I need advice on HDTV'S?

Question

I'm looking to buy and HDTV, I have been looking at Plasmas, LCD's and DLP's. I was going for an LCD but then I saw the DLP's next to the LCDS and Plasmas and saw a much sharper pic and lower price. What I'm asking is "should I purchase a DLP?" I need some advice from someone that knows DLP's or from someone that is very familiar with all 3 options. Which is the better buy? :)

Answer 1

At present, DLP provides higher brightness and more contrast than most LCD. An exception is the Sony SXRD, which can match DLP contrast and black levels. You have to be wary of the "rainbow effect" in DLP displays: before buying a DLP TV, look at a picture with bright areas and scan your eyes across the screen. If you see a trail of colors, you can see the "rainbow" and you may want to avoid this set. Many people (including me) cannot see these, but some can. For all sets, check off-center viewing of the screen. LCD flat panel in particular can lose brightness and contrast in off-center viewing. Both LCD projectors and DLP projectors are available in "1080p" resolution (they display 1920x1080 pixels on the screen). However, only the Sony SXRD is true 1080p; the DLP sets simulate this resolution with a tecnique called "wobulation". See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wobulation...

These DLP sets do provide a high resolution picture that is a little "softer" than the LCD units, but some people find that preferable (more "film like").

You should go look at the set and decide what you like better


Regarding LCD vs Plasma:

Picture quality of plasma is brighter, better color, better blacks than LCD. (There is something about looking directly at glowing phosphors!)

Sharpness is the same for equivalent pixel counts. Some newer LCDs have 1080 x 1920 resolution, most plasmas still in the 720 x 1280 range.

Plasma is heavier and uses more power than flat panel LCD.

There are reports that plasmas are not as reliable or they don't last as long, but that is no longer true with the latest models. Plasma phosphors dim slowly over time (but not as fast as CRT phosphors); but direct view LCDs use flourescent lamps which also dim and eventually burn out (some are replaceable). Projection LCD sets have bulbs of limited life, but are replaceable and the lifetime is a few thousand hours of viewing.

Plasmas are subject to burn-in. A stationary image left on the screen for a long time could produce a permanent ghost image. The most risk is when viewing a lot of 4:3 ratio pictures (non-HD), which are displayed with vertical dark areas on the left and right to fill in the wide screen. There are ways to minimize this, however. many sets have a "stretch" mode which widens the picture to fill the whole screen. This could also be a problem with extended playing of video games if there is a background image that remains stationary.

Plasmas come in largers sizes, although large flat panel LCDs are coming out, but they are expensive. LCD projectors can be 70".

LCD contrast and brightness can be reduced when viewing from off-center (both flat and projector, but sets will vary).

Answer 2

LCD is the wave of the future but prices are dropping fast every day so I suggest that you stay away from the larger screen sizes for the time being. If you want your screen to be larger than 36" go for a DLP. If under 36", then LCD.

Answer 3

lindsey is incorrect. Plasma TVs dont have burn in or wear problems anymore like the old ones did. They have a much longer life nowadays.

I would HIGHLY recommend looking at the sony WEGA tvs, and the mitsubishi DLPs. Both look better than plasmas, are far less expensive, and come in larger sizes. The 1080p models of these TVs are much less expensive than they used to be now, and depending on budget, I would advise getting the 1080p one, as alot of media is switching to it.

I personally love my 55" 720p sony wega (about 1 year old). It looks incredible, displays very good blacks, has a very sharp image, doesnt have ghosting like older LCD and such.

The only downside to the rear projection style of TVs like dlp and lcd projection is the size, and slightly the viewing angle (not much of a problem, but plasmas and LCDs have perfect viewing angles, as in they dont dim at angle.)

the LCD tvs DO look the best and are capable of best color, sharpness, and brightness, but theyre relatively very expensive and max out at around 42 inches last i checked.

Answer 4

I WORKED IN ELECTRONICS FOR 3 YEARS NOW PLASMAS ARE COOL BUT THEY ARE ONLY GOING TO LAST YOU UP TO 5 YEARS. NOT WORTH THE MONEY. I WOULD GO WITH LCD THE BEST VALUE PIC AND PRICE