Need help deciding--REAR dlp projection, plasma, or lcd

[nitr05]

What is the best way t go? Life expectancy in mind. Size between 42 and 46, space ltd in entertainment center. Will be also looking into 2 zone receiver, have speakers through out house, and want to be able to run surround sound in den, with another source to the other rooms.

 

[A/VUSMCSGT]

They all have their ups and downs. I guess it's personal preference as to picture quality, room light, space available, price range, etc. I personally own the Westinghouse 42 inch LCD. I saw it in person at Best Buy and compared it against every other tv that they had and there was no comparison. Also, you should think about future technology. My tv is capable of 1080P. Although it's not the current technology, it will be soon enough. I won't have to buy a new tv to keep up with the neighbors. If you buy a 720P/1080I tv, you're picture quality will be limited to today's picture quality. If I were you, I would look around on the internet at the ups and downs of each one, and consider EVERYTHING you can think of that has to do with the tv, it's a big and expensive purchase. Good luck on whatever you decide.

Joe

 

[BigGuy]

If you want to mount it on a wall, LCD or Plasma is the only way to go, over 42"? Plasma would be your only choice (I guess a few LCD's over 42" are coming out now). Front Projection looks great for the price, but I had problems with the two that I had by LG(Stuck Pixels, and the 2nd unit would shut off after 10seconds, no luck with 3 separate repairs). I think Plasma has a better picture then LCD, but that will change as LCD technology gets better, as mentioned with the 1080p LCD. From the sets that I've seen, Plasmas have better brightness, color saturation, black levels, and less "trails" from fast moving objects. I've dealt mainly with Runco Plasma's and LCD, as well as a few LG's which is the brand I chose for myself, mainly because I couldn't come close to affording a over priced Runco. I'd set a budget for yourself, and a size / mounting needs, and then go look and play with everything that fits those needs. Figure out how far from the TV you will be seating and make sure you take that into account when looking at them.. They all look big standing 2 feet in front of them at the store, but 12ft away is a different story at home.

Brian

 

[tomahawktim]

Keep in mind how often you will be turning the tv on and off.

The bulbs in most projection televisions do not react well to being turned on and off with any great frequency.

When we were deciding on a tv for our family room we eliminated rear projection lcd and dlp from the mix for just that reason.

The tv might be turned on/off twice a day or ten times a day. It might be turned off for dinner and then turned on again 20 minutes later. Also, sometimes a wrong button is pushed and the tv is off and then immediately turned on again. Very bad for those bulbs.

 

[BMXTRIX]

You aren't really asking a question that hasn't been asked, and answered, 1,000 times over already. There are pros and cons to every type of technology out there, but the bottom line is that most displays have a life expectancy that exceeds 10 years for normal use. Which is in line with what you have received from regular CRT displays over the years.

That is, the electronics inside are more likely to fail before the display itself fails.

But, within every product category you have manufacturers that do a lot better job with their displays than other companies do. At about 50" or so, the Sony SXRD rear projection units look great, aren't terribly expensive, and the newest lineup is 1080p and accepts 1080p. A big plus looking forward.

In my opinion, the only time to use a flat panel display, like plasma or LCD is when you really have limited space and coming off the wall 18" is to much space. They are great for bedrooms and other locations where floor space may be valuable, but I will never understand when people get a plasma or LCD, then put it on a table which is dedicated for their A/V gear. In my experience, most plasmas and LCDs do not look as good as rear projection DLP, LCD, and LCoS units.

DLP, LCD, and LCoS all are rear projection (or front projection) technologies that use a lamp. The lamp is almost always user replacable and can last you several years before it needs to be replaced. When you replace it, yourself, you basically have what amounts to a brand new display. That is, until electronics inside fail.

 

[PatrickBateman]

You aren't really asking a question that hasn't been asked, and answered, 1,000 times over already. There are pros and cons to every type of technology out there, but the bottom line is that most displays have a life expectancy that exceeds 10 years for normal use. Which is in line with what you have received from regular CRT displays over the years.

That is, the electronics inside are more likely to fail before the display itself fails.

But, within every product category you have manufacturers that do a lot better job with their displays than other companies do. At about 50" or so, the Sony SXRD rear projection units look great, aren't terribly expensive, and the newest lineup is 1080p and accepts 1080p. A big plus looking forward.

In my opinion, the only time to use a flat panel display, like plasma or LCD is when you really have limited space and coming off the wall 18" is to much space. They are great for bedrooms and other locations where floor space may be valuable, but I will never understand when people get a plasma or LCD, then put it on a table which is dedicated for their A/V gear. In my experience, most plasmas and LCDs do not look as good as rear projection DLP, LCD, and LCoS units.

DLP, LCD, and LCoS all are rear projection (or front projection) technologies that use a lamp. The lamp is almost always user replacable and can last you several years before it needs to be replaced. When you replace it, yourself, you basically have what amounts to a brand new display. That is, until electronics inside fail.

On the flip side, I find the plama's to have a better picture than DLP, LCD and LCoS units.
You also need to ask yourself, how are you going to use the unit.
Remember if you watch a LOT of TV, most channels are SD, and you need to also find a unit that looks good for SD