Loewe or Toshiba HDTV ready?

I have read great things about the Loewe,and think it is probably the better tv. / however, I once bought a Terra/ the hottest tv of its generation (1989). They went out of business just about the time it went south ; Part of Murphy's Law,no doubt. I never could get it repaired/It actually went in the dumpster after 3 places couldn't fix it,the "factory- authorized" place being one of the 3 . So,the "Major Brand" if the sets are close; is were my money would go.When I bought my Terra,the co president sent me a card thanking me for choosing their tv. Not sure if "Mr. Toshiba" will send you one.Be careful /It's dangerous out there.

Robk- Loewe is a very big company in Europe, supported and distributed here in the US by Sensory Science who also owns California Audio Labs. The product is very source dependent; looks absolutely awesome with a good DVD source and has a very good built in doubler (at least my Planus, 30" 16:9, 420p, not 1080i does) so you can get a really good picture from a non-progressive DVD. Have not compared it to the Toshiba. I have not been as pleased with the picture from some conventional cable signals; garbage in maybe? I would be careful regarding service; there appears to be only one service shop in the entire Central CT area where I live. However, if you slip a good anamorphic DVD in and watch, you probably will be seduced like I was.

AV- too bad you dumped your Tera; I have a 23" in my bedroom, and actually prefer it to the Loewe for cable, its less source dependent.

RobK- you might want to check out the Proton sets if they are available in your area, they seem to provide a good compromise if you are going to watch much NTSC (conventional) TV.

I spent about an hour in a shop here in NYC the other night swapping stories and watching some movies on the Loewe Aconda, (having just come from around the corner and oggling all of the 16:9 HDTV's at the Wiz and Circuit City). I'm hooked on the Loewe. I am certain, however, that the quality I saw in the store was at least partially due to the loving care with which the Loewe was set up and the quality of the other equipment that was making it go v. the schlock and apathy that went into the sets at the Wiz, but the Loewe (though slightly smaller) was hands down the sure winner in my book. (So much so that I don't even remember what exactly the other TV's I saw were...). By all accounts, it is currently THE best direct view TV on the market (although we all know what such statements are really worth). If you're hooked on the Loewe HDTV, might also consider the Calida, which, I believe has all the same technology as the Aconda but in a conventional screen shape and for $1.4k less. If you watch much regular TV, might be a good thought for the price. Me, I'm hooked on the Aconda and plan on buying one just as soon as I can find some poor sap to come to the store with me and help me get it home (although they offered "the van" and a helper there, it just seems more festive to bring a friend...).

Panasonics in general have a problem developing solder cracks on their main PCB, very poor workmanship for the last ten years. The toshiba is a very good product well designed and engineered, pix is outstanding. THe loewe is like a ferrari, you won't be able to get it repaired at ther corner Fixit shop, but hopefully it won't be your main
source of entertainment.