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View Full Version : 720p vs. 1080p - Plasma vs. DLP



RedDog
01-29-2007, 10:50 PM
OK - what do I go for. I want a hi-def tv in the 55 - 60 inch size range. Most likely 55 inch. Seems my options for the price (<$2600) are either a plasma with 720p resolution or a DLP rear projection with 1080p. I like the elegance of the thin /flat plasma tv but should I go with the rear projection DLP in order to get the 1080p?

Viewing distance will range from 12 to 15 feet typically.

I like the Mitsubishi 1080p 57" DLP. I haven't looked at the plasmas much thinking I needed the 1080p - do I?

Dr. Dan
01-30-2007, 05:08 AM
Ahhhhhhhhhh Now You Speaking My Language....

Liz and I were going to get ourselves some updated hardware for our viewing pleasure as well for Christmas. So I did a ton of checking, researching talking and hey whad Ya thinking...

And here is what I found out...

Plasmas have come down in price substantially, they have a "potential" for a need for extensive extended service contracts that average 20% of the purchase price...which I think is a scam. These have an expected life without trouble for anywhere from 4 to 7 years ? After that they may require the Plasma equivalent of a Tube Replacement, which will be expensive, again it will vary but I was given a range of about $400 to $700 depending on the Model. Currently the 720's are the most common available resolution, higher resolution is Twice to 3X as expensive. Without a maintenance contract these might be a Crap Shoot on longevity. These offer modern profiles and very flexible applications in virtually all settings.

The DLP's - I found these to be by far the best value and the nicest picture, I fell in love with a Samsung and a Sony, both over 50" Wide and less than $3K. Pair it up with the new High Def. Blue Ray Players and this is remarkable to view, almost 3 Dimensional. We will be doing a High Def- 1080 DLP for sure, they also have a better long term track record and are similar to a regular TV when the bulbs need replacement. :bonk:

After all of the research and study, our purchase decision was indefinitely put on hold due to Corporate Downsizing at my company...so as a Band Aid to our viewing delemma, we purchased 2 regular Joe TV's one New in the Box 32" Sylvannia - which compared to what was there looks like a BillBoard in that Room, all for a whopping $269.00 a great value! Then my Office TV took a dump ironically and we bought an open box special for the Office, a 25" SAMSUNG for $169.00 it works great for the application. Both replaced at the bargain price that was no where near what "I Wanted" but all things considered... I learned a valueable lesson.... in "Value Purchasing"...so I am never too old to realize and appreciate a lesson learned.

Someday my DLP will come.... :wink: Good Luck in your purchase.

Doc of Life Changing Experiences :smash:

Lenny
01-30-2007, 08:29 AM
LCD, flat (as in non glossy ) screen. Walk up to a TV, with the power off, and if you can see your reflection it will probably annoy you in the future while watching it.

The Sony is the one I like. BRAVIA. 178 degree viewing angle.


http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/_wbr+target=_blank_INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KDL52XBR2&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tv_flatpanel_46to52

Diesel Dog
01-30-2007, 09:06 AM
We are doing the same thing,a lot of shopping.
I think we are going with the 42" 1080 Plasma.
We have a small space and the 2+3 needs a
motor. So the 42 will do!:yes: :yes: :yes:

BUIZILLA
01-30-2007, 09:11 AM
I have 2 Samsungs.... 42 and 55... my daughter has a 32 and a 55

not sure we would buy anything else at this point

undertaker
01-30-2007, 09:40 AM
Two months ago I bought a HD 46" Sony rear projection on sale for $1200 (there goes the CMI'S:wink: :wink: ) it has a awesome picture well worth the cash IMO:) :) and like Doc said less expense down the road than the plasma.


Undertaker:pimp:

Kirk
01-30-2007, 10:15 AM
Last Summer I purchased a 32 Sony XBR Bravia LCD 32' @ Best Buy the price was just north of 2k. The set has a built-in tuner and picks up stations broadcasting in HD. It does have a cable card slot but I don't use the feature!

Check out the Monster Surge Suppressors and buy one...the last thing you need is to blow the set. You can plug in DVD, Cable Modem, Receivers and so on into the box so everything is protected.

Have always had Sony's...in fact I have an old Trinitron that has to be 25 years old and the picture is great.

Check out the 32's or the 40's for about $800.00 more.

rustnrot
01-30-2007, 10:34 AM
We wanted 42". We wanted LCD to minimize reflections. Last week I bought this for $949 shipped. Got here today, already price is down to $929 shipped!!! http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SYN342I

Ed Donnelly
01-30-2007, 11:41 AM
I have a 60" Sony Grand Wega .. Projection bulb went and was replaced the next day no charge. Don't even use my sound system as the Sony's sound is great.It has I link, a memory slot and all kinds of other goodies that I don't know what they do......Ed

marcdups
01-30-2007, 12:53 PM
Got a Sony rear projection last year and WOW, it is a 50" SXRD and all I can say is amazing, saw one 55" at Best Buy for under 2400 $$ which p!@@#& me off as I bought mine b4 then but still fantastic, great pic and sound, Marc

Bvinc
01-30-2007, 02:32 PM
I manage a structured wiring/Stereo/Hometheater Company - 23 years exp.
I have a 42" Poineer 1080p Plasma over Fire Place @ lake House & a Hitachi 55" 1080P Plasma at country house. If I wasn't in the busness I would have probably bought a DLP to save money.

If you can afford it the 1080P & even better 1080i it is the best way to go. Techn. is changing so rapidly I'd hate to see you get a 780P it will be going away or just avail. in the in-expensive screens.

As far a flat or DLP. Yes a flat screen looks great &is impressive hanging on a wall. If you have a small room sometimes this is needed. But if you have the room, DLP's are only about 14" to 15" deep, a DLP had just as good a picture, sometimes better & you will save a lot money. Brand name does make a difference, just like most things, you get what you are paying for. Sony has always been the best, that's why you pay 20 to 30% more for a Sony.

If quality is not that big a deal to you they have killer deals at Costco & Sam's wholesale on plasma's. Off brand names but still a pretty good product. Try to go view what you are going to buy. Sometimes what you like is(sharpness in a picture) is not what the next guy like (brightness in the colors) or smoothness in the picture. Finally, buy what you want not what someelse is telling/wanting you to buy.

Good Luck

McGary911
01-30-2007, 06:35 PM
I was planning on getting a flatscreen LCD to hang on my wall. All of my research said that LCD was the way to go. Then I visited my parents' houses (divorced) in NJ. Dad has an LCD, Mom has a plasma. Both 42" both get HD feed. In all of my bouncing back and forth between the 2 houses it hit me that I liked the plasma a LOT more. Seemed to have better black, higher contrast, and was just generally brighter.
I guess my point is that after all the research I did, it took a couple of hours in front of each before I realized which one I really liked better.

I ended up going with: http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13401&itemId=96292&catGroupId=24973&modelNo=TH-50PX60U&surfModel=TH-50PX60U&cacheProgram=11002&cachePartner=7000000000000005702

Consumer reports rated one just like this as their top 50" plasma. The only difference with this one is that it has 2 fewer speakers and it has a connection to hook your laptop display to it. I use my stereo and can plug my laptop in with a S-Video cable, so this one's fine for me.

I am really diggin' my new TV :yes: Best part was that I got it at Best Buy for $1999......and HD is only an extra $5 per months through my cable company.

Guess who's having the superbowl party this year :beer: :hyper:

Tony
01-30-2007, 07:45 PM
We are shopping, also. Two generalizations I have heard are;


under 40" go LCD, over 40" go plasma

bright room with glare potential, go LCD...dark room or basement go Plasma


Sony XBR's are great but pricey.
Sam's & Costco carry a line called Vizio, supposedly decent quality at a very low price. The 37" Vizio LCD is reviewed here. (http://reviews.cnet.com/Vizio_VX37L_HDTV/4505-6482_7-32144189.html?tag=ms
)

An awesome, independent site called cNet.com has always done a great job of reviewing electronic goods. Here is their page on Televisions. (http://reviews.cnet.com/Televisions/2001-6475_7-0.html?tag=ont.tv)

This is a list of cnet's HDTV Editor's Picks. (http://reviews.cnet.com/4323-6531_7-6509125.html?tag=txt)

Finally, here is a link about Plasma vs. LCD. (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6463_7-5023901-3.html?tag=dir)



:beer:

Tony
01-30-2007, 07:54 PM
Some say that 1080p is not necessary, due to the fact that no one is broadcasting in that format yet.
Here is a cnet.com excerpt explaining resolution:

Resolution, or picture detail, is the main reason why HDTV programs look so good. The standard-definition programming most of us watch today has at most 480 visible lines of detail, whereas HDTV has as many as 1,080. HDTV looks sharper and clearer than regular TV by a wide margin, especially on big-screen televisions. It actually comes in two different resolutions, called 1080i and 720p. One is not necessarily better than the other; 1080i has more lines and pixels, but 720p is a progressive-scan format that should deliver a smoother image that stays sharper during motion (for more on progressive scanning, see our primer). Another format is also becoming better known: 1080p, which combines the superior resolution of 1080i with the progressive-scan smoothness of 720p. True 1080p content is extremely scarce, however, and none of the major networks has announced 1080p broadcasts.

Videophiles are quick to point out that not every HDTV can actually display all the resolution of an HDTV program. That's true; all but the most expensive sets with 9-inch CRTs, LCoS engines, or the very highest-resolution DLP and LCD panels are incapable of resolving every detail of 1080i material. Plasma, LCD, LCoS and DLP TVs have a fixed number of pixels, known as native resolution, and the higher that number, the more detail you'll see. Naturally, higher-resolution fixed-pixel displays, such as 1080p sets with 1,920x1,080 pixels, cost more money. At the end of the day, however, even the staunchest video critics will admit that a high-definition picture on any HDTV looks far superior to regular TV.


:beer:

Tony
01-30-2007, 08:10 PM
Here are some more 720p vs. 1080p opinions...

One (http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/reality.html)

Two (http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/06/07/1080p_not_necessarily_1080p/)

Three (http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback47.html)


:beer:

Bob
01-30-2007, 08:35 PM
We have a 50" Philips and a 50" Panasonic. Both have cable card slots since I can't stand to rent a couple of cable boxes each month for $15. Price of each set now below 2k.

The Panasonic has much better sound and a slightly sharper picture although both are a big improvement over a 32" sony. The LCD's seem just as sharp but the blacks are dark gray.

The projection sets never seemed as sharp or as bright to me as the plasma's. I noticed all the projections were shown in dim settings. Both of my plasmas are in bright rooms and the they don't have any problem with bright, ambient light.

They do put out lots of heat, which is nice in the winter.

RedDog
01-31-2007, 12:13 AM
OK - to try and re-focus this discussion

1) 55" or larger - LCD flat screens only go to 46" so they are out
2) plasma flat screen vs DLP rear projection
3) 1080p vs 720p
4) hold cost below 2600

I think Dr Dan confirms my inclination toward a rear projection 1080p - I still need to read Tony's links but I suspect I have seen them already

RedDog
01-31-2007, 12:18 AM
LCD, flat (as in non glossy ) screen. Walk up to a TV, with the power off, and if you can see your reflection it will probably annoy you in the future while watching it.
The Sony is the one I like. BRAVIA. 178 degree viewing angle.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/_wbr+target=_blank_INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KDL52XBR2&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tv_flatpanel_46to52


pretty cool - can you say budget buster? For that price I could get a big HD TV AND a set of Stainless Marine Exhaust...

Next year I will have 2 in college ....

pmreed
01-31-2007, 10:35 AM
Might not fit your budget, but if it's big you want...
BIG LCD (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/sharp-rolls-out-gigantic-108inch-lcd-226761.php):eek!:

Phil

BigGrizzly
01-31-2007, 07:10 PM
My son just bough a 52 Sharp LCD flat screen. They say the 46 is as clear as you can get but they look the same to me. I may not hear well but my eye sight is great. He got the TV for 2900 complete. A little steep for me at this time, need new interior for the Criterion and a wind shield.

CrackerJack
01-31-2007, 08:24 PM
Did alot of research and price shopping. We did not like the glare from a plasma display, since we don't have a dark room to view it. Did not want to take up the extra space with a rear projection DLP. So we purchased a 40" LCD Sony 1080p over a Samsung. Don't believe we needed the 1080p, but the price was right and BB was offering other discounts at the time. Oh, yea it was the wife that wanted the new $$$$$ TV. The picture with digital HD cable is great. Best advice is get what you like at the best price.

Lenny
01-31-2007, 10:57 PM
pretty cool - can you say budget buster? For that price I could get a big HD TV AND a set of Stainless Marine Exhaust...

Next year I will have 2 in college ....

So hold one back, get him a job pumping gas for a year and then let him go to school and become something :rolleyes: GEESH :eek: Small price to pay and he'll enjoy watching it from the comforts of your couch 24/7.

;)

RedDog
02-21-2007, 01:45 PM
Well I finally bit the bullet - well actually DonziDeb bit the bullet and bought one for me. I knew it was coming but not when. I got home Sunday night after a week of travel and there she was all set up.

Samsung 61" DLP (http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/DLPTV/HLS6187WXXAA.asp)

http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/DLPTV/images/b2c_m_hls6187.jpg

I watched a ladies basket ball (Lady Vols) the other night only because it was broadcast in hi-def. Felt like I was sitting courtside. Can't wait to watch the men play Bama tonight - also in hi-def :)

I've added a high-definition cable package with a DVR and have a new DVD player on the way - OPPO DV-981HD 1080p High Definition Up-Converting Universal DVD Player with HDMI (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/index.html)

I already had the surround sound system so I'm good to go...