Best Type(CRT RPTV, LCD, DLP, Plasma) For Room With Fairly High Ambient Light Levels (1 Viewer)

[James Edward]

I had some friends from NC stay over yesterday, and we were watching my Tosh 57HX81. I have NEVER seen people so ecstatic over the larger screen experience. My TV had just been recalibrated, so everything was dead-on. We watched for hours and hours, at their request.

They want to buy one as soon as possible, but they have a home with large windows all over the place. I'm afraid that a CRT RPTV would be a reflection nightmare in such a room, and the only way they could view it would be with contrast and brightness way up. Are the other technologies any better in bright rooms? As I read between the lines, it seems that none have as good picture quality as a CRT RPTV(black levels especially), but may be better in their situation.

Or should they just bite the bullet and get window coverings with an eye toward blocking out light?

What is the learned opinion out there? Thanks.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

If they are serious about getting a large screen, no matter what the type, they should get a scheme to control ambient light. Controlling light is inherent to proper viewing. All that aside, if proper viewing is not important to them, let them know that any type of large screen tv will wash out in high reflective light. CRT and plasmas are very susceptible to burnin problems when driven hard in these conditions. Can't say about LCD and DLP, I'm no expert on these.

 

[sean_pecor]

If they are going to be watching ALOT of TV with sunlight pouring through the windows then nothing will look very good

What's their budget? In a bright room I think Plasma would be the best choice, but to get 50" of quality Plasma they may have to spend $8,000 or more. If they're wealthy, no biggie. If they aren't, it would make more sense to spend $3,000 on a nice 50+" RPTV, and then spend $2,000 on nice vertical or horizontal blinds for every window

Another option is the Sony 60" LCD Grand Wega II:
http://electronics.cnet.com/electron...?tag=pdtl-list
It's around $4,250 to $5,000 nowadays. Not as good as CRT RPTV in a dark room, but much better than a CRT RPTV in a bright room. It's got a much thinner footprint than a CRT RPTV of comparable size. Also, the LCD Grand Wega II isn't going to burn-in like a CRT RPTV or a Plasma, so it may be the best choice for your non-home-theater-enthusiast friends who may not set the TV up correctly

Sean.