CRT, DLP, LCD, D-ILA-- Pros & Cons, for the record!!! (1 Viewer)

Ok I've read a lot and seen a lot about these different technologies. I took the info, made up my mind on what's good for me and that's what I went with when I purchased my FP, and pretty much dumped the rest. I know how they are for FP but not televisions. Now the people around me know I'm a home theater nut and all ask me advice about these different technologies. I can't give them an completely educated answer. Help me out with the pro and cons of them all.

From what I know

D-ILA/LCOS-
Pros-
Is the newest and best that is availible from what I can remember, why it is I don't remember.

Cons- For FP cost is crazy!! Hard to setup. But the new JVC tv's that are out are very affordable.

DLP
Pros-
Can go flat. No burn in. Bright.

Cons-Rainbows. Black level?

LCD
Pros-Can go flat. Bright. Black level a little better the DLP?

Cons-Screen door, burn in. Dead pixels [edit]

CRT
Pros- Best black level, good color.

Cons- SCREEN BURN. Huge box.

Plasma
Pros- Flat (wall mountable), high resolutions.No burn in?

Cons- Exspensive as hell.

So that's about the gest of what I know of these technologies when it comes to tv's instead of front projections. Please let me know the reasons why to buy one over the other an what makes one better than the other.

I think DLP generally has better blacks than LCDs but more subdued colors.

Both LCD and DLP can have the screen door effect. Single chip DLPs can give people the rainbow effect (I think it disappears with mutliple chip DLPs) while a danger with LCDs are dead pixels.

Great idea, by the way, as I often get asked the same questions by my friends. This could turn into a nice resource if it doesn't get bogged down in arguments over the pros and cons of each technology.

I was thinking the same thing. I just want the record set straight. Give me the facts (or as close too), then I'll make my mind up.

Did anyone catch CEDIA on HDNET or maybe it was INHD, they showed all the new technologies, and the D-ILA was looking superb!!! They were also talking about the AVS forum, I was wishing they were talking this one.

I like the looks of this thread so I thought I would add my $0.02

I own a Samsung DLP and will limit my comments to that particular television (61" version)

Pro's:

1) Size to price ratio

2) Fix-ability. If the light burns out, you get a new one and put it in yourself

3) No screen burn in

4) Lots of different sources can be played on the display and there are a lot of connections

5) HD ready

6) Great colour and picture and brightness

7) Small footprint for the size of display

Con's:

1) Not all DVD's look good on this TV - which could be a comment on the DVD mastering or the DVD player I have as well.

2) Very heavy almost neon green occasionally

3) Clay faces/ ruddy looking skin tones on some source material

4) Unusual texturing of some images, causing them to look unnatural - usually occurs with brightly lit colours in very dark scenes

5) Rainbows - which I rarely see and no one else has complained about.

6) Heat expansion noises from the plastic housing for the TV. Lots of loud creaks whent the TV is warming up.

That is all I could come up with. Hope someone finds it useful.

Dave

CRT's are a bit harder to setup, all three tubes need to be aligned. Poorly aligned tubes result in horrible, blurry picture. A few hours work every time projector is moved. When setup right though, the picture quality is superb. Needs dark room (but for great picture so do the rest).

With CRT FP's you're sacrificing on convenience but you're not sacrificing on PQ.

Greetings

Burn in is one of the greatest issues facing Plasma units. They burn faster than crt tech.

Regards

I thought that LCD displays were not susceptible to burn-in?

LCDs are far more resistant to burn-in than Plasma, but all the technologies are technically somewhat susceptible, even DILA/LCOS - tho one may not noticed in life of ownership the way you will with Plasma.

For the lead post you can add a few extra points on the various technologies:

CRT - has the fastest response time and smoothest movement right now (I agree that brightness and finicky setup probably undermine this advantage in eyes of some potential owners.

DILA/LCOS generally give better picture than LCD, with less screendoor, and are mostlt boasting faster response (lower latency) than LCD units. Advantage for movies.

Not sure if I'd give LCD the advantage on black level - compared to CRT, newer DLPs and DILA/LCOS, I might put LCD last.

The latest Commercial Plasmas from Panasonic have improved the burn-in to the same level as CRT.

"Newly developed phosphor boosts resistance to static-image burnin to the same level as CRT displays"

http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp...el=TH-42PWD7UY

CRTs vary, high-quality CRTs will be designed for computer/data applications, and not have the hideously slow phosphors present in many consumer displays that have to display interlaced video. Some even have special extra-fast gree phosphor for very very high refreshes used in 3d applications, but these are not desired for HT use.

Further, the refresh rate may be user-chosen by what you feed the CRT, so you can't automatically say that it has the fastest response.

That being said, I'm a CRTer, and in my opinion the pinnacle of high-end video right now is CRT projection, and 1080p LCOS. 720 DLP isn't at this level, IMO.

I also believe that there have been a couple good summaries of this written up by wayne or someone, perhaps we could find it, dunno if it's in the primer?

It's basically a more indepth writeup of thie first post.

You need to split LCD into two categories: LCD flat-panel and LCD RPTV. The biggest difference between the two is black level. LCD RPTV’s have the worst black detail of any of the technologies, but they are generally more cost effective than DLP and LCOS/D-ILA. LCD flat-panels have much better blacks.

Have you seen the new Sony GWIV sets or the new Hitachi VS810 sets? LCD RP sets have improved quite a bit on their black level quality.

I agree, the black level and shadow detail on these TVs have improved quite a bit. But I would also agree that LCD RPTVs still have the "worst" black level of any of the technologies, it is just that the gap is much smaller with the TVs you mentioned.

Michael

I agree Michael. I just think it is misleading to say that they are the worst as a blanket statement. Looking at these new sets, it is very difficult to say that the others are that much better at blacks.

Yep, I have the 50" GWIV. My research has indicated the statement to be true. To what degree will depend on the exact sets being compared. Companies on every technology are constantly trying to improve the black level. CRT still rules in this department.

Wrong on Plasma.

They burn in. Even more so than CRT. A lot of it is overblown nowadays, but it still happens.

So what would you guys say is the best technology for tv's out there?

Of the above, CRT is the only one that is not "fixed pixel" so that "any scan rate or resolution or pixel count" can be accommodated without the need for a built in scaler (depending on the sophistication of the electronics behind it).

LCD and LCOS are fundamentally the same, utilizing liquid crystals. LCOS achieves a better contrast ratio over LCD because light passes through the crystals twice, reflecting off a mirror on which the crystals are mounted between the two passes. But a 3 chip LCOS design (no rainbows) is expensive so you are likely to see single chip LCOS designs (with color wheel and rainbows as in today's DLP).

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

The JVD DILA RP sets are 3-chip LCoS and are not terribly expensive. They do have their own problems though (chromatic abberation, digital noise).

My .02, CRT, the cheapest way to get one great picture in 1080i, excellent black levels, and I'm pretty sure once I have it ISF calibrated, it's going to rival LCD, DLP and Plasma.