HDTV purchase

[CogoSWSDS]

I am attempting to twist my wife's arm into getting an HDTV, mainly because it's 16x9 instead of 4x3 (getting tired of watching widescreen DVDs where the picture is about 1/2 the height of the screen on a 4x3 SDTV). We currently have a 10-yr-old Magnavox SDTV that we're going to put in another room.

Currently we've got Mediacom Digital Cable (thru a cable box). I'm looking at a 32" Polaroid (Model # TLX-03210B) as this size should fit in our entertainment center without losing any picture height so 4x3 will still look OK.

My question is, is this model of HDTV any good or should I look for something a bit more expensive?

CogoSWSDS

[edDV]

Google the model number and read the reviews.

[jman98]

I have a few general tips on HDTVs, whatever you buy. For best, insure that ALL and I mean all of your video connections are high quality. This includes cable TV.
High quality video connections include:
component
DVI
HDMI

High quality video connections do NOT include:
S-video
composite
old style coax like used in the USA for cable TV

Note that displaying everything in 16:9, even if the original aspect ratio is 4:3, will often have disappointing results. Stretching 4:3 video like cable TV to 16:9 just magnifies the flaws in the source. For best results, watch 4:3 video in 4:3 on the TV, which will put black bars on the sides. Note too that few widescreen DVDs have aspect ratios of 16:9. The aspect ratio of widescreen movies is usually something like 2.35:1, so you will still see black bars across the top and bottom on a 16:9 display for most widescreen movies. Only those movies and TV shows shot in 16:9 will completely fill the screen.

Finally, note that how close you sit to the TV will also affect your viewing experience. The closer you sit, the more flaws you'll see in everything. 32" is not crazy big (I have a 40" TV and it's fine from 9 feet away), so you'll probably be OK.