Anyone with a widescreen projection TV

[J_K_M_A_N]

I am looking at buying a widescreen projection TV. I am wondering if anyone here has one and could tell me what the picture looks like for regular 4:3 signal. The manual of the one I am looking to get (Mitsubishi) says it will stretch the image because they don't recommend you watch it with the black bars on the sides because it will damage the TV. Does anyone have one like this that could tell me what it looks like stretched? If the wife doesn't like it, nobody gets to like it. I know this isn't the best one but it is in my price range. Any other ideas in this price range would be welcomed. Thanks.

J_K_M_A_N

[GGKoul]

Depending on how big of a tv you get.. the stretching doesnt look that bad...  and you get use to it over time.

[TheTick]

I have a 42" widescreen toshiba. Non-digital channels are stretched, but you barely notice it. I've had mine for a year, and it looks normal.

Once you upgrade to a digitial OTA receiver, non-HD broadcasts are shown as 4:3. There's no way to stretch them back to fill the screen.... now thats annoying. I suppose you can zoom-in, but them you're cutting off the top and bottom.

[drunkatuw]

A little over a year ago I purchased a widescreen projection TV.  One nice thing about the Mitsubishi TVs is that if you leave them in 4:3 mode, the picture will slowly drift from side to side so you don't get burn-in.  It's not distracting though, it probably take 30 min to go fro one side to the other.

But I chose to go with a Toshiba TV instead.  The TV was quite a bit cheaper and it did not lock in the aspect ratio.  So as TheTick stated that HD channels which are broadcast in 4:3, you can still stretch the image (I don't believe you can do this with a mitsubishi).  I also read on avsforum.com and hometheaterforums.com that the Toshiba "Theater Wide 1" stretch mode is better than mitsubishi's.

Another thing to consider is the weight of these beasts.  The mitsubishi has 6 guns in it compared to Toshiba's 3.  This means it weights a ton!  The Mitsubishi is over 300 lbs.  The Toshiba I believe is 185lbs.

Overall, I doubt you'll notice the difference between the original broadcast and the smart stretching techniques these TVs use.  They only stretch the sides leaving the center (where most of the action is) of the picture untouched.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Thanks for the replys. I am not too worried about weight. The Mit. weighs 175 but the NEC 27" monitor I have now weighs 121. So with the weight of the entertainment center, it isn't a big deal. I am more concerned with the stretch and damage to the unit. I did not read that the Mit. shifts the picture from side to side. If it were slow enough I don't think it would matter much to me. I am going to look at some more tonight I think so hopefully I will have something soon. Thanks again. Any more comments or ideas are more than welcome.

J_K_M_A_N

[D_Zoot]

Went through that myself a few years ago when I bought my HDTV.  

It's true, you generally want to avoid lots of veiwing in 4:3 mode.  Most current HDTV's have features that reduce the chance of burn in these modes (such as scrolling),  but lot's of 4:3 veiwing still promotes uneven phosphor wear.

Stretch/Wide mode features have gotten so much better so much better since my set was production, but at the time my Sony had the best stretch mode out there.   That's all I use for 4:3 veiwing.    As far as I know, Sony still has killer stretch features.

One thing that Sony did that the others were not doing at the time was stretch more toward the edges of the image and less in the middle.  Since focal points of images tend to be around the middle of the screen, less stretch there prevented minimized things like faces looking wide and short.   On my set,  you don't even really notice the stretch with most program material.

Whatever your choice is in a widescreen,  you might want to do a little research here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

Here:

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/index.php

And:

http://www.audioreview.com/

Just to see what people are saying about the sets you are interested in.


D

[D_Zoot]

Once you upgrade to a digitial OTA receiver, non-HD broadcasts are shown as 4:3. There's no way to stretch them back to fill the screen

That may not be entirely true.   The probable reason you can't stretch is because your STB (set top box) is upconverting the non-hd broadcasts into 1080i and frequently the STB adds the black bars on the side in this mode, to make the image widescreen.  Your set doesn't allow stretch features when locked in 1080i mode.  

There's another drawback to upconverting broadcast analog to 1080i, it usually results in a rather poor picture.  Much in the same sense that cd's of old recordings revealed tape hiss from the original masters, upconverting broadcast analog to 1080i shows just how bad the signal is.   Watching it in 480i (native resolution) or letting your set convert to 480p (nice) helps to soften the picture and hides the generally low quality of broadcast 480i.

There is usually ways around this.  Possibly various settings in your STB (it varies from box to box).    What I did was run 2 video feeds from my STB.  The first one, an HDTV component feed, to video input 1.  I switch my set to this input for HDTV content.  The second feed is S-Video to input 2.  I use this input when watching regular programming and it allows me to use stretch, 480p and various other features of the set.  I actually find this allows for a more pleasing picture with regular broadcast analog.

My 2 cents...  

D
   

[tep0583]

I have a Mitsubisi 55" and I watch everything in strech mode. Regular TV looks just fine IMO.  Novies in HD look AWESOME. I'd suggest going down to your local Best Buy to fiddle around with them. Usually the guys there are more than happy to help you play around with them. You should be able to get an idea of wether you like the strech modes or not fairly quickly.

To tell you the truth, going back to 4:3 looks kinda strange to me now, so I keep it on streach all of the time.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Thank you guys very much for the info. I went to Ultimate Electronics tonight and the guy there wasn't very helpful. They have all tvs hooked up to a signal that comes from the back of the warehouse (so he says). He said the one signal was a DVD of the full screen version of finding nemo but ALL of the wide screens were filled with the picture. So I don't know if they set up all of them to stretch or if he was full of crap. I feel much better about buying one from your posts though. I could also do the svid and component connections for the cable box if I have to. I don't know how much HD I would be watching at first but I definatly(sp) want it available. I may just go pick one up tomorrow. I believe they have a 30 day return on them so it wouldn't be the end of the world. Thanks again. I will keep you posted.

J_K_M_A_N

[TOK]

Mitsubishi and Toshiba both have cool stretch modes for 4:3 material. They call them different things (Toshiba calls it Theaterwide), but what they do is leave the center 1/3 of the frame intact and stretch the edges.

My 65" Toshiba is a couple years old now, but at the time Sony, Hitachi and Samsung didn't have this feature. Stretched 4:3 material gave that very distracting "short and fat" look. I went with the Toshiba over the Mits because they had it in stock. Both are very nice sets.

Also, you might already know this, but 2:35 to 1 aspect ratio movies (most newer theatrical movies) will still cause you to have small black bars at the top and bottom of a widescreen TV.
The meanings of digital vs. HDTV and understanding aspect ratio's are probably the two biggest sources of confusion for new wide screen TV owners. Satellite and cable companies seem intentionally vague on the fact that an image can be digital but still not be high definition.

Edit: I just realized my comments on the Sony stretch modes are the opposite of Zoots... The Sony's I looked at gave everyone football heads. First brand I eliminated from contention. Maybe the newer ones are better.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Well, I went and bought a TV. I got the Panasonic 50" LCD Projection TV/Progressive Scan HDTV Monitor/PC Monitor. It looks VERY nice and I got Sears to match Circuit Cities price and I got the stand for $100 off. I pick it up Friday. Thanks to everyone for your help and comments and links. I will post pics on Friday when it is done being set up.

J_K_M_A_N

[crashwg]

I think I'll wait till LCDs get up to the 50" range for a decent price before I get a HI Def TV.  I can't stand watching 4:3 stretched nor the reverse.

My best friend always sets his DVD player to stretch widescreen movies vertically to fit his 4:3 tv and I can't even watch it.  Seriously, I'll leave his house and borrow the DVD at a later time.

[fredster]

Mine has a bunch of stretch settings.  The one that works the best is Cinerama.  I don't know how the did it, but it seems to zoom in and look good.

Some of the older widescreens streched the heads so it looked funny, but these new one's don't.

Mine's an RCA 52"

[J_K_M_A_N]

The one I bought and am picking up Friday has like 3 or 4 stretch modes. The 1 looks VERY good I think. I can't handle too much stretch either. The way your friend stretches widescreen DVD's would make me nuts. There is NO WAY I could watch a movie like that. I guess I will see Friday if some stretch too much or not.

J_K_M_A_N

[TheTick]

Once you upgrade to a digitial OTA receiver, non-HD broadcasts are shown as 4:3. There's no way to stretch them back to fill the screen

There is usually ways around this.  Possibly various settings in your STB (it varies from box to box).    What I did was run 2 video feeds from my STB.  The first one, an HDTV component feed, to video input 1.  I switch my set to this input for HDTV content.  The second feed is S-Video to input 2.  I use this input when watching regular programming and it allows me to use stretch, 480p and various other features of the set.  I actually find this allows for a more pleasing picture with regular broadcast analog.    

I was gonna route it thru my ReplayTV anyhow, sounds like that we'll fix two problems. The black (sometimes grey bars).... and those stupid-ass comercials. If I see that stupid BestBuy comercial one more time, I'm gonna start shooting people!!!

[J_K_M_A_N]

I got it! It is one of the best things I have EVER bought. I LOVE it! The picture below does NOT begin to show how nice and clean the picture is. I have the HDTV signals but the go in and out so I have to have the cable company come out and fix it but it doesn't happen too often. At first I forgot to change the cable box to 16x9 ratio and I was kinda worried about the bars on HD signal. Then once I pulled head out of my butt it looked GREAT! I am glad I bought the LCD version and not the regular CRT version. I think it is much nicer. Just thought I would share with everyone. Thanks again for all of the info and links.

J_K_M_A_N

P.S.
    The computer is in a VERY temporary location.

[crashwg]

Is that actually a projection screen?  It doesn't look deep enough, although it's probably just the camera angle.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Yes it is. It is only 15-1/2" deep. Gotta like the LCD technology. It only weighs 82.9 lbs. It doesn't have the 3 guns like the CRT projectors so it is lighter and smaller. I LOVE IT!

J_K_M_A_N

[Goz]

Yes it is. It is only 15-1/2" deep. Gotta like the LCD technology. It only weighs 82.9 lbs. It doesn't have the 3 guns like the CRT projectors so it is lighter and smaller. I LOVE IT!

J_K_M_A_N

I have the same TV.

I love it. It is an example of the newer DLP projection TV's.

I can snap you some pictures with various feeds if needed.

-Goz

[GGKoul]

Wow... that looks nice!  I was thinking about getting a Hitachi 65" CRT Projection TV, as they are starting too clear them out at low prices.  But based on what I'm reading here, I think I'm going to wait until the LCD models come down in price.

Besides, I have to finsh the basement before I get a "Big Screen"  And that's probably going to take a few year at the pace I'm going....  So the LCD's will be cheap by then.. I hope!  

-GGKoul

[J_K_M_A_N]

Wow... that looks nice!  I was thinking about getting a Hitachi 65" CRT Projection TV, as they are starting too clear them out at low prices.  But based on what I'm reading here, I think I'm going to wait until the LCD models come down in price.

Besides, I have to finsh the basement before I get a "Big Screen"  And that's probably going to take a few year at the pace I'm going....  So the LCD's will be cheap by then.. I hope!  

-GGKoul

I am really glad I spent the extra money to get the LCD instead of the CRT. I think the difference is huge. I could watch HDTV all day. It doesn't matter what is on. It all looks good in HD. I can't wait for the hockey season to start. ESPN usually has 2-5 games a week on HD. That will be very cool.

J_K_M_A_N