HDTV

soupcan
May 01 2007 05:17 PM

I want to buy a High Def TV but am a little lost as to what makes each type of TV different.

I want a set for my family room that is 55"-60" and that I can hang on the wall.

From what I'm able to understand so far there are three types of HD sets.

-Plasma

-DLP

-Rear Projection

The differences as I understand them are as follows:

Plasmas give the superior picture of the three and one does not have to be directly in front of the set to see it clearly. The plasmas are the most expensive and the knocks seem to be that they don't last as long as the others and that Plasmas are the priciest. These are also flat panel and can be hung on a wall. In trying to find info it seems that the lifespan of plasmas has improved to the point where they last just as long as the other two types though. Also plasmas haven't previously been manuafactured in large sizes (over 50") but that also seems to have changed and they offer plasma sets at 55" now.

DLPs can be hung on a wall, are offered in large sizes and are less expensive than plasmas. To view the best picture however one must be directly in front of the screen

Rear Projection - Cannot be hung on a wall (16"-18" deep), but other than that these seem pretty good. Pricing is competitive with DLPs and you do not have to be directly in front of it to view it.

Can anybody who knows anything more about these than I do add or debunk anything here? Muchas gracias.

Kid Carsey
May 01 2007 05:45 PM

I found this last week, I don't know if it'll help you.

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-RbSSPLqAfi5/learningcenter/home/tv.html

They probably have something similar or better on the B&H photo web-site
but I have looked there yet.

More than one person has told me that plasma is fine if you're not going to
play video games on it and if you are go LCD. Kinda makes sense, but I don't
trust salespeople.

Vic Sage
May 01 2007 07:39 PM

i've been doing a ton of research lately, because i, too, am in the big screen HDTV market, for something in the 50" range (13' viewing distance from couch to screen)

I've rejected the projection sets (both DLP and rear projection), because unless I'm dead center, they don't look very good to me. They are also quite bulky, and i've got a small-ish room.

I'm torn between a plasma and an LCD, for different reasons. If you're really looking for something as big as 60", then LCD is probably not the way to go, yet, since they're much more expensive at that size. The higher rated plasmas in that size range are probably Pioneer, Phillips and Panasonic (the "3 Ps"). I've heard that Vizio makes a decent low-end plasma, too. The LCDs are Sony, Samsung and Sharp (the "3 Ss").

You've got to go look at them, side by side. Keep in mind that, though the LCDs give you a brighter image, the plasmas give you more accurate color and deeper blacks, and a more consistent image with fewer image "artificacts" (various problems like "banding", blurring of fast movement, pixilation, "false contours", etc, that LCDs are prone to). LCDs have a longer life, however, and are more energy-efficient. Plasmas used to have a problem with "burn in" and shorter life, but not so much anymore. The biggest difference, image-wise, is the prevalence of "1080p" resolution in LCDs, which is better than the 720 available in Plasmas. However, plasmas have started coming out in 1080, too, but they are still prohibitively expensive.

I'm going to wait another year and get the Pioneer 50" plasma 1080, when it falls in price (hopefully).