Grrr - Glossy screens! (1 Viewer)

[Eric_L]

I've been browsing for a RPTV for a few months now - but actually seriously looking just for a week or so. (My home restoration is only days from complete! WOOT!) I have notices that there are MANY screens, DLP - PLASMA and CRT which are quite reflective - glossy! It is like watching TV in a mirror. I can't believe the manufacturers are churning this out! I've even seen some which include the words 'anti glare screen' on the lable yet are reflective enough to trim your nosehairs in! ARGH!

I'm looking for a RPTV for my livingroom and I've been looking alot online and at B+M. Trouble is - there really is no way to determine if the viewscreen is reflective without looking at it - few product descriptions mention the mirror-like reflectiveness of the screens.

Does anyone know of a way to determine what screens are reflective? I would appreciate any insight. This TV is going to be for regular viewing - mostly for the kids. I have a projector+screen for movie night. So I really want to go on the cheap. The reflectiveness of the screen is my only objection to any TV. Looking for 50" or more - the built in entertainment center is huge. A small TV would dissappear in it.
Thanks!

 

[Eric_L]

bump

 

[Arthur S]

Take a look at LCD and DLP rear projectors.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Agree with Arthur. You want a set that throws off a lot of light. A CRT RP, especially when calibrated correctly, is going to be overwhelmed by ambient light and show a lot of glare. I bought a Hitachi CRT RP because it had the best picture in my price range. I knew it was also the most prone to reflections, but I had it in my basement dedicated HT room so I could control it. If I were buying a set for a room where the lights would often be on, or if there were lots of windows, I'd go LCD or DLP.

 

[Leo Kerr]

making an RPTV non-reflective is something of a trick.

If you really want a non-reflective surface, a matte finish helps a lot. Except then it starts blurring the image, 'cause it's a diffuser. (Granted some of the displays I've seen needed some diffusion to hide the scan lines or SDE.)

The 'trick' comes from the fact that a sign of true anti-reflectiveness (like glasses) are extremely transparent. What you need is an invisible screen that will 'catch' and 'hold' the image light in space, without touching any of the stray light from anything else.

Sadly, physics seems to imply that this is an impossible situation.

Leo

 

[Eric_L]

OK - I'm OK w going DLP/LCD - though I'll miss the $1000 extra it'll cost me (w the extended warranty)

I've noticed that many of them also have the highly reflective screens. I really don't want to watch myself watching TV superimposed on all my shows.

Is there an easy way when I'm doing my online browsing to see if they are that reflective?

BTW - I have a Toshiba 52" 52HM95 DLP which I can buy tomorrow @ Sears for $1900 or a Sony 55" KDF-55XS955 LCD for $2300. The 3 yr warranty is $499 and the 5 yr is $699. W the warranty that is about $1000 more than I wanted to spend...

 

[Eric_L]

I did it! I got the Toshiba 52HM95 52" DLP. Now I must sit and wait for my home to be completed. Two weeks = forever!!

 

[Justin Hargis]

Good choice on the Toshiba DLP.