Best Widescreen TV under 1600? (1 Viewer)

[David Shiver]

I'm looking to buy a widescreen tv and only have about 1600 dollars to spend. Any recommendations?

 

[mark alan]

I would buy a front projector, if you have a room with decent light control. Definitely the biggest bang for your buck. Why have a 42" tv when you can have a 120"?

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

David,

You need to specify what size and type of widescreen TV you're looking for OR at least give us an idea what your priorities and main objectives are and what you've been using until now.

For

 

[David Shiver]

Right now I have the Sony Wega 36" model KV36-FS10. I mainly watch DVDs on this tv which is about 80% of the viewing and the remainder is watching sports, racing and football. I think for my room size a 42" or a 46" would be prefect. Anything larger maybe to big. My room size is 16x14. I want one that is HD ready as my cable company is offering some HD programming. I was looking at the Mitsubishi 42" model WT-42311 and the Toshiba 42" model 42H82 for rear view projection and for direct view i was looking at the Sony 36" KV-36HS510.
I have always heard about burn in on the rvp tv's, is that a big issue?
Thanks

 

[Ralph B]

buy a front projector!

unless your buying a tube unit you will be disappointed if you buy it then see a front projector afterwards.

for the money it cant be beat. I goto the stores now and laugh at RPTV's and glad i never bought one.

sure there are lighting issues with FP'n but its the same with a rptv. you have to be in the sweet spot with RPTV and the reflection is horrible. on FP everyone is gonna see the same pic no matter where you sit. its amazing!

also you will get double the screen than you would with RPTV and spen less if you choose. for the same price you can get yourself a nice unit. id go with DLP if rainbows arent a problem for you. darks are nice and colors are great.

 

[JayDerek]

I'm in a little of the same situation as David.

I would like to spend around $1600ish or so on a widescreen TV. Mine would be for an apartment and be 80% of the time be used for watching DVDs.

A front projector for me is out of the question because i will be in an apartment and just won't have the room.

I've looked at the CRT Sony's but would like to get something bigger than 36" for size.

I've read a lot and eyed up the Sony kp46wt500 and have heard a lot of good things about it. But my biggest worry is how the picture would look to others not perfectly in the 'sweet spot' for the RPTV. I love to have friends over to watch movies, but this is a concern...

Also it'll be a couple months before I can make this purchase, so maybe I should just wait and see what's available then....

~Jason

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Jay,

Although Sony has a great reputation for direct views, their record on HD-RPTV's is not so good. They have improved in reliability and pic quality, but still not up to par with Mits, Toshiba, Pioneer etc. Plus, they are more expensive per diagonal inch than the above.

The horizontal viewing angle on the newer HDTV's is almost that of a direct view. Vertically, you have a small angle and the picture degrades considerably if you are not at eye level, but horizontally they have come a long way. The best thing to do is to go to the store and check them out. View at the extreme angles your guests would be seated and see if the picture is acceptable. I think you'll be surprised at the results and I know you'll like the picture size and quality.

 

[Pat_DiLella]

David, I just purchased the SOny 46" RPTV on Man's recommendation a couple of weeks ago and I am very happy with it. It's my first RPTV. Picture quality is excellent for dvd's and ditigal cable channels. The analog channels on cable are a little grainy but I think they are like that no matter what brand of RPTV you have because it's an analog signal and not a digital one. I would agree there is a "sweet spot" for the best viewing but even from the other angles the picture is real good. Still waiting for the HDTV box from cable, need one with the DVR feature for the kids.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

FP people,
Please 'lay out' what would be needed, in a front projection setup.
Room lighting.
Screen.
Noise (from the fan).
Distances (to obtain "a 120"" picture).
Brackets (for installation).

Also, for me it's CRT.
Funny, I don't have as much of a problem with digital 'distortion' of audio as I do with analog 'distortions' of audio.
However, I have major problems with digital 'distortions' of video, and much less with analog 'distortions' of video.
Just a FREAK, I guess!

I suspect, there is no CRT FP's at this price point.
But, would be interested where CRT FP price points do start at.
Thanks.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

Oh, and for "me", and it is all about me, right now the Hitachi 46F500, is the widescreen of choice (I sit 'very' close to the display & reflections are not an issue as I watch in a completely dark room, I am looking to add a 6500k backlight too the system).
List is $2099US w/o stand, Sears now has it for $1699 w/o stand.

 

[Robert-Y]

FP people, Please 'lay out' what would be needed, in a front projection setup.
Room lighting.
Screen.
Noise (from the fan).
Distances (to obtain "a 120"" picture).
Brackets (for installation).

Room lighting - depends on the lumens of the FP. If you are talking about an Infocus X1, it has 1100 lumens. Being able to control light would maximize it's entertainment value (unlike Direct view TV - which can be view in full daylight).

Screen - Can be a DIY project. From Ron-P, make a frame of 1x4's and stretch black out cloth over the frame. Staple the cloth to the frame. Paint the cloth with Lowe's Valspar Gray Plank Interior Flat (code: 101-21.5, 107-1, 116-1) paint(2 coats).

Noise is 37dB. Noticeable at first - but able to naturally tune it out after (or when things are exploding ).

Distance to obtain a 120" diagonal (using the X1) is: 15.12' to 18.16' for 4:3 ratio and 16.472' to 19.784' for 16:9 ratio.

Brackets - the X1 can be table top (no brackets) or hung from the ceiling - there is a Infocus mount and those selling on Ebay for $60-$70.

Hope this info can be of assistance to you.

Robert.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Why not a white cloth?

And to think my 58" 16x9 RPTV cost 4K back in 2000.

 

[Chris Moe]

Ed St. Clair

There are plenty of CRT projectors in this price range. They will of course be used, but you have to remember these are professional grade machines and are built like tanks. Some of the CRT resellers also offer warranties. You can get into CRT projection for less than $500, the most popular projector at this low price point is the Sony 1031. I happen to have a Sony 1272 for sale and I am local to you (Berkeley)

Room lighting.
You will need total light control to get the best picture. I have skylights in my room which were a problem, I made some blackout cloth curtains that velcro into place and I now have perfect light control.

Screen.
You can do this cheaply if you don't mind DIY. The two most popular DIY screens are Blackout cloth and Parkland plastics, you can make either of these screen for less than $50. Many people are very happy with both of these types of screens. I personally started out with a blackout cloth screen but recently upgraded to a DaLite highpower. The highpower cost me about $230.

Noise (from the fan).
This really depends on the projector. Some are real loud and will require a hushbox, others are quite quiet. I have had two CRT projectors, a Sony 1272 and a Sony G70. I have had them both floor mounted under a coffee table and the noise never bothers me.

Distances (to obtain "a 120"" picture).
This really depends on the projector. If I wanted to run a 120" screen with my G70 I would be looking at a throw distance of about 135" with the 1272 it was just a little more at about 140", these estimates are probably on the far end of the spectrum you could probably go a little closer. 120" is a little big for a CRT. There are many people who run screens this big (and bigger) though. I personally have a 100" screen.

Brackets (for installation).
I am floor mounted so I don't need one, but I believe they run between 100-200 dollars. The mounting brackets will often times be sold with the projector though. There are also DIY alternatives, the unistrut method seems to be the most popular.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

You FP people are ALL RIGHT!!!

Thank's for the quick reply.
So, FP really is a option at the under $2000 price point.
And, a large screen is doable from a 'small' distance.

Well, I don't know if it's the thread starters concern, although I believe it should be, that's DVI.
I know, a bad 'word'.
However, such is life in HT today.
I am into DVI for future compatibility, for sure.
But, also for a direct digital output from a DVD, as well.
I know, I can't "have everything".
Just, HD sourced from sat/cable, are a huge concern for me.

Yo, Buzzurkley!!!
Moe, Moe, Moe.
(Any relation too Moe's Books, on Telegraph?)
My homeboy, what up?

 

[Chris Moe]

You wont be able to do DVI on a CRT projector unless you can afford the new Barco Cine 9 which will set you back about 40K+.

I personally am not worried about it at all. When the time comes I am sure there will be work arounds and someone will hack it.

For me it is a non issue.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

OK, I'm not as up on technology as others here. What is DVI?

 

[Chris Moe]

What is DVI? http://www.cableco.com/dvi.html

 

[David Shiver]

Thanks Guys

 

[Andy_A]

sorry to revive this thread, but I am in the same predicament. I'm in an apartment sitting about 9 feet from the tv. I was going to buy a 46 inch toshiba rear pro, but after reading this thread, I'm thinking of buying a front projector. I have the perfect wall right in front of me. I don't know much about them, though. I have two questions: 1. I have white colored walls. Could I project the image directly on to the wall? 2. I assume the projector could be focused to produce a proper image (approximately) 5 foot screen? 3. Is there a projector (new or used) that will do at least good 480p in the $1300 range? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Scot_G]

I've been doing a lot of front proj research the last month or so, since i will getting an apartment after college and want a big...ahem...HUGE screen. here are some good factiods ive gotten:

if you want a cheap projector, look at the infocus X1. it is about $1000, and has a native 4:3 resolution of 800x600. A 16:9 movie will show up as 800x450. This is not quite 480p, but close.

If you can stomach spending $2000, the Sanyo PLV-Z2 just came out, which has a native 16:9 aspect ratio of 1280x720.

As far as I know, there are no projectors with a native aspect ratio of 1920x1080 (at least not for less than $10,000)

DLP vs. LCD
DLP's get higher contrast ratios ~2000:1 typically, and LCD's get roughly ~800:1. So DLP's will give you better blacks than LCD's will, however, LCD's are getting better, the Sanyo Z2 i mentioned above has a contrast ratio of 1300:1. LCD's are known to have better looking colors than DLP projectors. DLP's have less enpty space between the pixels than LCD's do. This higher level of empty space is what causes LCD images to look like a screen door, and is one of the major drawbacks of LCD projectors.
DLP's have a problem known as rainbowing. This is basically you eye catching a screen that is saturated in one color (R,G or B)for a split second. Also, DLP displays are more prone to causing eye strain headaches.

Screens:
It has been said alread that you can make your own screen dirt cheap. a white wall will work if the paint is not glossy, but wont look as good as a DIY screen. If you like to spend money, you can spend anywhere from a couple hundred to a few thousand on a professional screen.

Burn in:
Let the guys with RPTV's worry about that. Front projectors are immune.

Projector placement:
most front projectors have a zoom lense, so you can mount it in a range of distnaces from the screen. Some projectors also have a vertical and/or horizontal lense shift. this allows you to shift the image up, down, left or right without keystoning (making it look like a trapeziod) the image.

Lighting:
This is one of the major drawbacks to FP systems. to get the best picture, you need all the lights off. higher output projectors can handle a little ambient light. image brightness can be helped by using a high-gain screen material. Higher gain screens look better, but the veiwing angle is reduced, sine the high gain screen basically tries to reflect the light right back at the projector, instead of scattering it when it hits the screen. The result is a brighter screen in the sweet spot, and a duller screen off to the side.

so to sum it up,
Advantages:
--ENORMOUS screen possibilites
--No burn in concerns
--No huge box on the floor
--Your friends will all be jealous of the movie theater in your house.

Disadvantages:
--Total light control needed
--Longer cables needed.
--No built in tuner
--Requires more initial set up (screen building etc.)
--Just TRY to find a demo in a store.

For me, I'm not that concerned with light controll, as i watch movies at night. I like DIY projects too, so frot projection is definitely the route I'm gonna take, but the simplicity of a RPTV is good if you don't want to mess with screens and mounting projectors.

-Scot