Price Paid:  $1300.00 from Sears

Summary:
This is my first big screen tv,I was not very impressed with the ones I had looked at in this price range until i found this one, for the money I don't think you can beat the toshiba 50A61. When I got it home and set it up it the picture looked even better than it did in the store. I recomend looking at this tv before paying alot more money for one that in my opinion is not any better.

Strengths:
very user friendly

Weaknesses:
none yet

Price Paid:  $1088.00 from Sears

Summary:
Read several reviews and comments before I purchased my Toshiba 50A61. I was not really interested in an HDTV because of the lact of technology in my rural area and the fact that the prices will be reasonable the next time I purchase a t.v. I also like to watch sports and an analog t.v is the best choice for that as of now. That said, I was simply blown away by the quality of picture on my 50" analog t.v. WOW was the words out of my mouth. I previously owned a 46" sylnvania and the picture was quite antiquated compared to this new dazzler.I was amazed at the price I got as well. Sears had the set for $1399 but matched an online competitor. I got the 50A61 for $1088! I feel pretty darn good about my decision and I know after several hours of reviewing t.v. after t.v I made the right choice.

Strengths:
Great pic! Fried thought it was an HDTV set!

Weaknesses:
Only one. I wish the remote was more Universal. (i.e. Dish Network...etc...)

Price Paid:  $1810.00 from Future Shop, NFLD

Summary:
Wow!!! I was in the market to upgrade my 27inch JVC tv, and was considering an HDTV model, However the cheapest 50inch quality model was over 3000.00. Still I looked...Mostly I watch Movies(75%) tv the rest...So When I came upon this model and tested it out all I could say was wow! Almost as good as HDTV, better than some. The 50a61 has everything you need right now. Great Tv picture, and DvD look stunning, If you got the money now by this tv, save the 1200.00 and buy yourself a good subwoofer or somthing. You won't need that HDTV for another 5-6years and by that time the prices will be more reasonable. All I can say is that this tv beats all other big screen tv's hands down. Buy it! $1810.00 canadien.

Strengths:
Great tuner,( for cable picture ) all the hook ups on back( component, svideo, two cable...) You can't ask for a better bigger Big screen tv( that's not HDTV ). This is simply the best tv ever.

Weaknesses:
It's not HDTV compatible, But It's still has stunning picture.

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Jvc, other toshiba... Toshiba rules though.

Price Paid:  $1259.00 from Sears

Summary:
My first consideration for new TV was a 36" Flat Screen. After checking prices I decided I could''nt justify the price increase for a 10" larger screen. Projecton TV''s were a better value even though picture quality seemed to suffer. This TV changed my mind. The picture quality was great out of the box, after a few adjustments to the additional menus the picture rivaled the flat screens I had considered. The factory setting for contrast is to bright. DVD playback is exceptional with the component cables. The surround sound and sub bass system provides better than average sound. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the market for a inexpensive projection TV. I haven''t found any dislikes. It seems to have everything covered.

Strengths:
Great Picture. Manual well wrtten. Remote easy to use.

Weaknesses:
Does not have Digital Optical connecton for audio. (Minor)

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
The Toshiba 50A61 is my first rear projection TV, and I am very glad that I bought it. I was torn between getting an HDTV or an analog set, but I felt the analog was the best value for my viewing habits - watching regular cable and the occasional DVD and VCR tape.
The DVD picture quality is excellent when using the componet cables. I have played both widescreen and fullscreen DVD's, and both are just amazing.
Regular cable and VHS tapes are good, but you do notice more interference that when using a 27" TV. I don't know if digital cable or DirectTV/Dish would improve the picture that much.
The best setting I have found for the picture is the Movie setting. Contrast, tint, etc. are all set at 50%. It ships with contrast at 100%, which makes the picture too grainy. You should also use the convergence menu, which lets the user adjust the red and blue colors at 9 points around the screen.
The remote is very easy to use, and it is easy to change between the video inputs. The inputs can be labeled, so that "ColorStream" can be called "DVD". Each channel can get a 4 character label, but there is a limit of about 20 channels that can do this.
So far, I have really enjoyed my TV and would recommend it to anyone looking for an inexpensive analog projection TV.

Strengths:
Great picture. Easy to set up. Very good remote. Good value.

Weaknesses:
Default picture settings (especially contrast) need to be changed to get best picture.