Hey guys, I've done a fair amount of reading but I thought you might be able to help me out.

I have a Samsung HLS-7178 and it works great.

I'm looking for the newest / best 70+" out there in the same range for another room. What do you guys suggest?

Seems the HLxxA650/A750 are the new models for '08 but since '09 is around the corner are these still the "new" ones? I'm not sure when the HL72A650 started shipping.

Advice please

Mits and Sammy are the only two manufacturer's still producing sets. There are rumors that Samsung will no longer be manufacturing DLPs after this year. Your best bet would be either one of the 735/736/835 series Mits or that Sammy. I would personally go with the 73835 Mits if I were you, just my opinion.

Thanks, I didn't know that.....

I guess plasma is gaining? Wonder what a 70" runs?

A 70" plasma will run you probably minimum of 15k, whereas you can get a 73" dlp for 2-3k depending on the model.

15k :eek:

Ouch, $15k? I knew there was a reason I was looking at DLP. Why would you go Mits over Samsung? Seems the Sammy is about $1200 cheaper, no?

You could always go down in sreen size to about 65", where flat panels will start running you from $4000-$8000, around there.

If i could afford a 65" flat panel, I'd ditch rptv's altogether.

Why would you go Mits over Samsung? Seems the Sammy is about $1200 cheaper, no?

Depends on which Mits you are comparing it to. The model listed above is from the premium "Diamond" line. The similar 73735 and 73736 models are more comparable to the Samsung in price, if not less (though they do have fewer features than the 835). As far as why Mits over the Samsung... the major advantage the Mits has over the Samsung is it uses the newer DC4 DLP, while the Samsung uses the previous generation chip.

As far as why Mits over the Samsung... the major advantage the Mits has over the Samsung is it uses the newer DC4 DLP, while the Samsung uses the previous generation chip.

big deal

big deal

He asked why someone would prefer the Mits over the Samsung... why get defensive?

He asked why someone would prefer the Mits over the Samsung... why get defensive?

i am not

Was trying to decide myself if the Mits darkchip overrides the Sammy LED advantages-after viewing several times at CC/BB the darkchippers occasionally look richer in color, but not on all feeds-wonder if one had it home, it would make any difference? If thats true- might be prudent to go with the best deal.

Thanks guys... all opinions welcome.

I guess the Mitsu still uses color wheel as does the Sammy in that size. I'd have to drop down to 65" (correct?) to be able to purchase the LCD ver..

I assume you mean LED version? If so, you'd have to go down to the 67" Sammy.

Was trying to decide myself if the Mits darkchip overrides the Sammy LED advantages-after viewing several times at CC/BB the darkchippers occasionally look richer in color, but not on all feeds-wonder if one had it home, it would make any difference? If thats true- might be prudent to go with the best deal.

dude i don't know why u are so worried about the damn Dark chip scam
do u want to deal with color wheels,replace lamps every 4000 hours and failed light engines?

dude i don't know why u are so worried about the damn Dark chip scam
do u want to deal with color wheels,replace lamps every 4000 hours and failed light engines?

I don't understand why you consider the DC4 a "scam". It's simply a newer generation design of the DLP chip. Did you consider the DC3 that the current Samsungs use a "scam" compared to the previous version? Most products go through generational updates. Sometimes they are huge improvements, sometimes they aren't anything more than a model number change. Texas Instruments claims a 30% contrast improvement over the DC3. If you believe that is an optimistic number, that's one thing, though I don't understand calling it a scam.

And just to avoid any confusion, the OP was asking about 70"+ sets. For Samsung, that means lamps and color wheels, just like Mits. I too was hoping to get an LED based set, if nothing else for the reduced power consumption and newer technology. But it just wasn't in the cards for this size range, and as it turned out, when I compared the 67" Samsung to the 73" Mits, I preferred the look of the Mits, despite the bulb. That was my impression, others may have the opposite opinion. So I decided the size I wanted and the slight PQ preference was more important to ME than the whether or not the light source was an LED. I probably only watch about 15-20hrs of TV a week, so the bulb should last me four years anyway. Bulb replacement costs may be much more important to someone who uses their set much more heavily than I do. Fortunately, Mits lowered their bulb prices to $99, so when a bulb is required, it won't be a major issue.

I feel it may be a lost cause with domingos, Darin. Pretty much every thread that I have replied to or given any recommendation for all he says is thats bs, or samsung is better, or its a scam. Everyone has their own personal tastes and I understand why you want to "defend" the product you own so-to-speak, but the posts are on the verge of just being fanboyish with nothing added to the discussion.

If you like a particular brand, thats fine, more power to you...but if someone asks for an opinion, don't bash everyone else's because it is different than your own or call it a "scam" because it is a newer generation product than what your set has (no idea how DC4 is a scam over DC3....boggles my mind). At least back up your opinion with why you like it or say, well personally I just like xxx set better everyone has their own personal tastes.

for what it's worth, I was in the market for a 73" rptv.... demo'd 5 different 73" mitsu diamonds (73835) and 4 of the 5 had geometry issues. They had noticable flairing of the black bars when displaying letterbox. I finally took this TV off my list and bought 60" pioneer plasma. The only rear projection set I would consider is the sammy LED models. The geometry issue was deal breaker on the mitsu, though I thought it had superior black levels to the sammy. All that said, the sammy is no slouch and puts out a great picture and at under $2000 for a 67", it has HUGE bang for the buck.... if you are RPTV friendly

Guys, I know there is some, shall we say....tension here. But, let's try and keep it all positive. We're all looking for info on getting what we think would be the best product for ourselves. That might not be what someone else agree with, but all the info is helpful. I truly appreciate you posting your opinions.

Yes, I meant LED.... my bad....

Plasma 60" might be the way to go. Zivman, what do you think of the Plasma now? How is the size? Pricing. Personally I've gotten used to the size of the 72" Sammy HLS and when I watch my 50" 4:3 rear projection TV it looks so small now.

FYI - My friend told me that they are expecting major sales on TVs for Christmas in a few weeks.

For the record, I just got a DLP 73 inch Mitsubishi 73736 which I absolutely love. Gorgeous picture, good viewing angle, good brightness.

I'm very happy with it. I purchased online with free shipping and it was one heck of a steal.

So I could have gotten the (slightly) nicer picture from plasma, but it would have been about 23 inches smaller!

for what it's worth, I was in the market for a 73" rptv.... demo'd 5 different 73" mitsu diamonds (73835) and 4 of the 5 had geometry issues. They had noticable flairing of the black bars when displaying letterbox. I finally took this TV off my list and bought 60" pioneer plasma.

Yes, if perfect geometry is important to you, you don't have many options beyond going to a fixed pixel panel. It's just the nature of the beast in RPTV. You see tons of posts about it in the Sammy owners thread, and while you don't see it that much in the Mitsubishi owners thread, I can tell you as the owner of one, it is there. You see varying reports of bad geometry and good geometry, but I suspect the issue has less to do with physical variances between sets, and more to do with whether or not geometry correction is on, and if it's adjusted as best as possible. Most probably don't even know the option is there (it's in the service menu on the Mits). I turned it off, because 1:1 pixel mapping is more important to me than perfect geometry. I don't notice it on letterboxed material, but I *DO* notice it somewhat on pillarboxed SD material (very slight inward bowing). You are also always going to have some overscan on an RPTV set.

There are trade-offs with rear projection, and this is one of the biggest ones, IMHO. But when you get to the 70"+ size range, you just don't have many options. At least not with the limited depth of MY pockets. :)

As Darin and vili have indicated, I believe there is a bit of elitism among Samsung LED fans (not all of them of course). It often shows up as an attitude that if you bought a bulb model then you have an inferior DLP. I bought the almost orphaned Samsung A650 which has the lamp and color wheel and actually feel closer to the Mits crowd than the Samsung LED folks!

I think we all fall in love with what we bring home so just go out and compare, compare, compare and choose the one with the most advantages that are attractive to you. Of course listen to what others have to say but weigh their biases too. I personally am glad I got a lamp model and think they have a superior display but can see why many people are drawn to LED.

DLPs give you so much bang for the buck I don't know why more people don't buy them. Sure there are geometry issues but Darin's right, it's not a big issue when you consider how much screen size you get for your dollar. Mitsubishi or Samsung, they're both fine choices. So are lamp vs. LED and DC4 vs. DC3, chose what works best for you.

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