At $3699 retail, the 53SWX12B is no "budget" set, but high-end features like a 6-element lens system, 3-2 pulldown, and auto-convergence don't come in "budget" sets. In addition, this Hitachi has a built-in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital decoder and other features galore. Of course, none of these bells and whistles really matters unless the picture quality shines, and therein lies the basis for a teaser that I hope will keep you reading.