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I also have an XBR960 and I still love it. I could not afford the 50 or 60in Kuro when it was in production and questions about Panasonic's "infinite black" technology still loom. I agree with the evaluation that in terms of overall picture quality the 960 still ranks up there with the best - despite the screen size and inability to display 1080p/24; however, would a viewer really notice the difference between 1080i and 1080p on a 34inch screen? I don't know that answer to that one. I would like to hear TJN or Scott W. opine in this matter. What is a home theater enthusiast on a budget to do when there is no flatscreen in production that gets picture quality as nearest to perfection as possible - like the Kuros. LG Infinia has color accuracy but suffers with halos. Current generation Sony XBRs cannot put all the pieces together. If I recall, TJN indicated that accurate deep black [that does not obscure shadow detail] is the foundation to proper color and gives a sense of depth to image o

Dear Scott Wilkinson, Hello Scott I love the home theater geeks podcast on the twit network it's a good show. Scott I am not alone with the hole subject of 3D TV's I don't like 3D TV's 1st off it's cost too much to get one allmost $4,000 for a new 3D HDTV plus to get 3D you need along with the 3D blu-ray player , a pair of 3D glasses and IR itmitter to get the full effect of 3D. I am just not a fan of 3D in general. And with the econmy the way it is now will consumers adopt 3D HDTV fast as normal HDTV's? That's the big question. Thanks Scott and keep up the good work.

Kenny, I'm very glad you enjoy the podcast! You're certainly not alone in your dislike of 3D. As for the cost of 3D TVs, the price isn't necessarily more than premium 2D sets. For example, the Samsung 46C8000 3D TV lists for $2800, while the LG 47LE8500 2D set is $2900. In fact, more and more premium TVs will have 3D capabilities along with many other high-end features, so buyers of those sets will get 3D whether they want it or not. Also, since 3D TVs will be premium sets, they will generally do a great job on 2D content.The biggest problems for 3D adoption in the home are the expensive glasses, the need for a 3D Blu-ray player, and the lack of 3D content. Also, the 3D experience isn't nearly as compelling on a small TV as it is in a commercial cinema. Have you seen much commercial 3D? I find it to be wonderful in many cases, though my most recent experience was not without some problems, as I discuss in my latest blog on UAV.

I went to one of the big box stores last Tues. and received my first demo of the Panasonic 50in 3D set. When I put the active shutter glasses on I noticed that the picture got a litter darker. I asked the salesman and he could not explain it. Also, I wear corrective glasses and fitting the active shutter glasses over my own was a challenge and ended up being very uncomfortable. Any thoughts...I agree that the 3D experience on a 50in screen is not as spectacular as seeing it at a local movie theater. IMO, it is nowhere near the same. Have any premier projector manufacturers such as Runco, Vidikron, Wolf Cinema or JVC made any significant progress in bringing 3D projectors to the consumer market?

K, 3D glasses reduce the amount of light reaching your eyes by a lot—about 70% for active-shutter glasses, 50% for passive-polarized glasses. The reason is that these glasses, even the active-shutter type, only pass light with a certain polarization; all other light is blocked. Also, the active lenses both close down for part of the cycle, reducing the amount of light reaching your eyes even more. I agree that fitting these glasses over prescription glasses (I wear them too) is a drag; in fact, I find the Panasonic glasses to be the least comfortable of those I've tried.Other than the projectors I mention in the main text above, I've not heard much from other manufacturers about 3D projectors. JVC showed 3D at CES using its 4K projector and passive glasses, but that can hardly be considered a consumer item.

Since we are discussing CRT hdtv's I have a Hitachi 65F59 that I purchased in 2007 when they first came out. Mr Wilkinson what do you think about that television?

Jerry, I've never seen that TV, so I can't comment on it specifically. From the model number, I would guess it has a 65-inch screen, which would mean it's a rear-projection TV, not a CRT direct-view such as we've been discussing here. Hitachi RPTVs were very good in general; in fact, Tom Norton bought one way back when.

Can the 3D glasses that come with a TV from one company be used with a TV that comes from another company? I thought the technology was universal but I saw a blurb on Engadget that said a certain manufacturer could not guarantee use of 3D glasses between companies.

Anthony, in general, glasses from one manufacturer cannot be used with a 3D TV from another manufacturer, because each company uses a different IR code to sync its glasses to the display. In my book, this is inexcusable, especially since the glasses are so expensive. Someone should have standardized the IR sync signal before 3D TVs were introduced for sale. As it is, you can't take your Panasonic glasses to a friend's house to watch their Samsung 3D TV. XpanD makes universal glasses that sync to any IR signal, and Monster has announced universal glasses that sync to an RF signal from a transmitter that converts the IR signal from any 3D TV. But still, the industry should have standardized this function in the first place. It's not like a unique sync signal gives any TV a competitive advantage.

The 960 is a great set. I owned 1 and it was calibrated with geometry work by Chad Bilheimer, who is a master on these CRTs. Even with component input from my PS3, blurays and games looked phenomenal. I removed the anti-glare guard which helped even more(pre-calibration of course). Last fall I bit the bullet on the last(and best) of the Kuros, a KRP-500M with ISF patch. The blacks are as deep as the 960, but overal contrast is much improved. Whites scream out from black backrounds! The extra 16" helps with more detail too. Where I feel the 960 is superior is in it's handling of motion. The Kuro has a slight judder to it. Not to be confused with phosphor trail however. It is next to non-existent on the Kuro, but was very noticeable on the 960. Mine was only a weekend TV, so it couldnt have been from high usage, tho I understand only some people are susceptible to seeing phospor trail. In the end I had no room to keep the 960, otherwise I would have. It would have been great to double as a gaming displ