Need help figuring out which display technology fits my needs. (1 Viewer)

I follow home theater mags and boards as a hobby but the alphabet soup of display technologies has my head spinning (direct-view, RPTVs, plasma, CRT, DLP, LCD, D-ILA).

Here's my criteria:

- 16x9 screen ratio (for least wasted space when watching movies and future TV viewing)

- Can reproduce true Black (dark gray won't do)

- Immune to burn in (for extended video game use and extended use of black side matting for current standard ratio programing)

- Preferably the lighter the better (tired of calling a friend just to move my WEGA around)

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My plan is pair this display with the soon to be released Samsung's DVD-HD931 player:

"The best DVD player I saw at the show was Samsung's DVD-HD931. Okay, Samsung's product names are drab, but the picture quality is stunning. This $349 player, available in June, converts regular DVD discs to high-quality definition (720p, or 1,080 interlaced). It's also a DVD-audio player."

Well I just learned that the DLP (Digital Light Projector: think silicon chip with a million pivoting mirrors) dont suffer burn-in.

But they dont go true-black.

The Samsung units seem to be quite nice for 16:9 sets. They are also thin and light.

There was some concern about reliability. One dealer said he had 10 units, but 3 were DOA. (This might be due to rough handling rather than any quality/design issues) A number of owners gush over how good they are.

Plasma's dont suffer burn in, but run $8,000+ so they are pricy.

Note: the one good thing about a B&M store is they have salespeople who can explain these things and show you models. It's well worth checking them out.

This is another fourm that has some good things to think about before you shop:

http://www.hdtvoice.com/voice/showth...?threadid=1343

Bob,

Plasmas definitely suffer burn in - it is a major problem with them because they are usually driven way too high.

Frank,

You are asking for a display that does not exist. CRT is the only thing on the market that can do true black; however, it weighs a good deal and is susceptible to burn in and uneven wear.

What is the percentage of your use? how much DVD? how much video games? how much 4:3 programming?

Regards,

Greetings

You are asking the eternal question similar to the cost versus time versus quality triangle.

You can have some of what you ask for, but not all.

regards

My current usage is 40% DVD, 40% Standard Cable, and 10% Gaming.

I appreciate all the feedback and was total prepared for the 'this display does not exist' possibility.

Every time I read a display review, there's always a catch (can't do true black, susceptible to burn-in, costing as much as a car...).

I have a few early DVDs (Fugitive, Finding Forester, Being John Mal) that have horrid black levels (or maybe I should say 'gray levels'), so I can't really imagine having a display that makes *all* my disc look like this.

The burn-in issue is also a big one because I would prefer to watch/play standard ratio programing/games without stretching and the fear of destroying my TV. Black side matting is preferred because it is less distracting. I 've read that you typically only get black side matting on display that immune to burn-in.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

As others noted, the combination you (and everyone ) are looking for doesn't exist. Probably the closest would be a DLP RPTV such as the Samsungs or the Panasonic; it seems that most people who've directly compared the 2 have a strong preference for the Panny. The only criteria the DLP fails to meet is true blacks.

If you can prioritize your criteria and give a budget, that would help narrow things down.

Greetings

Of course with a walk into the DLP realm, you may see rainbows ... which to some are immeasurably worse than lack of good blacks.

Should note that you do not get good blacks in the theater either ...

Regards

The DLP rear projectors have a reputation that you can see good images with ambient light/windows in the room.

David: thanks for the "Plasmas do suffer burn-in" catch.

On the DLP rainbow issue... the HD2 units, which include both the Samsung & Panasonic RPTVs, are vastly improved in this regard from early DLP products (which were all front projectors). You should definitely check this out for yourself, though. To do so watch a picture with something bright right next to something dark, and dart your eyes around the screen. Credits or half of Dark City and The Matrix are easy tests.