Digital Trends

RCA Scenium HD61THW263 April 7th, 2005 | by Dennis Barker

Conclusion

To sum up, the RCA Scenium HD61THW263 is an excellent integrated HDTV display device that can compete with the best of flat panels.  At a suggested retail price of $7,999, it's not cheap, but it offers several compelling features including integrated HDTV tuning, and it can be hung on the wall just like a Plasma TV.  It's also a lot less expensive than a similarly-sized Plasma TV.  It's housed in an attractive light gray/silver cabinet that can easily sit onto a base with storage, or can also be placed into a wall unit.  Versatility is the key here.  It also has all of the right connections presently needed for any upscale home theater and then some.  Since it includes 2-way 1394, the set can easily be tethered to an HD-level DVHS VCR or HD DVRs for the recording of pristine HD images.  The HD61THW263 (or either of its siblings) is strongly recommended for repeated viewings.

Pros:

-          A very versatile television

-          Relatively accurate picture presets

-          Very dark black levels

-          Street price is considerably lower than MSRP

-          Plenty of features to justify its price

Cons:

-          Color balance is slightly off

-          Proprietary technology could mean its expensive to fix

-          Small buttons on the remote control