suggestions: 46" tv, moderate to high ambient light...

[Xsound]

for a moderate technophobe. The room has a lot of windows, but the sun is mostly morning. Still want something that will work through potential glare. I would have thought LCoS, but under 50 seems more about LCD, Plasma, or DLP.

Is there a way around getting a set-top box, but still getting some digital/ Hidef t.v. As a technophobe, he will want simple access to whatever benefits.

Samsung DLP?

C'mon, it's an easy one...

Any Ideas?

X

 

[MDS]

LCD, DLP, and Plasma are all bright compared to a CRT with LCD generally being the brightest. Bright is good for a well lit room but as usual there are subtle tradeoffs between the different technologies and you will have to read up a bit on them and view different sets in person to see which you prefer.

Believe it or not BestBuy.com actually has a fairly well written synopsis of each type of TV and is as good a place as anyway to get started reading.

You may be able to get a CableCard from the cable company instead of a set-top box but they are one-way communication and won't allow you to purchase on-demand movies or view the guide. You can get HD channels over-the-air for free if you have a decent antenna but how many you can get depends on where you live and which stations are broadcasting free over-the-air HD.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Rear projection technologies including DLP, LCD, and LCoS are all excellent in dimmer rooms and those that don't get a lot of direct light. But, when the light levels go up, it is tough to beat plasma and lcd flat panel displays. The problem with plasmas is that they tend to have a glossy glass screen that reflects window light like crazy. The plus side with plasma, is that in a flat panel display it tends to have one of the best overall images possible.

The winner, in my opinion, for your setup would have to be the LCD flat panel displays. While a bit on the pricey side, they are incredibly bright and the newest models have phenomenal image accuracy and off-axis viewing capacity. This combined with a non-glare screen provides excellent overall image quality in bright rooms, especially those with larger windows and direct sunlight in the room.