DLP vs. LCD(3)

RussL · #1 02-01-2004, 06:34 PM

Went to Circuit City this morning to look at DLP and LCD rear projectors. *The store had a 43" Samsung DLP set up right next to a 50" Mits LCD and 50" Sony LCD. *The Samsung seemed to have a slightly better black level than the two LCD sets and looked much more natural than the Mits.

Since the sets are not usually "set-up" properly in the store I was wondering if anybody else is looking or has purchased one of these sets. *The two LCD sets are on sale for $2699; the 50" DLP on-sale for $3299. *That could be $600 towards a DVD-5900!! *Thanks in advance for any opinions.

RussL · #2 02-03-2004, 10:07 AM

Went to Circuit City again yesterday to do the LCD vs. DLP compare again. *Spent a lot of time looking at both and came to several conclusions. One- The Sony LCD seemed to have a more consistent picture; both dark and bright scenes looked good. *The Samsung DLP looked better than the Sony on bright scenes but (much) worse than the Sony on dark scenes. *Flesh tones were terrible on the Samsung but the sets are not “set up”. *Two- After spending almost an hour looking at the two I had the salesmen play a DVD on the Samsung. *The result was disappointing as it was a definite step down from the HD feed. *Not really surprising but the picture seemed no better than an (apparently) very well set up Toshiba rear (CRT) projector set.

This appears to be a new ploy at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. *Run an HD feed to every set so they all look great in the store. *Than the unknowing buyer gets home, hooks up the cable and ....what POS did I buy.

The answer to why a $3200 set question above .... WAF, WAF, WAF, etc.. *Oh, did I mention WAF! *“Don’t want that monster set in MY den”. *We can build a full wall bookcase around the two types of chip projectors. Can't do that with a CRT projector without knocking out an outside wall 12-inches or so. *But I looked at the Toshiba for another 15 minutes or so and really enjoyed the more analog type picture. *Need to rethink the sets again (where’s my hammer and saw).

ED27 · #3 02-03-2004, 03:24 PM

I went through the same debate a few months back when I made my purchase. I decided to go with the Sony GWIII 50" (KF50WE610) because I felt the picture overall was better than the Samsung DLPs. More natural skin tones, decent black level and an overall bright picture (important to me since my family room gets a lot of sun light). The bonus was that the price was even cheaper. HT magazine loved the 60" version and gave it a 95.

The downside is that there is a problem with the factory installed Phillips-made bulb. It will most likely cause problems within the first few months of ownership. The problem is that the unit will attempt to turn for about 45 seconds and then give up. The red "lamp" light will flash indicating that the bulb needs to be replaced. Also, during the 45 seconds the set will making a "buzzing" noise as it attempts to start up.

Sony has been sending out replacement bulbs to customers without any hassle. Just give them a call with your appropriate information and they'll ship it out with 2nd day service. So far the new bulbs have been working without any issues according to owners who have done the fix. I am waiting for my bulb to arrive this week.

Even though this problem appears to be widespread I would still recommend this set. I would, however, advise to get the extended warranty for peace of mind.