What is the best Technology right now.

[CODYAARON2]

If you were going to buy a TV anytime soon what would you look for.
Plasma, DLP, DILA........
Or is there something new coming out in the next couple of months that might be even better than what is out now. I was just wandering, the other day I saw a JVC DILA for the first time and I was really impressed. Just wandering what you thought.

Thanks
God Bless

[Foxman]

I think it depends on what is important to you and how much money you are willing to spend.

I just bought a new set and with the research I did I decided on the CRT RPTV which has been around for a long time. I chose this because the new technology is still improving and has yet to establish the true black and true white images that the CRT's offer. Plus for the money the CRT was by far the best value.

[CODYAARON2]

Foxman if you dont mind what CRT RPTV did you get. Are you happy with it and how much did it cost.

Thanks
God Bless

[Foxman]

Foxman if you dont mind what CRT RPTV did you get. Are you happy with it and how much did it cost.

Thanks
God Bless

I chose the Mitsubishi WS-48515. Size was part of the scenario and it fit perfectly. I had many options though but the Mits had the balance of features and quality that I wanted.

Price wise the SRP of this set is $1999.00 but most stores I have seen sell it regularly for 1895.00 and if you are good and catch a deal you might find it (as I did) as cheap as 1595.00 although thats probably rare.

I was willing to pay as much as $1695-$1795, my deal was unique.

I love the PQ and flexability the set has, very happy. One thing to consider is that you want to set aside an additional $500.00 or so for a professional calibration. I havent had mine calibrated yet, but everyone that has had it done has felt it was money well spent.

[junior77blue]

Depends what your needs/size requirements are...

You can't beat the picture of a tube as for right now....Sony's XBR 34" TV is the current 'standard'. But its heavy and somewhat small.

LCD rear projection has the best picture in my opinion, but the blacks are a bit washed out.

DLP has great picture quality, but more expensive and there's always that rainbow thing to worry about.

Plasma's are nice, but expensive...and they're life expectancy is short.

LCD are just too slow for fast action and PRICEY.

The new type of tv being developed by Toshiba is supposed to be close to CRTs and FLAT like plasma but that wont be avaialbe for some time...2 yrs time frame.

[Brandon B]

That would be SEDs, sort of a flat CRT technology, and they are planninng to ship Q3 2005 from what I have read.

the true black and true white images that the CRT's offer

Certainly won't argue about the blacks, but CRT has no advantage in white. Why would it?

BB

[Shane Martin]

There is no best technology out there really. It is a matter of what your priorities..

If PQ is your "Best", then the CRT is the best. However it takes compromises to buy a CRT like anything else.

One Technology doesn't fit all.

The best Digital technology(eliminating the CRT), is the DILA IMHO.

[RedStep]

What about LCoS...Anyone knowledeable enough to adress this new technology???
(I'm not ops: )

[Chris D]

Yeah, for me, it would have to be the 1080p or BEYOND DILA projectors coming out. Of course, they're like $30K or something.

[Brandon B]

JVCs new HD-ILA TVs are pretty spiffy, but a DLP or a CRT will have better black level. Some of the early JVCs had some geometry issues causing misalignment fringing and stuff, but it appears they addressed these as of about September and the units shipping now are better.

Pros for these units - DILA/LCOS has higher fill factor than either DLP or LCD. You will have to sit with your knees touching the TV to see pixels. They are very bright. And they have really good colorimetry (once calibrated). They have no color fringing (rainbows) since they use separate imaging chips for RGB. They are shallower and much lighter than a comparable CRT. Uniformity will be a little better on the JVC and geometry maybe, depending on the individual sets.

Cons - you can get a comparable image rather cheaper with CRT. It will not be as bright, but you will have true blacks (still waiting to hear what Foxman meant by true white). DLP will also get you better black, and will be lighter and shallower still.

If I were buying an RP unit I would get a JVC. (CRT too big and heavy to work in my room). There is no meaningful competition for an LCOS TV under $8-10K coming soon. Sony is debuting a $10K 70" 1080p model in January that will be about the nicest thing you could buy. Brillian is also coming out with a similar model that will be smaller and less expensive but still $$.

But look at DLPs also. I am too sensitive to rainbows to ever consider single chip DLP anything, but they are otherwise nice sets.

And if you have room and want the best picture per $, CRT is still it today.

BB

[JonMarsh]

What Brandon said- in spades. If someone held a gun to my head and I had to go digital, it would be LCOS. IN fact, I'm trying to talk my boss into one of the new Canon SX50's coming out in jan for our group biz projector.

Like Brandon, I'm advsere to DLP motion artifacts (both rainbow and temporal dithering), so for me, LCOS produces the most pleasing digital image.

~Jon

[BlazeMaster]

junior77blue, stop telling people the life expectancy of a plasma is short...in fact, it's probably last just as or longer than a CRT. And that's saying alot since a CRT is still the most reliable and gives the best PQ today. Who knows how long that statement can hold true these days. DLP are nice, but it always just seems really artificial and digital to me, because the screen door. If they start making 3-chippers DLPs, then it might give some of the best picture out there, but the prices will be comparable to that of a decent 50 in. plasma.
Honestly, I'd never thought I'd say this a year or 2 ago, but I'm saving up my money for a 42 in. HD plasma. The prices are falling the fastest it seems and a direct view image, that's housed in a slim panel and weighs less 80 lbs would be my choice.

[Kevin P]

As has been mentioned before, the major technologies out there right now are CRT (Direct View), CRT (RPTV), LCD (Direct), LCD (RPTV), DLP, LCOS/DILA, and plasma. Each has its pros and cons.

CRT - Direct View: This is your typical "boob tube" television set, where you watch the image directly on the CRT face. Older sets had curved, then cylindrical CRT faces, most newer sets have flat screens. Usually between 9" and 40".

PROS: Inexpensive, bright, good colors, long life, can support multiple resolutions
CONS: Limited to 36-40" screen sizes, larger screen sizes lead to deep cabinets and are HEAVY. Can suffer burn-in/uneven phosphor wear in extreme cases of abuse.

CRT - Rear Projection: A cabinet contains three small (typically 7-9") CRTs, one for each of the primary colors (red, green, blue). The images are projected through lenses, bounced off a mirror, and on a screen. Typical screen sizes are 40" to 70".

PROS: Inexpensive, best black levels/detail, good colors, long life, can support multiple resolutions
CONS: Deeper cabinet than digital RPTVs, requires more tweaking (esp. convergence) for best picture. Can suffer burn-in/uneven phosphor wear if static images are displayed too long. Depending on the screen, viewing angle may be limited.

LCD Direct View: These sets use a backlit flat panel LCD display, similar to those used in flat-panel computer monitors and laptop computers. Typically 15-40" in size.

Pros: Relatively lightweight, flat (great for hanging on a wall), long life, runs cool, no burn-in risk.
Cons: Expensive, limited contrast, poor blacks, slow response could lead to artifacts during fast action scenes. Somewhat limited viewing angle.

LCD - Rear Projection: A cabinet contains a LCD projector unit, a mirror and screen. The projector contains a lamp and 3 LCD panels, one for each primary color, and a lens.
Typical screen sizes are 40" to 70".

PROS: Bright image, slim cabinet, no burn-in or convergence issues. Least expensive of the digital display technologies.
CONS: Poor blacks, screen-door effect (pixels visible when too close to screen). Motion artifacts can occur due to slow LCD response. Lamp can be expensive to replace.

DLP - Rear Projection: A cabinet contains a DLP projector unit, a mirror and screen. The projector contains a lamp, a DLP chip, a color wheel and a lens. Typical screen sizes are 40" to 70".

PROS: Bright image, slim cabinet, no burn-in or convergence issues. Better blacks and colors than LCD. Faster response time than LCD.
CONS: Blacks still not on par with CRT. More expensive than LCD. Single-chip/color wheel technology can lead to "rainbows" or flickering during motion scenes and viewer fatigue. Lamp can be expensive to replace.

LCOS/DILA Rear Projection - sort of like a cross between LCD and DLP technology.
PROS: Bright image, slim cabinet, no burn-in or convergence issues. Better blacks and colors than LCD. Pixel fill is comparable/superior to DLP, so no/minimal screen door. 3 chip technology eliminates the rainbow problem with DLP.
CONS: Blacks not on par with CRT. More expensive than LCD. Lamp can be expensive to replace.

Plasma: What everyone talks about. A plasma screen contains discrete pixels like a LCD, but are self-illuminated phosphors like CRT. Plasmas are flat, great for hanging on a wall, and are available in 42" to 60" (or maybe larger now) sizes.

PROS: Flat panel, good colors and brightness. Contrast ratio and display life is improving with every generation.
CONS: More expensive than other technologies. The set is heavy, especially in larger sizes. Can suffer burn-in if static images are displayed. Contrast detail is limited on some models, they can only display so many "gradients" of brightness; this also limits black level detail. The cheapest displays are often EDTV rather than HDTV resolution.

[Brandon B]

I'd tweak your comments on LCOS a hair. Pixel fill is superior to DLP across all brands and products.

And as of next August, we can add an additional technology. SED (Surface effect Electron emission Display, or something like that), essentially a flat panel version of CRT with all its adnvantages and disadvantages, except size/weight. Purchasable products using this are alleged to ship in August, and I have not seen any reasonable refutation that this will occur.

There are also some new short-yoke variants of CRT that will bring the depth and weight down.

On the plasma thing, lifetimes and susceptibility to burn-in have been improved pretty significantly in the last couple of years. But I would not say they are at CRT durability levels, but maybe getting close. Plasmas are essentially a huge grid of PWM controlled tiny fluorescent lamps. There are only so many tricks to extending their life and this will always be their relative weak point.

But I would agree this is no longer a reason to not buy one, unless you expecting to get 10 yeas of heavy use out of it.

BB

[BlazeMaster]

well the numbers of hours they give us is pretty much an estimate that's done in their experiment to simulate long term usage to get that 60,000 hours half life figure. What it translates to in real life usage is unknown, since not alot of people have had plasmas for almost 10 years already. The 60,000 hours is a good guess of how long it'll last. Besides with that figure, you'd literally have to watch your plasma for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 10 straight years. I don't know too many people that has enough free time on their hands to watch 10 hours of TV a day, I wish I do, I'd be lucky if I can even get half as much time to sit in front of a TV a day.

[Brandon B]

We install all types of displays in our parks, and put about 6000 hours a year on them, typically with semi-static or lopping short cycle repeating media. Abuse, in other words.

Plasmas have fared worse in this environment than even CRTs. But the very latest ones show promise, at least inasmuch as the manufacturers (we usually deal very directly with their technical staff) are telling us.

We can typically kill even video installation quality video projectors in a small number of years, although some models have done surprisingly well.

But we will have a pretty good idea of the latest crop of plasmas' longevity by summer '06.

BB