Which do you prefer - and why? DLP, LCD, Plasma or Projection?

captaincrash · 12-12-2006, 12:13 PM

Which do you prefer - and why? DLP, LCD, Plasma or Projection?

This is intended as a little question - deliberately unstructured to some extent as it addresses something that sort of nags at me when I walk into any HDTV store... IE... I walk in and glance around at the gorgous plasmas then muse over their single use lifespans and wonder a bit how they might look at their half lifes...then I look at the LCD and stare looking for the ghosting images, then I look at the slightly less intense images on DLP and appraise how much less they cost for the slightly larger screens compared to direct view LCD or plasma... then I look at the few projection setups and wonder... gee, that IS gonna be the biggest screen but how much BETTER will the image be in a really really dark room? Will the picture improve enough to compete against the other display formats?

EVERYTHING IS SUCH A COMPROMISE! I see the 103" Plasma from Panasonic (as I recollect) for $70,000.... and I sometimes begin to wonder how much a 103" Plasma will sell for in 5-7 years? Tecnology leaps forward every 18 months... right? SO ... 3 to 4 cycles will sweep by in 5 to 7 years and I would guess that a 103" plasma will drop from $70K to maybe 50K, then 35K, and in the 3rd cycle it might hit 25K... then at 7 years it might hit ... 20K??? Or dare I think it goes sub 20 to 15K??? I remember a 70" plasma when it was $100,000 some time ago - and now what do they sell for?

Shoot at that rate - it makes sense to defer the purchase and throw away the plasma when it is somewhat past its' half life... that is ... once you can identify the price point you are will ing to "recycle" every few years!!!

I sometimes think I am still experinceing some confusion on the matter ...
SO..... Which do you prefer - and why? DLP, LCD, Plasma or Projection?

Jim Mcc · 12-12-2006, 03:42 PM

Definitely front projector. The low cost, image quality, and HUGE screen size is simply UNBELIEVABLE. You can now buy a quality 720p front projector for less than $1,000, and have a screen size of at least 100". The Optoma HD70 is priced at $999 MSRP, and the Mitsubishi HD1000 is priced at $995 MSRP. Both are 720p DLP projectors. And yes, I prefer DLP. I like the look
of DLP better, and I think LCD has more potential problems.

John Garcia · 12-12-2006, 05:30 PM

I personally HATE DLP. I have yet to see one that I do not see the "rainbow" effect on. Some are better than others, but so far they all exhibit this problem which is extremely distracting to me.

LCD is taking over the 42"-50" market and plasma cannot compete when it comes to resolution vs LCD. Plasma has the edge with brightness and contrast though, but cost vs size, LCD is going to come down quicker than Plasma.

captaincrash · 12-12-2006, 07:41 PM

John...

... I think Jim was referring to LCD front projectors and not the rear projection LCD. OR.../ is it ME who is mistaken? DO both LCD techniques use the spinning color wheel in both rear projection and front projection?

AND... today I went back to the local HD TV specialist store to gather more impressions and info. If seems the 103" Plasma is a demonstration piece with no info on buying even though they have cited a price of $70,000. Then... the 70" gas plasma screens that they were thinking of selling (LG in this instance) will probably be sold in January or February for about $15,000. Currently a 60" gas plasma is on display and not so bad for price (forgot how much it was since I disregarded it immediately since my Epson is already 57").

And - I looked carefully at a 90+" inch fixed screen 1.1 gain screen with a 1080p Sony that was priced at $10,000 but on sale for $6K. AND I looked at a Panasonic 720p on a retractible screen. I am still a bit mixed between the various formats - but in a heavily darkened room the two front projectors were OK. And it was in fact the entire theater layout that I found myself impressed with. They had a dedicated 18x15 theater set up with the 90"/Sony projector - and a smaller multipurpose layout with the 720p screen. I think that ultimately a front projector in a nicely appointed and mildly dramatic theater would serve me best.

Now if only I could settle between 720p or 1080p? I am not convinced of the need for 1080p.

Adam Gregorich · 12-12-2006, 08:37 PM

I am going to move this thread to the display area.

**HTF Ads**

Mark-P · 12-12-2006, 09:08 PM

I'll put in a vote for DLP. Of the three it is the newest technology and I think it delivers spectacular results.

Quote:

DO both LCD techniques use the spinning color wheel in both rear projection and front projection?

LCD doesn't use a color wheel in any setup. DLP technology has the color wheel.

Quote:

I personally HATE DLP. I have yet to see one that I do not see the "rainbow" effect on. Some are better than others, but so far they all exhibit this problem which is extremely distracting to me.

It definitely affects some people more than others. I can see the effect whenever I quickly avert my eyes, but I have gotten used to it and am not bothered by it. It's not as though you are sitting staring at the screen and the rainbow effect pops out all over the place. It is only when you look away quickly that you see the effect. I suppose if you are the type of person who has "shifty eyes" you might have a real problem ;-)

Hanson Yoo · 12-13-2006, 09:37 AM

DLP is my choice because it gives you the biggest screen for the least amount of money. The picture is spectacular. DLP RP has two issues -- 1) Rainbow effect, 2) Geometery issues related to curved mirrors. The former is infrequent enough that I can just ignore it. The latter only really shows up with 4:3 material because the right window box flares out a bit at the bottom. But these are minor compared to plasma and LCD problems.

For all the PC and VG stuff I have running, I'd be apprehensive enough about burn-in that I would avoid plasma. I was so paranoid about burn-in with my previous CRT RP set that I turned down the contrast way down and would be paranoid about pausing the screen to go the the bathroom. Now, if I pause on the DLP, I can go to the store and not worry at all about burn-in. Plus, a 60" plasma costs more than twice that of a DLP set, uses more energy, and is heavier.

They simply don't make 61" LCD panels on the consumer level. So for me, DLP was a no brainer (LCoS was in the running, but the JVC sets had build quality issues and the Sony's did not have adjustable screen size for the PC inputs). If I was interested in a 50" set, I may have done more research.

Bigger is simply better. There's no point in buying a 50" 1080p set with the best picture when you're more than 5 feet from the screen. For a 9 foot vewing distance, a 60" set with lesser picture quality is preferable for the size alone. Actually, for 9 feet, 70" would have been even better, but it was out of my price range.

Jordan_E · 12-13-2006, 10:26 AM

I have the Optoma HD70 and a 100" screen. PS3 and Toshi HD DVD player. 'Nuff for me!