Big screen t.v. ?

[dogo]

I have been thinking of getting a new TV . And was wondering where and what would be the best buy for HD, I heard of Plasma and what is this mirror thing this little girl is speaking of. What size would be the best for the price. I have a 37" Hitachi had it for several years and it still shows fine, but its not a HD or flat screen. Your advice would be appreciated .

[arabian knight]

I have been "looking" now for almost a year. And I would go with LCD,~!
Not plasma as that bright bulb in about 5 years time burns out and is VERY expensive to replace.
And with DLP that is OLD old technology, and would stay away from that also as you have a small viewing space. and Also that is with ANY Rear Projection HD sets you have to be pretty much Directly in Front of and at the correct level and angle to see it clearly.
Where LCD like all flat screen computer monitors are now you have a Wide Range of angles and you can still see the screen nice and clear. And For sure you want to Get the Wide Screen HD sets. As that is the standard for all DVDs and the upcoming Digital and HD def coming from TV shows.
Now I have a 32 inch standard TV to Keep the Same Height in picture I would have to go to a 40 to 42 in Widescreen HD Set.
You said you have a 37 inch standard set so to keep you at the same height in picture I am guessing here but about 50 inch in Wide Screen Format should be close to what you are viewing now in picture ht.
So for you 50 and above would be cool.

[krondor2]

Here is a comparison of the two
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/p...ma-vs-lcd.html

[arabian knight]

That was a very good comparison, and they did say LCD was getting closer to Plasma in the last few years AND with that Statement did you notice the Copyright date at the Bottom? Copyright © 2004 ..
So NOW 3 years later and nearly coming to 4 years later I would think that LCD has not only Caught up to Plasma in many of the things that was talked about but may even Have Pulled Ahead~!

[suzyhomemaker09]

We have a 50" DLP made by Samsung..we are very happy with it..got an open box deal at Best Buy...the sound had a problem but as it was bought *as new* they came right out and set us up with a new set.

something like this..not sure about our exact model


http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/D...T5055WXXAA.asp

[CGUARDSMAN]

The only thing that LCD cannot do as well is action they just do not refresh as fast as plasma. The above points with the longevity of plasma though are very valid. We have also been looking and for the money i like the 46" Vizio. I know several people that have them and love them.

[wewantout]

look at the samsung line of rear projection DLP sets. I have had Plasma and LCD but am now going to order a Samsung when we get home. Their power supplies are solid as well as the optics over other sets we have studied,

good luck

[SteveD(TX)]

Originally Posted by wewantout

look at the samsung line of rear projection DLP sets. I have had Plasma and LCD but am now going to order a Samsung when we get home. Their power supplies are solid as well as the optics over other sets we have studied,

good luck

We also have the Samsung 50" DLP. You can see it easily from any angle, and this is the first thing I've heard about "old technology". Picture quality wise for HD viewing, I'd put it up against any LCD or plasma on the market.

[arabian knight]

DLP is great for going to a theater and watching movies at a DLP Theater and we have one of those in my area that has all 12 screens now showing movies in DLP.
But have you looked up just how old DLP technology is? Is was started many many years ago with H-P and they used it in their Printers, that is how old it is.

Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a technology used in projectors and video projectors. It was originally developed at Texas Instruments, in 1987 by Dr. Larry Hornbeck.

Advantages of DLP
The main advantage of DLP is that is can provide excellent picture quality.
The images are sharp and are not blurred or faded.
Bright images allow clear viewing even in a brightly lit room.
As DLP is semiconductor based, the chipsets are much lighter and compact than the conventional rear projection televisions.
Since DLP is based on a digital technology, DLP systems can provide consistent performance over their lifespan. On the other hand, analog sets tend to dim over a certain period of time.
Excellent contrast and color depth.

Disadvantages of DLP
DLP lamps have a short lifespan and must be replaced every 1,000 to 6,000 hours.
DLP sets have an inability to reproduce "true black" levels.
DLP sets are much more expensive than CRT based rear projection televisions.
Some people observe a "rainbow effect" in single chip DLP designs.
DLP has achieved a ten percent market share in the rear projection television market and over two million DLP systems have been sold.
http://www.tech-faq.com/dlp.shtml
Although better the older rear projection sets you still have a smaller area to view the clearest picture, like sitting directly in front Viewing from the side at much of an angle will decrease the picture.
I had thought of going with DLP till I Viewed one at a store and then started to moved to the side etc. to side how much of a picture loss there was, and there is some for sure not as much as some rear projection HD Sets but unless you view in one room sitting pretty much in front of the set , rear projection is at least not for me.

[SteveD(TX)]

LCD technology is MUCH older than DLP; practically ancient by technology standards . We have a large DLP (18 months old), plus a small LCD (less than a year old). Both are HD. Comparing the two, our DLP gives a better and brighter picture.

[Windy in Kansas]

I dread making a decision on a new set. The cost of plasma pretty well excludes me from having one.

LCD I'm told lasts about 8 to 10 years if you watch 3 hours per day only. Fewer years if the set is on more. Bummer to have to replace so often.

Also what size of set must I get to replace my current 27 inch set with full screen viewing. I can't imagine the size required to give the same viewing area.

Sigh! Dang digital signals anyway. Hate to buy a converter when that money should be applied to a new set.

[Honorine]

We just bought the Vizio 42 inch LCD a few days ago, pretty pleased with it but to get the best image for TV you do have to get the extra HD cable upgrade. We did a lot of research, and spoke to people who set up home theaters for a living, the Vizio was the largest we could get from the money. Decided against plasma, although Circuit City had the 42 inch Vizio plasma for $900. There are only about 6 manufacturers who make the LCD screens, so most companies are using the same componets, for instance Philips and LG use the same LCD screens from the same maker. Vizio is an up and coming company, who assembles their tvs in the states, most are over seas. What I personally thought from sitting and watching 'the wall' at CC was this, Sony was first, then LG, then Samsung, Sharp and Toshiba running behind everyone esle. They didn't have a big Vizio LCD set up at that point. They did have this awesome DLP Samsung tv that they said also had some sort of LCD technology in it, it was incredible. So far we're pretty happy with it, movies look great, will look better when we get a better dvd player, and the tv picture is 'eh', it clearly states on the box that to get a HD quality picture you need an HD cable signal, I believe it. One thing we did learn was that the difference between 720p 1080i and 1080p isn't that big of a deal, I forgot exactly how it was explained to us, but the first two are interchangable somehow, and the third doesn't make as much difference for the average viewer as one might think. Its all really confusing, and I'm tired, sorry can't expain better right now.

[6e]

We have a 46" RCA rear projection that we've had for 4 years now and we love it and have never had a problem with it. The picture is fine and the HD channels come through beautifully.
No complaints.

[Jolly]

My son sold big screen TVs for a national retail chain.

Trust me, you don't want plasma.

[mike3367]

working for a tv repair shop i see all the brands out there. for rear projection tv's id go mitizubishi tv's. stay away from any dlp period the lamps last a year if your lucky and i now as in are little shop i order 20 or so a week. lcd is the way to go, but what we tell anyone is pick the one you think has the picture you like then buy it ,then add as much extended warranty as possible. it wont matter what brand you buy if you dont buy the extra warranty your asking for trouble if it breaks down after the one year warranty they give

[wewantout]

I ran the lighting division for a staging company whos mainstay was corporate video. When I say corporate I mean production not board room, but they had many small projectors most of them Barco or Christie. There are some comapnies now that are even using Panasonic, Sony and BenQ all DLP and are getting plenty of life out of the lamp. The lamp on our Mitsubishi has a 6K-10K hour rating. That is alot of television watching folks. The replacement cost of the lamp is only $150, the DLP chipsets themselves will last for along time.
Projectors, Plasmas and LCD's in our industry get loaded in roadcases but loaded in and out of trucks all over the country and we do not see many lamp issues other than browning or an occasional blown lamp ( which you do not want to let happen) due to going way over lamp hours.
Buy the extended warranty, but realize that if you want the latest and greatest there is going to be a price tag beyond that of the purchase price. If your lamp is only lasting 1k hours, make sure you have proper venting room around the set or contact the manufacturer and make sure there was not a bad run of lamps. As a lighting designer we have had that happen in our moving lights before. A whole bad run of MSR5f5 from phillips ( the only make of the lamp) something like 12K of them.

I would honestly wait until the end of the year, there are a couple a/v companies that we do freelance work for that have been talking about something that will blow hd away coming out before the end of the year. Units they have seen, which means they are in production. Shortly after their release DLP prices will go down.

[arabian knight]

Then this in my post pretty much is true then?

DLP lamps have a short lifespan and must be replaced every 1,000 to 6,000 hours.

And yes I have switched from thinking that DLP would be cool but then after reading about them and seeing just how narrow a viewing area is like the rear projection I have now switched my thinking to LCD
and Now that I HAVE a Computer LCD Monitor 20.1 Widescreen I LOVE IT~!
I can even take the High Def Dish Network Receiver and plug it Directly into the LCD Monitor as it Does have the DVI Input and the HD Receiver has the DIV Output
And as far as that goes so does my computer have the DVI Output. So I can go ALL the way to 1680 X 1050 pixels and have pretty much Hi Def on my computers monitor.
And I can then watch TV on my computers monitor without going through the computer itself YEAH...

[wewantout]

Spliting hairs maybe, look at the rated lamp hours. It just depends on your needs. I have a buddie that is doing the same thing with his computer monitor.

Good luck in your purchase.

[Pink_Carnation]

I would tend toward what you like when you look at them...there are drawbacks to each kind. Find out which ones bother you, do you see the rainbow effect of DLP, or the screen door effect of LCD?

The other consideration is what happens when something wears out...plasma=new TV or DLP=new bulb.

[Alex]

We have two LCDs TVs in the city, 37" and 32", they are fine.

Have you ever heard the one, KILL YOUR TV?

We don't have one at the homestead, cabin. We're so good . . . except . . . we have a DLP projector and hook it to computer and DVD player for movies, and project it on our screen, which is,

84".

So much for no TV.

But I love NOT having one, life is better on the homestead.

What the heck, get a GAINT LCD, and get it out of your system.

Alex