Hi guys,

I really need your expertise. Last week I purchased the Samsung HL-S5086W. It will be delivered on Friday. But when I went back to Circuit City to look for a stand, I noticed the Sony KDF50E2000. It was directly next to my Samsung HL-S5086W and it looked 10X better than my Samsung. So I'm wondering if this is truly the case OR if it's only because the settings were not calibrated correctly for the Samsung.

What is your opinions between these two sets. The price range is negligible, so I just really want the set with the best PQ. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

I looked at the 46" versions of both. They are both good sets. I think the DLP actually looks a little nicer with HD material. Colors seem deeper. The Sony has a better scaler for non HD material.

I stayed away from the DLP because I was worried about the rainbow affect for family or friends. Also, the larger screen size Samsung has a serious light engine design flaw which worries me about all their products. If you read the Sony thread I don't think there is ONE single problem reported with any of the E2000 (though it's only been ~8 months).

Thanks for your response. So you're basically saying that you went with Sony because it has less reported problems and is more reliable, right? I'm such a newbie that I don't really know what kinds of problems DLP has (i.e. rainbow affect; I'll be sure to search on this topic).

But I'm surprised to hear that you that the DLP looked a little nicer in HD because I thought the total opposite was true at the store. Looks like I have to do a some more reading. :)

you can't really tell in the store. the TVs are on VIVID torch mode and store lighting is usually very different from in your home.

I got them both placed in a pretty dark back corner and adjusted the settings pretty close to where people had said they should be on the owner threads.

I think the DLP looks better, yes. But the E2000 looks fantastic as well. And if you don't have the other one sitting right next to it, you'll be happy.

I was comparing these exact two models also.

What it came down to in the long run was price and reliability. I stared at both units at CC for about 30 mins... watching the same feed. The quality on the Samsung was a bit sharper, but, not drastically. In the end, I opted for the Sony because I could get a new HTIB(Onkyo HT-S790) practically free with the price difference. I have yet to receive my Sony from Amazon, but, I am still very happy with my decision.

I also looked at these two sets along with a 50" Toshiba DLP. I went with the Sony primarilly because I was able to get a better deal on it. However even at the same price I would have gone with the Sony. I thought the picture on all three were about the same. My girlfriend thought the Sony was slightly worse than the other two but very close. I did extensive research and I felt that the Sony was the only one which people were consistantly happy with regarding reliability. It seemed to me that there were some people who had issues with the Samsung, but the Sony owners were very happy for the most part.

I chose Sony also...mainly because I have been a Sony fan for a long time. It was hard to walk away from the Samsung's DLP and lower price though.

One of the reasons I exchanged my Samsung 5066 is I got tired of trying to tweak it to make it look smooth and enjoyable. I couldn't get rid of the "faces in the dark" syndrome during dark scenes. Sure, it had amazing contrast, the blacks were black and the whites white, but everything in between looked wrong. It's handling of 480i was terrible, which mattered to me with my non-upscaling DVD player and PS2.

I got a Sony A10 and haven't doubted my decision for a moment.