Buying a new TV...Plasma,LCD,DLP?

[vairox]

check this out.... i would day dlp cause ive heard of plasmas going out, getting burned in images etc but maybe thats all changed now...

this should help u out

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/dlpvsplasmatv.html


btw, i had directv 6 months ago and their HD programming sucked, they had a couple channels and most of the time it wasnt really HD....i wouldnt worry about HD right now, heres why...

most people dont have an HD set, those that do have an HD READY set....which means they need a set top box to get HD signals.... so why broadcast in HD when only a few people will get it? why waste the time? so they broadcast in HD... whats that mean?

broadcast in HD....doesnt mean the video is HD, could be from a camcorder, but the signal is being broadcast in HD... kinda like converting a VHS tape to a dvd....it's on a dvd but still looks like VHS...

HD video and signal, but if you dont have the set top box, it's just standard tv....

also ive heard that HD takes a lot of bandwidth because it's so high resolution....so if a station wants to broadcast IN HD they have to also broadcast a standard signal for those who cant get HDTV, so they use some of the HD bandwidth by compressing the HD video, leaving extra room left for the standard definition signal to be broadcasted

or even shot in HD and broadcasted in standard definition.... they were broadcasting law & order in HD, think it was TNT or something? what they did was they switched to filming the show in HD....then broadcasted it in HD, but the older shows were not shot in HD, so they broadcasted them over the HD signal and said "in HD" which is just half true....it's an HD signal alright, but standard video...

according to this article though, all that has changed, id still be sceptical though....just read up is all...

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HNN/is_9_19/ai_n6230616#continue

[ December 09, 2005, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: vairox ]

 

[NJC]

recent TV thread

 

[keith]

Almost every network prime time show is broadcast over the air in High Definition - plus the football games

If you can receive over-the-air where you live, that's a cheap way to get into HD.

I got the Dish 811 box back when it was free for new subscribers. The 811 receives standard and high definition from the satellite, and both digital (standard or high definition) and analog over-the-air.

To give you some idea, over-the-air high definition is better quality than DVD. High definition over satellite or digital cable is going to be as good as the provider let's it be, because they typically use lower bandwidth to retransmit the signal. Dish is already indicating their existing high definition programming is in future going to be using lower bandwidth so they can squeeze in more channels. LAME!

On the display side, go into CircuitCity or BestBuy or some store that has a good selection and see what's out there. Keep in mind that the stores almost never have calibrated the screens so the image quality will be all over the place. But you will be able to see projection DLP and LCD, direct view CRT, LCD, plasma, front projectors, etc.. Then go and read over at avsforum to find out what's what.

 

[vairox]

and dont take a best buy jockey's word on what to buy... dont let them talk you into anything, it's your money, your decision...

 

[kanling]

Sound and Vision mag had a recent article comparing and explaining the technologies.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/

All of the display technologies have some inherent problems one way or another.

Examples:
Plasma - reproduction of dark areas is usually poor
DLP - sometimes exhibit strange color artifacts, must replace projection lamp at big $$ after some number of hours.
LCD - detail not always good, also needs an expensive lamp.

Seems to me like DLP is pulling ahead of the others right now in performance vs. price. But plasma is improving rapidly, too.

 

[Win]

I think the higher end plasmas have the best picture quality.

That said, all of our CRT sets have been replaced by LCD or LCD projection.

Be aware that a standard definition 480i picture looks pretty bad on a big screen without some manipulation by the set electronics; we have a 60" Sony Grand Wega LCD projection in the living room that seems to do a good job of scaling up the low res signals.

I would avoid the EDTV or similar stuff and make sure whatever you get can do at least 720p or 1080i or better.

HDTV is really stunning, especially sports.

 

[Stewart Fan]

Our TV finally bit the dust. We haven't bought a new TV in about 10 years and we know nothing about the new technologies.

My wife wants bigger than the 27" we have now,and we have DirecTV so we can get HD programming.

I hate shopping for audio/video products.Can anyone shed some light on what I should be looking for?

 

[Randes]

Check out the specs on this TV.
http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/DLPTV/HLR5078WXXAA.asp

 

[Tosh]

If your wife would be happy with anything bigger than your old 27", then you might buy yourself some time (while the cable/satellite/internet providers market shakes out) and save some money by just getting a decent 32" CRT TV (shouldn't cost more than $350). This might keep you happy for a couple of years, during which you could get up to speed on TV technology and plasma prices will come down.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Before you spend dollar #1, read this good article about all the nuances in HD technologies:
Top Ten HDTV Myths from PCWorld

So far, my favorite HDTV is the Sony 34" CRT-based HDTV model that runs $1499. I've seen it as low as $999 on sale in the past couple weeks. Everything you want from a regular TV, everything you want from HDTV, all in the same unit. The picture is simply amazing! (It just isn't the flat-screen technology, so it's a heavy monster.)

Stewart, you have to pay extra for DirecTV HDTV's service, it's not part of any standard package, including the DirecTivo. "Digital TV" does not include and "HDTV". You will need a 3 line LNB, a new DirecTV box (either standard tuner or the tuner with the HD-DirecTivo) and an additional monthly subscription fee just to get HD programming! http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/imagine/HDTV_equipment.jsp
We decided not to purchase a 3 line LNB as we already have the DirecTivo box and just get a decent antenna to watch HD programming from over-the-air channels.

By the way, there is no such thing as "Digital" antenna...it's all the same. I can't find the URL that dispels the myth of "it needs to be a digital antenna" right now, but any good antenna will pull in over the air signals. It's the TV's job to figure out if those are digital or analog TV signals. A friend of mine installed a Terk full-size antenna inside his roof. 20 channels, most of them are HDTV with no additional charge!

The best bet for cheapest HD service is Comcast cable as they include that into their programming packages, unlike DirecTV.

IMO, DirecTV has downplayed the HD thing as they simply cannot compete with Comcast's price per month until they figure out how to make it less complex and pricey.

[ December 10, 2005, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: ToyotaNSaturn ]

 

[2Fast4U]

Get digital cable with HD. NOTHING beats HD. Plasmas have the shortest life span. If you're watching analog cable it doesn't matter if you have a standard TV, plasma, LCD, rear projection... the picture sucks. If you have HD... the quality of lcd, plasma or even rear proj dlp won't even matter because your 1080i picture will be totally amazing. Plasma just takes up the smallest amount of space or can be hung and if you have an entertainment center and buy plasma you're not saving any room anyhow.

Get HD.

One last thing... HD DVD's will be out within the next few years then everyone will be upgrading their dvd players and/or tv's to HD for sure.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

2Fast4U, Panasonic just went to pre-production of the Blue-Ray HD DVD. It's holds 50GB per disk! Can't wait for that to hit the market!

 

[Not the Autorx Frank]

We have a 50" and a 46" Samsung DLP. Nice picture. A lot less dinero than the LCD or PLasma and still pretty slim (14"). I wouldn't drop the cash for Plasma unless there was no other way because of space issues. The Samsung was 2-5" more shallow than the other brands...

 

[buster]

My friend has a Samsung 46" DLP, HIGHLY recommend it. Great picture, less expensive then a Plasma and the life expectancy is greater. I will be buying on in a few months.

 

[Win]

You know, I hate to be the odd person out on the DLP express, but that mechanical spinning wheel thing sounds, oh, about eighty-five years or so out of date.

I'll bet Philo Farnsworth would be aghast at the very thought of it.

 

[pitzel]

I agree with Tosh -- DLP TV's are actually cheaper to produce than CRT TV's, but since they are in demand, there is a huge demand premium being associated with them.

Wait another year or two and 50" DLP sets will be in the $1000-$1500 range with the HDTV stuff built in.

LED is another technology for flat panels that should be more prominent in the next few years. Should make plasma and LCD obsolete eventually.

 

[Mark in NY]

funny you should mention it !
I've been casually researching since last year.
4 hours ago I purchased a 42" Samsung DLP for $1435.


Many factors to consider - power consumption (plasma consumes twice what LCD or DLP do & my rates are $0.20/KWH) bulb life, burn-in and of course picture quality.
I chose DLP. In another year or so, when prices sink lower, I think LCD will be the no-brainer choice.
Enjoy......

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

A good article on HD information

 

[keith]

2Fast4U

quote:

---

Plasmas have the shortest life span.

---

The new plasmas typically have a 60,000 hour rated panel (the rating is from full brightness when new to 50% brightness due to aging).

At 10 hours viewing per day, that's more than 15 years of useful life. Definitely check the panel hours rating if you buy a plasma, but unless it's an older panel, it's not a factor when choosing plasma versus another technology.

 

[1 FMF]

http://www.highdefforum.com

was considering a plasma for the new house, a 42" one, to mount on the wall. But after all the research, I found that picture quality of regular tv programming isn't that great on a plasma, nor a dlp or lcd. Not for the price., and that's what the tv would be displaying 90+ % of the time. I have directv, and I wasn't about to pay another $11 a month for HD which is only a handful of channels, and I'm not paying another $10+ a month to get the movie channels for that HD, nor more $$$ for the sports package in HD (and I don't watch sports) nor $300 for a HD receiver, nor $$$ for a new dish to get HD. The more I thought about it, I'd get a 32+ inch CRT tv. For their price you can't beat it, if you're ok with the space and weight of a traditional CRT tv.
The whole plasma, lcd, dlp is blown way out of proportion, obviously because they want to sell it. Sure they have great picture, but the rest of the infrastructure isn't up to speed with it and you pay thru the nose for it. It's like buying a 500hp 2006 corvette for $55k, not a bad price for the performance when compared to other cars, but I have no roads to drive it on to get my money's worth.

I agree that LCD will be the technology of choice if price is reasonable and they get 40+ inches in size. LCD has no burn in like plasma, no brightness life span like plasma, less power than plasma, no moving parts or replaceable bulb like dlp (if my understandings are correct). And can be hung on a wall. Only other concern, like computer lcd monitors, is displaying fast motion video. I know lcd computer monitors are down in the single digit millisecond range for response rate which is acceptable for computer games and no ghosting, not sure how that correlates over to LCD televisions.