HDTV purchase situation question

[Drewster]

I am new to big screen TV’s and HDTV ready as well. I have been doing research on these forum’s and at Consumer Reports….but still would like your input.

I am going to purchase an HDTV ready rear projection set when I settle on the following issues.

My viewing style: I will probably use the set 80% of the time on 4:3 aspect (normal TV, Playstation 2, etc) All the DVD’s I buy I get Widescreen. Some PS2 games also have a “widescreen” mode of play. The HDTV broadcast signal is not important at all to me. Few years down the road when more of it is broadcast and more easily accessable, then I will buy a set top converter and get that….but that is probably several years off for me. Main use will be for DVD’s and PS2, also looking forward to better looking regular cable (I understand still not true HDTV quality).

Based on the above, I have been looking at 2 models. Pioneer SD533HD5 53” Widescreen and the Sony KP51HW40 51” Widescreen. The price difference between the two is not an issue. I have couple other issues:

1. I had a salesperson tell me to be careful of screen “burn in” if I watch too much TV in the normal or 4:3 aspect ratio (in my case probably 80% of usage). This alarms me and wanted some feedback from people who have experience with this. I am also not a big fan of “stretching” the pic to widescreen mode to avoid this. But really want the widescreen for when I do watch the DVD’s and future programming in widescreen.
2. What are peoples opinions of the Sony KP51HW40 vs the Pioneer SD533HD5 based on my viewing style. Consumer Reports rates the Pioneer at #2 but says it lacks Auto Convergence adjustment and its menu is more difficult than most. Are those two things big deals? CR says the Sony lacks Automatic flesh-tone correction and Selectable video noise reduction. Again, are those two big deals?
3. Are there new models of either of these units coming out in next couple months that would be smart for me to hold off for month or so?

Sorry this is so long but wanted to give the appropriate info. Thanks in advance for any opinions! I also posted this in the beginner forum.....in case is off base here.

[zarlor]

I can't say that I keep up with current models and such, so I'll only respond to your first question... Screen Burn-In.

Truthfully, with modern CRTs as long as you keep the Brightness and Contrast down you shouldn't have a problem with burn-in. Of course it helps to know what that right level is, so I would reccomend getting a calibration DVD, such as "Avia" or "Video Essentials" (they can be found at places like Amazon.com). Using one of those will help you set up your set just right and go a long way towards preventing burn-in.

Hope that helps.

[kevinw]

I do not agree with you about not watching HD because the majority of CBS and ABC is broadcast in Hd with more next season.
As to burn in you will stretch 4:3 programming to fit the wide screen. The same with non-widescreen PS 2 games.

You may also want to consider Toshiba products. They have some of the best stretch modes and are very easy to tweak....

[ZeroDegreeK]

I agree with kevinw, one of the main reasons to buy a HDTV should be to watch it in HD.

If you are worried about burn in, you should get to like the stretch modes. If you do watch 80% in 4x3 mode, with the bars on the sides, burn in might be an issue. Turn Brightness and Contrast way down to avoid it. I also used to hate the stretch modes, now they don't bother me. It just takes some getting used to.

As for the auto-convergence, automatic flesh tone correction, and noise reduction, I never use any of that garbage. Doing a convergence yourself is much more precise and will give you far superior results. Also, all that automatic correction stuff should be turned off and your set should be properly calibrated with a DVD like AVIA. That will get you the best picture.