I was talking to my dad last night and he is looking into getting a new TV. He wants something around 35". I suggested sticking with a CRT for that size and doing a HD widescreen and flat display. Anyone disagree with this and think something else would work better? If not, can anyone make suggestions as to which ones are good in this category (yes, we need to go look at them, just trying to get a head start).

See my comments re: Sony Grand WEGA 42" on the HDTV thread. I recommend it highly despite the bulb problem mentioned on that thread.

Toshiba has a few 34" CRT widescreen HDTVs (34HF83, 34HF84) that can be had for under $2000CDN. Also, Sony has a 34" model (KV-34HS420) that is a few hundred more.

I've seen these sets at a local big box retailer and was impressed with their PQ. I liked the sony set more but it's hard to tell which is really the best in that environment. Not sure what HD resolutions these support, but I think most CRT HDTVs are 540p/1080i.

s h a w n L.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=711309&Sku=S452-3000

The very highly rated (but not cheap) Sony KD-34XBR960.

Picture quality is most important, so how will that LCD compare to a CRT? From what I understand, CRT is still the best picture out there if you can live with the bulky size and are ok with a max screen size of 40".

The sony Jack recomended is the best out there if you can live with the bulk and weight. The widescreen crt's(30"&34") have better resolution than do the 32",36" and 40" 4:3 format tubes. That is why they are more expensive for smaller screen areas.

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Picture quality is most important, so how will that LCD compare to a CRT? From what I understand, CRT is still the best picture out there if you can live with the bulky size and are ok with a max screen size of 40".

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The TV tuner on those LCDs resolves the picture rather poorly although theoretically a LCD like the one I posted CAN look as good as the CRT. You can get a scaler and upscale the image to suit the LCD resolution at a HEFTY price.
Yeah CRT is still king for quality and pricepoint. Thats how I judge a display I get some trusty ole Sony Trinitron tube and compare whatever unit to it. In another direction I saw this RCA Scenium RPTV that had almost as good picture as the CRT but it is damn huge.

He didn't give me a price range, but from what I am expecting from him lets scale it down a little. Let say a TV for under $1000. Can this still be done with a decent picture, around 35" widescreen, flat, HD?

This 30" Samsung is available at BB for $1000. This 30" Sony is is $950.