New TV

[ChrisC]

Hey guys,
Im not sure if anyone ever gets down here to read but here goes. I am finally looking for a 42" set, for around $2k. Probably around 65% TV, 30% movies, and with 5% gaming thrown in. I will be seated about 8 feet or so away, and during the day I have a good amount of light in the room.
I really dont have any insight on the new plasma's, lcd's or dlp's, so I was looking for a little help and any suggestions you might have.

Thanks

[tamuct]

I did quite a bit of research on this subject before buying my Sony KDS-R50XBR1.

From my research I found that of the 5 major technologies using in displays that they all have certain advantages and disadvantages. I'll try and break them down for you.

1) Plasma
Pros: thin form factor
Cons: Burn-in - I wouldn't recommend playing games or watching news channels with a ticker on a plasma display. Plasma half-life - after time the display will not be as bright as it was when brand new. That being said, I believe that the half-life is about 10 years of normal viewing.

2) DLP
Pros: No burn-in, medium form factor
Cons: Replacement lamps - DLP and LCP projection is basically a projector in a box, so the bulb must be replaced after ~8000 hours. Each lamp can cost between $200-$500. "rainbow effect" - DLP uses a microchip with millions of little mirrors to reflect light through a spinning color wheel. Some people claim that they can see the transistions in the color wheel producing a rainbow-like effect. (I personally can't see it).

3) LCD Projection
Pros: No burn-in, medium form-factor.
Cons: Replacement lamps - just like DLP projection, the lamp must be replaced periodically. "Screen-door effect" - LCD projection uses thin colored LCD panels that light is shined through. The gaps between pixels are visible on older sets or under magnification. (I bought my Sony because of the SXRD technology that spaces the pixels closer together. I can only see the pixel gaps under magnification)

4) LCD
Pros: No burn-in, small form factor
Cons: large sizes are not readily available or are very expensive.

5) CRT
Pros: best picture, large form-factor
Cons: HEAVY! Not available in large sizes.


I hope this helps you in your decision!

[shane55]

Actually, most good plasma sets have a 60k hour half/life. This is 20 years at 8 hours/day... every day!

As for burn-in, plasma manufacturers have decreased the potential for this dramatically. My old Pioneer plasma was prone to Image Retention and burn-in. My new Panasonic has shown absolute NO sign of either... that said, you can burn in a CRT if careless, so yes, Plasma wil have burn in, but you almost have to try... and yes, serious gamers are the only ones I've ever heard about who have experienced this issue on a good panel.

Go to the AVSForum for comprehensive comparisons of the options you present.
Don't be shy about asking questions there. Most members are very helpful... but be careful of those who trash one technology or the other. There are many who will be jingoistic about what they have purchased and are 'Brandies'.

Good luck

shane

[tamuct]

shane55, I believe you are correct on the plasma half-life issue. When I wrote up my previous comment I was going from memory, and was probably a bit off on some of my figures. Also, I believe that plasma technologies have improved since the first plasma sets were released.

And you certainly can burn in a CRT - just go to the bank and check out some of the ATM CRT displays....ewwww.... I would be cautious about the opinions of those who trash one technology over the other. Each technology has some advantages and disadvantages and just like with audio, it's a personal choice.

Good luck with your new TV purchase ChrisC!

[jermy4]

I just bought a new LCD HDTV for my bedroom last month. I'm a big fan of Sony's TVs but I fell in love with the picture quality/price/features of a Westinghouse TV at BB. It seems that LCD TV prices are on the decline and the gap between the major players and the new entries seems to be getting smaller.

AVS is a good place to do more research but I will say that with 2K you should be able to find a nice set in the size you want. Good luck!

[Quinn]

I've just started researching a big screen and AVS video section is horrible in my opinion. It might as well be on a Chevy v. Ford truck thread. I was coming here for help.

From what I'm reading the new generation of DLPs have 5 color wheels instead of 3 which supposedly eliminates the rainbow effect.

I'm looking for the family room. It wil be used for general tv watching, sports for me, and movies.

It is an L-shaped room and you can't sit off-axis as the seating area is only 10 feet wide. Seating is about 12 feet back.

I can control light some but not eliminate it.

I want SD picture to look good as well as HD.

I have the space for a RPCRT.

Confused if 1080p is worth it. Can I really see the difference? Is there going to be any 1080p media availible?

I'm not a gamer and I'm the only guy under the roof so I don't see gaming in the future.

I am concerned about burn in as the the kids channels have their logos on all the time.

I want 50" minimum preferably 65". Budget hopefully under $2500 but preferably under $2K.

HELP!

[tamuct]

I have also heard that DLPs are using faster spinning color wheels, or more color wheel segments to reduce the "rainbow effect." As I said before, I've never been able to see it.

AFAIK, most HDTVs have a "native" resolution of the image and use image processing to scale whatever image to that native resolution. For my Sony, the native resolution of the LCD panels inside is 1920x1080. The source video is upconverted to view at that resolution. This means that STV gets quite a bit of upconversion and can look a bit grainy at times, but DVDs at 480p look fantastic.

For a long time projection TVs had awful off-axis viewing angles and were surpassed by CRT and Plasma displays in this area. While Plasma still takes the lead with almost a full 180 degree viewing angle, I was impressed by the improvements in projection TV viewing angles in the current model runs.

While more TVs are producing the image in a 1080p display (as is mine), the broadcast HDTV signals will never support it. It would require another round of FCC meddling to allocate the additional bandwidth necessary to carry 1080p. (side note: 720p and 1080i use the same bandwidth). Some TVs that do display 1080p don't have input circuitry to handle this format either. It sounds a bit strange, but it's true. My TV displays 1080p, but only takes up to 1080i in ANY of the inputs including HDMI. The only 1080p media available will be on HD-DVD/Blu-ray.

You might be able to pick up a RPCRT in that size for under $2500 as it seems that manufacturers aren't making many of these TVs any more. I've seen mostly LCD, DLP and Plasmas on the market in the past year. I think Mitsubishi still makes RPCRT, but I haven't actively looked for this type of TV.

Good luck!

[bikeman]

I've just started researching a big screen and AVS video section is horrible in my opinion. It might as well be on a Chevy v. Ford truck thread. I was coming here for help.

If you run accross any place with good info, please pass it along. I'm limited to 40" width but some 42" screens ar only 39" wide so that's what I'm looking at. I'm looking for bang for the buck, not state of the art. Pretty much the same path that led me here for audio.

David

[Eddie Horton]

David, from what I've been able to read as well as seeing one personally in a display at BB (probably not calibrated ideally, but..), the Westy 42" is a great bang for the buck display. Check it out.

[bikeman]

David, from what I've been able to read as well as seeing one personally in a display at BB (probably not calibrated ideally, but..), the Westy 42" is a great bang for the buck display. Check it out.

Too wide. But we're gettin close.

David