Recommendations for my viewing habits? (1 Viewer)

Hello, I am in need of a new TV and would like finally come into the HD universe.
1. The majority of my watching would be movies and television. I've been known to watch 5+ movies in a day and a ton of TV.
2. I only game on occassion and it's mainly games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
3. I can't really spend more then a $1000 right now but if there's a good deal on a big TV, I'd be able to make an exception.
It's Black Friday/Holiday time and it's about time I get in the mix.
If I upgrade my DirecTV reciever to an HD one - would it be like night and day?
I appreciate your time,
Ryan

Ryan -

Don't hesitate! Night and Day would be an understatement for the difference between SD and HD on DirecTv.

I would say that your decision should be based on a couple other factors...

1) Room Lighting (do you need a tv that is good with high levels of ambient light?)
2) Viewing distance (to decide on size)
3) Viewing angles (plasma is known to have better off angle viewing)

Good Luck!

Bobby

Hi Bobby. The room I would put the tv in would be about 8-10 feet away from where I view it and the light could be pretty much shut out whenever I need it to be.

I'm just on the fence between which specific kind and model is considered good at the moment. I've got friends co-workers(some in the electronics department) who hate Plasma and adore LCD, but the majority of the gents on here are the opposite.

and what about off angle viewing??? If you're going to have peeps over a lot watching from angles other than the sweet spot (the center), you might want to go with plasma. If not, LCD will work. That, along with black levels are going to be the biggest differences btwn plasma and lcd.

8-10 Feet, in your price range, i'd go with a 47-52" tv.

Private message me if you'd like to talk about it. i've been researching the same issue for about 12 months...

good luck!

I'm thinking of getting the 60inch Mitsubishi DLP 1080p from BB. It's $800 with a four year warranty for an extra $200. It's a Black Friday deal...
Decisions, decisions. heh. ;0 Thanks.

Only $800 for a 60" Mits 1080p DLP? I'd go fer that, if I were you. And forget about the expensive EW -- save the $$$ for bulb replacements instead. Doesn't make much sense to pay 25% of the TV purchase price for a little insurance policy. Just use a credit card that doubles the manufacturer's 1-year(?) warranty instead. In the unlikely event that it breaks down after just a couple years (but before 4 years are up), you're probably better off just buying a *better*, new TV at that point (w/ the $200 savings put toward that instead).

FWIW, I'm *not* suggesting that an EW is *never* worthwhile, but 25% of the purchase price is way too much to spend on something that's presumably pretty reliable (after the first year of ownership) -- I hadn't heard of much problems w/ Mits DLPs. I've bought an EW for a big CRT RPTV before (at ~15% of purchase price) and did make use of it to roughly break even, but I also bought that set realizing there was a fair likelihood I'd run into some issues (as there were some fairly consistent reports about them).

_Man_

BTW, 60" would be great for 8-10ft. We have a 61" Samsung (LED-based) DLP and watch from ~9ft or so.

_Man_

I'm at about 10ft and i just ordered a 58" Panny V10. Hoping that'll work out all right.

I agree with Man...go for that DLP w/o the extended warranty.

I would not do a DLP!!!! It may seem like a great deal but in my opinion the picture is not that good and you will regret spending your money on that. You can find 50" plasmas for that price that are good deals. If you like LCD, just get a smaller version, 46" LCD will work great at the distance you are talking about. I have a used DLP, that I am getting ready to sell and I will be happy to take $200 for it. It is a 52" and was a decent picture for DLP, but looks like garbage compared to the Flat screens you can get. If you are going to spend $800 on a DLP, you will be much happier spending $1000 on a plasma. I bet you can find flat screens for even less then that.

LOL. Everyone has his/her preferences, but calling DLP garbage seems a tad extreme. What set do you have (and what others have you seen in proper setting/setup) to make you call them garbage?? Maybe you have a very old set that just didn't look so hot for one reason or another -- or maybe your particularly situation actually isn't conducive to yielding best performance from a DLP, or maybe you're just exaggerating on your personal preferences. The more recent series of DLPs are definitely better than ones that are say 5-plus years old, especially for SD content. Truth is plasmas and LCDs didn't look that hot either way back when. But they have *all* improved over the years -- and the diffs have narrowed a lot between the best sets from each tech.

However, one truth still remains. You canNOT get a really big plasma or LCD in the circa 60"-plus range for anywhere near that $800 price (nor the mentioned $1K price). Size does matter a lot, if one wants to get closer to the big screen theatrical experience. Unless the interested person actually dislikes the DLP look him/herself (and/or doesn't care about getting closer to the big screen experience), there's really not much reason to pass on an $800 quality 60" DLP. I mean if he absolutely loves the plasma look and are willing to pay the big $$$ for a 58" plasma, then go fer it -- I considered playing the wait-and-see game in going that route myself before opting for a quality DLP that costs just a tad over 1/2 the price.

_Man_

Very true, my post was exaggerated. In certain situations I can see DLP as being an acceptable choice. In smaller rooms dedicated to theater systems, where seating positions are in the center and lighting can be controlled. I did have an older set and it bothered me so much that I just cant stand them anymore. Perhaps I will go check out some of the newer models and give them a fair chance before falling off the deep end. Thanks for the wake up call _Man_

If you want to watch the set mainly in a (very) brightly lit room or way off axis, yes, you're still better off w/ plasmas and the better quality LCDs (but not really the cheap stuff).

Most HT enthusiasts, ie. typically folks who might make regular visits to this site and want something closer to a big screen theater experience, shouldn't fall into the group that would be too put off by those limitations though. Certainly, the OP didn't sound anything like he'd fall into that group -- some of his gamer buddies OTOH would fall in that group (and they seem to love LCDs).

There are limitations/compromises w/ any choice one makes w/in a given budget, so each of us need to choose what suits each best. Accordingly, there's no use (or need) making very broad generalizations about what is best and what is garbage...

_Man_

I wasn't going to say it earlier b/c i don't have experience with DLP...but from what i've seen on display i definitely was not sold on the technology. Images looked very soft compared to flat screen IMHO.
But, for a 60" TV at that price...can't beat it.

One really canNOT judge the various displays based on casual showroom floor demos, especially the DLPs. Typical showroom floors are set up to be nothing like your own home environment. *AND* the various displays are usually poorly configured for a whole host of reasons.

In a proper setup/environment, DLPs can look excellent. But yeah, certain limitations of DLP definitely put them at a serious disadvantage in most showroom floor settings. Heck, even plasmas can have a hard time competing w/ LCDs in certain (extremely brightly lit) showroom floors.

But do you really buy a set to bring home and then set up your home environment to be just like the showroom floor though?

_Man_

Looking at any video screen on a showroom floor will not give you the best viewing conditions. Not to mention the the TV's are set in what most people would call torch mode. That is why some screens come with a choice of Showroom use and Home use. The Home use tends to be more towards D65 and more true flesh tones. I have seen tv's that I did not like in the showroom and once calibrated in home use it looked brilliant. On the flip side I have liked ascreen seen in a showroom and brought it home only to not like it at all. So really, it can be difficult to pick a good tv. I checked out some DLP's today, and still was not impressed. The best one I saw was the Mitsubishi WD-65837, but it was more the $800. Just like with most things video is subjective and yes in home is not the same as showroom.

Wow, thanks for all the feedback guys!
I've heard that DLP is going out in the last few days looking it up. Would the four year warranty not cover bulb replacement? Is the "burn-in" factor for Plasmas not an issue anymore? I know that people say a Plasma has an excellent picture but I've heard from some people that they have some serious issues. ie, terrible for games but great for movies. The same of course I've heard the opposite for LCDs, great for games and pretty good to average for movies.
I know I'm backtracking a bit but I really appreciate your guy's tips. I don't have a lotta moohlah and I greatly appreciate hearing/seeing what you guys have to say.

Ryan

Nope. The EW almost certainly won't cover bulb replacement (for the Mits) unless there's an actual malfunction. The bulbs in those DLPs are designed to last somewhere around 5000 to 8000 hours of use depending on the specific model, etc. Samsung bulbs for older models typically run $100-150 each -- they seem to charge more for recent models, but reduce the prices as the models get older. Not sure how much Mits charge for their bulbs, but it's probably not too much different.

Plasmas can still get image burn, but if you're only a casual gamer and don't intend to keep the same set of black bars on screen for a large portion of your usage, you should be fine. Just follow the instruction to do the ~100-hour burn-in (or whatever it's called for the specific model), and you should be fine me thinks.

_Man_

A tv with LED lighting is the best of all. Too bad Samsung stopped making LED RPTV's. I think there are some LED LCD's though but I'm not sure.

I have two DLP RPTV's and the picture is stunning when setup correctly. Biggest issue is the bulb, both replacement and just the amount of heat they produce, and a small amount of fan noise that's really not noticable untill you turn off the set (it keeps spinning for a minute or two. As was said eairlier, every technology, new and old, has their issues.

Plasma's have high screen reflection, pixels can can turn white (most brands need 6-8 fixed pixels to repair them under warranty), screen burn-in and glass fronts that can easily break. But they also have the deepest blacks and are somewhat cheaper than...

LCD's have soft blacks, poorer viewing angles, and more motion blur. But less screen reflection, no burn-in, brighter colors (or so they say) and are becoming more popular than Plasmas.

With DLP RPTV's you get a much bigger picture at a lower price, no screen burn-in, are table-top friendly now and because they are cheaper, lower extended warranty costs (but 25 % is too much-10-12 % is better).

52" or less, I'd get an LCD. Bigger than that, a DLP.

Thanks guys!
Bestbuy.com has the Mits 65'' for $999 for the cyber monday deal!!! i can't believe it. this is the tv that i almost picked up a couple years ago for $1600... I am absouletly thinking of purchasing this TV. What to do, what to do?


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Mitsubishi+-+65%22+Class+1080p+120Hz+DLP+HDTV/9487138.p?id=1218112694163&skuId=9487138&st=9487138&cp=1&lp=1
I read the fine print for the warranty (which is $200) and it states: "One (1) bulb replacement for DLP, Projection LCD TVs and Home Theater Projectors of your original bulb during the term of this Plan. " How many bulbs are in that big of a TV (sorry if I sound stupid, I'm not - I'm naive.) I'm having a hard time figuring out how long the regular warranty is that comes with or is Best Buy able to not offer one already included?
Should I do it?
Ryan

Did you buy the set, Ryan?

I probably would've gone for the $800 61" instead during the BF sale -- that's probably the better deal since 4" (at the 60"-plus range) doesn't really make that much diff, IMHO.

I guess if you missed out on both sales, you can wait until January for whatever SuperBowl sale comes along.

Not sure if the $200 EW is worth it even though it includes 1 bulb replacement. It probably depends on how much use you expect to put into the set -- and probably also how exactly BB determines whether the bulb needs replacement, eg. at 1/2-life point or when it's nearly competely dead(?). If you feel certain you'll need a bulb replacement w/in the first 4 years, then that's probably not bad at all for the EW.

If this will be your main display and you have family/housemates sharing it as the main display, then you almost certainly could use a bulb replacement w/in the first 4 years. However, if you're the only person using the set (and only average maybe 4 hours of use per day), then you might end up cutting it really close on whether you'll actually need the bulb replaced or not w/in 4 years. In the latter case, the EW probably isn't worth it in part because it's not clear how BB determines whether/when the bulb needs replacing -- and also, the EW doesn't make clear whether the replacement will indeed be a brand new bulb(!). If you can be sure the EW allows you to replace the bulb whenever you want (vs whenever BB decides it's needed), then that would make a big diff, ie. you can just opt to have the bulb replaced just before the EW expires even if there's still a little bit of useful life left in the old bulb.

_Man_