How dark must room be for RPTV? (1 Viewer)

[Rob Dawn]

I couldn't figure out what to search for to find threads on this issue, so I appoligize if this has been asked and answered many times by the regulars.

My wife and I plan on buying a new house in a year and the one we really like has a fantastic family room that is 2 stories high. Problem is that it has two 4'x6' windows on one side way up high that my wife will refuse to put any kind of blinds/curtains on.

I'm wondering what this will do for watching the RPTV that we'll get after moving in. The TV will be on an adjacent wall to those windows - so we shouldn't have direct sunlight either in our eyes or on the screen. I've never had an RPTV so I'm not sure how dark the room needs to be. Does it need to be darker than using a direct view TV? If not, will just getting those windows tinted be enough?

The biggest problems will be watching football on Sundays and movies in the summer before the sun goes down.

There's no way to test this in a showroom, so I ask for your help and experiences.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Rob

 

[Jack Briggs]

That will be an awful lot of light, Rob. RPTVs need as dark an environment as you can provide; they do not possess the light output of a direct-view set.

Your wife is dead set against curtains, eh?

 

[Carl Gilbert]

I have a similar family room, went with direct view (36" sony xbr400). Great picture in all lighting conditions. I've seen several people in our neighborhood drop a big 16x9 RP in similar rooms - they look great at night, but you can bareley see them during the day.

My solution was to get working on a separate theater room in the basement to eventually make room for the big gear.

Another idea - what about powered shades? You might be able to hide them at the top? If you can't cut the light, an RP just won't cut it.

But then there is always plasma... mmmmm....

 

[Brad_V]

I have two big windows on the right side of the living room and light coming through the kitchen windows from the left side. The only lighting problem I've really had at all was the window behind the couch which is directly opposite from the TV. (50") In the middle of the day, the TV will act like a mirror a bit and reflect back the opposite side of the room -- the main thing being the light from the back window. It'd be fine if the window wasn't directly in its line of sight.

The side windows, must be 5x5 or bigger, don't really affect things much. Sometimes I've turned up the brightness five or so clicks in the middle of the day, but no big deal. Brightness isn't the problem. It's those reflections from the other (much smaller) window.

There's no way I'd ever get a non-projection TV for a living room again. Size does matter, and the minor extra things that come with a non-tube TV are more than made up for. Besides, you can always bring it back to the store.

I'd ask you to post an update, but you said you aren't buying the house for a year anyway. Is that house still going to be for sale a year from now?

 

[Rob Dawn]

Is that house still going to be for sale a year from now?

We're looking at having a new house built and I've been in a model of the one we like.

Does anyone besides Brad have experience with an RPTV in a well lit (sunny) room?

Rob

 

[DustinDavis]

My RPTV is in my living room and it is quite well lit. 3 60-inch windows in the room at the rear. Once I took the protective screen off the RPTV, it was not a problem. No, you won't get as much brightness as with a direct view, but I watch TV during the day all the time and it's not an issue for me. I would not go back to a direct-view set for my main set at all.

Now if you must have the protective screen on the TV, that is a different issue. That thing is so reflective it's ridiculous. The difference between having it on vs. off is truly night and day. Daytime viewing suffers GREATLY with it on. But if you can take it off...I'd say go for the RPTV and never look back.

 

[Corey Holter]

One word: Plasma

Problem solved!

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Some of the newer sets have an anti-reflective coating on the screen protector.

My previous set, an analog Hitachi Ultravision had no coating on the screen protector and reflections were pretty bad.

My new one, a Sony KP57HW40 is less than half as reflective, though it still reflects some if the scene on the tv is almost black.

 

[Ray Tsui]

It will be watchable unless your set is in direct sunlight but you'll want at least good light control on your main level. RPTV won't be as bright as a good CRT.

You could consider remote control powered shades? They roll right out of the way. Hunter Douglas and others make good shade products. You can see how it goes first and then get the shades.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

You could also get some blackcloth and use velcro to hang it when you want to watch a movie. I think you can get velcro in different color schemes so that it blends into the wall paint and isn't as noticable.

Bruce

 

[John-Miles]

Your getting the house built? well then there are millions of things you can do. You said that your wife dosent want curtains but you could build some blinds into the window frame, if done properly they would be invisible except for mayeb a small knob and you could drop the blinds whenever you need to. If you are really interested in a little more detail and would seriously consider it you can e-mail me and i could make a small CAD drawing showing you what i mean.

Good luck

 

[Gil D]

My previous set, an analog Hitachi Ultravision had no coating on the screen protector and reflections were pretty bad.

Hey Steve,
I have an analog Hitachi Ultravision (50" UX model) and considering upgrading to an HD ready set. Any idea if the 53HS30 screen protector is as reflective as the 57HW40 as this seems to be a deal killer in the showroom? How is the off angle viewing on the Sony compared to the Hitachi which is quite good.

Is the top of the Sony sturdy enough to hold a 20-30 lb center speaker and how deep is the top shelf compared to the Hitachi?

Appreciate your comments from a former Hitachi owner vs the Sony's. What do you do with your old analog set btw?