What HD RPTV to buy? (1 Viewer)

[JoshuaX]

I'm in the market for an HD RPTV, but I have a few questions.

First, in the room I'm building, I will only have about 13' from primary viewing seats to the screen. With that distance, shoudl I stay away from the larger screens?

Second, I have read that I shouldn't even consider buying a unit that doesn't have dvi inputs, is this correct?

Third, can I find a real nice display for less than $2,500? If so, any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Zac_F]

Have you considered a front projector? For $2500 you can get the Sony HS-10, which is WXGA true HD widescreen. Or for even less, the Panasonic L300u which is 960x540, less resolution but also very nice. Or for $1500, you can get a Sanyo Z1, same rez as the panny, or the infocus x1, DLP at 800x600. From what I've seen, these will blow away any RPTV, and are cheaper to boot. And, even better, your picture can go up to and over 100". You'll never leave your house to go to the movies.

The beauty of it all is that the physical package is so small. Just a small component sized box. I haven't been able to warm up to rptv all these years because of the physical size, but this is small. Even smaller than plasma. You can even take it with you, if you don't mind having to realign.

Viewing angle is better too. RPTV usually has a restricted viewing angle. In fact, I've asked salesmen why they don't display their sets higher because you can't see the picture standing up. Consider this if you have kids that hog the couch.

The down side, and of course there is a down side, is light control. They work best if you can control ambient light.

For more info, check AVSFORUM on the

 

[JoshuaX]

Thanks Zac, to be honest, I hadn't considered projectors, mainly because I had heard from a friend that unless you were willing to go high end ($8k+), I shouldn't waste my time.

But after reading your account, and a number of others in the forum, I really need to give it another look.

Thanks for the help.