Plasma vs. DLP??

[oicdn]

Who has experiance here?

I've been in the market for a lil while, and since I'll be sitting about 2-3m away, I figure the resolution isn't that important since I'll be in the 40-44" range. Most likely in the lower range.

Well, that's according to this chart atleast:

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

Now, I've pretty much ruled out LCD due to it's trailing and blacks. I know there are fan boys out there who will dispute otherwise ("the only time it's noticeable is when you have a huge pioneer elite, blah blah blah"), but I think the difference is fairly marginal, on any of the TV's I've looked at. I like the idea of LCD being lighter and less energy consuming, but that's really about it. After staring at a plasma screen for awhile, going to even a 5ms LCD was kinda funky for me.

So how do the modern slim DLPs fare against these two? I see that you can get about 10 more inches for the same price as a plasma or LCD for the same price AND it be 1080p. Judging by some of the demo's I've seen at the big retailers it seems like they're fairly identical, and DLP has come a long way. How is the half-life in comparison?

I know 1080p is 1080p, but actual output is different. I've seen a 1080p projector on a nice screen, and it was wasn't as crisp as the same size LCD or plasma. Brilliant contrast, but not as crisp.

[Knuckledragger]

What drives me nuts about DLPs is the RGB strobing when you turn your head. I find this to be particularly bad with front projection, but it's certainly noticeable with rear projection as well.

Caveat: I have not gone TV shopping in about 6 months, it maybe that there are newer models where this is less of an issue.

[tyrion]

My LCD rear projection has started to go through lamps in a matter of weeks so I am returning the last lamp I am picking up a 50" LCD flat panel tomorrow. I was considering a DLP, which in some respects seems superior in to the other technologies based on the limited reading I've done but in the end I don't want to worry about lamp replacement even if it's only every couple of years. I considered Plasma but have read that they can burn in and fade over time. I'm going to go with a 720p Vizio 50" LCD at Costco. I have no plan to go with an HD-DVD or Blu Ray player so I figured with Comcast HDTV, a 720p should be good enough. At $999 (Friday only) it seems to be an excellent price. Also, Costco gives you a two year warranty.

[kevin gilmore]

I've gone thru every single version of burn up or burn thru technology.

Don't believe much of what you read. Plasma's do in fact still exhibit

burn effects, especially when you push the contrast to get the absolute

best picture. Newer ones are much better at this, but burn in is still noticeable.

Current best technology is the 5 wavelength backlight 120hz lcd panels,

ala the top of the line sharp's. CR's way into the 15k range. Trailing certainly

shows up on the cheaper models of many companies. But not with the

sharps. Although some sets do show some banding (the old 45 inch version)

Many people see rainbows on single chip DLP machines, both front and

rear projection. Just like the lcd versions (ala sony) they all use a UHP

projection lamp, and this is clearly a replaceable part. And an expensive

replaceable part. With varied lifetimes, as low as 500 hours to about a max

of 3000 hours.

Many devices both lcd and dlp use organic light filters/wheels, and these

things also deteriorate over time.

The holy grail of front projection is not here yet for home use. In my opinion

after burning thru 14 different front projectors (lcd, dila, lightvalve) and having

the blue filter get trashed, shading issues etc what i want is a 3 chip

dlp projector with 1920 x 1080. With dichroic glass filters. Then the only

burn up item will be the bulb. We are about 3 more years away from led

solid state light sources. The same kind of sources that will be showing up

in a few expensive cars as the headlights in 2009.

[bozebuttons]

I am in the plasma camp,I have a 42 panasonic in my bedroom,& will eventually replace my 35xbxr Sony in my living room with a Pioneer 50inch.I Find the Plasmas look more natural to me.Looks good from any angle & no motion blur.

[Mark527]

I'm going to go with a 720p Vizio 50" LCD at Costco....Also, Costco gives you a two year warranty.

My brother-in-law purchased that same Vizio set a few months back and it just died on them. They were really relieved that they bought it from Sam's Club (return policy similar to Costco's).

[Dusty Chalk]

And where does LCoS fit into the scheme of things? I've heard good things about it.

[oicdn]

Hmm, see, lower end is where I'll be, lol. I'm looking to stay at under $2K.

3000 hours....I don't watch TV but like 4 hours a day max...so 3K hours is a decent life.

So I'm still kinda stuck between what to get. I can get bigger for cheaper with DLP, but at the same time, I dunno if I really NEED bigger. I barely watch TV, that, and I could never hang up a DLP on the wall. Well, I could, but it'd look like shit, lol.

Maybe I should just spend $700 and get a 1080p projector with a dece screen.

[Edwood]

Since I like to game on my big screen HDTV's, pretty much Plasma and DLP are my only choices.

I chose DLP because it was a lot cheaper.

I have been eyeing those new Pioneer Kuro plasmas. After my Samsung DLP dies, it will be replaced by one of those.

Or maybe when the bulb burns out, I'll just use it as an excuse to buy a new TV. I've been thinking of getting a new car too when my tires go bad as well.

[tkam]

I've been very happy with my Sony KDS-55A2000.

[Upstateguy]

I am in the plasma camp,I have a 42 panasonic in my bedroom,& will eventually replace my 35xbxr Sony in my living room with a Pioneer 50inch.I Find the Plasmas look more natural to me.Looks good from any angle & no motion blur.

I'm in the plasma camp for the same reasons, but I have a 42 Samsung in my bedroom....

I've seen the 42 Panasonic, it's better.

[tyrion]

My brother-in-law purchased that same Vizio set a few months back and it just died on them. They were really relieved that they bought it from Sam's Club (return policy similar to Costco's).

It turned out that the Vizio I bought is a Plasma and a newer model from the one you are referring to, I believe. The model before this one had a ps issue that caused what is referred to as "the pop of death". There would be a loud popping sound and the tv would go black. So far the model I bought is not reported to have the problem.

[mjg]

I had no idea there were 1440p sets available? What kind of media even works with that?

[kevin gilmore]

And where does LCoS fit into the scheme of things? I've heard good things about it.

Liquid crystal on silicon. Also known as reflective lcd (as opposed to transmissive).

Sony and JVC are the only ones currently doing this. Sony has both front projectors

(vw50,vw60,vw100,vw200) and single piece rear projectors. JVC just released the

RS2 which is a front projector. JVC stopped making a single piece rear projector last

year. Absoutely fabulous pictures. The front projectors require continuous tweeking

to maintain perfect picture. Shading, gamma, and adjustment of the 1/4 wave plates.

i made a lot of money writing software that does this automatically. So i'm pretty

picky when it comes to making things absolutely perfect. Still in addition to light bulbs

these things really do deteriorate over time, and really are not able to be made perfect

after about 5 to 6 years. By which time they are worth absolutely nothing anyway.

And issues with dust are still a big problem.

[kevin gilmore]

I had no idea there were 1440p sets available? What kind of media even works with that?

There are 2560p projectors also available. (about $125k plus lens)

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?m=10007&p=12&sp=96&id=85495

There is one of these on demo at abtelectronics on a 20 foot screen with all the room

lights on. Very impressive. 8 inch exhaust tube for the massive amount of heat generated.

used in the high end digital movie theaters, with massive hard disks downloaded off of

highly encrypted satellite feeds. Double D5 resolution. There is only one camera that can

record this, and it is still shipping in beta versions only (about $80k with lens)

http://www.red.com/cameras

I can't see any new consumer standard in 20 years or more that is going to be better than 1080p.

[Edwood]

Whenever my Samsung DLP set dies, I'll probably replace it with a Pioneer Kuro Plasma set.