Apex GB51HD09 51-Inch Projection HDTV

by Apex

Product Details

Product Manual [737kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 22 x 43 x 56 inches ; 155 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 191 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00006FXGR
• Item model number: GB51HD09
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #354,225 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Enjoy high-definition quality from DVDs and set-top HDTV decoders with this affordable, 51-inch rear-projection set. With its huge, standard 4:3 aspect-ratio screen, the GB51HD09 is compatible with not only standard cable and 1080i/720p HD signals, but also with a DVD player's 480i interlaced or 480p progressive-scan outputs. The GB51HD09 also offers 3:2 pulldown correction. DVD mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture on a TV.

Velocity-scan modulation improves the definition at picture edges, creating sharper images by slowing the CRT (cathode-ray tube) beam's horizontal scanning during demanding work--say, when rendering transitions from light to dark parts of an image--and speeding it up when scanning easily rendered sections, like broad dark areas. The GB51HD09's 3D Y/C comb filter further enhances resolution by removing blurred edges between colors and reducing dot crawl (tiny, moving dots of color along a sharp color separation in a vertical line, as in a depiction of a character's striped t-shirt). Dual-tuner PIP features include PIP Swap as well as the ability to show three and nine sub-box PIP images in your main viewing screen.

In the audio department, BBE sound simulates surround sound through two channels, either the set's or an external pair. If you're listening through external speakers, you can still control the volume right from the remote control when you connect the set's variable audio outputs to your amp or receiver. The set offers two component-video inputs (one for standard component-video, one for progressive-scan), three S-video inputs, two rear AV inputs, and one set of front AV inputs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Buyers Beware, November 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Apex GB51HD09 51-Inch Projection HDTV (Electronics)

I always say you get what you pay for. 2 hours on the telephone to talk to someone. I find out that 7 local repair shops recommended by APEX have a terrible time getting parts. Expect 1 month wait time for repair. Bottom line not worth the price.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 months time to buy a new one, January 13, 2004

By 

BRIAN (EL CAJON, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apex GB51HD09 51-Inch Projection HDTV (Electronics)

I received my tv on time. It had a nice picture for 2 months and the convergence went out. If you read one of the other reviews, my tv is just like Jons from Los Angeles. The colors are out of whack and distorted and you can never get ahold of Apex because the phone is busy. So I called a repair center and they are coming out here to fix it for free because I have a 1 year warranty. I recommend to stay away from this product.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good HDTV value, December 4, 2003

By 

Richard M (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apex GB51HD09 51-Inch Projection HDTV (Electronics)

Apex has delivered a good value with this TV. It is a great fit for those who are looking for a new TV but have sticker shock over current HDTV prices. I purchased mine at Ultimate Electronics for $$$ after $$$$rebate. I also got the 5 year extended service plan for $$$. So I'm guaranteed to enjoy worry-free, high quality viewing for the next 5 years for under a thousand dollars.

If you want the best performance from this or any HDTV, you should be prepared to do some experimenting with your set-up. First you'll want to set the convergence of the CRTs. Take your time here since this step is critical to getting a crisp, high resolution image. The second thing you want to do is set the brightness, contrast, color, sharpness and tint on the TV. Any DVDs that have THX sound will have a video setup utility you can use to set these parameters. Third, you'll want to experiment with your signal sources like your DVD player, set-top box, cable TV, etc. HDTVs expose many problems that you just don't see on regular TVs.

I tried several DVD players, both interlaced and progressive scan and found that some provide much higher video quality than others. I also found that higher priced units are by no means better than cheaper units. Try several players if you can. I can also recommend using the component video connections whenever possible.

I also had to do some experimentation with the cable TV wiring in my house to achieve the best possible picture. My house has cable TV wired to many rooms and consequently, there are passive cable splitters everywhere. Every cable splitter attenuates the RF TV signal, which reduces the video quality at your TV. Since I only have one TV, I took out all of the splitters and wired directly from the outside of my house to the TV. The video quality is much improved. If your TV signal is still bad after cleaning up your wiring or if you have more than one TV in your house, you can get a 10dB RCA brand RF distribution amplifier at Home Depot for $$.

The only complaint I have with this TV is with the video source selection. It doesn't remember the video signal source on power down and always reverts to the RF TV input. You must scroll through most of the video inputs to get to the component video inputs which is inconvenient.