Help me decide between TV's please!

[Wizrd23]

Hey everybody,

I'm new to the forums but a buddy of mine is a regular contributor and said maybe I should sign up and post this question:

I'm ready to spend $3,000 on a new big screen DLP. I had my mind basically made up, but I wanted to hear some arguement / opinions before I drop all that dough.

Let me first tell you what else I have in the basic setup and my planned usage, and then you can tell me your thoughts:

I've got a 7 channel setup using Fidek tower speakers. I'm not a huge audiophile, so these are more than sufficient for me. I'm going to buy a decent sub in a month or two. I'm also waiting for the Yamaha RX-V2600 receiver to come out and I will be picking one of those up. I figured since it supports HDMI and DVI switching and yamaha has been highly rated by audiophiles, I can't go wrong there.

Otherwise, I have a Oppo Digital progressive scan DVD player on order and I will have a Motorola DCT6208 HD PVR from comcast for watching and recording my SD and HD programming, and besides the listed components I have all the major game systems I'll be hooking up, including an Xbox360 when they come out and my PC.

I plan on primarily using this as a movie watching TV for my DVD collection, and playing games. I'll also watch alot of HD sports.

So to get right to it. I had decided on the Optoma custom series 65" DLP RPTV. (SV65XF). I can pick one up for about $3000 with shipping. They were rated very highly by CEDIA and they come from their California factory where they are hand assembled and ISF calibrated and certified. They also use the DVDO 905 scaling which is suppose to be phenomenal for upscaling and improving a SD 480i image. I won't continue to ramble off specs.
check out the write up here: http://www.optomatv.com/Content/SV65XF.asp

Anyway, my point is, is this a good TV for the price? I've also looked at the Samsung HL-R6167W which I could pick up for about $2500. The only major differences I can see are the brand-name recognition and maybe the fact the Optoma doesn't have an HDMI connection, only 1 DVI, but if I'm getting the yamaha RX-V2600, does this matter?

Thanks for reading and posting everyone! I want to make a decision in the next few days so it can be delivered in time for me to move into my new place on the 17th!

mp

 

[Hanse18]

I've been looking into a DLP set as well in a similar price range. Have you checked out the toshiba models at all? I'm still in the preliminary stages and don't have the serial numbers in front of me, but toshiba makes 2 (plus 1 discontinued but still available) 62" DLP TV's. All are in the $4,000 price range, but can be picked up for around $2000 online plus S&H. My concerns with the two tv's u specified is the lack of the new dlp chip out by texas instruments (HD2+ I believe). Samsung has it's own model (5th generation already!?!? why so many updates) and looking over the optoma website, it seems it is still using the original texas instruments chip, although I could be wrong and the optoma site was vague. Besides that, have you considered one of the new 1080P dlp sets? I think Mitsubishi has a couple out, and I'm sure other manufacturers have followed suit. Personally, I already have the 45" sharp aquos, which will lead the way into 1080P in my househould, so I am content with a 720P big screen for my basement HT. HD programming in my neighborhood (minneapolis) is minimal through the cable company, so I think it will be awhile before 720P is unbearably obsolete

Hope this helps, and good luck! Make sure you tell us what you decide to buy, and don't forget some online vendors remove the tv stand to save you money.

 

[Wizrd23]

I'll have to take a look at the Toshiba line. I'm not sure about which DLP chip its using, so when I call later this afternoon to the warehouse, I'll ask the manager. From everything I have read, there isn't much different between the DLP generations of chips... at least not between DLP 2+ and DLP 3, except contract levels, and optoma is already at 2500:1 which is far beyond most DLPs.

Also, as far as your comment on 1080p, I thought you and others would like to read this. http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages/reality.htm
and his follow up http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages/followup.htm

1080p is the new buzz word for 2005 and beyond for DLPS, and its a COMPLETE waste of money! I work in broadcast, and I can tell you what this guy is saying is completely true. So why waste the money? Buy a really good 720p DLP, with 1080i support, and make sure the manufacturer isn't being cheap and using line-doubler or wabolation techniques, and you are set for the next 5-8 years.

Anyway, other people tell me what you think. The cash is burning a hole in my pocket. I want to order something in the next few days. I'll let you know what I find out about the chip set. I'm also expecting the price to change somewhat, as I expect Optoma is going to announce their new line at CEDIA this week. If there is a ridiculous difference in features, I'd probably not buy the SV65XF, but it would have to be pretty significant.


**EDIT**
A quick check of the optoma corporate website, which doesn't have all the fancy pictures listed above at optomatv.com, shows the this model is using the HD2(+) chip. I'm assuming the (+) as I have never heard of a version that is just HD2. Also, keep in mind that the TV is ISF calibrated when it ships, so compared to most manufactured DLPS, the TV is already 25% better because its tuned to exact NTSE standards, whereas most others come from the factory with the contract blown out, lenses need to aligned, grays balanced, etc.

Here is a good explination for anyone who wants to get their TV tuned and see how much of a difference it makes.

http://www.imagingscience.com/
and an article about ISF calibrating http://www.dvdfile.com/news/special_report/production_a_z/isfcalibration.htm

 

[Mr. Lamb Fries]

great info...thanks for all the research

 

[Wizrd23]

No prob Lamb Fries! glad you found it interesting.

Now I have found another possible TV to add to the list of considerations..
Sharp 65DR650 (Hard to find in-stock anywhere, but I hear Costco carries it) and there is a newer version being released this month 65DR750.

Just not sure if this is a better deal than the Optoma. Really the Optoma is getting old, now that I have read about all the generations of DLP that have come out. In fact it is HD2. That means 2nd Gen. There there was HD2+, then HD3 and now, the newest of new TVs are announcing HD4! So really, if that matters, I'd be a couple generations behind.

What to do? Anyone hear anything about the Sharps? Any other suggestions of TVs to look at. In case I didn't mention it, I'm being a bit of a size whore, with 65" TVs. I'll go 60"-65" but nothing smaller. I really want the biggest I can afford, and its going in a room 19' x 11' so its really perfect for a theatre setup...

 

[Hanse18]

Hmmmm.... The whole ISF calibration thing is really interesting. If you like getting bad cradit scores, maybe you should get the optoma (with the "outdated" chip, but with it pre-calibrated) and compare it IN YOUR HOUSE to another, newer tv but of similar price. A website I came upon one day was making fun of audioholics (in general, not this site), and while he is wrong in saying that we always think more expensive is better, it may be that the newer dlp chips have no significant improvement over the older ones. I guess the HD2+ was supposed to almost completely eliminate the "rainbow effect" that some (very few i guess) people saw. So while owning two tvs for awhile would be a pain, and unadvisable, the actual improvement in quality is definitely something to consider. And, your faith in the optoma now has me considering it as my next tv purchase.

 

[Wizrd23]

Good thoughts Hanse. More money is not always better. The biggest problem for me is I don't really want to run a credit risk just to get two tv's to look at. The other problem is, there are no Optoma dealers near me, so I can't go anywhere and see one of these puppies in action. If I could, I would have by now. Its almost one of those, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is" type situations because they listed for $5300 new and now a year later you can pick one up for 50% of that. But of course, this week is CEDIA, and I'm sure Optoma is going to announce the new line of the same TVs. All I can think of, is maybe improved optics, cableCARD built in, and possibly adding an HDMI connection and moving up to either HD2+ or HD3. And I can't seem to find a good comparison anywhere that explains the differences. Hell, the newest TVs are already touting HD4 chips and I can't even find a press release on TI's website saying they are producing them!

The other problem I have, is if I window shop at Best Buy, or Conns, or another big box retailer, I know all the TVs are badly calibrated and none of them will let you screw with the settings to get a realistic picture. Even worse, I know more than any of them could dream to know. Plus, they are all easily 500-600 over priced, compared to what you can get one online for, and you can usually talk the online guys into free drop shipping... Its a tough decision.

(Funny story real quick, but I was in a Conns last week shopping for a washer and dryer and actually ended up giving the sales guy a lesson in HD! He was so happy to learn everything I told him about HD and the differences between DLP, DILA, Lcos, plasma, etc, that he gave me the rock bottom price on the washer and dryer and I saved $500!)