My 52" CRT RPTV has a pretty good HD picture in a darkened room. I was thinking about buying a new 50" 720 plasma or 50" Sony SXRD Rear Projection. Will spending about $2000 including a TV stand get me a lot better picture or should I wait untill my CRT RPTV dies?
Plasma vs CRT RPTV
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Plasma looks great from any angle. The new Sony and Mits TV's also look good, and now have better viewing angles than before. One advantage of the Projections is the lower cost of getting a 1080p TV for HD-DVD or Blu-ray
I have a similiar question as well. I have thought about replacing my 57" CRT RPTV because of declining picture quality. I am wondering if I purchased a new rear projection (SXRD), will I be facing the same problem with it in a few years? Will the picture quality slowly decline over time.
I was under the impression that a LCD flat panel would not decline in quality. Like maybe a dimming or fading picture like I have been experiencing with my CRT RPTV. Am I wrong in this assumption?
If you are considering SXRD, I recommend you look at the JVC Dila series, which seem to be better- fewer problems- and cost less. These LCoS RPTVs will NOT deteriorate over time, but you will have to replace a bulb every 6,000-8,000 hours or so. Every 2 or 3 years? $200-$250 and the set is as good as new. VERY easy to replace the bulbs on most RPTVs. And, of course, no burn in.
That said, if I had a CRT RPTV that worked fine, I'd stick with it. Other technologies are getting better FAST, and cheaper. I personally think plasmas are headed for reduced market share. LCDs are getting cheaper and larger. Most importantly, I'd wait for a certain type of LED backlit LCD (not sure it's on the market yet). LCDs usually have a back light that evenly illuminates the whole screen. This destroys the black levels, probably the major weakness of LCD technology. LEDs can be used to illuminate the whole screen all the time, too. But they can also be designed to turn down or off in dimmer or black areas of the displayed picture. The PQ improvement is amazing (based on photos I've seen). I will likely buy such an LCD at some point in the future for my bedroom.
LCDs do age over time. But current models from known brand names do not age nearly as bad as models from a few years ago. You'll get many years of use out of one before you notice any problem. By then, you'll probably throw it out because new technology will be so much better and so much cheaper. Think "OLED."
Also, back lights in some LCDs lose brightness, and sometimes this can be replaced by the consumer. Not likely to ever be needed for LED backlit LCDs.
For excellent LCDs, think "Sharp AQUOS." Bring your wallet.
That said, if I had a CRT RPTV that worked fine, I'd stick with it. Other technologies are getting better FAST, and cheaper. I personally think plasmas are headed for reduced market share. LCDs are getting cheaper and larger. Most importantly, I'd wait for a certain type of LED backlit LCD (not sure it's on the market yet). LCDs usually have a back light that evenly illuminates the whole screen. This destroys the black levels, probably the major weakness of LCD technology. LEDs can be used to illuminate the whole screen all the time, too. But they can also be designed to turn down or off in dimmer or black areas of the displayed picture. The PQ improvement is amazing (based on photos I've seen). I will likely buy such an LCD at some point in the future for my bedroom.
LCDs do age over time. But current models from known brand names do not age nearly as bad as models from a few years ago. You'll get many years of use out of one before you notice any problem. By then, you'll probably throw it out because new technology will be so much better and so much cheaper. Think "OLED."
Also, back lights in some LCDs lose brightness, and sometimes this can be replaced by the consumer. Not likely to ever be needed for LED backlit LCDs.
For excellent LCDs, think "Sharp AQUOS." Bring your wallet.
I think you are getting into a very subjective area here. What looks right to one person doesn't to another, whether you are looking for the "film look" or something else. Having the set properly adjusted is, to me, the most important factor in picture quality.
And the source material, too, and the transmission frame rate, and......
But by and large, I think DLPs are considered to look the most "digital" i.e. - sharp, as opposed to film like, "blended" or a little softer.
But by and large, I think DLPs are considered to look the most "digital" i.e. - sharp, as opposed to film like, "blended" or a little softer.
I might disagree with this. My samsug DLP has the more "film like" vs the sharp clarity that I have with my LCDs. Of course this may be in the set up also. Te DLP is my main tv and the others are part time.
I replaced my 8 year old 61 in sony with a 61in JVC DILA. $1949 after best buy matched an Internet price. That saved me $490 off the store price.
So far, great TV, excellent picture and sound. My wife doesn't even use the home theatre sound for everyday use because it sounds so good. Out of the 7 HDTV's I have now, it has a very good picture, My neighor has the Sony and the picture is a good as it.
So far, great TV, excellent picture and sound. My wife doesn't even use the home theatre sound for everyday use because it sounds so good. Out of the 7 HDTV's I have now, it has a very good picture, My neighor has the Sony and the picture is a good as it.
What ever you choose, I wouldn't get a set that can only do 720P (might accept 1080i or 1080P, but that don't mean it displays that res). Look for resolution that is 1920 X 1080. If 1080P is the new thing, why get 720P? That's IMHO.
I've seen some 1080P sets that were pretty reasonable, have yet to see any Plasma's that are 1080P, if there are some, I'm sure they are the most expensive.
I've seen some 1080P sets that were pretty reasonable, have yet to see any Plasma's that are 1080P, if there are some, I'm sure they are the most expensive.
1080p JVC DILA or Sony are about the same price as a 720 plasma. I like the JVC and Sony but it seems like everybody is pushing plasma. I'm going to wait another month or so longer. Does standard def. look worse on a plasma?
I also have a 61" JVC D-ila. I'm very happy with it. It's a 720. Today, I'd buy the 1080P version. We bought the JVC because it looked film like to us. We'd see shallow water near a shoreline and could see thru it to the bottom. The colors were more realistic. That wasn't the case with the other technologies on display at the time.
I wouldn't say everybody is pushing plasma. I believe plasma market share is going down, being supplanted by LCD. The new LED LCD panels will certainly accelerate this move in the market (LCDs replacing plasmas).
Somewhere 5-10 years from now, plasmas will be a tiny portion of the market, or gone altogether, IMO. They never can address their fill factor problems (glass tubes can only get so thin). LCDs are getting better, larger and cheaper all the time. And with individually addressable LED pixel backlighting, they've made major strides in their black level concerns.
Of course, I also believe RPTVs like mine will also be off the market in 5-10 years.
And likely by the time it goes again, other technologies will be better and cheaper than today. Definitely the time to "buy time" if you can.
