Looking a 50" displays. The normal viewing area is between 9-10 feet.

1. TV will go on new stand, not on wall. Depth isn't an issue.
2. No video games will be used, just satellite TV, sports and DVD
3. Do I want 1080p or 720p (768)?
4. Will upgrade DirecTV dish/tuner to HD

I'm going to wait until the Blue Ray vs HD-DVD shakes out before making a purchase on that. Probably get an Oppo upscaling player for now.

Just saw that I can get a 55" SXRD at Sam's Club for under $1800 with stand. Any reason not to get that over say the Panny TH-50PX75U?

Currently using Onkyo TX-SR573 receiver, will not be upgrading that soon. Most we'll probably use is 2 HDMI inputs (one from sat receiver, one from Oppo). So we'll go directly to the TV for that and use optical/coax to receiver for audio.

Thanks for your replies.

What are advantages of SXRD vs Plasma and vice-versa?

Any type of rear projection vs. direct view means viewing angles will be challenged. As long as your room is not excessively wide for side seating, if any, you should be OK. Also if the screen is watched from an acute angle for short periods on a daily basis, like from a kitchen, rear projection won't do. Remember viewing angle dimming affects both horizontal and vertical angles but picture dimming while rising or sitting is much less of a factor than horizontal. Also factor in the bulb replacement costs with your usage. Otherwise you're good to go and can save some real cash with that buy.

I have written about this before but it has been awhile. I was in your shoes a couple of years ago. The first large screen display that really excited me was then the original SXRD. I thought it a lot better than DLP and at that time plasma was just too expensive.

One day I droped by my local CC to oggle the SXRD. They had all the RPTVs in an area next to one another. I was watching that Hawaii loop they used to show. I was admiring the PQ on the SXRD as I would crouch down to get in the sweet spot. The picture certainly looked better than the DLP to its right. My eye then wandered to the picture to its left. I did a double take. That picture was incredable in the clarity of the picture, the color, and the background detail. Everything looked more real as if you were looking out an open window not looking at a projected image. There was no sparkley texture at the surface of the picture either. And when I stood up it looked just as good, not darker.

I looked back and forth between the two and all of a sudden the SXRD didn't look so good. Turns out they had sold a floor model DLP and had to put a plasma in its place to fill the spot. That day changed my perception of PQ forever.

Now both are great technologies but with plasma prices now I see no reason to go SXRD particularly in the 50" size. At your videwing distance, 768p will be great, you shouldn't see any SDE and you won't have the everpresent SSE of projection technology. Once I understood SSE and the shocking clarity of plasma in comparison, I could not be happy watching SXRD in any critical way.

These are just my opinions of course. If you cannot reasonably control your lighting, you may find the matt screen of the SXRD preferable. On the other hand, I find a matt screen degrades a picture through diffusion. Again the clarity thing.

Cheers, :)

Gary

Ended up getting the Sony 55" from Sam's Club. So far the picture is fabulous. The way we have it situated, the picture looks good from any angle.

Just by connecting the basic cable I ran the digital channel scan and it found all the HD network broadcasts plus PBS in 720p or 1080i. I was watching golf on CBS this weekend and the picture was remarkably clear. I'm very impressed. Who knows if the Panny plasma would have looked better? But what I have noticed is that the Sony definitely looks better with SD signals than the Panasonic and Samsung plasmas that I have observed at friends homes.

Plus I got an extra 5 inches of display and a free stand for the lowest price I could find for a 50" plasma. I'm happy.

HD Direct TV comes next week.

Also factor in the bulb replacement costs with your usage. Otherwise you're good to go and can save some real cash with that buy.


I've already done a check and replacement bulbs run $180-$240 with this model. I've checked and its definitely user replaceable with a door on the back panel. I replaced the bulb in a DLP projector at work and its a simple process. The bulb life for this Sony is 8000 hours.

I'm going with plasma. Without getting into it....plasma has a much better PQ.
It's a personal preference and that's mine. I was all for SXRD until a few months ago. I hope to have my new Elite Pro 150FD by the end of the month.

I have a 60XBR2 and also a 50" Vizio Plasma. I prefer the Plasma's black level and it does not even match that of Panasonic or Pioneer. Also, the Sony has a bit too much SSE for my liking. At a normal viewing distance, I don't belive there is a truly discernable difference between 768P and 1080P with "most" sources.

The XBR has a fantastic picture but I don't feel it's black level approaches that of my Pearl. The black level of the plasma is a bit closer to my 34" Sony tube in PQ.

Just by connecting the basic cable I ran the digital channel scan and it found all the HD network broadcasts plus PBS in 720p or 1080i. I was watching golf on CBS this weekend and the picture was remarkably clear. I'm very impressed. Who knows if the Panny plasma would have looked better? But what I have noticed is that the Sony definitely looks better with SD signals than the Panasonic and Samsung plasmas that I have observed at friends homes.Here's hopin' that Direct's HD and SD look as good as the cable did on that 55" screen :eek: ;).