Price Paid:  $250.00 from ABC Warehouse

Summary:
I had a RCA 27'made in 1994. It died after being in the shop twice. There not what they used to be. I replaced it with the JVC AV27230. Big improvement over the old tv. 600 lines of resolution, where other 27' have 500. 3-line digital comb filter, others have 2-line. The picture is as good, if not better than my Sony Wega, but alot less money.

Strengths:
Great picture, easy to use remote control, and great price. One year parts and labor warranty.

Weaknesses:
The only weakness I can see, or hear I should say is the speakers. They sound cheap. But I'm not complaining for the price.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Video Only

Summary:
Love this TV - great picture on a small budget.

Strengths:
Profiles can be set to automatically change brightness/contrast/colors with one button - very handy for playing dark games or movies.

Weaknesses:
Won't do auto closed-caption when put on mute.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Video Only

Summary:
This set replaces a 10 year old Toshiba 20" that was beginning to fade to black. I seriously considered going with a flat screen, but couldn't spend an extra $200-250 on a non-HDTV when HDTV is just around the corner. This is an upgrade in any case for me and I'll probably get a HDTV in 3-5 years.

When shopping, the Panasonic CT27D11 appeared to have the sharpest picture and a slightly flatter screen than the JVC. However, the blacks were very saturated...in fact, probably a little too saturated as you lost detail on dark scenes, which is the main reason I went with the JVC.

Of the flat screens, the Panasonic CT27SX11 had far and away the best picture...very 3D. But it was an extra $230.

All things considered, the JVC was a good choice for me. This is the same set as the 27D200/27D300 with the exception of the enhanced sound. Since I have it hooked up to a HT, I wasn't too concerned with the TV's sound. The screen isn't as flat as some of the competition and horizontal lines are slightly curved at the bottom edges. After having it at home, my only real complaint is that it emits a very faint buzz when it's on. It is just audible from about 10' and it isn't a big deal except on very quiet scenes.

Strengths:
Picture, 3 line digital filter, inputs, price, warranty

Weaknesses:
Screen not very flat, emits slight buzz

Similar Products Used:
Panasonic CT27D11, Toshiba 27A40, Panasonic CT27SX11

Price Paid:  $310.00 from Atlas

Summary:
This TV has a nice, sharp picture with great color. It looks great with cable, and incredible with a dvd player using component inputs. A friend of mine has a Proscan of the same size, and it's obvious that the JVC is the superior TV. I did a lot of shopping around before I bought this, and I think it's picture is as good as any other TV with the same type of features. (Flat screen and HDTV's are obviously better). It was cheaper than Sony and Panasonic too.

My one complaint is that it's hard to see detail in areas that are dark on the screen. For example, if it shows a picture of someone weating a black suit it's hard to see any folds in the suit's material. You just see solid black. It it shows a dark room, it's hard to pick out objects in the room. I've tried fiddling with the display settings which made it a bit better, but it is still far from perfect.

I would have definately given it 5 stars if it didn't have the dark problem.

Strengths:
Great picture

Weaknesses:
Dark areas blend together.

Price Paid:  $369.00 from Grobengieser Appliances

Summary:
This TV is a great TV for the money. The picture is great, and the adjustments are plenty. Sound is very good, and I am planning to buy a new Amp so that we can hook it up for surround sound. It is one of the few TVs that has 1 year parts and labor warranty, rather than 90 days Labor, 1 year parts. I bought it locally, and paid a bit of a premium, so that I would not have to travel 150 miles (round trip) to one of the superstores. This is a great buy for those who, like me, want a "nice" TV, without spending a fortune. It looks and sounds great and has quite a few features that I have not yet even played with. (Too busy enjoying it)

Strengths:
Picture, sound, warranty

Weaknesses:
The manual is weak and some things like the Lockout feature are not clearly presented

Similar Products Used:
Samsung, RCA, Magnovox