Since this has digressed into the "Good Deal on my RCA" thread I'll add my two cents :)

Three weeks after purchasing my 61" at Circuit City I noticed they had lowered the price by $70 and also added a $200 CC rebate. I asked if they would honor their own lowered price and Voila' new sales receipt complete with a rebate form. Went home for lunch today and my $200 rebate had finally arrived! WOOHOO! More bucks to spend on toys!

Ok, I guess I'm just slow or something. I've read through the bulk of this thread after having my interest piqued during my last visit to BB, where the RCA 50" DLP had, in my opinion, the best combo of price and picture (must not be the latest generation because of it's low price point).

Could someone explain to me the 720 conversion issue in as simple of terms as possible? I know it's been discussed almost ad nauseum here, but I just don't understand the ramifications.

Also, I can see where you would have reservations fulfilling my request, given that I"m a whole 3 posts strong onto this message board. I've actually lurked for a couple months now, trying to data mine as much as possible for a upcoming TV purchase. I'll do my best to give more to this website than I've taken from it, but man - with how much some of you know about TV's, it's gonna be tough! :D

If you are going to get the new RCA DLP that just came out this is a non-issue according to The Big Dog. The initial RCA DLPs could not accept 720p from component or DVI inputs. Since the native resolution of the set is 720p extra processing was required to get the picture into the format needed for the screen (720p). The older models could accept 720p thought the antenna input and through the firewire inputs.

Some RCA owners claim that the conversion really does not measurably degrade the picture quality while other people state that putting in a 720p signal into a native 720p device (such as the RCA DLP) will give a superior picture because you need to do less signal processing an do not have to convert the signal.

According to The Big Dog RCA has seen the error in its ways and have designed the new sets to accept 720p.

Originally posted by Auditor_Kevin
Could someone explain to me the 720 conversion issue in as simple of terms as possible? I just don't understand the ramifications.
For me there are no ramifications. My hi-def cable box can ONLY send one type of signal (either 720p or 1080i) to the tv; therefore I set it to output 1080i and simply forget about it. For those channels coming through the cable in 1080i I'm guessing they go straight through the cable box to the TV, which then downconverts the signal to 720p (the TVs native resolution); for those channels that come through in 720p (ABC, Fox, and ESPN HD) the cable box upconverts the signal to 1080i, sends it out to the TV, and again the TV has to downconvert it to 720p. In other words, there's an extra conversion which SOME will argue decreases the PQ. For me, I see no difference whatsoever.

Now, the RCA WILL accept a 720p signal through it's internal HD tuner. I recently got an antenna to receive HD over the air and last night I compared Monday Night Football over the air (720p "unprocessed") versus cable (720p converted to 1080i converted back to 720p) and I couldn't see an ounce of difference. Did the same on Sunday for Fox football and got the same results. In my mind, case closed.....

Note that there are some DVD players and some video games that output 720p that you wouldn't be able to utilize. However, I believe these can always be set to either 480p or 1080i and therefore used without issue.

Hope this helps!

Originally posted by Auditor_Kevin
Could someone explain to me the 720 conversion issue in as simple of terms as possible? I know it's been discussed almost ad nauseum here, but I just don't understand the ramifications.
Pg_rider and PaulGo have covered the 720p question but I would like to add two more details.

Other DLP manufacturers make it possible through DVI or HDMI inputs to keep an image in digital all the way to the screen. Owners of those sets mostly feel that they get better PQ when they use an all digital path than if they use their component inputs which must be converted to analog and then back to digital.

With the original (now close out priced) RCA DLP sets all external inputs (STB or DVD) are forced to go through digital to analog and then back to digital conversions.

The RCA sets being closed out are going for low DLP prices and might be a good deal for you if you don't care about this issue.

For me, there is one more issue for the older sets. As reported by a magazine reviewer there are no controls available to do an ISF calibration. I've asked Big Dog if RCA has also changed this "feature" in their new models but so far he hasn't replied.

On the other hand, not very many owners get their TV sets ISF calibrated so that might be even less of an issue than the errors introduced by two extra analog conversions.

I believe my TV performs better using DVI as an all digital path but what you see personally is going to determine how satisfied you are. Good luck.

I agree that the inability of the old RCA DLPs to handle an external 720p input in native format is a non issue. I have had my 50" RCA DLP for nearly a year and I would never have known about this "failing" if I were not an AVS member. Both ABC and Fox HD telecasts are in 720p. I have made innumerable A-B comparisons between my cable box, which upconverts the 720p signal to 1080i before sending it to my TV and the OTA tuner built into my RCA DLP, which displays a 720p signal in native format. The PQ of each signal has been identical every time.

"The PQ of each signal has been identical every time."

Either the RCA has a fantastic conversion circuitry or the overall picture quality is diminished to the extent that the difference is not noticeable. The reason RCA did this last year was to save a couple of bucks by using the circuitry from their CRT (1080i) RPTVs. In theory a pure digital signal without any conversion should alway have a better quality. I guess the best way to compare is to feed the new RCA a 720p signal through the DVI input and compare it to the 720p signal that needed to be upconverted to 1080i to be input into the old RCA DLP which then had to convert it back to 720p to display it on the screen.

Originally posted by PaulGo
"The PQ of each signal has been identical every time."

Either the RCA has a fantastic conversion circuitry or the overall picture quality is diminished to the extent that the difference is not noticeable.

I've been thinking the same thing. Your test would be the better one.

Another factor I think can be added to the mix is the color wheel. The cheaper route is to drop the HD2+ chip into the existing light engine which means they can keep the six element color wheel. According to Big Dog that's RCA's path.

Samsung is doing the same thing with their HLPxx74 sets and there are a lot of irritated Samsung customers who were waiting for the "HD2+/seven element color wheel" combination in a table top set.

What the six element color wheel means is that such sets will probably have more dithering and less detail in dark scenes. LG seems to be headed in the same direction while Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Panasonic and Samsung (HLPxx85 sets) are doing the new seven and eight element color wheel light engines.

I understand why companies cut these corners for a price/profit advantage, but I also think it pays to know what bang you are getting for your buck. I think they may count on their customers failing to notice the difference.

Then if you want an ISF calibration ... ?

Originally posted by twohype
Does Sams Club warranty cover the lamp
It covers what ever the original warranty covers, so sammy does cover the bulb for one year, so i`d guess yes.

Don't assume - read the warranty. A lot of times it has language such as it does not cover ordinary replacement items (things that wear out). I would then call the warranty company and get it in writing since most warranties do not cover replacement bulbs.

Well i did read it and even called RCA ,The Warranty says it covers the display, never ever mentions "bulb".The associate at RCA says they DO cover the bulb for the first year,I know what you mean to get it in writing but the writing is a bit vague,purposefully i suppose.

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by PaulGo
"The PQ of each signal has been identical every time."

Either the RCA has a fantastic conversion circuitry or the overall picture quality is diminished to the extent that the difference is not noticeable.

I've been thinking the same thing. Your test would be the better one.
. . .
I understand why companies cut these corners for a price/profit advantage, but I also think it pays to know what bang you are getting for your buck. I think they may count on their customers failing to notice the difference.

Then if you want an ISF calibration ... ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other hand, if one's "real world" tests, such as my A-B comparison between a converted 720p input and an unconverted one via my 50" RCA DLP's OTA tuner, reveal that both versions pass the "Wow!" test, isn't it time to admit that there might not be a difference that "customers [are] failing to notice"? I will not hold by breath awaiting any such concession, though, because at AVS practical results seem often to be trumped by technical specifications -- not that there's anything wrong with that. :)

Originally posted by gwsat
quote:

On the other hand, if one's "real world" tests, such as my A-B comparison between a converted 720p input and an unconverted one via my 50" RCA DLP's OTA tuner, reveal that both versions pass the "Wow!" test, isn't it time to admit that there might not be a difference that "customers [are] failing to notice"?

I say go with what ever triggers your "WoW". :)

"On the other hand, if one's "real world" tests, such as my A-B comparison between a converted 720p input and an unconverted one via my 50" RCA DLP's OTA tuner, reveal that both versions pass the "Wow!" test,... "

The differences would be small, however the only way to do a valid A-B comparison is by playing both sources together (using two sets). But, if you're a happy owner that's all that counts!

htwaits and Paul -- Thanks for your responses. Indeed PQ is all a matter of opinion so I have no idea why the upconverted 720p input from my cable box and the "pure" input via my OTA tuner look the same but they do. By the way, I seem to recall that other owners of RCA DLPs have posed here that they have reached the same conclusion.

The builb is definitely covered, LARGE PDF FILE. http://www.rca.com/documents/1631476A_702460_25.pdf

The builb is definitely covered, LARGE PDF FILE. http://www.rca.com/documents/1631476A_702460_25.pdf

Does anyone here have one of these ?,It sure looks very good on paper.independent color adjustments for most inputs, upgrade software via Ethernet setup.no VGA but has fire wire,optical inputs,center channel option, someone reported web browser not very graphic endowed .

I knew the bulb was covered under the standard RCA one year warranty. I thought the question was whether it was covered under the extended warranty offered by your dealer. Most extended warranties do not cover the bulb.

"Does anyone here have one of these ?" Which RCA DLP model are you talking about? The new model or last years model?

Stopped by BB in Germantown, MD. Sales guy said bulb was covered in the EW. Current sale price was about 3350 for the new 61". EW is 400/4yrs.

I was very impressed by the picture on this tv -- Having not liked the picture on the previous series (hd2 based chips), I was expecting this picture to really suck but to my surprise, it definetly stood it's ground side by side against a toshiba dlp. When compared to an HD3 samsung, it totally blew the samsung away.

Before today I wouldn't have concidered this tv but now I feel it definetly has great potential. If I do get it I will definetly get the E.W. :)

Originally posted by aaron20832
Stopped by BB in Germantown, MD. Sales guy said bulb was covered in the EW. Current sale price was about 3350 for the new 61". EW is 400/4yrs.

I was very impressed by the picture on this tv -- Having not liked the picture on the previous series (hd2 based chips), I was expecting this picture to really suck but to my surprise, it definetly stood it's ground side by side against a toshiba dlp. When compared to an HD3 samsung, it totally blew the samsung away.

Before today I wouldn't have concidered this tv but now I feel it definetly has great potential. If I do get it I will definetly get the E.W. :)

Yep I agree :D plus the price/size ratio won me over ;)

sams club model HD61LPW42
is this an older model?

"Before today I wouldn't have concidered this tv but now I feel it definetly has great potential. If I do get it I will definetly get the E.W."

I agree the features you get with this set for the price is unmatched. I also find the picture quality to be as good as the Samsung models. Perhaps the alliance with the China company they merged with is showing benefits.

When talking to some Best Buy employees they also remarked about the improved picture quality. I also mentioned to them about the past quality problems with the RCA TVs as the only barrier to my recommending / purchasing an RCA and they both laughed and agreed the the RCA sets have had a lot of repair problems. I did't pursue the matter as to the specifics. I do think the new model will be a good seller. It will be interesting to get feedback from new RCA DLP owners as to their impressions of the picture quality, reliability and RCA customer support.

Originally posted by jojo57
sams club model HD61LPW42
is this an older model?

This is last years model. I have not seen the new 61" RCA yet but from the pictures it should be similar in styling to the new RCA DLP's on display at Best Buy. (About a 2" wide mirrored band below the screen).

This is what I mean when I say most extended warranties do not cover lamps - this is from a user group comment "alt.tv.tech.hdtv" by Dave Balcom:

"BB replaced the lamp on my 40 inch Panasonic Rear Projection LCD in May
which was under their extended warranty (bulb blew literally on the 366th
day of the factory 1 year warranty period). I bought the extended warranty
because the salesman (their TV dept manager no less) said it was covered
and NOT a consumable. Note that Panasonic does cover their lamps for a full
year along with the warranty of the set itself. I specifically asked the BB
salesman if the lamp was considered a consumable as it is rated by the
manufacturer at 5000 hours (he said it was covered even if it smelled
funny).

According to the BB service tech, BB changed their corporate replacement
policy on lamps literally the week before -- nearly a year after I bought
the set. He said they were replacing them but it was costing them so much
money, they now consider it a consumable item and no longer covered. Due to
my complaining about being lied to they replaced it no charge this time
only (mainly due to the sympathetic service tech -- he called the local
store manager direct). Otherwise, I would have been out a $300+ lamp AND a
$300 extended warranty. Bottom line is the salesman will say anything to
get you to buy their warranty, so caveat emptor...

Read the BB extended warranty carefully. It is written so generic that they
can change almost anything at will, making ANY part they find to fail often
a consumable and hence not covered. Think about it this way, the normal TV
picture tube gets used up too, but over several years and not in 1000's of
hours..."

And another comment from an ex-Best Buy salesperson (different person):

"Up until last week, I worked for Best Buy for 22 months in the Home
Theater dept. For 22 months, I was placed under EXTREME pressure to
sell their PERFORMANCE SERVICE PLAN to 'every customer, every time.'

IMHO, BBY exaggerates to the extreme, the so-called 'need' for their
PSP. The bottom line is that a $400 PSP costs BBY less than $100 and
it is a HUGE source of revenue. I was instructed to 'tell the customer
whatever was necessary' in order to close the sale for a PSP."

I just got the RCA 61 TV. Looks and sounds great! I have a question though.

I have Comcast in the Chicago area. Should I be able to get HDTV channels with getting the STB box? If so, do you guys know what channel and subchannel.

Thanks

Originally posted by aaron20832
Stopped by BB in Germantown, MD. Sales guy said bulb was covered in the EW. Current sale price was about 3350 for the new 61". EW is 400/4yrs.

I was very impressed by the picture on this tv -- Having not liked the picture on the previous series (hd2 based chips), I was expecting this picture to really suck but to my surprise, it definetly stood it's ground side by side against a toshiba dlp. When compared to an HD3 samsung, it totally blew the samsung away.

Before today I wouldn't have concidered this tv but now I feel it definetly has great potential. If I do get it I will definetly get the E.W. :)

That's my BB as well, and the 50" Sammy on display is not in very good shape, the bulb seems dim and picture out of focus. The Kirk model looks better.
With that being said, the RCA PQ did look very nice, at a very attractive price.

Originally posted by jojo57
The builb is definitely covered, LARGE PDF FILE. http://www.rca.com/documents/1631476A_702460_25.pdf
Page 87 is warrenty

Okay so I made up my mind last night and headed over to BB to buy the new RCA 61 incher. So I get there and the sales guy tells me that it's not in the system and so I can't buy it. I told him that it was in there last week, even had a 61" price tag next to the 50" tag. His manager was no help either. So I went to another BB near by and they tell me the same thing. What does this mean? I know it's out because others on this thread said they've bought from BB. Does this mean they've maybe run out?

-Aaron

I have not seen the new 61" RCA DLP only the new 50" DLP on display nor have I seen the new 61" pricetag. In the Best Buys I have visited I only have seen the old 61" one on clearance. Maybe they want to get rid of the old 61" DLP inventory before they start selling the new 61" set.

Try Circuit City. I got mine Open Boxed 61 inch RCA from there for about $2200 before taxes. That was two saturdays ago.

Make sure they are looking up the model number that is branded for them

i think it ends with "XXXXX142"


*****EDIT****.. my bad I didn't know you guys were looking for the new models...

I have not seen the new RCA DLPs at Circuit City yet. They still have the old models.

I stopped by BB and picked up the "terms and conditions" for the $400/4-yr performance plan. It clearly says that it covers the bulb on DLP and LCD projector tvs.

I was also told that the 61 incher is on backorder and expect a shipment on OCT 22. The current price is $3499 and you'll receive a $200.00 gift card.

"I was also told that the 61 incher is on backorder and expect a shipment on OCT 22. The current price is $3499 and you'll receive a $200.00 gift card."

That's a great price. When you get it please post a detailed review of the set.

Is this model really coming out this year? Way back at the beginning of the thread it is menitioned as a product for this year. There is no mention of it on RCA's web site, a search on google came up with nothing. I emailed RCA a week ago and got no response.

I didn't think it was possible, but they seem worse than Samsung.:rolleyes:

Maple Grove MN Best Buy had two 50 or 52" inch new models as of 10/05. They also had two 61" models...or whatever they are.

There was even a thompson representative there for the whole day, too.

It looked pretty decent. It has a lot of tradeoffs though. Missing a lot of features in comparison to others, but did have ota tuner/cable card hd2+ chip, though six element color wheel. The screen very nice, too. Apparently all made in Mexico.

tani

Originally posted by tjk
Is this model really coming out this year? Way back at the beginning of the thread it is menitioned as a product for this year. There is no mention of it on RCA's web site, a search on google came up with nothing. I emailed RCA a week ago and got no response.

I didn't think it was possible, but they seem worse than Samsung.:rolleyes:

I've been wondering the same thing. I'm really interested in this TV. Nice size, HD2+, cable card, built in tuner, HDMI. I just which I knew when it was going to show up in stores. Anybody know?

I just saw the new 61" seven inch thin RCA DLP that costs $8999 at Best Buy. Sad to say the picture quality was poor. The very bright areas had a pixelization type of noise that looses detail. I played with the settings but it did not help. None of the other DLP sets exhibited this problem (Mitsu, Toshiba, Sammy). Also rounded letters appeared somewhat choppy. This set was a big disappointment. The new conventional depth RCA DLP has a MUCH better picture quality.

On a subjective side I did not like the styling of the set at all. The space under the picture display is very large (I guess to fit the light engine) and to me it just looks out of proportion. :mad: :mad: :mad:

http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/1,2588,PI701107-CI700376,00.html?

my HD61LPW162 is schedule to arrive on 10-11-04. Will post details once I receive... :)

Hey all, I'm newly registered here but have been reading these forums and this thread for some time now. I bought a HD61LPW42 from BB in March of this year and have really enjoyed it and had no issues with it. I have mainly used it for watching DVD's on my Samsung 931 through DVI. My cable company recently began offering HD programming and I decided to get it. Herein lies my question.
Some channels look absolutely stunning HDNET, HDDiscovery,PBS and all the Movie channels. Some look just OK like Fox, ABC. Now from my understanding only a few shows on ABC and Fox are shot in HD (MNF) so I can understand some of that. I also understand that those two channels are 720p so I can understand that they don't look quite as good as 1080i especially with the whole 720p input issue with these TV's, but one channel that I believe is 720p, HDESPN, looks just as good as HDNET. So I don't understand why ESPN looks so good and ABC does not. I just assumed that ESPN was 1080i till i read earlier on this post that it was 720p. The diff in PQ is noticeable. BTW my cable box is a motorola 5100 which only has component output. Would it make a difference if my cable box had DVI out?
Any other owners notice the difference? or is this something that needs to be worked out on my end?

Appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

Thanks

Oh BTW the 5.1 surround sound that comes with the HD programming is awesome and is half the experience IMO.

Are you sure your cable company is sending out a HD signal for ABC? A lot of network affiliates in smaller markets still aren't HD. Even if your local ABC affiliate is broadcasting in HD, your cable company may not have negotiated the right to retransmit their HD signal. I get ABC OTA and their signal looks as good as any other HD transmission.

MIKE

Ask your cable company what channels are in HD. If you are close enough you might try receiving these channels over the air since the RCA has a built-in HD tuner. See if that makes a difference.

Originally posted by ratnut12
Would it make a difference if my cable box had DVI out?

Probably not but that's a guess.

Since you have to convert to analog in the TV it won't make a difference unless your TV does a better job of that than the STB.

Your ABC problem is probably the source. You may not be able to get any reliable information from your cable company but it's worth a try.

Thanks for replying so quickly. Both ABC and Fox are broadcasting in HD and my cable company sends me those feeds. There is a noticeable difference between regular 480i ABC/Fox and HD ABC /Fox. The signal is certainly an improvement but not nearly as nice as HDESPN. I do have a HD antenna. I will pull it out tonight to compare MNF. I'll probably have to wait till sunday football to compare Fox unless there is another show they broadcast in HDTV. I had put away my antenna because I thought the cable bradcast would be superior and the fact that my DLP is in my basement and I have to string a LONG coax cable upstairs. My signal strength for ABC only shows 60 while PBS and Fox show 90. Will that make any difference. Are there any hints or tips to HD antenna's?

Thanks again

With digital signals, so long as you have enough to allow the receiver to lock on, more will not improve the picture at all. Of course, more signal gives you some insurance if propagation changes (foliage on trees, etc.) drive your signal down a bit.

An effective way to deal with losses due to long cable runs is a pre-amplifier mounted near the antenna. Most can be powered through the coax, if you don't have AC power near where the amp needs to be. If you use splitters, make sure you use the kind that will pass DC (or you won't get power to the amp). Channel Master and Winegard make good pre-amps. If you are running new cable, use a good grade of RG6. Belden is very good, but more costly than the Chinese made stuff stocked in many outlets.

MIKE

Well I'm going to say that ABC HD is fine, This is only the second MNF I've been able to watch and it actually looks really good. I'd have to say that I prefer the OTA signal to the cable box signal. Must be the progressive scan. The picture appears slightly brighter yet the darks seem darker. I have watched a lot of Fox football and I know that it looks worse, but i think I have found the answer. I noticed when viewing the antenna connections menu that though the FoxHD signal says it is digital and in 16 x 9 ratio that the signal was 480i, where as HDPBS says it's 1080i and ABC says it's 720p. When I went to the local fox affiliate's homepage to view their programming schedule I noticed that although they have an icon that denotes "HD" none of their programming had the icon next to it. Not even the world series. Certainly the world series is in HD right? I think that this is only a digital channel for now and not HD. Now when I purchased the HD from my cable company their brochure listed Fox as one of the HD channels and all my HD channels have their own special spot in my cable line-up (all are in channels 500-599 on cable box) so I have a feeling that this station is in the process of converting to HD but are not yet broadcasting HD. :( So it does appear to be only me.

BTW mraub I found an old coax amplifier that i had previously used for my directv feed and hooked it up to my antenna and saw great improvement. My ABC signal went from 60 to 80 and my PBS went from 90 to 100. And though I think you're correct in that it doesn't affect PQ at all I think it might have speeded up the tuner acquisition time. Many thanks.

I would like to comment on the automatic antenna channel finder. When i ran it it did not detect HDABC either when i ran it two months ago when I first got the HD antenna or tonight when I reran it. Only after going to the local affiliate's homepage and finding the actual channel it broadcasts on was I able to add it to my line-up. And I did run the "full scan" as opposed to the "quick scan". So to anyone who has only run a scan for their channels you might want to check with your affiliates to make sure you're receiving all your channels.

There's a big thread on one of the HD forums detailing FOX's efforts to get splicer's installed in all their affiliates. If you do a search for FOX splicer, you ought to be able to track the thread down. Given that a couple of years ago FOX was the beaver in the stream of HD progress, they've made amazing strides in HD implementation.

I think all the remaining MLB games are in HD on FOX. Both League Championship series ought to be real barn burners, though as a long time Cardinals fan I'm hoping they can take it all this year.

If you can't get an update on your local FOX station from the FOX splicer thread, you might want to call the engineer at your local FOX station and find out what the hold up is.

MIKE

Hi guys,

This is a brand new member of this board. Just got my new RCA HD50LPW162 delivered yester from Best Buy. This new RCA is to replace the 2 years old Samsung 42 RPTV which has some hue problem in normal setup (not with cool or warmth). I fortunately bought a 4 years PSP at the time that I bought my Samsung a couple years ago. The technician from Best Buy couldn't fix it or coundn't get the part, whatever reasons, for two months then they decided to issue me a full replacement credit toward the new TV and I pay only the different.

So, I went to BB and was going to pick up a Samsung DLP unit but this RCA really cought my eyes on picture, price and all the goodies that come with it. I ended up with this RCA instead of Samsung.

Picture quality is great. Black is real black and the color skin is very natural. To my eyes at the store, I like the picture of the RCA over the Samsung that was next to it. For $2,999, I don't think that you can find anything better than this one.

Originally posted by nnn
Hi guys,

This is a brand new member of this board. Just got my new RCA HD50LPW162 delivered yester from Best Buy. This new RCA is to replace the 2 years old Samsung 42 RPTV which has some hue problem in normal setup (not with cool or warmth). I fortunately bought a 4 years PSP at the time that I bought my Samsung a couple years ago. The technician from Best Buy couldn't fix it or coundn't get the part, whatever reasons, for two months then they decided to issue me a full replacement credit toward the new TV and I pay only the different.

So, I went to BB and was going to pick up a Samsung DLP unit but this RCA really cought my eyes on picture, price and all the goodies that come with it. I ended up with this RCA instead of Samsung.

Picture quality is great. Black is real black and the color skin is very natural. To my eyes at the store, I like the picture of the RCA over the Samsung that was next to it. For $2,999, I don't think that you can find anything better than this one.

I agree it's a great deal

Originally posted by aaron20832
my HD61LPW162 is schedule to arrive on 10-11-04. Will post details once I receive... :)

WOW what an awesome tv. I received it yesterday afternoon and I gotta tell you, I'm really impressed with the PQ on this tv. It's definetly a keeper.

I saw some of the Packers game last night (720P) and it was stunning. Didn't even do much tweaking to the picture settings yet. Also watched Kill Bill (480P) and was very impressed. I did think that some of the darker scenes were maybe too dark, I'll have to play with that.

The SD was terrible in comparison, but I don't think other tv's could do much better. Digital SD looked fairly good.

XBOX looked amazing. Played:

Sims Busting out (720P) stunning detail.
Vice City (480P, W) just awesome!!
Halo 1 (480 P, 4:3) awesome too but wished it was widescreen.

I do think that the fan noise is kind of loud for very quiet scenes. Sounds similar to my audio receiver.

So far, in my few hours of use, it's been a wonderfull experience. I still need to find a stand for it. Got sitting on an old coffee table for the moment.

I still need to find a stand for it. Got sitting on an old coffee table for the moment.

RCA makes a matching stand. It looks nice, but is kind of pricey for what you get. I've had the same model set for about 10 months now and still think it has the best DLP RP picture. It's been 100% reliable so far.

MIKE

I got the RCA stand....

It seems to make the 61' look a little too high.

It seems to make the 61' look a little too high.

I have it with the 50" set and it seems about the right height. However, you'd normally expect a 61" to sit a bit lower, so your observation makes a lot of sense.

Lots of options here, with what looks like decent prices:

http://www.racksandstands.com/cats/All/TV-Stands-and-Audio-Towers/TV-Stands/0C3.htm

MIKE

Originally posted by acaoacao
It seems to make the 61' look a little too high.

I was going to say that the base of the 61" (the length between the bottom of the tv to the screen is pretty long. It seems that no matter how low your stand, it will always look like the screen is way up there. how tall is the RCA stand?

Unbelievable. Best Buy must not want to sell the HD50LPW162. I found two stores that had them in stock, but neither has them on display, and won't put them out for me. One guy actually tried to talk me out of it and into the JVC. I said I like the JVC, but at least want to compare it to the only HD2+ DLP without side speakers available today.

At that point I'm pretty sure I lost him.

So despite the fact that I can purchase and pick up this set today, I cannot see it until BB moves their old stuff off the display floor. Like I said, unbelievable.

I am confused as hell... looking to get a new 50" DLP in the next month or two, and was looking at the RCA because of the HD2+ chip and no side speakers. I have seen SO MANY RCA 50" models that I am confused as hell.

I see models that may or may not exist 162/165 series? HDLP50W151 and HD50LPW162?

Can someone tell me what the newest 50" RCA DLP will be that has HDMI, HD2+, and can support HTPC? Thank you so much!

Sincerely,
Confused

Originally posted by ratnut12
Well I'm going to say that ABC HD is fine, This is only the second MNF I've been able to watch and it actually looks really good. I'd have to say that I prefer the OTA signal to the cable box signal. Must be the progressive scan. The picture appears slightly brighter yet the darks seem darker. I have watched a lot of Fox football and I know that it looks worse, but i think I have found the answer. I noticed when viewing the antenna connections menu that though the FoxHD signal says it is digital and in 16 x 9 ratio that the signal was 480i, where as HDPBS says it's 1080i and ABC says it's 720p. When I went to the local fox affiliate's homepage to view their programming schedule I noticed that although they have an icon that denotes "HD" none of their programming had the icon next to it. Not even the world series. Certainly the world series is in HD right? I think that this is only a digital channel for now and not HD. Now when I purchased the HD from my cable company their brochure listed Fox as one of the HD channels and all my HD channels have their own special spot in my cable line-up (all are in channels 500-599 on cable box) so I have a feeling that this station is in the process of converting to HD but are not yet broadcasting HD. :( So it does appear to be only me.

ratnut -- I agree that your problem with Fox is almost certainly that your local affiliate is not yet showing Fox's signal in 720p. Here in OKC the Fox affiliate, KOKH, is broadcasting in 720p and the PQ of its HD NFL football telecasts is in a class with MNF and ESPN's Sunday night games.

I would look to your cable company for an explanation as to why its PQ of MNF seemed inferior to what you were seeing when you watched OTA. I have a 50" RCA DLP, which I have owned for about a year. Innumerable A-B comparisons of my PQ when watching MNF via Cox OKC and via my OTA tuner have never revealed any discernible difference. I have read many, many complaints by D* subscribers that D*'s excessive compression of its HD transmissions is detrimentally affecting PQ but I have not seen any such complaints about cable companies.

Originally posted by aaron20832
I was going to say that the base of the 61" (the length between the bottom of the tv to the screen is pretty long. It seems that no matter how low your stand, it will always look like the screen is way up there. how tall is the RCA stand?


http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/6217/6217319_sa.jpg


http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/1,2588,PI700793-CI700221,00.html

19.84 inches tall

Originally posted by acaoacao
19.84 inches tall

My coffee table is 19" and the tv loos pretty damn high. the bottom of the screen is elevated some 31-33 inches off the ground (can't remember the exact measurement right now)

Found a whole lot of information on the new RCA's, including pictures and lots of specs.

It's against forum rules to post the link to a retailer, so I'll tell you how I found it. Using Yahoo's search engine, type in HD44LPW165. Then click on "Search the Web for HD44LPW165". About the third link that comes up will be to a retailer that has all of the new RCA's on the site.

Some things to note: The 162 series is a Best Buy exclusive model. These will not be offered anywhere else:( .

The 163's/165's appear to be the same units (in fact I believe the HD50LPW163 is now the HD50LP165). These units look a lot different than the 162's - they have what RCA calls a "Floating Screen", and it looks pretty damn cool. There is also no mirror strip above the speaker. These sets also have fireware an on-screen TV Guide (which I assume you would lose if not using the internal tuner, but using a STB instead).

The 61" 163 is already out and available for sale. TVAuthority will take pre-orders on the other two sets (which they will not do for the Samsung 74's, so I'm assuming the RCA's will be coming out pretty soon).

Hope this isn't redundant info - if it is, I apologize.

Originally posted by aaron20832
My coffee table is 19" and the tv loos pretty damn high. the bottom of the screen is elevated some 31-33 inches off the ground (can't remember the exact measurement right now)

I bought a TV stand (coffee table style with 22mm thick glass and 5 legs) from CC for $150 for my RCA 50" DLP. To me this is a perfectly match to the new RCA 50" DLP. The size is 48"w x 25"d x 11 3/4"h. With the TV sit on it, I measured 24 1/2" from floor to the very bottom of the screen.

Originally posted by gwsat
ratnut -- I agree that your problem with Fox is almost certainly that your local affiliate is not yet showing Fox's signal in 720p. Here in OKC the Fox affiliate, KOKH, is broadcasting in 720p and the PQ of its HD NFL football telecasts is in a class with MNF and ESPN's Sunday night games.

I would look to your cable company for an explanation as to why its PQ of MNF seemed inferior to what you were seeing when you watched OTA. I have a 50" RCA DLP, which I have owned for about a year. Innumerable A-B comparisons of my PQ when watching MNF via Cox OKC and via my OTA tuner have never revealed any discernible difference. I have read many, many complaints by D* subscribers that D*'s excessive compression of its HD transmissions is detrimentally affecting PQ but I have not seen any such complaints about cable companies.

Well the detail looked identical to my eye but the OTA seemed brighter. It is my understanding that because of the 720P input limitation via component or DVI that the signal is converted to 1080i and therefore loses its progressive scan, while the 720P can be displayed via OTA in its native resolution. I assumed that was the difference. I was careful to use the same visual levels on both inputs to get an accurate comparison. Probably with some tweaks to the black levels on the cable input picture i could achieve the same result. In all honesty it could just be my eyes playing tricks on me too. It's hard to compare watching football with all the quick camera angle switching.

I did send emails to all my local affiliates who were not broadcasting in HD to ask when they expect to start and have not received back good news. The CBS affiliate said they weren't sure but it would probably not be in 2005 and the NBC station said that they were one of two NBC stations in the country who did not get a "pairing" station on which to broadcast HD so they probably wouldn't start broadcasting HD on their only station until 85% of the market had digital receivers. And FOX still hasn't answered my email. So things aren't looking great for me.

In regards to the stand issue, I bought the one that was shown with my TV at BB. When I got home I noticed that to get the brightest picture I had to stand up to watch. Well I just got a small piece of wood to put under the back of the TV and that lowered the viewing angle right down to couch level. Now it really reminds me of a movie theatre screen.

I also just got the HD converter for the XBOX and The picture looks fantastic. Most games out right now are only 480p so I don't feel I'm missing out on the 720P too much. But I am a touch jealous of the guys with the new sets. I also have noticed zero lag in my controller inputs (for anyone wondering).

Piece of wood?

Do you mess up the center of balance and make it lean a bit?

Originally posted by aaron20832
WOW what an awesome tv. I received it yesterday afternoon and I gotta tell you, I'm really impressed with the PQ on this tv. It's definetly a keeper.

I saw some of the Packers game last night (720P) and it was stunning. Didn't even do much tweaking to the picture settings yet. Also watched Kill Bill (480P) and was very impressed. I did think that some of the darker scenes were maybe too dark, I'll have to play with that.

The SD was terrible in comparison, but I don't think other tv's could do much better. Digital SD looked fairly good.

XBOX looked amazing. Played:

Sims Busting out (720P) stunning detail.
Vice City (480P, W) just awesome!!
Halo 1 (480 P, 4:3) awesome too but wished it was widescreen.

I do think that the fan noise is kind of loud for very quiet scenes. Sounds similar to my audio receiver.

So far, in my few hours of use, it's been a wonderfull experience. I still need to find a stand for it. Got sitting on an old coffee table for the moment.

Yep, I've got a 162 also and I agree with every thing you said. It's a really nice set:D it's a keeper:cool:

"Well I just got a small piece of wood to put under the back of the TV and that lowered the viewing angle right down to couch level."

Many sets have use a heavy duty flexible strap that connects from the back of the set to the TV stand. Since you are tilting it forward it might be a good idea to do that.

I was browsing through some back issues of Consumer Reports. In the March 2004 issue they had a table showing how often Rear Projection sets needed to to be repaired (based upon feedback from their subscribers). The RCA RPTV was the highest at 22% the best RPTVs was less that 10%. Probably most of the feedback did not include DLPs which have somewhat of a different design, but until RCA proves they can build a more trouble fee set it might be a good idea to buy the extended warranty.

As I have stated earlier I am very much impressed with the new model RCA DLPs (except their 7" thick line that needs improvement) and they now that they have a Chinese partner the previous design / reliability problems may be a thing of the past.

Has anyone seen the new slim (7") RCA DLPs that liked the picture quality?

The new 61" slim (Profile Series) is in at least one of the Best Buys in SoCal.

Unfortunately, the way it was displayed (all big screen side by side), you would never know it was less than 7".

I told one of the employees they should have it on an end cap... that way, people can see it in the round.

It really is hard to critically evaluate the picture in b&m environment - the good news at least, it wasn't immediately given the thumbs down (like the glare screen on the Mitsubishis.)

Do we know if they have the same "no native 720p input" problems?

I don't have the new slim design but the one i have *****162 model, accepts a 720 signal with no problem. I would imagine that the slim one would too.

Originally posted by Trancethereal
The new 61" slim (Profile Series) is in at least one of the Best Buys in SoCal.
Which one? I'm in RB too and have been wanting to see it!

O.K guys, most of you obviously like your RCA's (not withstanding some warranty issues) and after much agonising and such I must admit the $500-$800 I would save over the price of the same sized Sammy is very alluring, but will I regret it?

I am not anywhere near an afficionado but I hate getting burnt, fingers nearly on the "Buy Now" button but not quite......

Originally posted by BritOverseas
O.K guys, most of you obviously like your RCA's (not withstanding some warranty issues) and after much agonising and such I must admit the $500-$800 I would save over the price of the same sized Sammy is very alluring, but will I regret it?

I am not anywhere near an afficionado but I hate getting burnt, fingers nearly on the "Buy Now" button but not quite......

The new RCA's are HD2+, the current Samsung's (except for the pedastal 85 series) are HD3's. In my opinion, the HD2+ is vastly superior to the HD3. Side by side, I don't even think the HD3 looks like high def - it's not nearly as sharp as the HD2+. Now, some people like the more film-like appearance of the HD3. However, my rhetorical question is, if the HD3 is so great, why is Samsung the only company putting it in their sets?

As far as price, I don't know why Samsung thinks they can command a premium, but I do know that prices on the HLP's are falling pretty fast. So to answer your question, I don't think price is much of an issue anymore, you should just pick the set you like. I have yet to see any HD2+ that I didn't like more than the HD3's.

Also, I found a stand that I liked for the Sammy, it had an enclosed glass cabinet underneath (Cable Box, DVD player, Reciever, Gamecube). I have a toddler who likes to play with wires/push buttons and I would like to put all of this out of her reach. Anybody have a stand for the RCA that is like this?

The Sammy and RCA are about the same size - why does the stand you like not fit?

I finally saw a new RCA DLP (HD50LPW162) in Best Buy tonight. Actually, the manager didn't even know he had it. I asked him to look it up, and he discovered he had three sets in the back. He was nice enough to get one out and set it up for me, and let me do whatever I wanted as far as setting it up. I played with it for around an hour.

Awesome picture, great color and deep blacks. On par with every other HD2+, including the Samsung Kirks and the Mits. It was set up in front of an isle, so I could back up to a 10-20 foot viewing distance. I really like this set. I like the look of the RCA's that are coming out soon, I hope (the 165 series with the "floating" screen), but if they are not available by the beginning of November, I'm buying this one. I would be very happy with this set. Better picture, IMHO, than the Samsung HD3 sets, and less expensive. At under $3K, this is a great TV.

Originally posted by darthemma
Consumer Reports consistently rates RCA as being one of the worst brands of television for reliability.

fwiw, i've had an rca tv (mm32110) for 3 years and it's been perfect. i have probably run it on average 4 hours a day over those three years. it works perfectly, the pq is awesome, tv guide plus is awesome, never had ANY problem with it. before this tv i had a ge with an rca tube for about 9 years before i had any problems with it (power button stopped working), and that was the lowest end ge 20" tv. most of the poor reliability ratings for rca and ge are for their very low end products, to my understanding. they sell such huge numbers of low end consumer electronics that it's hard to compare their reliability ratings to other brands which exclusively sell higher end tvs.

Originally posted by tjk
Found a whole lot of information on the new RCA's, including pictures and lots of specs.

It's against forum rules to post the link to a retailer, so I'll tell you how I found it. Using Yahoo's search engine, type in HD44LPW165. Then click on "Search the Web for HD44LPW165". About the third link that comes up will be to a retailer that has all of the new RCA's on the site.


The problem with that retailer's site is that it doesn't give dimensions, at least not for the 44" set! Argh!!! Doesn't anyone have dimensions for that set????

Scott

Originally posted by PaulGo
The Sammy and RCA are about the same size - why does the stand you like not fit?

Nothing to do with the dimensions of the TV's themselves it is more to do with the configuration.

Like I said, I need an enclosed cabinet (to stop the kids messing with components), needs to be in a Cherry colour (or something near it) and my Wife has to like it, I have not found one yet that fits the bill....

Originally posted by sdolson
The problem with that retailer's site is that it doesn't give dimensions, at least not for the 44" set! Argh!!! Doesn't anyone have dimensions for that set????

Scott

Since the 44" and 50" are built with the same design, you can just take the 50" dimensions and apply the same proportions to the 44". I would say with some degree of certainty that the 44" is between 41" and 42" wide, based on the 50" being 47" wide.

The 162 version, without the floating screen, is 46.9" wide.

Originally posted by tjk
Since the 44" and 50" are built with the same design, you can just take the 50" dimensions and apply the same proportions to the 44". I would say with some degree of certainty that the 44" is between 41" and 42" wide, based on the 50" being 47" wide.

The 162 version, without the floating screen, is 46.9" wide.

So is the 165 version, according to the bigbangelectronics site. The 61LPW163, from the same site, is 56.6" wide. IF the pattern from those two sets holds, then the 44" set will probably be closer to 42" wide than to 41" wide, which for me is important since the slot I have to put a new HDTV into is 42" wide. That's why exact dimensions are of great interest.

Oh, well. I hope the silly thing will appear in some stores soon, then I can get more interested. And if I have options between the RCA 44lpw165 and the Samsung 4674, that'll be good as well.

Scott

Originally posted by sdolson
So is the 165 version, according to the bigbangelectronics site. The 61LPW163, from the same site, is 56.6" wide. IF the pattern from those two sets holds, then the 44" set will probably be closer to 42" wide than to 41" wide, which for me is important since the slot I have to put a new HDTV into is 42" wide. That's why exact dimensions are of great interest.

Oh, well. I hope the silly thing will appear in some stores soon, then I can get more interested. And if I have options between the RCA 44lpw165 and the Samsung 4674, that'll be good as well.

Scott

Right, based on that math, the width of the 61" is 92.8% of the screen size. The width of the 50" is 94%. Using a conservative 95%, the 44" would be 41.8" wide.

So, I think you can say with some degree of confidence that the 44" will be less than 42" wide. There's usually at least a couple of inches difference betw. screen size and width, unless the bezel is unusually thick or there are side speakers.

I think you'll know soon enough - I'm pretty sure before the 4674 is out.

Originally posted by pg_rider
Which one? I'm in RB too and have been wanting to see it!

I saw one on display in Burbank store when I bought my 50" RCA. It looks pretty classy piece of work. Price is pretty steep too at $8,999.

I personally don't see the point on dropping that kind of cash on a DLP set when you get a plasma for around the same price. BTW, I've had my 61" 162 series TV for over a week now and am extemely happy!

Is the new HD50LPW165 out?

If so where is it?
If not, when?

Thanks!
Sean

For those in the South Bay (SoCal) - you can see the new 61" Profiles Series at the Hawthorne Best Buy (405 and Rosecrans).

Again, they have it setup side by side with the others - so the compelling "slim profile" is not apparent.

You can pick it out easily by the wide bottom trim piece that is used to conceal the light engine.

Please forgive my ignorance, but what's the difference between the RCA XXLPW163 and XXLPW165?

Originally posted by luebster
Please forgive my ignorance, but what's the difference between the RCA XXLPW163 and XXLPW165?

From what I can tell, the only significant difference is the 165 will have an on-screen TV Guide through the tuner. That is the only significant difference I can see from the specs. As far as I know, the only set with the 163 will be a 61" (this set is currently available). The 50" and 44"will only be released as a 165.

Yet again, tjk comes through... ;)

Just FYI for our New Jersey members. This week's BB ad page #11 shows new RCA 7" deep 61" scenium HD61THW263 with 9K tag (retail?). The note says Not available in all stores. Available in New Jersey.

RCA's Scenium Profiles HD61THW263 Digital Light Processing (DLP) HDTV, is the industry's first microdisplay HDTV less than seven inches thin and light enough to hang on a wall.

Link below to article.

http://news.designtechnica.com/article5713.html

Is anyone concerned about the RCA DLP reliability as compared to Samsung or Mitsubishi?

Originally posted by tmsmith
Is anyone concerned about the RCA DLP reliability as compared to Samsung or Mitsubishi?

About 25% of this thread discusses this issue. However, so far their has not been that many negative comments about the RCA DLP. Perhaps they are using different manufacturing techniques or perhaps not many RCA DLP owners are participating in this forum. Whatever the reasons, from the RCA owners who have DLPs the feedback has been fairly positive. :)

I have had my RCA 40" HD RPTV now for almost a year and have had absolutely NO problems with it. I would not hesitate to buy RCA again. I have a friend who is the manager of a TV repair company and he told me that he has had all brands of DLP, LCD and Plasma TVs in for repair and he told me that ALL brands have issues. In fact, he actually advised me to stay with CRT RPTV for a while until the other technologies are completely perfected (whatever that means).

Originally posted by sdolson
The problem with that retailer's site is that it doesn't give dimensions, at least not for the 44" set! Argh!!! Doesn't anyone have dimensions for that set????

Scott


According to my distributors website, the dimensions for the 44" are :
34.99" H
41.64" W
16.3" D

and weight Approx. 72lbs.

Hope this helps...

Anyone has issues with lip sync on the rca? How do you fix it?

Originally posted by RBenson
According to my distributors website, the dimensions for the 44" are :
34.99" H
41.64" W
16.3" D

and weight Approx. 72lbs.

Hope this helps...

Thanks for the info RB. Do you have availabilty date information?

Originally posted by RBenson
According to my distributors website, the dimensions for the 44" are :
34.99" H
41.64" W
16.3" D

and weight Approx. 72lbs.

Hope this helps...

It does, thanks. That's the information I've been looking for for that unit, and it does confirm the suspicions that it WOULD work in my house. :)

Scott

Anyone has issues with lip sync on the rca? How do you fix it?


I have not yet heard of this problem with the rca, but I guess it is potentially a problem with any dlp. The one solution I know of is to have a receiver with the lip synch/audio delay feature.

Originally posted by tjk
Thanks for the info RB. Do you have availabilty date information?


We have been told November (but I'm not holding my breath). We are just a small shop and we always have to wait for the big boys to get their orders 1st.

Hey all, In a feeble attempt to consolidate my remotes, I'm trying to program all my codes onto my TV remote for my RCA HD61LPW42. So far so good. The only problem I've encountered is trying to find the code for my motorola 5100 cable box. There's no code listed in the manual for motorola and i've tried the code for General Instruments. I've tried google with no results and the RCA site appears to be down (though I doubt I'd find anything there) . Since many of you appear to also have the motorola boxes I was wondering if any of you had the code.

Here's to hoping.

Try Jerrold remote codes.

Originally posted by acaoacao
Anyone has issues with lip sync on the rca? How do you fix it?


I'm a happy HD61LPW163 owner and have only experienced this problem with some of the WETA HD programming. My guess is that something is wrong witht that broadcast. Those programs with the problem suffer from a ~0.5-0.8s delay. The other channels don't seem to do that. I guess is not likely the problem is the TV, but I suppose it's possible.

BTW, I use comcast and use the cablecard.

aaron20832,
Where did you find\purchase the HD61LPW163?

Thanks!
Sean

At Best Buy in German (MD) town. Paid for it on 10/8/04 received it on 10/11/04.

I did have to do some major tracking in order to buy this TV. Every Best Buy I called in the Washington DC area kept telling me that they did not have the TV yet. Then I called Best Buy pentagon (i think) and the guy told me they actually had three tv's in the BB Baltimore warehouse. The very next day I went to BB Germantown and after the salesman there told me they didn't have the TV available yet I told him to check the Baltimore warehouse. Sure enough, there were 3 there. I don't know how they're supposed to sell them if no one seems to know about them.... Oh well. I got mine. It's an awesome tv. I also got the 4 yr e.w. to make sure I get my money's worth.

I think everyone has problems with WETA HD - the sound synchronization is their fault.

aaron20832,

Just to be sure, you have the HD61LPW16 '2', correct? The 162 is/was at my local BB, but the 163 seems to have limited availability. Thanks.

What is WETA HD?

Originally posted by garciab
aaron20832,

Just to be sure, you have the HD61LPW16 '2', correct? The 162 is/was at my local BB, but the 163 seems to have limited availability. Thanks.


Yes, I have the 162. What you described may be the case now but not at the time I bought (earlier this month)

Originally posted by acaoacao
What is WETA HD?


http://www.weta.org/tv/highlights.php

Saw this beast at local BB @ the Arboretum in Austin TX.
All I can say is WOW, the form factor is really impressive. Unfortunately
they didn't have a feed hooked up. It had one of those searching for signal type messages on the screen. It's a bit strange how tall the unit is, the base is about 33% of the height of the screen, but indeed it is rather flat.

Considering this set is treading Plasma pricing, I'd probably skip it, but if prices come down :)

Mike

Apparently the new RCA 165 series will NOT have HD2+ chips. The RCA website has the 165 series listed (44", 50", and 61"), but it says they will have the HD3s (?) chip. What's up with that? MSRPs are $2999, $3599, and $4199 respectively. From the website:

Product Features: HD3s with DLP™ Light Engine (Digital Light Processing™) - 16.7 Million Colors - Twice the contrast of most other microdisplay technologies

Digital Cable Ready with Integrated High Definition Tuner and Off-Air HD Tuner

Digital Hi-Pix™ Picture Systems with TruScan Digital Reality™ Intelligent Signal Processing - "Because the Picture Intended Should be the Picture Presented"

Proprietary DLP® Video Bit Sequences

HD Connectivity with HDMI™ and 2-Way DTVLink

CinemaScreen™ Floating Picture Screen

NetConnect™ - Ethernet with Microsoft Win CE® Operating System and Internet Explorer® (IE) Web Browser

Originally posted by dogger2
Apparently the new RCA 165 series will NOT have HD2+ chips. The RCA website has the 165 series listed (44", 50", and 61"), but it says they will have the HD3s (?) chip. What's up with that? MSRPs are $2999, $3599, and $4199 respectively. From the website:


seems like a step in the wrong direction.

Originally posted by dogger2
Apparently the new RCA 165 series will NOT have HD2+ chips. The RCA website has the 165 series listed (44", 50", and 61"), but it says they will have the HD3s (?) chip. What's up with that? MSRPs are $2999, $3599, and $4199 respectively. From the website:

Product Features: HD3s with DLP™ Light Engine (Digital Light Processing™) - 16.7 Million Colors - Twice the contrast of most other microdisplay technologies

Digital Cable Ready with Integrated High Definition Tuner and Off-Air HD Tuner

Digital Hi-Pix™ Picture Systems with TruScan Digital Reality™ Intelligent Signal Processing - "Because the Picture Intended Should be the Picture Presented"

Proprietary DLP® Video Bit Sequences

HD Connectivity with HDMI™ and 2-Way DTVLink

CinemaScreen™ Floating Picture Screen

NetConnect™ - Ethernet with Microsoft Win CE® Operating System and Internet Explorer® (IE) Web Browser

I would have to think that's a typo. I've seen a retailer with the 165 specs on it's site (big bang electronics - you can figure out the website). They have the 61" 163 in stock, that's an HD2+. Also list the specs for the 165 as HD2+. The 162's, now widely available at Best Buy, are HD2+'s, so I don't know who would buy a 165 if it had an HD3 when you can already get an HD2+ from RCA.

To my knowledge, Samsung is the only manufacturer using the vastly inferior HD3. I don't care what any HLPXX63 owners say, that set next to any HD2+ looks like crap, and they are still charging a pretty high price for it. I'm far from a videophile, but it doesn't take one to see what a cheap chip the HD3 is. So, my point is it would make no sense for RCA to release an HD2+ set, which they already have, and then come out with an inferior set. But, stranger things have happened.

Oh well - wife is coming out of the shower - back to my vacation.:)

Originally posted by tjk
I don't care what any HLPXX63 owners say, that set next to any HD2+ looks like crap, and they are still charging a pretty high price for it.

HLPXX63 owners probably don't care what you have to say either!:rolleyes:

Originally posted by PaulGo
Try Jerrold remote codes.

Thanks PaulGo. The Jerrold code 5039 worked for my motorola cablebox.

:D

tjk,

I too hope this is a typo, but it seems odd that the 162 was input properly. It seems plausible since you'll notice they included lower srp's. Still, I wouldn't dismiss them; HD3 displays aren't horrendous to me. Also peculiar is the absence of the listing for the 163 series. Maybe that's been discontinued? And where did the 164 come from?! Interesting lineup imo.

Originally posted by garciab
tjk,

I too hope this is a typo, but it seems odd that the 162 was input properly. It seems plausible since you'll notice they included lower srp's. Still, I wouldn't dismiss them; HD3 displays aren't horrendous to me. Also peculiar is the absence of the listing for the 163 series. Maybe that's been discontinued? And where did the 164 come from?! Interesting lineup imo.

I still think it's very odd. I've seen detailed specs of the 165 series to include the HD2+, don't know why they would make that change. The srp is not that attractive for an HD3 set - Samsung's xx63's have dropped significantly in price, so they are about the same cost and the extra digital input is a nice $200 saving option on the Samsung, as it eliminates the need for an HDMI switcher. Of course, the RCA's make up for it if you can use the internal tuner.

If this is true, however, I think the 162 is a much better option than either the 165 or the Samsung 63''s. The 162's are south of $3K in a 50". Look at the 162 next to a Samsung xx63 at Best Buy. The 162 has an outstanding picture, and I wouldn't expect any HD3 set to be able to match up PQ wise. Unless you are in love with the unique cosmetics of the 165's, HD3 would be a deal breaker for me. Only other possible variable is you really need the 44" set, not offered in the 162's.

Real interesting test, if it were ever possible, would be to compare the RCA HD2+'s with the Samsung 74's.

Originally posted by tjk
If this is true, however, I think the 162 is a much better option than either the 165 or the Samsung 63''s. The 162's are south of $3K in a 50". Look at the 162 next to a Samsung xx63 at Best Buy. The 162 has an outstanding picture, and I wouldn't expect any HD3 set to be able to match up PQ wise. <snip> Real interesting test, if it were ever possible, would be to compare the RCA HD2+'s with the Samsung 74's.

I am about ready to spring for the 61" version of the 162 myself. I have seen the 50" 162 on display up against a Sony, JVC, Panasonic, and Mits RPTVs and the RCA clearly stands out ahead in PQ. The Sammy's are in a different isle so I was unable to directly compare those. Like you stated, I was hoping the 74's would be out so that I could compare those against the 162. I feel that one of the upcoming 74's would be the only competition in my making the final call.

I would really like to see these two side by side as well. Alas in NYC I cant find the RCA let alone who knows when the sammy will hit stores.

Bottom line- I would love someone one this board to find out if the rca chip is better or the same as the sammy.

Im one of those who has to go with a 44/46 incher due to cabinet issues and these two sets seem to be the only non plasma game in town -OR SOON TO BE IN TOWN...

Originally posted by kbuzz
Bottom line- I would love someone one this board to find out if the rca chip is better or the same as the sammy.
They both have HD2+ DLP chips from TI. Both light engines still use the six element color wheel.

The Samsung sets have an all digital path from their DVI/HDMI ports to the point where the image is being displayed.

The 2003 RCA sets converted the DVI digital input to analog for processing and then converted back to digital to display the image. The 2004 RCA models now accept 720p input though their DVI/HDMI port but may be converting it to analog for processing.

Anyone else know whether or not the 165 is hd2+ or hd3 yet?

With some help from garciab, here's my educated guess regarding the RCAs:

162: HD2+ standard cabinet
163: HD2+ "floating screen" cabinet
164: HD3 standard cabinet
165: HD3 "floating screen" cabinet

Originally posted by luebster
With some help from garciab, here's my educated guess regarding the RCAs:

162: HD2+ standard cabinet
163: HD2+ "floating screen" cabinet
164: HD3 standard cabinet
165: HD3 "floating screen" cabinet

I might also add that the 163 has firewire jacks as well as a upgraded sound system (40 watts as opposed to 30). This is what I was told anyways.

I compared the RCA Scenium 162 50in model with others and found the only one that slightly beats the RCA in pq is the Mits. However, the 725 model is about $1000 more than the RCA. I chose to buy the RCA. I considered waiting for the Sammy HLP5674 thin bezel with HD2+, but decided not to pay an extra $1000 or more for the Sammy.

I've had the RCA for over a week now. Bought it at BB in Austin for 10% discount off their regular $3k price, free delivery. I'm impressed with the pq - both terrestial HD and TimeWarner cable. In my opinion the RCA is a winner with the HD2+ chip and anti-glare screen. The silver bottom front is ugly, but I'm going to paint it black.

DLPs have a different look than a rear projection CRT and plasma. I have a Pioneer Elite rptv (730 model). The RCA DLP looks more stunning, but somewhat edgy. The pioneer looks more natural, not a brilliant.

Fry's has the HDLP50W151 on sale for $1997 today. Older technology, but at this price is it worth it?

Originally posted by brad911
Fry's has the HDLP50W151 on sale for $1997 today. Older technology, but at this price is it worth it?
Sure as long as you know it's short comings and don't mind them.

Can you point out the main shortcomings? Sorry, but it would take me all day to read all 44 pages of this thread!

Originally posted by htwaits
Sure as long as you know it's short comings and don't mind them.

I might also add that the 163 has firewire jacks as well as a upgraded sound system (40 watts as opposed to 30).

It also has the built in web browser.

Originally posted by brad911
Can point out the main shortcomings? Sorry, but it would take me all day to read all 44 pages of this thread!
1. The HD2 DLP chip is 1280x720 (720p) which means that all incoming sources that are not 720p are converted to 720p. The 2003 RCA DLP sets do not allow any 720p input from external devices like satellite set top boxes, HTPC's, or upscaling DVD players.

2. All external inputs through the RCA DVI port have to be converted from digital to analog for image processing and then converted back to digital in order to be displayed on the RCA's digital DLP chip.

3. According to a national magazine the RCA DLP sets do not have the controls necessary to do an ISF calibration.

4. In the past RCA has not had a good reputation for supporting their customers when they have a problem.

5. The Ethernet connection has been reported to be almost worthless for Internet browsing. Of course no one else offers it so the fact that it probably doesn't work is no big deal. Downloading and streaming aren't possible because there is no place to store data.

If you are satisfied with the PQ and if you aren't interested in an ISF calibration it's probably a good deal. I think a good extended warranty is always a good idea with these early DLP/LCD RPTV sets.

The only time you would be forced to use the DVI input would be in the future when HDCP is required for premium programs. I realy don't know if you will be able to see a loss of PQ due to the RCA set doing two extra conversions in and out of analog through DVI.

A good progressive DVD player would also work pretty well through component inputs which are analog anyway.

Does the model you are looking at have the highly reflective screen? That can be a problem in some rooms and viewing setups.

The PQ of the new RCA DLP sets will probably be better than the 2003 models.

Awesome. I couldn't ask for a better repsonse. Thanks a million for taking the time to post this. I'll discuss with the boss tonight and decide!

Originally posted by htwaits
1. The HD2 DLP chip is 1280x720 (720p) which means that all incoming sources that are not 720p are converted to 720p. The 2003 RCA DLP sets do not allow any 720p input from external devices like satellite set top boxes, HTPC's, or upscaling DVD players.

2. All external inputs through the RCA DVI port have to be converted from digital to analog for image processing and then converted back to digital in order to be displayed on the RCA's digital DLP chip.

3. According to a national magazine the RCA DLP sets do not have the controls necessary to do an ISF calibration.

4. In the past RCA has not had a good reputation for supporting their customers when they have a problem.

5. The Ethernet connection has been reported to be almost worthless for Internet browsing. Of course no one else offers it so the fact that it probably doesn't work is no big deal. Downloading and streaming aren't possible because there is no place to store data.

If you are satisfied with the PQ and if you aren't interested in an ISF calibration it's probably a good deal. I think a good extended warranty is always a good idea with these early DLP/LCD RPTV sets.

The only time you would be forced to use the DVI input would be in the future when HDCP is required for premium programs. I realy don't know if you will be able to see a loss of PQ due to the RCA set doing two extra conversions in and out of analog through DVI.

A good progressive DVD player would also work pretty well through component inputs which are analog anyway.

Does the model you are looking at have the highly reflective screen? That can be a problem in some rooms and viewing setups.

The PQ of the new RCA DLP sets will probably be better than the 2003 models.

Brad -

I have no desire to tell anyone how to spend their money and it's really none of my business. However, in my opinion, the extra $700 for the 162's are worth it, if only for these reasons:

- HD2+ will have superior blacks and contrast ratios to the HD2.

- The 162's accept 720p through it's component and HDMI inputs. I don't know (nor does anyone else) about the digital to analog conversion. I suspect the set still does that.

Again, IMHO, those two features are biggies, and I think worth the extra cash. I would check out the 162 at Best Buy before you make your decision. I have seen the 162 and thought it held up very well against any other HD2+ I've seen.

Originally posted by brad911
Fry's has the HDLP50W151 on sale for $1997 today. Older technology, but at this price is it worth it?

Bad screen glare.

Thanks for your feedback. I saw a similar model at Costco, although not quite sure which one exactly, but it definitely had a better PQ than anything else in the store - Samsung DLPs, Panasonic Plasmas included. Fortunately they had them all stacked up next to each other for comparison. I have a feeling it's probably a 162...

Originally posted by tjk
Brad -

I have no desire to tell anyone how to spend their money and it's really none of my business. However, in my opinion, the extra $700 for the 162's are worth it, if only for these reasons:

- HD2+ will have superior blacks and contrast ratios to the HD2.

- The 162's accept 720p through it's component and HDMI inputs. I don't know (nor does anyone else) about the digital to analog conversion. I suspect the set still does that.

Again, IMHO, those two features are biggies, and I think worth the extra cash. I would check out the 162 at Best Buy before you make your decision. I have seen the 162 and thought it held up very well against any other HD2+ I've seen.

Originally posted by brad911
Thanks for your feedback. I saw a similar model at Costco, although not quite sure which one exactly, but it definitely had a better PQ than anything else in the store - Samsung DLPs, Panasonic Plasmas included. Fortunately they had them all stacked up next to each other for comparison. I have a feeling it's probably a 162...

Very easy to tell

- The 162 has a mirror-like strip above the speaker and below the screen.

- The 162 has HDMI instead of DVI on the rear inputs.

Originally posted by tjk
- HD2+ will have superior blacks and contrast ratios to the HD2.
tjk I would have agreed with you two hours ago but I just came back from seeing the 50" RCA "162" between a HLP5063 and a Mits "525".

I was in BB and that may explain what I saw more than the sets themselves. :rolleyes:

The contrast was very poor on the RCA. The Mits was much better than the HLP and the "162", but the HLP5063 was much better than this particular RCA set. There wasn't anything that even remotely resembles a dark gray let alone a black. Deep reds were pale.

Maybe the RCA's User controls can correct what I saw but personally I would want to confirm that the 2004 RCA DLP sets are capable of ISF calibration before I would take a chance on one. To me that's a bigger issue, after what I just saw, than analog conversions on the HDMI input.

RCA isn't one of my "upgrade" options so I'm not a potential owner.

Originally posted by brad911
Thanks for your feedback. I saw a similar model at Costco, although not quite sure which one exactly, but it definitely had a better PQ than anything else in the store - Samsung DLPs, Panasonic Plasmas included. Fortunately they had them all stacked up next to each other for comparison. I have a feeling it's probably a 162...

Brad,

There's also a '42' series (ie. HD50LPW42) out there that was basically the 151 series minus the glare screen, and minus the Scenium tag. This series is being carried over into the new year. Locally, a friend bought one of these for near the Fry's price. Though I assume the 'limitations' of the 151 still apply to the 42.

Originally posted by htwaits
tjk I would have agreed with you two hours ago but I just came back from seeing the 50" RCA "162" between a HLP5063 and a Mits "525".

I was in BB and that may explain what I saw more than the sets themselves. :rolleyes:

The contrast was very poor on the RCA. The Mits was much better than the HLP and the "162", but the HLP5063 was much better than this particular RCA set. There wasn't anything that even remotely resembles a dark gray let alone a black. Deep reds were pale.

Maybe the RCA's User controls can correct what I saw but personally I would want to confirm that the 2004 RCA DLP sets are capable of ISF calibration before I would take a chance on one. To me that's a bigger issue, after what I just saw, than analog conversions on the HDMI input.

RCA isn't one of my "upgrade" options so I'm not a potential owner.

Hmm. That's interesting. I would certainly defer to your expertise as far as comparing this to the HLP and the Mits. I wonder if it was a calibration issue.

When I saw the 162, they didn't even know that had it in the back. The manager got one out and set it up for me. Unfortunately, it was set up in the LCD section, so I couldn't do a side-by-side with the DLP's.

I basically played with the set for an hour or so - they gave me the remote and let me have at it. Obviously, the blacks were much better than the LCD's that surrounded it, as blacks are LCD's achilles heel. I got a picture on it that I really liked, and walking back and forth to the Mits I thought the picture compared pretty well. The Samsung was right next to me, in the aisle. So if you can imagine, I had a perfect spot to look at the 162, , which was against the wall at the end of the aisle, but the Samsungs were in the
aisle so I had to turn my head to see them, and I was very close to them as well. But I had seen the 63's many times before.

To me, a great test of blacks is the ESPN HD promo that Best Buy runs on their HD loop. It has a black background with spinning logos around the ESPN logo. It is very easy to compare blacks side by side when this comes up. I thought the blacks on the RCA were pretty darn good. I also like the black on the HLPxx63's - blacks are much better on that than on HD2 sets. It's the sharpness (or lack thereof) that I don't like on the HD3. We have different viewing preferences - to me, the HD2+ makes things like HD football jump out at you. I know you like old movies, and I would expect the HD3 to be great for that purpose.

Anyway, as far as the RCA goes, I was able to dial in a picture that I really liked. It certainly had a nice combination of black levels and sharpness. As we all know, Best Buys vary from store to store. I've seen essentially broken TV's on display. Makes me wonder how they sell half of what they do.

I have no doubt that PQ wise, the Mits is probably better. But even in a dimly lit display area at Best Buy, I could shave while looking at the screen (and my room is very well lit at home). And it is a lot pricier than the RCA. I would never tell anyone what to buy based on what I think, but I do think the RCA is a nice alternative. If not for the Samsung 4674's, which fits my space much better than the 50" RCA and I think has better cosmetic (and WAF) appeal, I would have probably gone with the RCA. But now, given availability of the 4674, and the fact that it's really only a couple hundred more than the RCA (when you factor in that you need an HDMI switcher for the RCA if you want to connect two components digitally), I would certainly advise folks to give the 4674 a good look as well as the RCA.

Originally posted by tjk
I basically played with the set for an hour or so - ... I got a picture on it that I really liked, and walking back and forth to the Mits I thought the picture compared pretty well.

I don't ever try to adjust TV's at BB. My first reaction was to wonder if someone had turned the contrast control all the way down. Unfortunately the only other RCA dealer near me is even worse for anyone who wants to evaluate PQ. :rolleyes:

I was using the same logo shot and some football with partially black uniforms.

If you were able to get the "162" looking good then I think that answers my User Menu question. I would still want the option of getting an ISF calibration for any TV that I paid $3K + for. I wish RCA had better marketing channels.

Originally posted by tjk
Real interesting test, if it were ever possible, would be to compare the RCA HD2+'s with the Samsung 74's.

Now that you have a 74, how about buying an RCA 162 from BB for a day to do a side-by-side? ;)

The latest Sound and Vision (Dec. 2004) reviewed the 61" thin RCA DLP TV (about $9000) all in all they said they liked it and was impressed with the picture quality although it was not as bright as other DLPs. In this model they were able to calibrate the set. So far no work on the ability to calibrate the regular DLP line. The thin RCA I saw at Best Buy did not have that great of a picture so either they got a tweaked set or RCA was able to improve the picture.

Originally posted by PaulGo
The thin RCA I saw at Best Buy did not have that great of a picture so either they got a tweaked set or RCA was able to improve the picture.

Your BB was feeding that RCA a crap signal. At my nearest BB, the thin RCA is being fed the same quality signal as the other 'main' sets, and it looks very good. Very nearby (across the aisle) is the 162 with the same program material (HDNet), yet it and the tv next to it look like complete crap. No telling how they're distributing all their video, but I've seen the 162 look great at this same store, when it was displayed in the 'main' area.

You can't trust any setup at our BB. They have a 60" Sony LCD RPTV, a Mitsubishi 62525, and the Samsung HLP5685 setup in their own special location.

It happens that they are out in the open so I walked around to look at the back of the sets. One of the sets was connected to a cheap composite cable (the yellow, red, black combos that come with the cheapest video equipment) coming out of a box that I couldn't see in one of the stands. Then from a composite out on that set they ran another composite cable to the second set. Then they did the same thing to the third set -- great marketing.

The thin RCA was being sent a component signal. The new regular ($3000) RCA was also being sent a component signal. The regular RCA DLP looked great - the thin RCA DLP looked bad. Perhaps the set was defective but based upon the picture I did not like it. I also did not like the styling of the thin RCA and I think it is a product looking for a market. Perhaps at half the price it could sell (if the picture was good) but in todays market I feel it is overpriced.

I went to BB last night and they had the thin RCA set up next to the 50" Kirk. I thought the RCA had better colors and black levels than the Kirk, but wasn't quite as sharp. The RCA was still very crisp, but the Samsung was just a smidge better.

I noticed no rainbows (I don't think I've ever seen them) on either set, nor any other sort of PQ anomalies.

BB did not have any 162s out on display and a search on BB's website indicates that no store within 30 miles of me has any in stock. Is RCA phasing out the 162 or are they selling that quickly? Of course, the store was understaffed, so I didn't bother to ask when I was there.

How is the fan noise on this set?

Just got my new set the 162 from Best Buy. Fortunately they just dropped the price on it and I had a 12% off coupon. Anyway, the set is really awesome. A slightly high pitched fan noise from the right hand side of the set, aside from that, its fantastic. The fan noise can easily be diminished by my hutch that sits around the side and top of the set. Its not pumping out a lot of heat, so I think there is not a problem with leaving the sides in that state.

As for picture quality. I have evaluated the Sammy's, Panasonic, and Mits. Frankly this is the best picture for the cost without a doubt. I think that the picture is equal to all of those sets with the hd2+ chip. There are a ton of pic adjustment controls on the set.

Only real complaint aside from that minor noise, the 4x3 pic has a trapezoidal effect to it. The top and bottom is closer to the edges of the set and the sides of the 4x3 image bows in slightly, about 1/8th or so of an inch. I hop that this is something that the repair people can fix or if not I will bring the set back for another. I trust this is a minor issue that can be easily fixed.

Does anyone know if there is a service menu that can be accessed on this set? I think I have read in these posts that there are no serviceable adjustments that can be made beyond those in the standard menu, however its worth asking the question.

As a final comment. I have owned and returned the panny dlp. I in fact returned 2 panny dlp sets. The quality of this set is better in my opinion. I believe that the set is made better. I think the plastics are a higher quality and the set is just better to look at. I like the think black bezel and its very appealing to look at.

Originally posted by forkball
Just got my new set the 162 from Best Buy. Fortunately they just dropped the price on it and I had a 12% off coupon. ...

Where'd you get the coupon? Any more where they came from?

The coupon was mailed to Best Buy customers for this weekend. Just mention it to a salesperson and they should be able to apply the discount if you use your BB card. If you don't have a BB card, you can get a 10% discount. If they don't want to give you a discount, talk to another salesperson or talk to a manager.

Originally posted by forkball

Only real complaint aside from that minor noise, the 4x3 pic has a trapezoidal effect to it. The top and bottom is closer to the edges of the set and the sides of the 4x3 image bows in slightly, about 1/8th or so of an inch. I hop that this is something that the repair people can fix or if not I will bring the set back for another. I trust this is a minor issue that can be easily fixed.

[/B]

Don't really understand your statement about the top and bottom, but the inward bowing of a 4:3 image is pretty standard for widescreen sets. The degree to which it's apparent seems to vary slightly, but it's pretty much something you'll have to learn to live with. It's in the optics, so it isn't adjustable with a fixed-panel display. My Mits does it, both on the side edges, and even a little on top edges with widescreen movies (2.35:1 AR).

I do not notice any bowing at all on my 61" Samsung DLP. Also some sets in the service menu have adjustments for this.

It was something that I found hard to describe but I think you get the gist of what I was saying. I did not know it was something that was more or less standard. I thought, similarly to a PC screen, that you could adjust the "bow" of the sides of the image through a service menu adjustment? I know a PC screen is different then a DLP, but still, it was my assumption. I think I will still contact service regarding this as a point of course, but I will not hold my expectations too high.

I called BB support to come out and eval the unit for the "bow" in the image and also for the bit of fan noise, which I expect is normal. They will be out on Saturday. I look forward to seeing if they access a service menu or not. I would like to find out how that is done. Regardless I am very pleased in this set.

forkball,

I've seen mention that the RCA requires a special remote for accessing the service menu. I THINK I remember it being RCA, or maybe it was LG. Not much help I guess, just bored. Enjoying your set?

Yeah the set's really nice. I think I might call RCA later and see about getting a service manual or something. I know what I want fixed is simple. It should be atleast.

Can anyone else confirm/reject that the set needs a separate remote to access the service menu? I tried getting the service manual from a few places with no success yet. That is troubling in the fact that I get the damn service manual for each and every car I own, and this is a big purchase, I would think it would be easier to come by.

Any help would be great.

Thanks.

Originally posted by forkball
Can anyone else confirm/reject that the set needs a separate remote to access the service menu? I tried getting the service manual from a few places with no success yet. That is troubling in the fact that I get the damn service manual for each and every car I own, and this is a big purchase, I would think it would be easier to come by.

Any help would be great.

Thanks.

It's been long speculated (and is one of the downsides to the RCA sets) that RCA doesn't make their service manuals available.

htwaits, who posts here regularly, said a big drawback to RCA is that you can't get them ISF calibrated because the technician would not be able to access the service menu, and warned that if an ISF calibration was important to you, RCA is not the set to buy.

BB service was out on Saturday to look at the slight skew issue that I have with 4x3 images as well as evaluate the fan noise. The tech basically did nothing. Just saying that its completely normal and if I am not 100% satisfied to just bring the set back. Makes me wonder why I bought the $400 extended warranty if they do nothing. I would rather no bring it back and have it fixed, however I did not argue the point with the tech. Still its aggravating though. I will likely keep the set for a couple more weeks and then swap it out. If they all have the 4x3 skew then I will deal. Its not really annoying or anything to me.

The fans are also not outrageously loud or anything. In my experience with these sets with the HD2+ chips, they all must run hotter because all of them have significant fan noise. The RCA lends itself to allowing me to buils a simple wooden structure to delect some of that noise away from the viewing area. I've got plans and will make one out of 1/2" MDF over the holiday. I hope the 1/2" will allow for good sound dispersion. I do realize for those who might question the idea of putting anything near the fan outlet vents that this unit runs quite cool and the design will allow for continued proper ventilation.

Happy Hunting!!!

forkball - thanks for posting the updates. I have been following this thread in anticipation of my 162 scheduled for delivery this coming Saturday.

I have a favor to ask of you (or anyone else that owns a 61" 162/163 series set: I want to purchase a stand for my set before it arrives but I am unable to find out the exact minimum measurement of the actual base of the set (the actual area of contact where the set meets the stand). Can someone measure that for me and report back here? I see that the actual set width is listed as 56.6" but I was wondering if I might be able to use a slightly smaller width stand and still have all of the set's supports make contact with the stand - I wouldn't mind of the sides of the set extended beyond the left and right edges of the stand as long as the set was 100% stable.

Thanks for all of the information everyone!

I have the 50" and the set's footprint is very close to the dimensions listed. The exceptions are the sides of the front. Maybe a 4" overhang on each side from the base. Stand wise, I am a woodworker and while I am using an existing stand now, I will build one to suit my purposes in the next few months.

However if you take those dimensions, subtract about 4 inches from each side, then you can calculate a rough dimension for yourself.

Enjoy your set.

Thank you for the info!

Ideally, I would also custom make a stand for my set but I am dead in the middle of renovating the house I am moving into this weekend. The other important factor in my stand quest is the height. I'd like to have the middle of the screen to be at eye level when sitting in my new couch - which is being delievered this Friday.

I'll be sure to fill everyone in once everything has been set up.

I currently own a first gen 61 (being replaced tomorrow by the newer model) I found a unique and cheap alternative for a stand. Target has these things called Q-bits which come in a few colors. They are about 15 inches wide and can be connected either hozizontal or verticle. I bought 4 of them (two with draws and two with doors in the chocolate color and silver accent) and laid them out and connected. They are about 12 inches tall and for all for it cost me about 80 bucks. Now the downside is if you have home theatre equipment this wont work. Alternate would be a seperate audio cabinet but this so far is the cheapest and best looking option I have found for under $100 bucks.

"I currently own a first gen 61 (being replaced tomorrow by the newer model)"

Suzook, what was the reason for your set being replaced?

It can only be described as a video issue. In the middle of the screen from the top to the bottom I can only describe as small square blocks that appear when fast moving scenes happen. The color that happens to be on screeen comes through the blocks which are stationary. It goes and goes depending on the tv. I had to actually video tape it so they didnt think I was nuts.

I tried searching this thread, but I may have missed this. Has anyone upgraded their software via the ethernet connection? What is the current version of software, and does anyone expect any upgrades?

Thanks.

FYI

DALLAS - Texas Instruments has launched a rare advertising campaign aimed at consumers to promote its television technology for home theater enthusiasts.

The campaign features a television commercial, two radio spots and Web advertising, all unusual for the firm that relies on electronics makers to tout products containing TI chips.

TI has launched the campaign because it is the only chipmaker that uses a display technology it calls Digital Light Processing.

Manufacturers using other technologies, such as plasma or liquid crystal display, have been misrepresenting DLP, said Steve Panosian, digital projection TV marketing manager for Samsung Electronics, a TI customer.

"As much as I'd like to spend money to fight that battle, now was the time for TI to go into the next phase of marketing support," Panosian said in Friday's editions of the Dallas Morning News. TI is promoting DLP as more affordable and reliable compared to plasma and LCD displays.

Television sets using DLP technology cost between $2,300 to more than $10,000, depending on size and features. The sets are made by Samsung, Mitsubishi, RCA and Toshiba, and others.

In recent years, TI has advertised DLP to consumers by showing its logo before movies screened with DLP-based projectors. The new advertising campaign, however, signals an effort to get TV shoppers to consider the technology.

In the TV ad, a football referee has difficulty making a call on a review of an instant replay. He calls his wife using his cellular phone. She can clearly determine what happened on her DLP set.

"There is a lot of confusion in the marketplace around different technologies," said Jan Spence, marketing and communications manager for DLP. "We're really trying to be simple about it."

Ads also point out that DLP TVs aren't subject to "burn-in or fade," deteriorations in quality that can occur in plasma screens. That phrase is designed to prompt consumers to ask about the long-term performance of a television, said Valerie Moore, executive director of strategic resources at TM Advertising, the Dallas agency formerly known as Temerlin McClain.

"We're talking about thousands of dollars of investment that consumers make, so we think of it as almost like a public service to help them understand what options are out there," Moore said. "As much as it's early in the adoption curve, it's not early in terms of the education curve."

I just plugged in the ethernet and have not recieved a Firmware update yet. I wish I could attempt to connect manually to force it to check which, as far as I can tell, is not possible!

Does anyone have a "bow" effect while watching in 4x3 mode? The top and bottom edges of the image area are 1/8" bowed out from the middle?

Hello all.

I am new here and just thought I would chime in.

I am currently overseas, but when I was home on leave in July I was at Best Buy looking at TV's. With out a dought, the RCA DLP 61" was the best looking set that I saw. I was overwelmed by the picture. Although I do not recall what other sets were there, it was irrellivant to me. The RCA stood out.

Anyway, I started doing some homework on this set prior to purchasing which in turn led me here. I am so glad for that. (Although reading damn near 1000 posts and all the links within it has my eyes are bleeding. LOL ) Without reading this thread, I would have purchased the 1st Gen w/o antiglare screen not knowing that only BB CC had the antiglare, and that there was a 2nd gen. I had my model # and was ready to buy.

I am still ready to buy, but I am now going for the 2nd Gen. Post after post in this thread I read looking for all the differances between models, looking for those that have had trouble, and just looking for anything that would be good info before I purchased. I found all of that here.:)

In the process, I also DL'ed all the spec sheets for the 162 thru 165 61". I created a spread sheet so that I could compare the features side by side. From what I can see the 62 and the 64 are the same, and the 63 and the 65 are the same. Is This right, or am I missing something? I am going to attach this spreadsheet so that all can use it for thier comparison. Wierd though...some of the entries are blank and some are worded differantly, although I believe them to be the same. It also lists the 162 as the only set with Picture In Guide...
Is that correct? Also in the spredsheet, I highlighted differances in green for fast identification.

I really would like to know what the differances are between the 162-164 and the 163-165. They appear to be the same when you look at the Spec sheets. If there is something I am missing, I would like to know what it is before I buy....and I want to buy soon...LOL

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide. :D :D :D

I think the answer is in your spreadsheet. The most important difference is that the 162 and 163 have the HD2+ chip and the 164 and 165 have the HD3 chip.

That, my friend, is a HUGE difference. IMHO, go with HD2+.

Yea, I saw that. And recall some out there saying that the HD3 looked like crap in the store. But at the same time, Most who looked at the 1Gen in the stores said they looked bad also. It was once they got them home and fine tuned them that they were impressed with the picture. I am just wandering if this is the smae case.

Am I wrong in asuming that the HD3 is the newest improvement to the HD2+???

Should it not be better???

Thanks luebster.

I concur to me the picture on the HD+2 looks better than the HD3 especially after tweaking

Get the HD2+ chip. IMHO its a lot better looking. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

Knowing what's under the hood so to speak is important. Your best bet is to go to a store and try to see the sets side by side and see what your eyes tell you. I have a 50" 162 and I am more or less happy. Aside from some fan noise (something that is apparently very common amoung sets with the HD2+ chip) and aside from some skew that is really minor, the set is rock solid. Gotta love the fact that its got an ethernet port on the back of it. I don't know why, but you gotta love it!

Seriously its a great set. The PQ is amazing and the experience for me is theater like, only better!

Happy Hunting

Originally posted by Chas1962
Am I wrong in asuming that the HD3 is the newest improvement to the HD2+???

Should it not be better???

Thanks luebster.

Yes, you are wrong. You can thank TI for the ingenious naming schemes, but the HD2+ is the 4th generation DMD chip, the HD3 is the third. Main difference is the HD3 is smaller, cheaper, and contains less mirrors (640X480) and "wobulates" to render the 720p image. The HD2+ is the same .8 size as the HD2, has 1280x720 mirrors, and provides a sharper image than the HD3. FWIW, the HD2+ also boasts a higher contrast ratio, although I question how noticable it really is. The biggest difference is the sharpness.

Also, I believe another difference in the models is that the 162 is the only set that does not have the "floating screen." The 163-165's do. I have only seen the 162 at Best Buy.

IMHO, if space was not a concern, my first pick of the RCA sets would be the 61" (only size available)163. Next I would go for the 162's.

Yeah I wish someone had carried the floating screen one somewhere near me or at all. I did some quick research online for that but I have never been comfortable buying something so large online. Bigger is always better too depending on your room, space, etc. I have room for a 50" not a 61" personally.

Originally posted by tjk
Main difference is the HD3 is smaller, cheaper, and contains less mirrors (640X480) and "wobulates" to render the 720p image. The HD2+ is the same .8 size as the HD2, has 1280x720 mirrors, and provides a sharper image than the HD3. Not that its important, but the HD3 DMD has 640x720 mirrors, and the 'wobulation' mirror doubles the horizontal res, giving a 1280x720 effective res.

Originally posted by Low Roller
Not that its important, but the HD3 DMD has 640x720 mirrors, and the 'wobulation' mirror doubles the horizontal res, giving a 1280x720 effective res.

You're right - my bad. I must have been thinking about computers when I wrote 480.

Yes and no. The HD3 is the "low-cost" DLP chip.

Basically, all chips before the HD3 (including the HD2+) are 1 mirror to 1 pixel. Meaning, each pixel on your screen has its own dedicated mirror responsible for it. The HD3 is a 1 mirror for 2 pixels. And rather than the mirrors being set as squares, they are set 45 degrees off to appear as diamonds. While all of this is effective in reducing the number of mirrors required (effectively reducing the price) and nearly eliminating SDE (screen door effect), it also contributes to a softer image.

Personally, I watch a ton of sports and action movies (God bless my wife), so the HD2+ chip performs better for my taste. If you prefer a more "film-like" softness, the HD3 chip might be acceptable to you.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: I made the dreaded mistake of not realizing the post I responded to was only at the end of the page, not the end of the thread. My bad.

Originally posted by tjk
I believe another difference in the models is that the 162 is the only set that does not have the "floating screen." The 163-165's do. I have only seen the 162 at Best Buy.

I'm fairly certain the 164s are identical to the 162s in cabinet.

For reference: http://www.rca.com/product/viewmodellist/browseproduct/0,2589,CI700294,00.html?

Originally posted by forkball
I have a 50" 162 and I am more or less happy. Aside from some fan noise (something that is apparently very common amoung sets with the HD2+ chip) and aside from some skew that is really minor, the set is rock solid. Gotta love the fact that its got an ethernet port on the back of it. I don't know why, but you gotta love it!

Seriously its a great set. The PQ is amazing and the experience for me is theater like, only better!
Forkball, I started an RCA owner's thread. Perhaps you would like to contribute?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4732122

Thanks.

Originally posted by luebster
I'm fairly certain the 164s are identical to the 162s in cabinet.

For reference: http://www.rca.com/product/viewmodellist/browseproduct/0,2589,CI700294,00.html?

I'm on a roll today:D .

Nice to see that RCA's press releases from as recently as September's CEDIA conference were completely misleading as to their product lineup. Wrong chips (they never even mentioned the HD3 chip), specs, features - we're talking two months ago and the whole product line was overhauled. No way they couldn't have known about it back then.

I like the 162 a lot and almost bought it. It's a great set. But this verifies to me the pervasive feeling on these boards that RCA is a lousy company with lousy customer service (and my emails to the company in September asking about the sets were ignored). I'm glad I didn't hold out for the 165, which was announced as an HD2+ as early as last May.

Originally posted by hphase
I tried searching this thread, but I may have missed this. Has anyone upgraded their software via the ethernet connection? What is the current version of software, and does anyone expect any upgrades?

Thanks.

I have upgraded my HD61LPW162. The current software version is A6.09/B4.03. Once I update the only HD channel that I was having issues with comes in clear as a bell:D

I have a RCA HD61LPW42

Current Software AA.00/B8.11

Do I need an upgrade?

Twohype:
How do you upgrade the software?

Chas1962: Thanks for this attachment it really helps clarify the RCA lineup of DLP sets.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?postid=4732041

Good stuff guys. I appreciate all the input.

I have decided on the 163. Now the only problem is finding one at a reputable place, with a warranty I can count on. BB does not have it locally, or on thier Web site. Although they seemed about 500.00 overpriced compared to Internet pricing based on the 165 price. This is really disappointing me. Most Internet sites had the 163 at 2799.00 and 250.00 shipping. But some of the reviews I read for these dealers was scary.

Does anyone know of a good dealer?

Does anyone know if BB will carry these soon?

I really want to have this waiting for me at home when I get out of this hell hole, but it is hard to do good research when I am so limited in time, Internet access and phone access.

If anyone has any good leads, I would sure appreciate it.

Thanks again in advance.

Originally posted by tjk
IMHO, if space was not a concern, my first pick of the RCA sets would be the 61"

I would not settle for anything less. The bigger the better.




Originally posted by PaulGo
Chas1962: Thanks for this attachment it really helps clarify the RCA lineup of DLP sets.


No problem Paulgo. Thank you for all the great imput on the set, it helped me alot. I'll be sure to post all my experieneces after I get mine. Posting that Quick Compare was the least I could do.;)

Originally posted by PaulGo
Twohype:
How do you upgrade the software?

I just put the HD61LPW162 on my home network give it an IP and lety it set on the network. Over time the HD61LPW162 indicated that an update was available so I hit OK to update it. If you ae connect and yor is seen on your home network go the the software upgrade screen in the menu and hit OK;)

Originally posted by Chas1962
If anyone has any good leads, I would sure appreciate it.
Up until the point my wife and I realized our armoire wouldn't fit up the staircase to the second floor master bedroom (the armoire's over 7 feet tall!!!), I was planning on getting the 61" 163. The only place I could find it that I felt comfortable with was bigbangelectronics.

I recall seeing other posters purchasing from there and being satisfied. Try searching the forum for HD61LPW163 and big bang or bigbang...you should find some posts.

I just wish RCA had better distribution channels...

Hope this helps.

I was at Best Buy yesterday and I revisited the 61" slim (7" thick) DLP that goes for about $9000. The quality of the picture has improved (maybe thu a software upgrade) to the point that I no longer find it objectionable. However even after playing around with the controls I found it was not as bright as the less expensive RCA DLPs. It seemed to lack the "punch" which makes me favor DLP TVs. I still do not like the way the set looks but thats a personal preference.

Originally posted by PaulGo
In the for what it's worth department the December 2003 issue of Consumer Reports has the RCA tube sets as number one for repairs in the 20" to 25 " category, 30" to 32" category and the 34" to 36" category. (in the 36" category the RCA brand had over twice as many problems as any other set! It appears that the more features RCA puts into its set means more problems. So based upon this if you buy an RCA get a very long extended warranty.

I called RCA to inquire about an extended warranty just before the one year warranty on my 50" RCA DLP expired in early November and was told that RCA does not offer an extended warranty on its DLP sets. Yikes!

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by brad911
Fry's has the HDLP50W151 on sale for $1997 today. Older technology, but at this price is it worth it?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by tmsmith
Bad screen glare.

brad911 -- I have owned that model of 50" RCA DLP for thirteen months. I watch it in relatively bright light and despite its reflective screen, it's picture is so bright that screen glare is a non issue. I have loved it. Further, I paid $3,200 for mine, so if you can get one for less that $2,000, that would seem to be the deal of the century

I saw that one at Fry's. It is a good deal!

I have been looking at various HDTV models for over a year. I almost bought the Mitsu 725 but the glare was still an issue even with the better screen.

I had reservations about the RCA 165 because of the HD3 chip used in the 50". The 61" wasn't an option so the 163 is out.

I was able to view the 165 next to the Samsung Kirk today. I have to say I was very impressed with the 165. There was no difference in the sharpness of the picture, and the colors on the RCA were much richer and more natural looking than on the Samsung. I had them switch channels to vary the content and it all looked great. I liked it so much I bought it.

Anyway, I recommend viewing this tv yourself before you discount it just because of the HD3 chip.

Hello,

How many of you have the Comcast Motorola 6412 and what setting do you have it at for the resolution and stuff.

TV Type set to 16:9
set component 1080i, and 4:3 override to 480p.


what do you guys have?

Originally posted by luebster
The only place I could find it that I felt comfortable with was bigbangelectronics.

I recall seeing other posters purchasing from there and being satisfied. Try searching the forum for HD61LPW163 and big bang or bigbang...you should find some posts.

I just wish RCA had better distribution channels...

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply luebster. I had seen them also...had a few bad reviews about communications with customers, and not having items they said they had. I can deal with a few, but thier reply to the first E-mail I sent already has me second guessing using them. I will however research further.

If any others have any good leads, please let me know.

Thanks all.

Originally posted by acaoacao
Hello,

How many of you have the Comcast Motorola 6412 and what setting do you have it at for the resolution and stuff.

TV Type set to 16:9
set component 1080i, and 4:3 override to 480p.


what do you guys have?

If you have the new RCA set use 720p since that is the native resoultion.

For last years model use 1080i since 720p does not work.

The second setting is your preference.

Originally posted by Chas1962
Thanks for the reply luebster. I had seen them also...had a few bad reviews about communications with customers, and not having items they said they had. I can deal with a few, but thier reply to the first E-mail I sent already has me second guessing using them. I will however research further.

If any others have any good leads, please let me know.

Thanks all.

I've spoken with Bill, the owner. He seemed pretty knowlegdeable and a nice guy. Your always best off dealing directly with the owner, of course.

My RCA DLP is now 16 months old. The firmware (A8.1A/B8.11) has not been upgraded during this time and the RCA web site that comes up when you launch the web browser said that it is unlikely the firmware will ever be upgraded.

Fan noise on my TV is extremely quiet

What is the URL listed in the Browser?


Originally posted by gitarzan
My RCA DLP is now 16 months old. The firmware (A8.1A/B8.11) has not been upgraded during this time and the RCA web site that comes up when you launch the web browser said that it is unlikely the firmware will ever be upgraded.

Fan noise on my TV is extremely quiet

HD programs from my DISH 921 fed through DVI don't quite fill the screen of my RCA 50" DLP (don't have the model number; it was last year's model as sold by Circuit City). There is a frame of black about 3/4" on all 4 sides of the picture. Can this be fixed through any adjustments in the service menu?

Thanks for any advice.

MIKE

Originally posted by twohype
What is the URL listed in the Browser?

I do not know how to tell. No address bar.

Hi,
I'm considering the HD61LPW163. I plan to use the CableCard; can anyone who has this set tell me if there is a "TV Guide" type channel guide? I understand that this is the only way I can get an on-screen program guide if I'm using the CableCard rather than the digital STB....

The other set I'm considering is the Toshiba 62HM94, which does have the guide feature....

Thanks,
Dave

We did some work for a customer who purchased a HD61LP42 from another vendor(BB). Right from the start the picture quality did not look as good as it should. She has had the BB guys out three times and they have said that either they don't see a problem or that the problem is not in the set.

The picture looks grainy and it seems that items in the foreground of the picture look noisy.

Is there any service menu adjustments that are possible? How do you access the service menu. I have a Samsung dlp and I have adjusted the gamma setting on it. Is there a gamma setting on these RCAs.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Dave

We did some work for a customer who purchased a HD61LP42 from another vendor(BB). Right from the start the picture quality did not look as good as it should. She has had the BB guys out three times and they have said that either they don't see a problem or that the problem is not in the set.

The picture looks grainy and it seems that items in the foreground of the picture look noisy.

Is there any service menu adjustments that are possible? How do you access the service menu. I have a Samsung dlp and I have adjusted the gamma setting on it. Is there a gamma setting on these RCAs.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Dave

Fellow RCA Scenium HD61LPW162 owners, a new software update is available today (A6.0C) the fireware version is still the same B4.03. thus the new software version for the RCA Scenium HD61LPW162 is A6.0C/B4.03. Anyone have a clue what added freatures or what it fixes? I just updated and it seem like it updated alot of the internal software, based onwhat was displayed during the update:D

twohype, does the picture look any different? How about the menus? What in the world could they possibly fix via a firware update??? Well, guess I'll try to plug mine in and see what it does. Did you have to do anything to make it download the update or do you just plug in the ethernet cable and turn the TV on?

Originally posted by pg_rider
twohype, does the picture look any different? How about the menus? What in the world could they possibly fix via a firware update??? Well, guess I'll try to plug mine in and see what it does. Did you have to do anything to make it download the update or do you just plug in the ethernet cable and turn the TV on?

The first update fixed an issue with one of the HD channels that I was not getting correctly (it comes in great now), however with this update I have'nt really noticed anything. Note I think that they updated software not fireware with this update? Oh course I could be wrong:D

Whether the HD3 is an "improvement" over the HD2+ depends on whether you are talking to TI's accountant, (Yes, it is...) or their A/V expert, (No, it's not...).

The HD3 is a cheaper DMD with half the micromirrors of the HD2+. The HD3 chip is oriented at a different angle so it can "wobble" and complement the chip next to it so as to impact all the fixed pixels in the display. The HD2+ has a mirror on each chip dedicated to each pixel. Most people seem to think the HD2+ puts out a better, higher contrast, picture.

Like EVERYTHING else here, there is a LOT of subjectivity involved. You should try to see them each for yourself. I'd like to review the mega-bells and whistles RCA Scenium 165 series because it has an HD3 chip. I hate to simply blow it off because of the DMD, but I can't seem to locate one...and neiher can RCA, of all things.

It appears sales of DLP sets are really starting to take off:



TI Celebrates 5 Mil DLP Sales Mark

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 12/14/2004 6:05:00 AM

Plano, Texas — Texas Instruments said it has reach the 5 million sales mark for sales of combined projectors and rear-projection displays using its Digital Light Process (DLP) technology, and announced the launch of a regionally-oriented television, radio and Web ad campaign.

The company pointed out that DLP sales have enjoyed an accelerated sales pace in recent months.

Initially, it took five years (until December 2001) for DLP products to reach the 1 million sales mark. The second million mark came two years later (August 2003).

The third million mark was reached six months after that in March 2004, followed by the four million mark four months later in July 2004.

The five million mark followed four months after that in November.

I stopped by my local Best Buy yesterday and the 7" slim RCA 61" DLP was selling for well under $7000. (10,000 list price). It appears RCA is searching for a price point where they can sell this item (I don't think they have reached it yet).

Even discounted to $7,000, the 7" deep RCA DLP is still about twice as expensive as a conventional DLP with a comparable screen size. Given that a conventional DLP is less than 18" deep I agree that RCA is going to have to keep looking for a price point at which people will start buying its 7" deep models. It seems to me that $7,000 is still way too high.

InFocus and TCL Announce Strategic Alliance for Global Expansion and Leadership in Digital Projection (17/12/2004)

InFocus(R) (Nasdaq:INFS), a worldwide leader in digital projection technology and services, and TCL Corporation, a leading multimedia consumer electronic products company in China, and through its joint venture with Thomson is the world's largest manufacturer of televisions, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to form a 50-50 owned joint venture named South Mountain Technologies (SMT) for the development, manufacturing and sales of rear and front-projection engines and projectors. Each of the parties has committed to invest $10M in the joint venture for a total of $20M, to be invested over the course of 2005. Initially, each of the parties will expend up to $1.5M to cover start up organizational expenses pending approval of the transaction by Chinese governmental authorities.

The new company will integrate the low-cost, high-quality manufacturing capabilities of TCL with the innovative technology leadership of InFocus in digital projection product design. SMT will leverage InFocus' extensive experience with imaging devices utilizing multiple technologies for rear projection and front projection engines to provide the best price performance solutions to customers around the world. Established as an affiliate Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) company, SMT will manufacture and sell projection solutions to the parent companies and other brand operators in both China and the broader global markets.

Manufacturing of product will commence upon approval of the joint venture formation by the Chinese authorities, such approval is anticipated to be received within three to four months. SMT plans to begin shipping rear projection engines for sale in the second quarter of 2005.

The 50-50 joint venture will consist of an offshore parent holding company with three wholly owned subsidiaries; a manufacturing research and development subsidiary in Shenzhen, China, and research and development centers in the U.S. and Norway.

"By forming a joint venture between two industry leaders such as InFocus and TCL, we are creating a design and production powerhouse capable of manufacturing the world's most innovative, lowest cost projection products, while significantly reducing our costs in delivering Big Picture solutions to businesses, schools and homes," said Kyle Ranson, President and CEO of InFocus Corporation. "SMT is the next phase in the evolution of our offshore manufacturing strategy as we take advantage of TCL's economies of scale and low-cost manufacturing expertise to license our technology to a broader market space through an affiliated OEM manufacturer."

Commenting on the partnership, Robert Hu, Senior Vice President of TCL Corporation and President of TCL Components Strategic Business Unit said, "We are very excited about our strategic alliance with InFocus. The joint venture is a key element of a major initiative in our global business expansion into digital video products, by providing us leading edge optical engine and projection designs from InFocus for our Thomson, RCA and TCL brands."

South Mountain Technologies (SMT), headquartered in Shenzhen, China, will develop products with engineering teams seeded from InFocus in the United States and Norway, and TCL in China. SMT will leverage the local expertise of each engineering site to develop low-cost, high-quality products for global OEM customers. As part of the venture, David Glaess, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Research and Development at InFocus, will become the Chief Executive Officer of SMT.

"South Mountain Technologies represents the integration of the best of the best in projection design and high volume consumer electronics manufacturing," said David Glaess, future CEO of SMT. "I look forward to leading SMT in its strategy to leverage the unique strengths of TCL and InFocus, and bring successful profitable growth to SMT, InFocus and TCL."

Any owners of the 165 series that can describe their experience with the web browser? For example, can you view this forum okay? Some pictures with the browser running would be great.

Originally posted by jensph
Any owners of the 165 series that can describe their experience with the web browser? For example, can you view this forum okay? Some pictures with the browser running would be great.

My advice is don't waste your time with the web browser. It is lame to the point of unusability. It uses a Window CE version of IE, and an older version at that. The browser's response to IR keyboard commands is sluggish and the browser crashed very frequently. Before I bought the IR keyboard I was warned not to waste my time, but I didn't listen. I wish I had. If this hasn't convinced you, PM me and I'll give you a great price on a slightly used keyboard

MIKE

Guys,

I've seen both sets extensively. FYI - the 263 series sets just had a major price reduction from RCA (which is why you saw pricing drop from like 10K to 6999 at best buy. Now, fyi, you can get that for 5500 or so from authorized web dealers.

I've seen the 163 as well, and have issues with the color balance. even the reviews on the 263 say its a great engineering design, but the actual PQ is far from any thing close to perfect. I believe the 163 uses much of the same electronics and suffers the same issues. I've played around w/ the 163 and just can't get the darn color pallette to look right.

aceman

I have the 162 and the color is really great on it. Adjustment was needed as I found none of the presets were to my liking. I have not used any Avia products or the like either. Also better of course with an HD signal vs a SD signal.

Originally posted by mraub
My advice is don't waste your time with the web browser. It is lame to the point of unusability. It uses a Window CE version of IE, and an older version at that. The browser's response to IR keyboard commands is sluggish and the browser crashed very frequently. Before I bought the IR keyboard I was warned not to waste my time, but I didn't listen. I wish I had. If this hasn't convinced you, PM me and I'll give you a great price on a slightly used keyboard

Thanks for the advice - it's slowly starting to sink in... I was planning on not listening to others advice as well! (It still might be interesting to see a picture.)
But at this point the browser was just an added perk - I want a tv that's less than 50" - and the only RCA candidate is the 165. I would wait for an HD2+ model - but I haven't heard of one.

Originally posted by Suzook
I currently own a first gen 61 (being replaced tomorrow by the newer model) I found a unique and cheap alternative for a stand. Target has these things called Q-bits which come in a few colors. They are about 15 inches wide and can be connected either hozizontal or verticle. I bought 4 of them (two with draws and two with doors in the chocolate color and silver accent) and laid them out and connected. They are about 12 inches tall and for all for it cost me about 80 bucks. Now the downside is if you have home theatre equipment this wont work. Alternate would be a seperate audio cabinet but this so far is the cheapest and best looking option I have found for under $100 bucks.

If I ever manage to save up enough for the 162, I wa thinking of this stand:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=11149&langId=-1&parentCats=10104*10174

Does this look like it will put it at the right height?

Thanks,
Ed Lee

About 19" to 20" should be the correct height for a 61" DLP that has the speakers mounted under the screen.

try the Q-bits you can get at Target and stuff. I bolted four of them together for my 61 inch RCA and they work like a charm and just the perfect height

Okay I need help. What do you guys have your RCA picture settings set to? I tried natural cinematic and stuff and it does not work...

Please give me your settings

I have the Samsung 61" DLP. I use the Lucasfilms disk (e.g. Star Wars) to calibrate the component input. I find with my TV I prefer the contrast up near 100%. The brightness about 50 to 60% and the color about 45% and sharpness about 55%, You need to play around with it but the calibration disks do help. I use the DVI input for my Comcast 6200 HDTV box. The setting for the DVI differ substantially form the component inputs (lower brightness and more color).

I'm hearing reports that the RCA replacement bulbs are in the range of $500 - $800. Can this be true? I'm considering the 163 DLP, but that is an outrageous price in contrast to some other bulb costs ($250 for Samsung DLP's).

Anyone have further info on this? Any reliable information that the prices might come down? And, has anyone actually had to replace a bulb as of yet?

Maybe it's due to the fact that other TV's seem more popular than the RCA (like Samsung's, Mitsubishi's, etc.)

Thanks for any info. I like the RCA features a lot, but am worried about continuing costs...

-T

Has anybody even found a vendor of replacement lamps? I did a google search and an ebay search and I only found one on ebay and it was for hd2 sets.

This isn't a good sign.

Seriously why would anyone need to replace bulbs on such new sets yet? Don't they last for near 6000 hours?

Call up RCA maybe and ask?

Happy Hunting.

Originally posted by luebster
Has anybody even found a vendor of replacement lamps? I did a google search and an ebay search and I only found one on ebay and it was for hd2 sets.

This isn't a good sign.

Seems ProjectorLampCentral.com is the only place I could find that sells lamps for DLP TV's. Everyone else focuses on just projectors.

As a quick comparison...

Sammy 61" HLP6163 (and other 63 models) - $239.00
Sammy HLN models - $305.00
Toshiba 62" DLP 62HM84 - $289.00
Panasonic 60" LCD PT-60LC14 - $289.00
Most Sony's - $189.00
HD61LPW163 - $749.00 ($200 refund if they receive the old unit). Net cost $549.00

YIKES!

-T

Originally posted by forkball
Seriously why would anyone need to replace bulbs on such new sets yet? Don't they last for near 6000 hours?

Call up RCA maybe and ask?

Happy Hunting.
No one SHOULD need to replace a lamp yet, but just like any other type of bulb, they could blow unexpectedly at any time. This is part of the reason I purchased the PSP from Best Buy.

Originally posted by virtualted
Seems ProjectorLampCentral.com is the only place I could find that sells lamps for DLP TV's. Everyone else focuses on just projectors.

As a quick comparison...

Sammy 61" HLP6163 (and other 63 models) - $239.00
Sammy HLN models - $305.00
Toshiba 62" DLP 62HM84 - $289.00
Panasonic 60" LCD PT-60LC14 - $289.00
Most Sony's - $189.00
HD61LPW163 - $749.00 ($200 refund if they receive the old unit). Net cost $549.00

YIKES!

-T
I checked there and couldn't find any RCA lamps. Could you provide a direct link to the page that shows RCA lamps and prices?

Originally posted by luebster
I checked there and couldn't find any RCA lamps. Could you provide a direct link to the page that shows RCA lamps and prices?

I had to call for the price on the RCA bulb. The guy said it was a special case and needed to check with someone else before giving me the price and the info on the core charge. The funny thing is, I checked about 2-3 weeks ago and it was listed at $585 dollars or so with no mention of a core charge. Clicking the RCA logo now returns no results so they removed it for some reason.

-T

I would suggest calling an authorized RCA repair center and finding out the cost for the lamp. Search the net all you want, but I believe it would be quickest to just give a call. The 162's are really a new product and it may be hard to find lamps yet for them. Yes there is the circumstance that they could have an immediate problem which would likely just be taken care of by RCA under warranty. My concern is greatly diminished as I bought an extended warranty with lamp replacement coverage and I will try to burn out a lamp before that contract ends!

However authorized repair centers may be the place to check!

I have been reading the opinions on DLP vs LCD b/c I am in the market to buy one of the two. It sounds like the group is saying that DLP delivers a better picture, but it is new technology and may be a risk down the road. Am I correct with that summary?

In reading the opinions of the group it seems that most agree DLP is a better picture, but are not sure if they would take a chance on the new technology. Would you agree with that summary?

What do you consider to be new technology?

Yeah, DLP has been around about 8 years or so....

From the CES:

TCL-Thomson Electronics - Booth 14007, Central Hall, LVCC
* TCL-Thomson Electronics is expanding its lineup of DLP HDTV Sets with
the introduction of 10 new models, integrated Digital Cable Ready RCA
Scenium HDTV models in screen sizes ranging from 44 inches to
61 inches diagonal with suggested retail prices starting under $2,000.
The innovative 175 series boasts a new form factor for microdisplay
technology featuring a dynamic "floating screen" design and ultra-thin
screen frame that emphasizes the picture. The breakthrough technology
of the RCA Scenium Profiles ultra-thin HDTV was honored with the 2005
CES Best of Innovations Award for outstanding digital display. RCA
Scenium Profiles line will expand in 2005 to include a 50-inch version
with a suggested retail price of $4,999.

Now if only retailers will start carrying them on a consistent basis.

Folks;

I have an RCA HDLP50W151. There is 1 DTV station that refuses to decode even though the signal strength is around 80. I believe it has something to do with the channel information transmitted by the station. If I turn off the channel information for that input I have no problem getting both the analog and digital side of the station but of course I don't get call signs and virtual channel mapping.
Has anyone else seen this problem?

Thanks

Warren

I asked someone who tends to know more than other sales people about the replacement bulb cost. His understanding, and this needs a second verification, is that the RCA has a module that includes the bulb and ballast ( and maybe a few other parts). When the bulb fails, there is no question about whether is was due to the bulb or ballast, both are replaced at the same time. Hence the increased cost. Patrick

Ah, thanks. That sounds like a logical for the increased cost, but poorly planned for the consumer that doesn't want to pay over 200% for parts that are planned to fail. I wonder if it wouldn't be possible to take the unit apart and replace the bulb with another of the same wattage.

-Ted

With an ethernet connection and Firewire outputs is the RCA 163 series the ultimate internet Adult TV?

Has anybody bought the optional keyboard for the Scenium HDLP (151) model.

I waited and waited and waited and finally got a good price on this 151 and I am interested in setting up the ethernet connection and buying the keyboard.

2 questions though.

One, is it possible to do this wirelessly on my wireless network in the house and if so what hardware do I need ( and where do I find it).

Two, is it any good and is it easy to use with the PIP function???

Thanks.

nope, got the 162

Originally posted by BritOverseas
Has anybody bought the optional keyboard for the Scenium HDLP (151) model.
Check out this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4829069#post4829069) on browsing on the 165. It's one person's experience.

Originally posted by jensph
Check out this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4829069#post4829069) on browsing on the 165. It's one person's experience.

Thanks, he has already PM'd me but is there not a software upgrade, after all, this thing can be connected to the internet and new software installed can it not?

As a prospective buyer I'd like to have more information/feedback myself...

Can someone tell me which models of the Scenium have a built-in web browser?
I don't see what the point of having an ethernet port is if there's no web browser.
The model I'm interested in is the HD50LPW162 that's selling at Best Buy.
Best Buy appears to be the only place you can buy these TVs.

Originally posted by tooniverse
Can someone tell me which models of the Scenium have a built-in web browser?
I don't see what the point of having an ethernet port is if there's no web browser.
The model I'm interested in is the HD50LPW162 that's selling at Best Buy.
Best Buy appears to be the only place you can buy these TVs.

I am with you there, seems a bit stupid otherwise.

I wonder if anybody has hacked the firmware and installed a better browser, Mozilla Firefox would be nice...

Originally posted by tooniverse
Can someone tell me which models of the Scenium have a built-in web browser?
I don't see what the point of having an ethernet port is if there's no web browser.
The model I'm interested in is the HD50LPW162 that's selling at Best Buy.
Best Buy appears to be the only place you can buy these TVs.
I can tell you that the 162s DO NOT have a web browser.

The set can receive firmware/software updates from RCA via the Ethernet port.

Originally posted by luebster
I can tell you that the 162s DO NOT have a web browser.

The set can receive firmware/software updates from RCA via the Ethernet port.

Can the 151's do the same thing??

I have the HD50LPW42 and it has the browser and a setting for checking for firmware updates via the ethernet connection. I'm still trying to figure out how to view pics on my pc(the manual states it can do this via the browser, but fails to state how). I'm also getting a simple program to stream video via the firewire :)