Been a while but it's time for a new TV again!

[Hdale85]

A while back I had posted about getting a new tv and it was going to be a Sony RPTV or some cheap plasma. I decided to wait it off and save a little money and wait for tax returns. Well taxes are coming up and I got a big raise and have some money saved so I'm looking around The TV's I've looked at are the Sony KDL46XBR2, the Sharp LC-52D62U, and a couple RPTV's. I'd really like to stay in a plasma/lcd as my room is not huge. I want at least a 46" but would prefer 50-55".

The Sony I saw it in the store and it looked awesome very bright briliant colors, but then I went online and looked up some reveiws and it seem that they have a major problem with their tv's backlight not being uniform and causeing "clouding" is how everyone described it. And at 3500 bucks for the 46" seems a little over priced. What I did like about it was that it had 3 HDMI Inputs as no other TV I have seen has this many.

The Sharp, I've heard MANY great things about these TV's I have not seen it in stores but Amazon has a GREAT price on it! 52" for under 3 grand. It does only have 2 HDMI inputs though, I love the look of the Sharp a lot more then the Sony though.

These are the TV's I have looked at. I deffinately want 1080p, and I am opend to suggestions for LCD/Plasma maybe even a RPTV but I really like the slim fit of the LCD/Plasma's. My budget is >3,000 slightly over is ok.

Link for Sharp on Amazon

Sony on Amazon

[aud19]

Samsung or Sony LCD, Pioneer, Panasonic or Samsung plasma or Sony SXRD, Samsung DLP(720p) RPTV are probably where I'd be looking right now

[Hdale85]

You don't like the Sharp Aquos LCD's? The Sony LCD's seems to have problems and it's supposedly its from poor quality control. I'll have to look at Samsung.

[Hdale85]

Ok I just looked at the Samsung 52" 1080p LCD TV and its just a little over priced. I'd really like something 50"-55".

[whoaru99]

I dunno, one can read themselves into oblivion on this kind of thing. If you read enough threads, I think you eventually come to the conclusion that pretty much every model has a fault in the opinion of some people.

Myself, I'm contemplating the Sony SXRD - even though a number of people indicate certain problems may exist in that model too.

Even with an extended warranty figured in (which I normally don't buy into), it seems to be one of the more cost effective 1080p sets and the problems reported seem to be more so in the earlier models.

[Hdale85]

Well I've just been reading customer feedback on the Sony LCD and thats where I see all the complaints about the backlight. A lot of people sent them back and even got like 3 or 4 different replacements and still had the problems.

[whoaru99]

Well I've just been reading customer feedback on the Sony LCD and thats where I see all the complaints about the backlight. A lot of people sent them back and even got like 3 or 4 different replacements and still had the problems.

Yeah, I've read them too. But of all of them sold, how many do you suppose that number of complaints represents? Yes, it's something to be aware of and dig into a bit, but other than that I guess you have to go with what looks good to you.

I guess you can always wait for something perfect to come along.

[Hdale85]

Never said I'm waiting for something perfect :B I've probably found a hundred complaints about the Sony on several different sites...if it was only say 20....maybe even 50 I wouldn't think much about it but this seems to be a pretty big problem? And if I'm spending 3 grand on a TV I'd like there not to be "coulds" or whatever you want to call it. Just my thoughts as this will be the most I've ever spent on a TV or electronic for that matter :B

[whoaru99]

Sometimes one has to consider what might be the sales volumes as well.

What is worse? 20 complaints on 100 units sold or 11 complaints on 50 units sold? I don't know the numbers, but I'm just throwing that out as something to think about.

[Hdale85]

Well what I was also concidering is that the Sharp has a better value to it then the Sony. The 46" sony is more expensive then the 52" sharp. Honestly I have to go do a detailed veiwing of both. I've seen the Sony and it has nice colors and what not have not really been able to see the blacks and what not. I need to find a place that has the Sharp.

[whoaru99]

No, you never said anything about perfection, but my point was that there will always be something better just around the corner such as LED back lighting.

[Hdale85]

Yes I know this. Thats why I said I need to go look at both of these sets with a microscope.

[whoaru99]

Yeah, kind of the same for me. I've really struggled with the pros and cons of several different TVs and as a result have not purchased anything yet and don't really know when I will.

I'm just tending to the SXRD because the more recent posts tend to indicate most of the early issues have gone away and the price seems to be right for the level of performance.

[Hdale85]

Well I'd be ordering online most likely and so I want to make sure I get a good one. The 46" Bravia is like 3199 but the 52" Sharp is 2909. So close in price except that the Sony is 6 inches smaller. One thing I really like about the Sony is that it has 3 HDMI inputs.

[Dean McManis]

I had seen a good looking 46" Panasonic for $1300 at Costco.
Ironically, for $3000 I'd get the above Panasonic plasma display AND a Panasonic PT-AX100U front projector. :T

I don't know about the Sony 1080p LCD build quality issues, but the display that I saw at Circuit City with a Blu Ray source was just stunning to look at. :B

[Hdale85]

How much does the PT-AX100U go for online? Like cheapest you've seen? Nvm just looked it up. I have conciderd getting a FPTV but they make my room rather hot and needing low light to look good. Also that ones not 1080p :B I really want 1080p cause this TV is not going to be replaced for at least 5 years if not longer.

[Dean McManis]

The best price that I've seen online for the PT-AX100U is $1369.
And the best price that I've seen on the 1080p native PT-AE1000 is $2799, with the next best at $3199.

But that's just with a cursory Google search. Saying nothing about the distributor, stock levels, support, etc..

[aud19]

You don't like the Sharp Aquos LCD's?

Sorry! They somehow slipped my mind! ops: Yes the Sharp Aquos units would be another on my short list

[Hdale85]

Ok I was wondering! Because so many people say they are great and what not. Honestly thats the one I think I'll end up getting because its bigger....seems to be a better value but I still have to look at it first :B

[Dean McManis]

Another combo thought is the Samsung 50" 1080P DLP RPTV for $1629 delivered and the PT-AX100U FPTV at $1369 for a total cost of right around $3K.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F2R5HO/ref=pd_cp_e_title/103-5920594-8525469

[Hdale85]

Yeah I saw that.... It depends if we move into a new apartment before I purchase a new TV if we are still here I really want an LCD or Plasma and I can't find any 1080p plasma's in my price range. But I'd want an LCD for the slim profile.

[Dean McManis]

I do appreciate the fact that the 37" LCD display that I just bought is only about 8" or so thick. Mostly because it's my new desktop monitor, and I've just gained about a foot and a half of additional desktop space compared to my previous 24" CRT monitor. :B

But the Samsung 50" 1080p DLP display is only 15.6" deep, and around the same 60lb weight as a similarly sized LCD or plasma display. And I'd easily trade off the few inches of thickness to have the money left over to also buy a nice 720p front projector as well. :T

[peterS]

sharp gets my vote

i detest the samsung 1080p dlp

[aud19]

sharp gets my vote

i detest the samsung 1080p dlp

Yeah I'd buy a 720p DLP unit but otherwise I'd go SXRD if I HAD to have 1080p for RPTV's

[Hdale85]

Well I'm going to have less money then I thought I beleive. And we may be moving so the LCD may not be necessary so I think I may get the 1080p Samsung unless there is some reason I should not?

[Alloroc]

I've been going through the same motions of late. I have however decided on the Sony KDL40X2000 - probably a Euro spec. model. That said it was the most impressive set for my eyes and the wife loved it also - very important.

I will hold off abd buy it in the January sales - I will save a few hundred Euros there. Seeing as we're away for Christmas, it does not really matter anyway.

I also looked at a few Philips' Cineos sets and they were impressive also. The ambilight feature would be really hard to ignore if I was wall mounting. It really does work. To be honest, LG, Panny and Samsung did not rate. Partly because they don't make their high end sets over here. Philips and Sony have it sewn up. The cheaper 1080i market is awash with the OEM'd sets and LG and Samsung sell well there.

Anyhow, looking forward to the new arrival in the new year.....

V.

[peterS]

Well I'm going to have less money then I thought I beleive. And we may be moving so the LCD may not be necessary so I think I may get the 1080p Samsung unless there is some reason I should not?

as with many hdtvs
the samsung 1080p can look quite good at times but equaly bad other times


when i worked at BB we had the 720 next to the 1080p off a 1080i signal
the 720p routinely looked better

its realy for you to decide but reliability of any dlp is more of an issue than the sxrd

[Dean McManis]

I don't know about reliability as being an issue. So far I've owned 2 LCD, 3 LCOS, and 3 DLP projection displays, and for me at least none of any of them have had any reliability issues related to the particular display engine.
Over many years my only problems have been one power supply and two failed fans, and of course normal bulb replacement. 8)

[Hdale85]

how often have you had to replace the bulbs in the DLP displays? Once a year? Or longer???

[Dean McManis]

Average bulb life is getting longer, and it's different for RPTVs and FPTVs.

My first DLP front projector had it's bulbs rated at 1000 hours, and I had replaced one bulb in 3 years.

My current DLP front projector is on it's second bulb, but I bought it used (with a spare bulb) and I'm expecting that under daily use it will last about 2 years.

RPTVs have lower wattage bulbs and my Sony 50" LCD display still had it's original bulb after 5 years of ownership and around 9000 hours of use! :E

Many new digital displays, especially FTPVs have low-power/economy modes that extend the bulb life to 3-4K hours, depending on the model. Longer for RPTVs. :T

In front and rear projectors there is usually a timer that turns off the display once the bulb rated hours is reached.
This can be reset easily, and most people take the warning as an opportunity to replace the bulb to avoid the chance of implosion (which usually only happens in heavily used business front projectors).

While it's usually not a deal breaker, bulb life is one of the attributes of digital projectors that needs to be researched and figured into the total cost of ownership. It is long enough between bulbs however that I don't really think about it during the year.

Sometimes you really have to ask about bulb life in RPTVs as it's not commonly listed, and generally much longer than in FPTVs (where it is more often shown) and most manufacturers do include a 1 year warranty specifically for premature bulb failure.

[Hdale85]

Is the VPL-HS60 a 3 chip LCD? I'm kind of looking at some FPTV's as We will be moving in January and will have a much bigger living room. And sence budget is a little lower I've decided I can deal with 720p for now.

[Dean McManis]

Yes the VPLHS60 is a 3-chip LCD model, and likely a nice projector.

But I'd also look at the Panasonic PT-AX100 which is brighter and the Sanyo PLV-Z5 which is comparable at a better price. :T

[aud19]

Is the VPL-HS60 a 3 chip LCD? I'm kind of looking at some FPTV's as We will be moving in January and will have a much bigger living room. And sence budget is a little lower I've decided I can deal with 720p for now.

Honestly a lot of the 1080p sets I've seen are lacking in a lot of other areas to the point that even though they're lower res, the 720p units looks better overall. Besides, depending on source material and seating distance there's a pretty good chance you'd see no difference in res at all anyway

[Hdale85]

Well the PT-AX100 is about 500 more. or 1/4 the price more. I'll have to look at the Z5.

[Hdale85]

Well amazon does not have the Z5 but I found it on e-bay and there is one thing I like! 2 HDMI ports! Have not seen that on another projector. I'll have to look at some comparisions. But Amazon has the HS60 for like 1500 bucks I believe and the Z5 is about 1500 on ebay so I'll have to find somone that carries it as I don't want to buy a 1500-2000 dollar projector off ebay! That would be a big nono unless they were an authorized dealer which is rare on ebay.

[Hdale85]

I'm starting to think about the optoma HD70 with a Panamorph Lens.

[pereze]

Here is a link to the Z5

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2749237&Sku=S680-1000&SRCCODE=PRICEGRABBER&CMP=OTC-PRICEGRABBER

Looks like there is a $200 rebate on it as well.

[Hdale85]

1299....man thats pretty cheap! Does it do constant height? So I can use an anamorphic lens with it?

[aud19]

Dang that's cheap!

[Hdale85]

1299 is after the 200 dollar MIR though.... I caught that when I was reading through it. It's actually 1499.99. I'll have to look at this one and the HS60 to see if either do constant height for anamorphic lens's. I want to do a 2.35:1 screen for those beautiful cinemascope movies. Thats one of the reasons I was looking at the Optoma HD70. I just realised that this has moved to a FPTV aproach and this is not the FPTV forum! whoops.

[aud19]

The Z5 doesn't seem to be available on their Canadian page though and the Z4 is still listed at $1949CA :evil: :rant:

[Hdale85]

Hmm...well that sucks! What sucks more is that the rebate ends Jan 31's and I'm not sure I can purchase it before that. If I can get my tax returns settled before then I would be very shocked!

[aud19]

We always get shafted on prices up here :cry:

[Hdale85]

Yeah thats what I hear. So if I don't get the rebate then the HS60 and the Z5 are the same price....I've heard really good things about the HS60....I'll have to look up some reviews on the Z5.