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chabibi
07-11-2005, 11:24 PM
My mom's bugging me to help her buy a new t.v., but i know jackall about technology and thats where you guys come in. She's looking to buy something around 46 inches and is perticularly interested in either an LCD or DPL (anyone know the difference?)So any help or advice regarding buying a t.v. in the price range would be appreciated.

thanks

Brainwalter
07-12-2005, 12:53 AM
DLP is projection? They don't look as good as LCD or plasma.

It would help if you say what the price range is.

david050173
07-12-2005, 01:04 AM
[ QUOTE ]
DLP is projection? They don't look as good as LCD or plasma.

It would help if you say what the price range is.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your right DLP looks a lot better. We are talking picture quality right and not how it looks when turned off? A good plasma and DLP are about the same but LCD is still has with issues with good blacks in dark rooms. In a lit room LCDs look fine unless you are super picky. One more generation will probably get LCD's (both rear projection and direct view) really close to the others.

If you really care go to avforums and read some threads. Just remember some of those guys are insanely picky and willing to pay 20K for tvs.

fluxrad
07-12-2005, 01:07 AM
Here are a couple of thoughs.

1. DLP is cheaper than LCD.
2. DLP is projection based (think LCD projector).
3. Both can suffer from burn-in, though I believe LCD is much more vulnerable to screen burn.
4. LCD is significantly more expensive but has more clarity and brightness.

You might also look at plasma if you live at low altitude (I live in Denver, so plasma is a non-starter). If money was no object, I'd buy a Sony Wega LCD. Assuming your mom doesn't have 5k to drop on a TV though, I'd spend $2k and look at a 42-44" Sony DLP.

david050173
07-12-2005, 01:21 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Here are a couple of thoughs.

1. DLP is cheaper than LCD.
2. DLP is projection based (think LCD projector).
3. Both can suffer from burn-in, though I believe LCD is much more vulnerable to screen burn.
4. LCD is significantly more expensive but has more clarity and brightness.

You might also look at plasma if you live at low altitude (I live in Denver, so plasma is a non-starter). If money was no object, I'd buy a Sony Wega LCD. Assuming your mom doesn't have 5k to drop on a TV though, I'd spend $2k and look at a 42-44" Sony DLP.

[/ QUOTE ]

LCD can be projection also. NOt clear what the OP meant by LCD. Non projection LCD is pricey in the 45inch range. Neither LCD or DLP really suffer from burn in. You can do it but it is harder than a CRT. Early plasmas burned in real easy but the current ones are pretty good. You can burn them in but you have to try (run at full brightness and leave something on the screen for days). One thing to remember with rear projection LCD or DLP is the bulbs burn out (I think it is like 2-5K hours) and are pretty pricey (300+).

I don't think sony has any DLPs but they do have some pretty decent projection LCDs (the grand wega line)

fluxrad
07-12-2005, 01:40 AM
[ QUOTE ]


I don't think sony has any DLPs but they do have some pretty decent projection LCDs (the grand wega line)


[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry. You're correct. However, when I think of LCD I tend to think of a flat panel as opposed to the shallow projection. I tend to lump LCD Projection and DLP into the same category since they cost/look about the same.

NoChance
07-12-2005, 01:52 AM
CNet (http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_TH_42PX50U/4505-6485_7-31349719.html?tag=pdtl-list) does a pretty good job at reviewing the different TVs out there. I just purchased the Panasonic TH-42PX50U in that picture. I did most of my research online and then ending up going to Circuit City to take a look at their display. Most of the Plasmas have come down in price by about 40% the past year.

Unfortunately, I don't own it yet. I am moving from MN to AZ on Aug 5th. I special ordered it to a store in Chandler AZ where I can pick it up the day I get down there.

Stellastarr
07-12-2005, 03:00 AM
You can try this place (http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/) if u are thinking about a plasma. There a pretty nice 42' one there for under 2k.

Senor Choppy
07-12-2005, 03:57 AM
I've owned both a DLP (Samsung HLR5087W) and projection LCD (Sony KDF60XS955). The DLP looked much better than the LCD, but like others, I noticed rainbows when moving my eyes across the screen and it drove me nuts. I eventually returned it and bought the Sony LCD.

Even if you specifically don't notice the problem, it sucks to think about other people coming over to your house and being totally preoccupied with it, or even getting headaches. The difference in picture quality between the 2 technologies might seem like a big deal when staring at 2 sets side-by-side, but after you get it home it really doesn't matter.

MrMoo
07-12-2005, 11:39 AM
DLP doesn't burn in. Please recheck your facts.

MrMoo
07-12-2005, 11:48 AM
I'd recommend checking out www.avsforum.com. (http://www.avsforum.com.)

It's been about two years since I researched tv's for my own use so it's hard for me to give a good fair opinion. I ended up going with DLP because it met my needs. One of my key needs was hooking up a computer to it. Since DLP doesn't burn in that was a major plus for me. But that probably doesn't matter for your mom.

Here's my understanding as to the latest technologies:

Plasma - Only newer models support HDTV resolution. Can have burn in problems. Trouble producing true blacks. Expensive. I also believe they consume a lot of power but I could be wrong on that.

DLP - Some people see rainbows. I believe this has been mostly alleviated with the newer sets and the 7 part color wheels. Definitely go check it out in the store to see if you have problems. Good blend of picture quality for your purchase price price.

LCD - I don't know too much about LCD. Back when I was looking at TV's, LCD's were still pretty new. Sony was having A LOT of build problems and a significant portion were getting returned to the factory. I imagine this has been worked out by now. As I understand it, picture quality is excellent but they are expensive.

Personally I'm very happy with my Samsung 50" DLP. You can pick up a 46" for around $2,000 nowadays.

PorscheNGuns
07-12-2005, 12:00 PM
Do NOT BUY A PANASONIC LCD TV. In fact, I would simply not buy a Panasonic TV period. I am going through a living hell with mine right now. The factory lamps WILL NOT last longer than 12 months, some only last 4-5 months, and they cost $299 to replace. The ballasts also frequently [censored] the bed, and will run you upwards of $700 to replace. As soon as mine get fixed (I was under warranty thank Jesus), I am selling this piece of [censored].

http://www.petitiononline.com/panbulb/petition.html

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/2/124835.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/home_electronics/panasonic_lcd_tv.html

Anyways I could continue posting links, or you can just google - Panasonic LCD problem - and choose one of the 880,000 hits you will get.

You have been warned.

-Matt

astroglide
07-12-2005, 01:02 PM
rp-dlp gets a slight nod in black levels and pixel response, but it's not enough to offset the fact that lots of people see rainbows with the sets. even if you or those with whom you live don't, your guests might. rp-lcd wins.

lozen
07-12-2005, 02:38 PM
I bought the Samsung DLP 42" and a 37" panasonic plasma. The DLP Lamps are a small fortune have no waranty and last from 100 hours to ? If i had to pick between the two I would go with the Plasma.

DLP does not burn in also

johnnycakes
07-12-2005, 03:39 PM
I pre-ordered one of these (http://product.samsung.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?eUser=&prod_id=HLR6168WX%2f XAA) new Samsung 61" 1080p DLPs through the AVS power buy (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=545162&page=1&pp=30) for $3,500 shipped.

Hopefully the rainbow effect won't be a problem in these new sets.

astroglide
07-12-2005, 03:51 PM
both senor choppy and my gf saw pronounced effects on samsungs with 7-segment color wheels, so unless something additional is there i doubt it. as i've read, the only way to eliminate it is to use 2 color wheels but nobody wants to pay for it.

johnnycakes
07-12-2005, 04:50 PM
[ QUOTE ]
both senor choppy and my gf saw pronounced effects on samsungs with 7-segment color wheels, so unless something additional is there i doubt it. as i've read, the only way to eliminate it is to use 2 color wheels but nobody wants to pay for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm, that sucks. I think I'll do some more research on these new ones. I also think I'll let the TV ship. (These TV's havent' been released yet, but should be shipping any day now). TVAuthority (the seller) has a 30-day money back return policy for any reason with no restocking fee.

So, if it sucks, I'll just return it and get a different one.

Do you have any recommendations in the $3,500 range?

Again, I'm an AV noob and trying to digest/retain all the info on the different technologies has been a little hard. I feel like I'm studying for a test.

Thanks.

astroglide
07-12-2005, 05:07 PM
for me it's not about sucking. i don't see rainbows either. my gf and senor choppy, a personal friend, both do though. it seems to be more common than avsforum's dlp-philes let on. i wouldn't be concerned for myself, i'd be concerned that a friend would bring a friend over to watch the superbowl or that sort of thing and they saw rainbows. it's a total dealbreaker for me because my live-in gf sees them, but i would still find it terribly annoying if guests were hit by it too so i decided to sidestep the whole issue.

i own/love a 60" sony kdf-60xs955 rplcd. it's "only" 1080i though. i understand that the 1080p samsung isn't a perfect 1920x1080 though because of diamond-shaped overlapping pixels. 1080p could become a more important with hd dvd, but it doesn't seem like broadcasters are going to care much about it. maybe hdnet will but it could annoy the cable/satellite companies.

for what it's worth if i had it to do over right now with no tv and i could get the samsung 1080p or my sony i would still take the sony just because of rainbows, even if my gf didn't see them. i know the majority of dlp owners are happy with them though. if i wanted to blow some serious coin i'd go for the sony qualia lcos 1080p set.

MrMoo
07-13-2005, 11:57 AM
Way longer than 100 hours. I've got about 2 years on mine with a pretty good amount of use and no problems yet. My lamp is also covered by the protection plan I bought through Circuit City. In fact, that is the ONLY reason I bought the service plan.

MrMoo
07-13-2005, 12:00 PM
I can only speak of my experiences. I don't see rainbows. Nor have any of my guests complained. When I first got the set I explained the rainbow problem to one of my guests and they said they thought they could see it. Personally I think it was the plecebo effect.

When I first got the set it did take me a little bit to get used to it.

astroglide
07-13-2005, 12:17 PM
the day i bought my lcd i went to a sportsbar with my gf and a friend. a big baseball game was showing on all their sets. they had little crts around the bar, a large 4x3 rear projection crt at the front, and i was facing a samsung dlp. something happened and i pointed at the screen, my gf turned to look at it and instantly said, "is that television broken?" she didn't know about lcd/dlp and had never heard of rainbows. it was like the greatest affirmation of my purchase. noting it just to say that when people see it, they usually will SEE IT. the only creeping effect i know of with dlps is the headache thing that seems to be very rare and mostly affects women. there are discussions about that on avsforum too.

MrMoo
07-13-2005, 03:17 PM
The headache thing is what I had when I first got the set. Kind of a vertigo feeling. It went away after a day or two though.

Maybe I'm just very in touch with my feminine side :-)

astroglide
07-13-2005, 03:20 PM
yeah i've heard of adjustment issues too, but that happens with all sorts of projection sets. what i'm referring to are insane headaches which basically make extended viewing imposssible.