Mitsubishi WT-42311 42 in. TV

Purchased this TV. in June of 2003. I don't consider myself a video expert by any means. I first adopted a budget for this purchase. This ruled out any Plasma or LCD units, as they were to expensive. That left two choices, direct view or rear projection. I did look at the Sony and Panasonic direct view 34 inch sets and was not that impressed. That left rear projection sets. I also had a size requirement of 46 inches or smaller. I went to several retail stores and watched every rear projection that fit my space requirements. The results were not really close. The Mitsu WT-42311 was the hands down winner in the four eyes that spent hours viewing these sets. The other two eyes belonged to my ten-year old son. I would have to say the Hitachi came in second place, but the decision was an easy one to us.

One year later we are still very pleased. We haven't even gotten it set up professionally like many recommend, but it still looks great without that setup. We use Cablevision and have the HD box. Some of the HD programming looks unbelievable. I say some because not all the HD channels are as good as ESPN, Discovery, HBO or PBS. The network HD channels are not quite as clear. The sound of the WT-42311 was adequate I guess. I can't really see anybody spending this kind of money on a set and not running an external receiver and some speakers for Audio. I'm sorry I can not be very technical and talk the talk of you video buffs. However I wouldn't worry so much about the features as much as how the picture looks to you. Also you should concern yourself with repair records and maintenance of your TV. I purchased the five year contract from Mitsubishi. I still don't know if this was a good move or not. It is rather expensive and you do get a one year warranty when you buy the set. I guess it's peace of mind although, as with any products certain issues will not be covered even with the extended warranty.