1 1/2 Years Later - Still a Great TV

I purchased this TV in July 2007 @ Circuit City for about $1600.  It was an incredible deal.  At that time, I couldn't find it cheaper anywhere, and the next cheapest price was $1900. 

After I purchased it, I read that SXRD technology was the best rear projection technology out there and came the closest to rivalling flat panel picture.  I was able to see this with my own unbiased eyes.  Most rear projection TVs have relatively narrow viewing angles - the picture appears darker when viewing from anywhere but directly in front of the TV.  Not so with this SXRD TV; I can't tell a difference in brightness at all, no matter where I look.  Often, a rear projection will have a slightly lower picture quality than a comparable sized LCD flat panel or plasma TV.  I looked very hard at this TV at the store and couldn't find any discernable quality difference between this TV and flat panels.  In fact, some of the flat panels appeared to have lesser picture quality. 

Some people may think the depth of a rear projection is a negative.  This 55" is only 19" deep, which is 4" shallower than my old 27" tube TV.  Since it easily fits depthwise on any TV stand you can find, and the fact that we have a large living room, I gladly sacrificed a few inches of increased depth in exchange for the lesser price.  Flat panels were easily double the price for this size TV. 

A year and a half after I purchased it, I am still awed at how great the picture looks.  Text is so sharp I almost believe that things on the TV are sharper than how I would see them in real life!  Blu-Ray movies look awesome, as does every HD channel we can pick up.  This TV will keep my family very happy for quite a few years.