I understand what the DLP is, but does that have to be a bad thing? Why is it bad?


One reason not to go with the Plasma commercial is because I'd have to buy a tuner for it. That's another market I'd have to research before I can watch TV on my big screen.

 

Unless you get basic analog cable and get your HDTV over the air with an antenna on your roof you get a tuner in the form of a sat receiver, PVR, TIVO, Digital Cable box. You will never plug your cable/satelite directly into your TV and change channels using the TV remote. TVs cost more than displays because you have to pay for the tuner. You probably don't need the speakers either as you will likely have a 5.1 audio receiver and speakers. You can get them as an add-on if you think you need them.

It's bad because it's projected onto a screen which makes it unwatchable in daylight (you aren't looking at the light source) and for all the same reasons those traditional rear project "big screens" look like garbage anywhere outside of the darkened showroom.

 

You guys are confusing the heck out of me. Some of you adamantly say LCD is better, while the others say plasma is better. Let's settle this, which one has clearer picture using regular cable?

 

Good response. Only problem now is speakers. I will be relying on TV speakers...that will be the add-on.

My friend got a DLP, I'll have to go over during the day to check out his setup.

 

Picture clarity is only one of many factors. There is no single idiot's answer to the question. The only one that fits is "it depends". None of the displays discussed can improve the clarity or resolution of the image fed to it. An analog cable TV signal will look just about as clear on any set. There are a host of other issues like viewing angle (does the quality of the picture degrade or wash out as you get off center from it?), black level/contrast (does black look like black of is it sort of grey?), vibrance (do the colors "pop" with a deep richness or do they look sort of flat; matte vs. gloss kind of quality), does the quality of the image/color change in different places (does the blue in the lower corner look the same as the blue in the upper corner?). All of these are subjective to some degree but many can be measured and that is how they are graded.

In the end a good display is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[QUOTE=kumainu,Dec 13 2006, 01:07 AM] You guys are confusing the heck out of me.

 

Wrong. CRTs are the ultimate in PQ. I know it's not a new-gen product but NOTHING compares in PQ to CRT.

 

no, i don't know that for a fact....and actually doubt that a DLP is better than a plasma or LCD panel.

but if someone were to say that a DLP is X times better than a panel, i would still take the panel.....but that's just me.

i like the aesthetics of a wall mounted panel....

 

Right, I need to get Digital Cable, which is $15.00 to $20.00/month over extended cable. I need speakers, and I need it to be delivered.

TV =1025
Speakers =279
Shipping = 25 (This is a low estimate...I'm sure it'll be more than that)

Total =1329 for a TV that's leaning against the wall.

I could also pay <$1000 for a DLP of the same size which comes with free shipping and a tuner that allows for connecting a PC to the screen (I don't know why I"d need to do this except to watch some F1 races I have stored on there, but it's cool nonetheless), and speakers.

Now the only question I have is:

Can I tell the difference between a 42" Plasma and a 42" DLP when they're sitting side-by-side? Maybe, but they won't be side-by-side in my apartment. I'll have the DLP to compare to my 24 ish" that I have now. Maybe I'll just have to get some blackout shades to watch TV.

By the way, I have no reason to have a tuner other than the one in the TV in Baton Rouge, LA...maybe during F1 season I'll get some Digital Cable, but otherwise I'm good with my basic cable.

 

Personally I would take a 1920x1080 resolution DLP TV over an equal sized 1366x768 plasma any day. There isn't much widely available 1080p content available yet, but if you're using xbox 360, ps3, upconverting DVDs, HD-DVDs, Blu Ray, 1080p online video, PC games, desktop applications you will welcome the extra resolution. At under $1000 though you're looking at a 720p 1280x720 resolution DLP. The only advice we should be giving you it to go into a retail store and look at the TVs you are considering. Ask them to hook a DLP to the same source as a plasma and decide which you like better for the price.

a nice 50" 1080p dlp is the samsung S5087W. 1080p input support, around $1300.