Replace 35" TV with something bigger

Sean- Believe it or not, the Loewe has an NTSC standard calibration setting built in, and was pretty close to what I got using video essentials. However, its generally too dark (someone said that it has to do with the type of mask) for this set, esp on cable (closer to what I run with DVD). I found it was helpful to learn about the interactions between the settings and to use as a guide. For most audiophiles (all, I hope) the audio set up portion is not all that helpful but the DD test tone track works pretty well. I would guess that it is damn near mandatory for a projection TV. I did find its suggestion to turn the sharpness setting all the way down did NOT provide the best results with the Loewe. I guess for the $$ we're all plunking down on these displays (not to mention cables), its basically a real low cost accessory, which you could easily share with a friend.

BTW, in addition to a whole room for your 38" Aconda, you better have one hell of a stand, with industrial casters. I believe the tube along weighs nearly 300 lbs.

Beam- if you can swing the 38" Aconda, you will get a much biger picture than your 35", since it is 16:9 and you can even blow up the picture on 4:3 to 110% and use almost the entire screen width while loosing only about 1" top and bottom (at least thats how the older Loewe 16:9 sets worked.

LCD Rear Projection. I'm just looking into them myself and can't offer any opinion but the technology sounds promising. RCA has a new 50" Scenium LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicone) coming soon to a home theater near you that claims better picture and near 180 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle at a MSRP of $7500. Samsung also has a 40 and 50" version out now that can be had for around $4000 to $5000 respectively. They may suffer the same diffuculty producing pure black as with LCD front projectors, but they are also very flat (around 18" deep at the base) and have very short bases making them tabletopable, (say that word 5 times real fast.) Good luck.

Sean:

I have the upmost opportunity to buy a "Video Essentials" Calibration DVD off of "E-bay" WELL BELOW retail (and believe it or not, it will be from someone from MY hometown...... Washington, D. C.). After reading this thread for about the last two days, I see that you do nothing but swear by THIS DVD, and I am coming to the conclusion that anyone who is SERIOUSLY into home theater SHOULD not be without this DVD. I see that it retails for over $40.00 on "Amazon". But I can get off of "E-bay" for WELL below that (I am going to bid on a couple of them tonight..... that way, if one of them fall through, I'll still be in the running for the other one). Now, what I want to know from you is this: The version I am bidding on came out in 1998. Is this the only version that has ever came out??? And is this the current version?? Or has this DVD been revised since then?? If the 1998 DVD is the current version, then I am going to go ahead and put my bids in tonight. If not, then I'll go ahead and pay retail just so I'll have the up to date version. I know I have an analog/interlaced display right now (a 27-Inch Panasonic CT-27SF37), but when I purchase my HDTV RPTV within the next two years, I am going to find this disc an INDISPENSIBLE tool then, as since I am going to be paying in the neighborhood of $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 for a television, I want to make sure I am getting all of the picture that I'll be paying for then.

Comments????

--Charles--