want to go big-screen. is it worth it for me or will this be a $1400 mistake?

[pcoffman]

It is a tough choice. I have an xbox and when I first got my big screen played it quite a bit now when I say that I mean for me it was only about three hours if that and about every other day. I haven't had a problem with any type of burn in. The only thing I can say is if you do alot more gaming than I which you probably do than make sure you don't play the same game all the time if it has a stationary item on the screen like the life level or ect. also if you have to leave the game system on and you want to pause it for a long period of time I would just turn the tv it self off, and then turn it back on when you are redy to play. Or if you worry to much about it maybe every 30 to 50 minutes maybe turn it over to a tv station and whatch a few min. of tv. I think you will be fine with you choice as long as you play wisely and not leave your game paused for hours at a time. :) I play mostly sports games like Tiger Woods 2003 which I think rocks and NFL Fever 2003. I have played Dragon's Lair 3D and it is in 1080i you 'll love the picture, game play is so so but hey it's still a good game. Oh also my wife likes kicking my a** in DOA3. Anyway hope this puts you at some ease. aj327 does have some good points though with tube tv's the picture is alot sharper and I thought real hard about it before I bought my tv I was originally looking at the 34" sony but since we do alot of movie watching my wife figured at the time she reather spend the same amount for a larger tv. At the time we were looking the sony was $3000 and I bought my Mits. 55859 for $2800 so anyway good luck. Keep me posted on what you decide. :)

[aj327]

k-rock,

If you're willing to play nice with your new tv then I think you'll be fine. If biggness is what you want then I would just go for it. It sounds like you're alright with babying your tv. Unfortunately unless you've got tons of dough - it's the price you have to pay. I just wanted to let you know about the burn in thing if you hadn't already...I was in your position about two months ago - and was sort of shocked by the news when I first heard about it.

I just wish DLP was cheaper. The thing is, I KNOW it will be soon. When it first came out about a year ago I think it was (maybe two) - there were some models that were going for as high as 12,000 dollars - now they're as low as $3,500. In a couple years I'm guessing they'll be well within most people's range.

But until then - rpCRT is definitely the best bang for buck...and I haven't heard about that APAC thing - it sounds pretty good if it works.

By the way - I think that RCA television I was telling you about is actually a 38 inch widescreen, for about the same money as the 43 inch 4:3 you're looking at. (and it has a built in tuner) So for watching widescreen dvds you'd only be about an inch and a half off with the RCA. Like I said though - some people on this site feel a fair amount of disdain for this particular tv - whereas others seem to love it. I've only seen it in stores so I can't really comment, except that it looks good on paper. Just thought I'd throw it out there again as an option.

Good luck in your search,

-a

[k-rock]

thanks so much pc and aj. you've helped me a lot. as you could prabably feel when reading my posts, i was hoping for advice on the positive side and that's what you gave me. you guys are great! i'll, more than likely, have more questions in so keep an eye out for me!

p.s. sounds like we've got two wonderful women, pc. your wife sounds like the woman in the commercial where the guy says " i can still see light"! my girlfriend told me that when i get the money right to go for it! haven't got her sold on playing a lot of video games with me yet, but she was looking at doa3 yesterday in best buy!

[pcoffman]

LOL :) :D :)