mugambo has the exact 24" JVC in his master bedroom. It is an excellent analog TV. The JVC has S-video and component video. Stay away from the AIWA. I saw some at Sam's club and they suck. The Sony doesn't have component video and is more costly. The Toshiba sets are ok, but not great. Your only real choice is Panasonic or JVC and either flat screen will do you well.

Good luck.

MUGAMBO RULES.

Stick with Toshiba or Panasonic. Sony are a good brand name and they charge you extra for that.

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions guys.
Just to update you all, I went to the store looking for either Toshiba or JVC. When I got there, there was the Sony 24" Wega on some clearance for $430. Sony, on top of that, had a special promotion for an extra 10% off. The TV ended up costing me right around $400, so I decided to go for it. I think it's a good deal , and I'm very satisfied with the purchase.
Now next step, a low end DVD player .
The must haves: MP3 playback, Silver color, and around $150. Samsung has lots of models that fit this criteria, but like Sanjay, I just can't bring myself to trust Samsung as a reliable company in the audio/video sector.
I think there are a couple of Panasonic, Toshiba, and JVC models out there that I could look into. Any suggestions?
And just another question; the TV I got is not digital, so it won't help getting a progressive scan right? I know progressive scan is better for the future, but I really don't plan on upgrading this TV for a while. So should I bother with progressive scan?
Thanks for the previous help, and thanks in advance for the upcoming one :p .

MalFUnXiON, I am glad you were able to get the Sony within your budget. Hope you enjoy it.
I would not worry about progressive scan since the TV is not capable of handling a progressive scan signal. But what I would keep in mind is 'component outputs' but that is if your TV has component inputs. Component inputs are the best way to connect a DVD player to the display in this case the TV. In case your TV does not have component inputs then I would make sure the DVD player atleast has an 'S Video' output because I am sure the TV at least has a S Video input. SVideo connections are the second best way of connecting the DVD player to your TV.
My suggestion to you is that you not limit yourself in regard to the color of the unit. After all its not the player you watch but rather the picture the player outputs. Also MP3 should only be seen as a bonus but not as a must, otherwise you might limit yourself a great degree in respect to the quality of the DVD player. I know you are on a limited budget but I suggest you keep your self open to spending upto $250 if your really want a good DVD player. Check out the Panasonic RV32K (approx $150) it plays MP3 and WMA and the Panasonic RP56 (approx $225) it plays MP3 and has 3:2 pull down and is progressive and is a very good player. Both the Panasonic players have Component and S Video outputs. Also check out Toshiba players, specifically the Toshiba SD-2800 has MP3 playback and has component and SVideo outputs (approx $130), they are generally very good and also nicely priced. Sony is also a good option but I am not too sure about the pricing.

PS: Stay away from anything Samsung. You will not regret it. Just had a customer come in today complaining about his Samsung DVD player not playing half his films with even minor scratches adn some with no scratches at all. By the way this is a regular event for people who own Samsung.



Edited By Sanjay on May 03 2002 at 22:32

Hey Sanjay, thanks for the response.
I'm not too worried about progressive scan even though it's only like a $100 more. I know about the connectivity features of DVD, so I know what I'm looking for there. My TV does not have component inputs but it does have S-video. And I would never buy a DVD player without an S-video out; in fact, I don't even know if they make those. All the players from the major brand names offer both component and S-video, so that shouldn't be a problem.
The color is important to me because everything in the room is silver. From furniture, to TV, to blinds, to wall hangings, etc. everything is silver; so a black dvd player would really stand out.
MP3 is a must because that's gonna be the primary purpose for the player. As I mentioned earlier, the set is for a small room, where primarily little kids will watch their movies. I don't even have a sound system, that's why I'm on a low budget. For my main system, I'm gonna wait a couple of years to get the direct view HDTV. This system doesn't have to be very high end, but I really need the mp3 feature.
I saw a silver Sony with mp3 playback around $150 and Toshiba and JVC were both around $140. Circuit City didn't have the Panasonic model for some reason, so I'll look somewhere else for that.