New Guy Looking for DLP.

[Weasel]

I am new to the forum and looking for best picture at a reasonable price. from what ive gathered DLP is my best option. I definatrly want to go with the 1080p. I was originally thinking of the Samsung 50 or 56" after reading some reviews, now Im hearing Mitsubisha has a better picture. I believe they start at 60" which may be too big for my room regardless. I never play video games and I am also concerned with the rainbow effect I keep hearing about. Do these models have it?

Weasel

 

[azcoyote]

Having or not having Rainbow effect is more a matter of the viewer than the set. They all have the potential for this due to the technology in use. Some people have high visual accuity and they can detect the RBE easily. Others can stand right next to Mr. See-It-All and look at the exact same set and not be able to detect anything. This happens because our eyes and brains are all different.

The only way to be sure about RBE is to go to the nearest bricks and mortar and look at the exact DLP you are interested in to see if you see it.

As to picture, people are debating picture quality constantly regarding the Mits vs. Sammy. The general consensus is this.

The Mits offer a sharper more crisp image while the Sammy offers a smoother more film like image. Some say that makes the Sammy seem too soft or the edges are blurred. Some say it makes th image look more like film which they like. Some also say that the ability to turn off enancements in the Mits makes it a favorite for them. All and all it comes down to how much didling you will do with the settings (any?), what your eyes tell you, and how much you want to spend. Unless you are a hardcore videophyle (I am not) then you will likely be happy with either set.

That means the best indicator for your selection would be...
1. Does the picture pass your eye test
2. Do you like the softer Sammy image or the harder Mits image
3. Does the price difference matter to you

Those are the parameters I am using to make my decision.
I am getting the Sammy 6168 BTW...

Cheers,
Wiley

 

[azcoyote]

Also covered more in this thread...
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13809

 

[AVRat]

The Mits do have 52" sets. You could also check out JVC's D-ILA sets. Supposed to be much better this year.

 

[Weasel]

Is anybody broadcasting in 1080p? If not when do they plan to and does the 720 look worse on a 1080p television??

 

[Iggy50]

Samsung 1080P 50" is awesome

Weasel,
I to had a problem with size. Originally I was ready to purchase the 56" Samsung but had to move down to the 50". This DLP is amazing. I have neighbors come by and can't beleive what they are seeing. They never have seen the claity, colors, and most important the brightness/contrast. It also is a handsome look to it. I love it and enjoy the many hours watching all the HDTV channels I can find.

Iggy in Surprise AZ

 

[djoxygen]

Is anybody broadcasting in 1080p? If not when do they plan to and does the 720 look worse on a 1080p television??

There is currently no 1080p source (at least that I have heard of) outside your computer. Apple has posted a few 1080p trailers and other gorgeous 1080p footage on their QuickTime site. I believe there is some WMV 1080p content available as well.

General consensus is that broadcasters will not adopt 1080p anytime soon because they'd rather give you quantity (i.e. more content) than quality. Your first non-computer 1080p source is likely to be the Sony Playstation 3. I don't know if it's been established that the PS3 will de-interlace Blu-Ray movies (which will almost certainly be 1080i), but Sony has said that games can be 1080p.

The math to go from 720p to 1080i/p is very simple (the uncompressed data stream of both formats contain an identical amount of data). With current technology, there will be almost no discernable difference between viewing 720p sources on a 720p-native display and a 1080p-native display.

Make sure you read the specs on your display very carefully, though. I don't know about the particular ones you're looking at, but some of the currently available 1080p sets will only take 1080p on a VGA/SVGA-style analog input, so you might be out of luck with anything but a computer anyway.