Best for $1K, no FP (1 Viewer)

I am considering the HL-S4666W from Sammy. Got to thnking though that the 1K might be better spent elsewhere.

Any suggestions?

Replied on your other thread, but I looked at this one, the Sony E2000 series, and 42" Plasmas (as low as $1150, supposed to come down further soon).

Thanks. I have to admit, I have to problems:

- I'm partial to Sony, if for no other reason than they have the best remotes.
- I'm also partial to plasma (I like the film quality and off angle)

Unfortunately I haven't looked at the Sony RP LCDs lately so have no idea, especially concerning black levels/contrast. If a good plasma could be had for that price I'd probably go for it.

If you don't mind ordering online, you can get the Pany 42" plasma for ~$1150 I believe. A friend also got the Samsung for about the same. It has that really nice piano black cabinet that looks really sharp.

I like the looks of plasmas very much but went with LCD RPTV for a bit larger size, the look of my install (full box taking up the space vs a panel on a little stand), slightly lower cost, and my familiarity with Sony scalers on non-HD content (which is very good).

I have a Sammy DLP TV and really like the black finnish look over the boring silver finishes like the Sony. IMO
That's what made my decision for the stylish Sammy.

Chris, could you comment a bit more on the Sony scaler for non-HD stuff? This is a big concern for me as I don't have HD cable yet and am not in a hurry so I'll be watching mostly DVDs and SD cable. Also, which set do you have?

Where are you located? In most areas you can pick up several HD stations over-the-air with a relatively inexpensive antenna. I can get about 8 unique HD stations and then most of them have sub-stations (e.g. 3-1, 3-2, etc) in my area.

Hi Father!

I really like the Sammy DLPS and for the price cant be beat. $999 with FREE SHIPPING sounds like a no brainer to me.

The step up from this would be a plasma display. A 50 inch Panny would be 1500-2000 ? (50% more coin).

For the price, I would do the Samsung and a calibration, before stepping up to a non calibrated more expensive display.

Hope this helped.

Gregg

Gregg,

At the risk of forcing you to take sides, can I take this to mean you prefer the DLP over the LCOS units? Several of the LCOS sets are in the same price range and have 3 lcds, unlike the one of the DLP.

absolutely.

Father,
Clarification, LCoS is not quite the same as the 3 chip LCD you are looking at in this price range. LCoS is on the higher end models from Sony and JVC and produces a better picture for most people than LCD.

As for DLP vs LCD RPTVs it comes down to taste. Personally (even though I bought an LCD) I think the DLP is a slightly better picture. Deeper blacks which give it slightly more contrast. Colors are richer (but I think still accurate). You need to go look at them though as some people see rainbows from the spinning color wheel.

As for scaling, they both do a pretty good job with SD. I only got to see a couple channels with the Samsung, but it didn't stand out as shockingly bad.

The Sony does an especially nice job with 480i signals from a DVD player though. They have a DRC and Cinemotion feature that really makes a difference. As long as you can send the DVD signal through component or HDMI you will get a near HD picture (looks about as good as the HD-Lite stations on DirecTV - like HBOHD).

I'd go look at the 720p Samsung DLPs and Sony LCD (E2000 series) and see which you like. Both are good sets.

BTW - by "no FP" did you mean Front Projection or Flat Panel?

Both, I simply have not seen a Flat Panel I like (plus they are pricey). I also don't want front projection.

If I could find a Plasma 46" in this price range I'd be done I think.

Plasmas are pretty much only in 42 and 50". I think I've seen a random 47" or something, but they are older and off brand - usually meant for bars and restaraunts.

Yes, they both accept 1080i/720p/480p/480i and scale everything to 1280x720p.

If you like Sony's, you'll be happy with the E2000 series. It was an easy move going from my 34" Wega HD set.

At this point I would just choose the one that has the best look to you when off and sitting on the stand. The Sony is nice because the speakers are horizontal on teh bottom, creating only about 3/4" on each side of the screen so you get a nice clean look. It fits perfectly flush in my media center basically looks like a 46" movie screen.

The Slim Samsung in piano black is very very sharp though. I personally don't like the model you are looking at. Has a thick silver base and the whole "floating" stand looks strange.

Oh, you also asked about LCD vs LCoS.

LCD is liquid crystals sandwhiched between glass. Light is shined through and you use electricity in specific places to change the color produced. The liquid crystals are considered "organic" and eventually degrade over time.

LCoS is basically a thin sheet of crystals coated on a silicon wafer. It's not terribly different from the concept of the DLP micromirror display. For DLP they shine a light off these "shiny surfaces" and through a color wheel (or in new cases they have RGB LEDs).

So the DLP set you are looking at has more mechanicals involved (the light wheel, the light tunnel, the mirrors that "tilt" due to electrical current. The LCD has organics that degrade.

Just like most things, tradeoffs.

I am looking at the Samsung website...and notice they only have 1080p DLPs and 720p DLPs. Why no 1080i?

BTW I have a Samsung HLS5688W and agree that the all black shiny finish is damn sexy, especially with black towers on the side of it! I would put in a vote for a Samsung DLP, I am very happy with mine.

Joe