[Jeffhs]

I have a Thomson-built RCA color TV which I bought new in 1999. Works great on digital cable (through a set-top box); also makes a great picture with my VCR and DVD player. No problems at all with the set itself as far as chassis faults are concerned, although I did have some problems in the beginning with the RF port snapping off the tuner PC board. The technician resoldered the ground points all around the tuner shield after replacing the connector; no more trouble with anything else after that, and it's been about three or four years since the repair. The TV still has its original CRT as well. I see this set working well for at least a few more years at this point, even after all analog TV has been abandoned in favor of digital (at the end of next year, if we are to believe the stuff we read in the papers, on the Web, and in the news). Speaking of digital TV, I'm waiting for the larger flat-panel sets to drop below $500 before I get one. I realize I can get a Magnavox 15" LCD FP at Circuit City or Best Buy for $350 or so now, but I'd just as soon get an LCD flat-panel at least as big or bigger than my present CRT set when I finally do replace it. Until then, I'll likely be using my RCA with a set-top box; there is, IMO, no sense in chucking out a perfectly good TV with an excellent picture just because Hollywood is making so much noise about the end of analog TV in 18 months or so.