I'm looking at buying a big screen TV (52"), and I'm torn between conventional CRT rear projection models and the new DLP rear projection models. DLP's cost twice as much as CRT models, but the weight and depth advantages are obvious.
I read this month's Consumer Reports, and they indicated that the CRT type projection models are old technology, but fairly well proven and reliable. The DLP models are unknown as far as reliability goes. I don't trust getting advice from Best Buy or Sears, since they probably won't know squat. Don't try to sell me on plasmas or LCD panel models, I'm definitely not interested in that much money. Just looking for a decent bigscreen that will outlast the payments. Anybody out there own one of the DLP models yet, and if so, what do you think of it?
Friends have DLP's very nice , much better than rear projection. REar projection sucks unless it is brand new and you are sitting directly in front of it. DLP has much better viewing angles. Keep researching plasma and LCD, you may be surprised, prices have come down quite a bit over the past couple of years
Is this TV going to be HD? If it isn't why don't you get a 30-36" widesceen HDTV?
listen i've been selling these things for about five years,dont tell me your one of those"i dont want a plasma b/c my friends friends dad said they only last three years"...and as far as dlp,i'd think about that choice,take alook at the lcd projections, cleaner picture,sharper picture, and no moving parts inside like the dlp. The advantage to the lcd prj/dlp is no screen burn in and wider viewing angle than conv projo's. the down side is your going to have to buy a new bulb every 4-5k hours, the price is between 175-300 dollars,and under no circumstance are they covered under warranty
another thing you have to worry about are dead pixels, they will happen is we are starting to find out at work,and thats not covered either,although we did have this pia customer who had a pixel died called hitachi over and over and finally hitachi replaced the tv w/one circustance he was never to buy another hitachi tv!!!!anyways you cant beat the color and depth of plasmas,the viewing angle and versatility,i.e computer monitors,hanging,etc we've had a pioneer in the store for over three years running 11 hours a day and it looks just as good as almost any of the new model,down side screen burn in,although its curable on some of the better models
Gen1 DLP projection TV's caused headaches (literally) for some people, and even with current- gen models, a "rainbow" effect can be seen, although it's very rare.
Toshiba DLP has been the best quality I've seen so far, with a VERY respectable price:technology ratio.
There are two other options- RP LCD, which isn't quite as bright or offer quite as wide a viewing angle, and LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) which is supposed to be cheaper and at least equal to DLP in quality.
My advice- bring a notebook and go to a Best Buy or Circuit City... or any other higher-end shops around (Tweeter isn't bad), and just take a look. Make note of the size, weight, capabilities (how many inputs do you need vs. how many will you use), color depth, black depth, brightness, and viewing angle. Also bear in mind viewing distance is important to the size of the screen you get. If you're sitting 4' away, a 60" TV will be a waste of money.
Originally posted by tour96se:
listen i've been selling these things for about five years,dont tell me your one of those"i dont want a plasma b/c my friends friends dad said they only last three years"...and as far as dlp,i'd think about that choice,take alook at the lcd projections, cleaner picture,sharper picture, and no moving parts inside like the dlp. The advantage to the lcd prj/dlp is no screen burn in and wider viewing angle than conv projo's. the down side is your going to have to buy a new bulb every 4-5k hours, the price is between 175-300 dollars,and under no circumstance are they covered under warranty another thing you have to worry about are dead pixels, they will happen is we are starting to find out at work,and thats not covered either,although we did have this pia customer who had a pixel died called hitachi over and over and finally hitachi replaced the tv w/one circustance he was never to buy another hitachi tv!!!!anyways you cant beat the color and depth of plasmas,the viewing angle and versatility,i.e computer monitors,hanging,etc we've had a pioneer in the store for over three years running 11 hours a day and it looks just as good as almost any of the new model,down side screen burn in,although its curable on some of the better models
I sat in front of a LCD Rear Projection TV the other day, and the viewing angle is EXTREMELY impressive. I highly recommend it!
There are two other options- RP LCD, which isn't quite as bright or offer quite as wide a viewing angle, and LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) which is supposed to be cheaper and at least equal to DLP in quality.
actually most people who come in find the lcd "easier" to watch, and LCoS is interesting to watch, its really more like watching something in 3d, once you get used to it the pic is great
what about front projection?
they're becoming a good/popular choice, but they really require a certain setting/setup to get the optimal picture, plus they might be more than he's willing to spend?
Originally posted by bishop375:
My advice- bring a notebook and go to a Best Buy or Circuit City...
Remember the time when this guy did the same thing as he was taking notes at Best Buy for the item he wanted to buy by comparing with other brand and prices and he got busted by the Best Buy security? Then he sued Best Buy for doing this to him? You should do this! Maybe youll get away with a brand new TV if ya fight back! lol 
-dan
Originally posted by tour96se:
they're becoming a good/popular choice, but they really require a certain setting/setup to get the optimal picture, plus they might be more than he's willing to spend?
It looks like he is going to spending significantly more than what a VERY nice front projection would run. If he can control light in the room, I don't see any other choice stacking up to it. But, controlling the light can be a big issue.
Front projection is by far the best bang for the buck when it comes to big screens. As long as you can control the light (most big tv's are in the basements so yes, you should be able to) it is perfect. 100" screen, good viewing angle, excellent quality picture, and cheaper solution than most other big tv's out there. You can get a great one for under $2000, and an amazing one for under $5000.
Also, there is a website, I'm having troubles remembering what it is (I'll edit this post with the site when I get to work) that is really informative on tv's. It has a great forum too.
www.avsforum.comi love my FPTV. light control is only an issue on bright sunny days, and i'm not usually home before dark anyways.
Originally posted by MxRacerCam:
www.avsforum.com
Agreed. Best info there. I just bought a Sony KDF-50WE655. When I first got it I was not really impressed. I actually thought about bringing it back, but waited. Played with color a bit. Got HD from my cable company. Hooked it up through HDMI. WOW! It looks like it's in 3D. So frickin clear. I do have sun coming in the room at around 4:00pm but it still looks great. DVD look great. Definitly use components for everything you can and HDMI for the cable/satallite.
I cant wait for superbowl in HD.
Also i am about 9feet away from the big 50". Looks AWESOME...oh yeat..if you have XBOX (or console) you will never leave your house.
I appreciate everybody's comments. It looks like I'll need to spend more time doing research and comparision shopping (there goes the idea of getting the TV by Superbowl). Yes, the TV will be in the basement, but front projection would be overkill for what I'm looking for. My other concern is the lack of high definition programming. I don't anticipate my cable company offering HiDef anytime soon. When I asked about it, they seemed to confuse HiDef with digital. Its an extremely small cable company, basically a Mom & Pop operation. I know over-the-air is available, but its on the UHF frequency, and I'm not sure about signal quality, since I'm 40 miles from the transmitters.
The other option I'm toying with is staying with a traditional direct view CRT TV, but get something around 36" in size. Depending on how I want to arrange the room layout, a quality 36" set may be fine.
I already have a 5.1 channel home theater sound system, but my 27" TV is kinda lacking in drama.
Originally posted by Beachboy:
The other option I'm toying with is staying with a traditional direct view CRT TV, but get something around 36" in size. Depending on how I want to arrange the room layout, a quality 36" set may be fine.
Only if you're on a strict budget... if you can afford to spend more, do... you'll get a lot longer useful life out of the TV by buying the newest/best tech and you'll be happy with yourself for doing it.
Front projection may be overkill with regards to performance, but the price may still come in similar to a traditional tube TV with hi-def
Originally posted by tour96se:
the down side is your going to have to buy a new bulb every 4-5k hours,
That means you are going to have to buy a new bulb every 2 years? 
Originally posted by TexasRealtor:
Originally posted by tour96se:
the down side is your going to have to buy a new bulb every 4-5k hours,
That means you are going to have to buy a new bulb every 2 years?
well, FPTV really isn't an "all the time" tv for most. i have a 32" CRT and then the 7' FPTV for movies and high-def stuff.
Originally posted by MxRacerCam:
Originally posted by TexasRealtor:
Originally posted by tour96se:
the down side is your going to have to buy a new bulb every 4-5k hours,
That means you are going to have to buy a new bulb every 2 years?
well, FPTV really isn't an "all the time" tv for most. i have a 32" CRT and then the 7' FPTV for movies and high-def stuff.
i use a 50" DLP for my family room, a 60" Plasma for my bedroom, and a 9' x 12' front projection (2200 ANCI Lumen) for gaming and movies.
~Andrew
If you can find and afford it (used still aboue $3k),
I would highly recommend an InFocus LS735 projector.
Features;
NTSC, PAL, SECAM, EDTV, all HDTV resolution compatable,
4:3 or 16:9,
has every type of input you could ever need,
uses Faroudja's most highly touted technology,
is a 5 segment color wheel (versus a standard 3 or 4),
is a DLP based optics engine (Texas Instruments DMD)
3500 lumens,
a 2500:1 contrast ratio (full on/off).
Unfortunately it was produced back in 1999 in limited numbers, and was not the success that InFocus had hoped for.
Also, it ran through bulbs (8000K) in about 1,000 hours.
The InFocus ScreenPlay 777 is the current product that is relatively close in perfromance.
When I worked at InFocus I tried to get one, but ended up with a LP330 (built back in 2002). I use it occasionaly.
For everyday TV I went with a 32" LCoS by SVA (a partner of Toshiba).
my momz just bought a 52" projection tv $1300 RCA. it's nice but I still like my 36" Sony WEGA better! i think my picture is MUCH clearer than hers. Hers did come with a builty in surround sound system and is fairly shallow in depth. Ive never been a big fan of projection tvs. I know quite a few people who have had plasma tvs go bad on them and they're VERY expensive to repair. LCD tvs are supposedly a better/more secure investment.
if you're gonna go for a 36" tv, i say go for a HD flat screen tube tv, widescreen if you can get one for the price you're looking for. I really reallly really like the WEGA series tvs.
mine even came with wireless infrared headphones
I have a rear projection 51" Magnavox. Love it! However and this is true for any type of TV... Make sure you have the best signal you can get. I need a booster since I'm spliced to hell & back. So a fuzzy signal that looks okay on a 31" will look really fuzzy on a 51"
It's all about the signal strength!
Originally posted by Pimpalicious316:
i use a 50" DLP for my family room, a 60" Plasma for my bedroom, and a 9' x 12' front projection (2200 ANCI Lumen) for gaming and movies.
~Andrew
You have a 60" plasma in your bedroom?!?
I have a 20" LCD for my room, and a 27" CRT that is currently in a buddies room, and once I move out of the frat, I'll likely be buying one of the Phillips LCOS units.
Originally posted by MxRacerCam:
what about front projection?
I love my Infocus Lite 720 Projector (sorry to name drop)
But it is true you need a setup. I have a 65" screen mounted on my wall and I have black curtains permanently over my window so when the lights go out (even at noon) its pitch dark.
The only complaint is that in night scenes its hard to see without adjusting the gamma...but ya know...Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is just cool when the car is almost as big as you....
Originally posted by TexasRealtor:
Originally posted by tour96se:
the down side is your going to have to buy a new bulb every 4-5k hours,
That means you are going to have to buy a new bulb every 2 years?
Only if you watch it a lot. My bulb is rated for 2500 hours before its "safety system" shuts off the bulb to make sure there isnt a catastrophic explosion in my room killing everyone in it. But I have had the projector 2 years and only put 1130 hrs on it. Still have at least another year before it goes...
Originally posted by CSVT985:
Originally posted by MxRacerCam:
what about front projection?
I love my Infocus Lite 720 Projector (sorry to name drop)
But it is true you need a setup. I have a 65" screen mounted on my wall and I have black curtains permanently over my window so when the lights go out (even at noon) its pitch dark.
The only complaint is that in night scenes its hard to see without adjusting the gamma...but ya know...Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is just cool when the car is almost as big as you....
Originally posted by TexasRealtor:
Originally posted by tour96se:
the down side is your going to have to buy a new bulb every 4-5k hours,
That means you are going to have to buy a new bulb every 2 years?
Only if you watch it a lot. My bulb is rated for 2500 hours before its "safety system" shuts off the bulb to make sure there isnt a catastrophic explosion in my room killing everyone in it. But I have had the projector 2 years and only put 1130 hrs on it. Still have at least another year before it goes...
nope, someone is confused with what i said, with LCD PROJO/DLP tv's the bulbs are only rated at 4-5k hours, thats a factory "guess" i can tell you that in my store they've been found to last less than 9 months on some tv's running 10-11 hours a day, the bulb vary in price from 185-325 dollars depending on set
nope, someone is confused with what i said, with LCD PROJO/DLP tv's the bulbs are only rated at 4-5k hours, thats a factory "guess" i can tell you that in my store they've been found to last less than 9 months on some tv's running 10-11 hours a day, the bulb vary in price from 185-325 dollars depending on set
Maybe a more important question is this.....are the bulbs user replaceable, or do you have to have a tech come to your house and replace them?
Originally posted by tour96se:
nope, someone is confused with what i said, with LCD PROJO/DLP tv's the bulbs are only rated at 4-5k hours, thats a factory "guess" i can tell you that in my store they've been found to last less than 9 months on some tv's running 10-11 hours a day,
which is approximately 3000 hours. 
which is the std. replacement interval on most projector bulbs. but then again, who watches them for 10 hours a day??? 
The bulb on my aquos is rated to 10k hours...