OT...Plasma, LCD or DLP TV

[thepro]

DLP is the way to go, unless you need to put it on a wall or you can't afford the small width needed for a dlp. I have a samsung 50" HD DLP

Why I like DLP:
Great picture
Lower price
Lower power consumption
Replace the bulb and it's like having a brand new tv
No burn in

**My main piece of advice...Get as big as you can, you will want bigger later. Spend a little money and do surround sound that isn't a home theater in a box. Sound is 50% of the experience.


http://avsforum.com/ is a good place to look for info.

 

[Steverino]

I talked to a guy at Tweeter and he steered me away from the LCD. He also seemed to move away from Samsungs. He preferred the Mistubishi and the Sony DLP. Also said Plasma was only good under 42", but if you want bigger, go with a DLP set. He did mention up front that the bulb were about $250 and would be changed every 2-3 years. Hey G13- that set you are talking about, is it the Costco one?

 

[whirley]

I'm sorry, but I believe that you guys have it ALL WRONG!!!

I think my 20" Flat screen $99 walmart tv is the best deal !

I can buy 15-20 of these tv's and hook them all up to several xbox's and have one huge lan party!

And the picture is pretty dang good as well !!

:rollface:

 

[jeemann99]

Plasma for clarity, ecspecially if you have a high definition receiver from satellite or cable, but do not hook up your video gomes to it.

LCD second and you can play video games on these, as well as use as a computer monitor

DLP third always having problems.........at least in my experiences

my 2 cents

 

[mnestroy]

I have a Sony LCD Projection tv, how long are the bulbs supposed to last??

 

[Buckyez]

I'll probably rate Plasma, LCD, and then DLP in that order. Plasma has the best true black, better viewing angle. LCD is supposed to last longer, but the black is like grey(yuck!) and also alaising/motion issue. DLP (v2-v3) has improved, but the viewing angle, color cannot match that of a plasma. In addition, the $200+/bulb change every 2-3 years will add up.

Even though DLP costless, but factor in the life time of the device, you're paying alot more with the bulb replacements. The plasma TV now have a half-life rate around 60,000 hours. Dependings on you viewing habit, that's like 15-27 years. You will loose a little contrast/brightness which you can easy fix by increasing the contrast/brightness setting. It is the same as your old TV as it ages, it lost contrast/brightness.

Why don't you go to a local Store and check out some of the plasma/LCD/DLP and see for youself? Remember, most of the store are still feeding those TVs analog/DVD quality signal, and not HD.

DLP=best bang for the buck per viewing area.
PLASMA=Best picture quality/color Cost more. True Black.
LCD=Last longer, black color/motion issues. TV 50" and over will cost you.

--Bucky

 

[1SickReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8597796#post8597796 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by canar
DLP is the cheap way out. They are for the people that can't afford an LCD. Plasma TV's look nice but they slowly get dimmer over time. The new Sharp LCD's are down to 4 ms response time so the movement problem is solved. Unless you are a vampire you will have sun and light in your house. The LCD will look a lot brighter and clearer then the DLP or the Plasma.

The ONLY positive of a DLP is the price for the size.

Ted

I am glad you know me enough to know how much money I have to spend on a TV.... I'm also thankful that you know what I can and cannot afford..... :rolleye1:

My purchase has nothing to do with price, Bottom line is, I bought a TV that looked the best to me.

 

[Steverino]

So for a TV that is over 50", then the ratings change? I need a good value, I can't spend a fortune, but the spouse prefers a 50" or more. So, is LCD the way to go?

 

[johns]

Great off-topic thread. I am in the market right now too.

Leaning towards DLP. Mainly due to to size and price. After spending some time looking at sets in the stores, I really want to get a 50" unit. LCD this size are few and far between and still priced over $3000, without even getting to the highest 1080p resolution. 50" DLP sets even at the highest resolution out there, can be found for well under $2000 (like around 1600-1700). If you want to sacrifice on resolution, the 720p DLPs have come WAY DOWN in price recently, going as low as 1200-1400.

I do see a few choices in 46" LCD sets, some at 720p and some at 1080p, generally around 2500. But dont know if I want to sacrifice the size (and probably resolution) and still pay more.

And to throw another one into the mix, the most recent Sony 1080p rear projection is something called an SXRD. Dont know much about the technology, but the picture looks similar to a DLP, although it costs a couple hundred dollars more.

 

[badazztealcobra]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8599549#post8599549 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mnestroy
I have a Sony LCD Projection tv, how long are the bulbs supposed to last??

2 or 3 years, although you could change them every year if you wanted and still notice a difference in the picture after replacing it.

 

[bboersma79]

Buckyez hit it on the head, if space isn't an issue get DLP...I really like my plasma though (Panasonic TH-42PX500u, now the 600u)

 

[gprovo]

I just bought a 42" Plasma HP and love it.
I believe in the recommendations from Consumer Reports.

 

[prugs]

I'm waiting till my 27" Sony Triniton dies. It's been going for 12 years, no problems. Hope the LCD's get better by then.

 

[canar]

I am glad you know me enough to know how much money I have to spend on a TV.... I'm also thankful that you know what I can and cannot afford.....

Cool so you went into the store where they have them all set up side by side indoors with flourescent lights.

I am glad that works for you. I prefer to actually research the differences. Understand the changes/improvements and make an educated decision.

There is so much wrong information and outdated information in this thread it is almost silly. The problem you have with this topic is everyone thinks they are an expert. From the guy at tweeter to the cable guy. Things they learned about one format or another even 6 months ago may not even be true anymore. You have people talking about motion and black's on LCD's. Those comments were true a year or more ago. They are also still true on many of the cheaper models. Plasme TV's do look nice. The problem I have with them is they are not as bright as an LCD and they get dimmer every day you use them. You barely even notice because it happens like watching someone's hair grow.

Here are the specs on the LCD I JUST got (it is actually in my car as I write this) It was just under 4k. There is no plasme or DLP that can touch this thing. I am not talking about my opinion here either. I am talking about testing the brighness with meters. Testing the contrast ratio. testing the black's. The data is out thre if you want to look. Yes it cost me 4k. Remember many of you said it is not about the price.

Features:

Screen Size: 52"
Cabinet Color: Black
Pixel Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Brightness: 450 cd/m2
Viewing Angle: 176º H x 176º V
Contrast Ratio: 2000:1 Native / 10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio with Enhanced Picture Contrast Technology
Tuning System: ATSC / QAM / NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Response Time: 4ms
Power Consumption: AC 270W
Lamp Life: 60,000 hours3
Audio 15 W + 15 W
Back-Light System 4-wavelength

 

[badazztealcobra]

What make and model is it ?!?!?! Those are some really good numbers, Id like to know what make and model to shop around.

 

[Naperville Reef]

canar......

i also favor LCDs. i have only bought Sony. how do they stack up versus the competition?

 

[1SickReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8601423#post8601423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by canar

Cool so you went into the store where they have them all set up side by side indoors with flourescent lights.

Yup, because at home the TV is in the middle of my yard under natural sunlight.....LOL to funny

I am glad that works for you. I prefer to actually research the differences. Understand the changes/improvements and make an educated decision.

It does work for me...I did research the differences, thanks for asking.

There is so much wrong information and outdated information in this thread it is almost silly. The problem you have with this topic is everyone thinks they are an expert.

Yeah starting with yourself...

This is the TV you bought.... LC-52D62U 52" AQUOS WideScreen LCD TV

Could I hop in my truck and go buy this TV right now, yup, I'm I going to nope.. why? because I'm happy with my TV, it looks better than and LCD's I have looked at.. and yes recently

 

[canar]

i also favor LCDs. i have only bought Sony. how do they stack up versus the competition?

Sony's are decent. I am not 100% sure where they have the response time at right now but I know they were getting it down too. The only thing I really noticed on the Sony is when you have a perfectly white screen it seems to have a slight green tint to it. I have the Blue Ray player in my bedroom hooked to a 46" 1080P sony and it does have an amazing picture.

1SickReefer

I am glad you are happy with your TV

badazztealcobra here is the link from Costco's page on the TV I bought.

Link


Someone asked earlier about bulb life on the DLP's too. Here is a good explaination from About.com I have also seen bulbs go out just because someone bumped the TV on a DLP too.

How long does a DLP projection lamp usually last?

It is safe to list the lamp life for most DLP front and rear projection televisions between 1000 and 2000 hours. I know that’s a cop out, but it’s hard to nail down a direct length of time. Some lamps might last only 500 hours while others may last 3000 hours.

The window is so broad because no one knows for sure how long one lamp will last versus another. They’re like light bulbs, and depending on how you use them, some will just last longer.

To put it simply, if you watched television three hours a day the lamp would last approximately 333 days at the 1000-hour lamp life and 666 days at the 2000-hour lamp life. That’s pretty realistic because most people will want/need to replace their lamp every 1-2 years, but there are stories of people replacing a lamp every 6-8 months or every 3-4 years.

 

[canar]

Another interesting LCD tidbit.

Sharp announces that it has developed a LCD display with the world's highest contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1.

The Sharp ASV Premium LCD display panel has a size of 37 inch, 1920x1080 pixel resolution and a brightness of 500cd/m2.

 

[bryanth73]

most of the contrast ratios presented to consumers are not true there are several articles to attest to that (check some hi def forums). plasma has the best picture quality with lcd a very close second. The draw backs are; lcd is prone to pixle burn out (little white dots) they have a ratio to how many burn out before it is considered defective, plasma is prone to picture burn in static images will appear on the screen and actually burn into the screen( lcd doesn't do that). lcd is better in bright viewing areas plasma is better in dark areas dlp is a totally differant animal since it is still a projection type tv using a ton of micro mirrors to project the image. Me I have a 42"plasma and love it best picture and price wise very comparable to lcd if you catch them on sale