DLP Tvs advice

[kevolution]

Whats up fellas?
Today I'm going to go pick out a new TV. I have been trying to learn what I can these last few weeks to help me make my decision a little easier. There is so much different and new technology it's pretty hard to keep up actually.

Anyways I'm not trying to spend a whole lot just yet because I have the feeling I'll be buying a new TV again in 2-4yrs. After checking out reviews, sales, and pos/negs of the different choices I think I have finally made a final decision. The Samsung 42" Projection DLP HDTV (HL-S4266W). I play alot of xbox 360 so of course I wanted a TV that would look great for gaming, but at the same time I didn't want to get something that could get damaged from gaming on it with image burning and crap like that. This set is on sale at Circuit City for $999 and I think today is the day.

If anyone owns something similar, knows someone that owns one, or has any input I'd love to hear it. I know one thing is guaranteed, I will have to get a replacement bulb at some point if I go with a projection, that's a given.

Madden is going to look so crispy!

 

[RuanuLaw]

1 quick thing: Make sure it does 1080p. This gives you room in the future to expand to the new video formats, AND the 360 can now do 1080p and there are a couple games coming out very soon for it that actually do 1080p NATIVE, and not that upscaled crap.

I got a Plasma, but it only does up to 1080i, and in a couple of years, I HAVE to replace it because of the 1080p problem.

Personally, I would never buy a DPL or a LCD, or a TUBE, but that is just me. I don't like any of those.

But in a year or two I will be buying a 1080p PROJECTOR anyways.

 

[kevolution]

Yeah I think I'm gonna wait on the 1080p a year or two more. So when I do get one its a 62" +
The 720p will hold me over for now, and I dont care that its no flat and I can't hang it on the wall. I just want a greta HD picture for not alot of money.

 

[Mandingo]

I got that 46" DLP Samsung model. Looks great.

 

[James]

LCD is the best reviewed.

 

[bomber]

I prefer plasma and LCD. All the Samsung DLP's my buddies have don't compare imo, but they are cheap.

 

[RuanuLaw]

Yeah I think I'm gonna wait on the 1080p a year or two more. So when I do get one its a 62" +
The 720p will hold me over for now, and I dont care that its no flat and I can't hang it on the wall. I just want a greta HD picture for not alot of money.

No, I did not get a Plasma so I hang it on my wall or that its 1.5" thick. No, I got it because it gave me the best picture. I checked all the TVs at the store (there were about 30 Plasma and LCDs combined), and Plasma really stood out to me the most.

But see, my idea of the 1080p is that even if you have no real use for it now, it is still better to get it, and HAVE IT, than in the future when you want it and need it and DONT HAVE IT. Know what I mean...?

 

[cavincali]

Yeah I think I'm gonna wait on the 1080p a year or two more. So when I do get one its a 62" +
The 720p will hold me over for now, and I dont care that its no flat and I can't hang it on the wall. I just want a greta HD picture for not alot of money.

I got a 65" projection mituibishi, sp? It has the 1080, but my dad hasnt gotten the high dif.

If you want to get a big tv for cheap, go with the projection. Im not high on the lcd, and the plasmas are so damn expensive.

 

[kevolution]

No, I did not get a Plasma so I hang it on my wall or that its 1.5" thick. No, I got it because it gave me the best picture. I checked all the TVs at the store (there were about 30 Plasma and LCDs combined), and Plasma really stood out to me the most.

But see, my idea of the 1080p is that even if you have no real use for it now, it is still better to get it, and HAVE IT, than in the future when you want it and need it and DONT HAVE IT. Know what I mean...?

No I totally get what your saying Snake. My thing is that while I don't have a use fr it quite yet and it's still new and expensive, I can wait till the prices drop and then go with the 1080i in a year or two. The cool thing about this Samsung is it has digital optical out for sound and RBG so I can use it for a PC monitor if I upgrade to 1080i in the future.

 

[Mandingo]

From what i have read the human eye can't even tell a difference between 1080p and 1080i.

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

I wouldn't fret too much over the 720p vs 1080i and 1080p. They all provide superior pictures, and the 1080p will be for the very discerning viewer.

I have the Sony LCD - and seriously considered the Samsung DLP. I bought it about 2 years ago - and I spent hours and went to several stores asking for opinions and comparisons. And man, I paid $2700 at that time - and the DLP was $200 more ($2900 - I'm sure I could've gotten the same price though). Now they are under a grand. In the store, you will not get the true picture quality from any set. These high-end sets can be dialed into an extremely high quality picture (even more than what the typical user menu provides). So don't make a decision based on what looks better in a store.

Sorry about this - but I forget why I ultimately decided on the LCD. But I am very happy with it.

And do not worry about gaming on any set. I've read numerous reports that regular gaming will not effect the screen. Most of those rumors start from leaving an image on the screen for an extended period of time, where an image can become burned into the screen. No worries with today's gaming systems though.

 

[bomber]

From what i have read the human eye can't even tell a difference between 1080p and 1080i.

Not necessarily, I can tell the different between ESPN's broadcast (720p) and let's say CBS(1080i). I prefer ESPN.

Some United States broadcasters use 720p60 as their primary high-definition format; others use the 1080i standard. While 720p presents a complete 720 line frame to the viewer between 24 to 60 times each second (depending on the format), 1080i presents the picture as 50 or 60 partial 540 line "fields" (24 complete 1080-line fields, or "24p" is included in the ATSC standard though) which the human eye or a deinterlacer built into the display device must visually and temporally combine to build a 1080 line picture - in CRT type display. To get all 1080 interlaced lines to appear on the screen at the same time on a progressive high-definition display, the processor within the HD set has to weave together both 540-line segments to form the full-resolution frame. It does so by holding the first field in its memory, receiving the next field, then electronically knitting the two fields together. The combined fields are displayed at once as a complete 1080p frame. The main tradeoff between the two is that 1080i may show more detail than 720p for a stationary shot of a subject at the expense of a lower effective refresh rate and the introduction of interlace artifacts during motion. 720p is used by ABC and ESPN because the smoother image is desirable for fast-action sports telecasts. Fox Broadcasting Company uses the tagline "the nation's finest high-definition standard" in advertising its 720p programming.

 

[bomber]

As you can see there is much debate about what is better 720p vs 1080i, which in my opinion and experiences is 720p is actually better. 1080p is greater than 1080i, 1080p is the real deal.

1080p TVs to check out:

HP MD6580n 65-inch DLP rear-projection
Sony KDS-R60XBR1 60-inch LCoS rear-projection
Westinghouse LVM-37W1 37-inch LCD
Samsung HL-R6768 67-inch DLP rear-projection
Mitsubishi WD-73727 72-inch DLP rear-projection
1. 1080p defined
1080p resolution--which equates to 1,920x1,080 pixels--is the latest HD Holy Grail. That's because 1080p monitors are theoretically capable of displaying every pixel of the highest-resolution HD broadcasts. On paper, they should offer more than twice the resolution of today's 1,280x720, or 720p, HDTVs, such as Samsung's HL-P5085W. Some companies, such as LG, refer to these super-high-res of sets as ultra-HD, while others prefer to substitute true or full for ultra.

2. Why 1080p is theoretically better than 1080i
1080i, the former king of the HDTV hill, actually boasts an identical 1,920x1,080 resolution but conveys the images in an interlaced format (the i in 1080i). In a tube-based television, otherwise known as a CRT, 1080i sources get "painted" on the screen sequentially: the odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on your screen first, followed by the even-numbered lines--all within 1/30 of a second. Progressive-scan formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content. As opposed to tubes, microdisplays (DLP, LCoS, and LCD rear-projection) and other fixed-pixel TVs, including plasma and LCD flat-panel, are inherently progressive in nature, so when the incoming source is interlaced, as 1080i is, they convert it to progressive scan for display.

3. What content is available in 1080p?
Really, nothing at this point. Today's high-def broadcasts are done in either 1080i or 720p, and there's little or no chance they'll jump to 1080p any time soon because of bandwidth issues. Meanwhile, some newly announced DVD players from Denon and NeuNeo (who?) are claiming to upconvert standard DVD movies to 1080p resolution, but that's a far cry from native high-def content. More promising is the post-DVD future. There's been a lot of chatter over whether the new breed of high-def movie players, Blu-ray or HD-DVD, as well as the upcoming Sony PlayStation 3, will output in 1080p. Allegedly, they will, but those players and recorders will be very expensive at first (more than $1,000), and they probably won't hit more modest price levels until 2007 or even 2008. The PS3, on the other hand, is designed to be more of a mainstream product; we hope that means a price tag in the neighborhood of $500. It's unclear, however, exactly what it will output in 1080p--games, Blu-ray movies, or both--or neither.

 

[kevolution]

Max I read that too.
Good advice Chi!

Went to Walmart last night after the Cavs game for the hell of it. Man every tv they had was displaying the most awful fuzzy picture. I don't know why anyone would base their decison after seeing something like that. Walmart should just leave the TV's turned off if that the kind of picture they are gonna show the customers. I hate Walmart anyways.

I was also wondering if anyone has heard of calibration software to get the best picture possible. I read in some tv forums some cats were talking about using some software, but I don't have the slightest clue as to how that would work.

Now to debate whether to buy the service plan or not.
Normally I am not a big fan of service plans, especially since I worked at BestBuy and I know how shady that stuff can be. I know a manufactures warranty is a year or less and doesn't cover too much and I somehow doubt an added warranty will cover lamp replacement but we'll see.

Btw Great facts HHbomber thats some good knowledge right there. Thanks for sharing.

 

[bomber]

Kev,

As for pictures at a store on a TV, they all have the tv hooked up differently. The pics on the tvs at walmart sound like regular analog, regardless of the set the picture is gonna look grainy and unimpressive.

I know at like best buy and cc they have the tv's hooked up through component cables instead of DVI and HDMI cable. At stores you definately don't get a real image of what your gonna get through your cable box, just kind of the way it is.

As for calibration software, cnet boasts about a calibration dvd you can buy and use.

Don't buy the service plan, I never do. Waste of money imo, I've never had any problems with my sony 51" rear projection thats 4 years old or my panny 42" plasma. Best buy and those guys only hound you to buy those b/c that's how they make their money. Problems are really few and far between with tv sets.

I would stick with the Samsung dlp your talking about, it's cheap and it will do the job you need. You won't need to buy a new set for a couple years, 1080p won't be a big deal for years. 1080p is rarely available on sets, expensive and you can only utilize 1080p with blu-ray or ps3.

Check out cnet.com for their reviews on TV, I like them.