Hello All

Thought I would seek a few opinions about a major purchase I'm contemplating.

I am seeking to buy a Toshiba 51" RPTV. I've owned this TV before and with the right signal feed, the picture quality is stunning. It just went on sale this am at a local big box store for $1399 (reg $1799).

My question is, should I take advantage of this sale now or save my shekels a few more weeks and go with the next level up? This other set offers only a few upgrades and will likely never go on sale so I would be forced to pay full price for it ($1999). I really like the all black design over the silver trim so therein lies my big issue: Do I fork out $500 more for trim and minor picture improvements?

Not when it costs $4.99 for a can of spray paint.

I wouldn't do it. After the initial coolness of the newer design has passed, you'll probably in the long run enjoy either set about the same. You'll get used to the "improved picture quality" and i'tll all be the same. 1 year into owning the TV, it'll just be a really neat TV with a good picture and you probably won't be thinking much of the other design you passed up, and you'll have saved $500. I'm a bit sedated right now so that might have rambled oddly.

I read both specs. Aside from the color of the cabinet, I don't see anything that's actually different from one set to the other. $500, on the other hand, buys a lot of beer, DVDs, etc. Seems like an easy decision to me.

Unrelated easy decision of the day: a friend of mine is considering getting into the whole digital SLR game. With B&H prices, a fully decked out Nikon D70 kit (w/ lens & 1GB card) costs $1000. The same exact setup with a D70s is $1300. The differences between the D70 and D70s are largely inconsequential, while $300 gets you a flash, another lens, or whatever.

Thanks for your input all...

One final consideration - the sale price for the lower unit is only valid until next week, after which it goes back up $400.

While I could wait for the inevitable price drop once again, I'm thinking now that I will just drop the extra cash anyways and get the set I really desire...it's really only two overtime shifts anyway