Let's talk Big TVs

ssh

Hi,

I'm thinking about replacing my TV... for the sake of arguement, I'll say my budget is €3,000 (it'll take a while, but I reckon it's doable). Here's what I'm thinking:

* HDTV with 1080p support
* A large screen (40"+)
* Non-flickery
* decent colour reproduction (current Sony Trinitron is a bit nasty at this, very bland reds)
* tuner not essential, but would be nice (have VCR and AV receiver)
* space isn't at a premium, but the thinner the better

It'll mostly be used for DVD and games. I think rear projection is out of the question, it just hurts my eyes and I'm not too into plasma either, though I could be swayed.

I've always liked Samsung computer displays, so I took a look at what they have on offer. the SP50L7HX seems pretty incredible... I've never seen a DLP screen in action though, so I'm a bit weary of it. It would seem to meet my budgetary requirements though.

So there you go... I'm picky about clarity and colour-reproduction, I need support for the higher definition outputs of nextgen consoles and I'm willing to shell out a bit for it. What would the boards HE crowd recommend?

Maxwell

Hi There,

I am really in somewhat of the same boat as you.

I have a budget of €3,000 ish for 2 plasma's/lcd for 2 rooms. I was going to buy the Philips 42" 9946 for abuot €2k and then pick up a 30" LCD for €1,000 for the other room......sorted yes?


Well No,


I made a trip to Harvey Norman in Swords (don't sniff or laugh those guys know their stuff) and I came across the following absolute beauty of a machine:

LG RZ42PY10


This TV is simply amazing and the best I have ever seen - it was set up next to the Pioneers (The XDE's etc) and it blew them away.

And the icing on the cake......it is HDTV ready, unlike the pioneers! All this and you are thinking huge money eh?........well no - €2,999

I was there with my wife and she has no interest, but when she saw this picture, she couldn't believe it!

So I am now seriously scrambling back to the drawing board to decide on what to buy!

Hope my ramblings helped?

Ciaran500

Your unlikely to see a 1080p compatabile at a reasonable price for a while. 1080i is what you will get.

The TV you linked to is a rear projection TV.

In the €3k price range you should be looking at plasmas or LCD screens. The best thing to do is have a look at reviews of TVs in your price range and narrow it down to the top few. Then go and demo the TVs in person, its the only way to get a screen that is right for you.

Maxwell

Found this from someone who owns one:

---

Hi people,

I own one of these screens got it from 247electrical.co.uk (currenty £2109.99) had it for 6 months now - I can confirm I have it hooked up to a Denon 2910 DVD player via DVI and can play films at 720p & 1080i @ 50 & 60hz. The picture quality is amazing at these resolutions, far better than any picture I have seen anywhere. Sky is perfectly fine, but not a touch on DVD sources (Hopefully HD broadcasts to sort that) - the trouble with any large screen Plasma/LCD/Rear Projection any signal noise/pixelation or any other interference is much more noticeable - but get a good source and use good cables(not your £100.00 stuff required, just stay away from the £5.00 stuff ) and the results are truly amazing and I really do mean amazing

Maxwell

A picture:

ssh

Ciaran500 wrote:

Your unlikely to see a 1080p compatabile at a reasonable price for a while. 1080i is what you will get.

I have since realised this... I was getting them muddled.

Ciaran500 wrote:

The TV you linked to is a rear projection TV.

Well, it's a DLP, not a CRT based rear projection, right? It's the CRT ones that I find so awful. I get upset when I see those things. Out of interest, have you seen a DLP in action? I'm interested to hear if the hype is true.

Maxwell, that's much food for thought. I've heard some vague horror stories of plasmas having relatively short lifespans; not something I really want to contemplate... At least with a DLP, you can replace the bulb (at relatively high cost). Did you try out anything specific on it?

Maxwell

The horror stories i have heard in relation to the short life spans is that they will last only a certain amount of thousand hours - but that worked out is something like 12 years of life, now can you really see yourself with the same TV in 12 years time? I certainly don't - so Im going to ignore that arguement.

As for the DLP - not my cup of tea, so I won't comment.

A Dub in Glasgo

Have a look at these threads as well

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=252042

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=231368

ssh

Thanks ADIG...

So I'm thinking:

DLP as a tech gets the thumbs up, apart from the problem with rainbowing... which I guess I'll live with.

However I really ought to check out the TV in question in real life before making a decision. I'll be in England at some point soon, so I'll try to track one down.

Ciaran500

If you can see rainbows it makes the screen unusuable IMO. Whenever I see a DLP screen running I can't stop focusing on the rainbows.

I really think you should do alot more research before deciding on a screen or screen type. Explore all the different technologies and what each company has to offer.

TCP/IP

As was said before you will not get an 1080p TV in that price range or even in this part of the world anytime soon. For great plasma the best at the moment are the:

Pioneer 435 XDE
Hitachi 7200
Panasonic 500 series screen