ensoll
09-11-07, 03:18 PM
I've been looking into buying a new TV (reading this site and others) for a few weeks. DLP really seems to be the best technology for my uses. For a variety of reasons I was very interested in the LED based Samsung models. This past weekend I finally got out to a store that carried one (HL-T6187S) and found that the viewing angles are too limited for me.
My question is with the upcoming laser based DLP sets. These are being described as much brighter than LED's and I am wondering if that translates into a larger sweet spot and better viewing angles. At the store if I was within 10 feet of the screen and with my head aligned with the center of the screen the corners of the image go dark/fuzzy. Will a brighter light source help with this phenomenon or is it too soon to tell? Moving a significant distance away from the screen created a much larger sweet spot but that defeats the purpose of a big screen, 1080p resolution, and I don't really have that sort of distance in my house.
My primary uses for a television are playing games and using it as a display for my computer (I plan on getting an external up-converter to help alleviate any lag/delay issues from older game systems) . Watching DVD's is done less frequently and watching broadcast/cable television is something I rarely do. DLP seems like the best solution for my situation. I wanted something that would last a long time, not produce gobs of heat, not eat a lot of electricity, good size/price ratio, good black levels, and can handle letterboxed type content for extended periods.
The downsides for me are the sort of lottery that's played in buying a DLP model with all the variations from same model unit to same model unit. The dust buildup is a concern but cleaning can solve that. The ridiculously constricted viewing angles on the LED models just really aren't workable for me. Not interested in a color wheel based solution primarily due to color wheel noise (I'm very sensitive to that sort of noise) and would prefer to avoid the bulb replacement hassle is possible.
Am I barking up the wrong tree? Would LCD or plasma technology be a better solution for me? Front projection is not an option for me right now. Plasma image retention issues seem to really conflict with my usual tv usage (heat and power consumption are minor complaints). LCD's have a half life on screen brightness and suffer from poor black levels and potential image smearing. Plasma and LCD also just cost a lot more at the big screen sizes. I'm really hoping that the laser DLP systems give a larger 'perfect' viewing angle.
My question is with the upcoming laser based DLP sets. These are being described as much brighter than LED's and I am wondering if that translates into a larger sweet spot and better viewing angles. At the store if I was within 10 feet of the screen and with my head aligned with the center of the screen the corners of the image go dark/fuzzy. Will a brighter light source help with this phenomenon or is it too soon to tell? Moving a significant distance away from the screen created a much larger sweet spot but that defeats the purpose of a big screen, 1080p resolution, and I don't really have that sort of distance in my house.
My primary uses for a television are playing games and using it as a display for my computer (I plan on getting an external up-converter to help alleviate any lag/delay issues from older game systems) . Watching DVD's is done less frequently and watching broadcast/cable television is something I rarely do. DLP seems like the best solution for my situation. I wanted something that would last a long time, not produce gobs of heat, not eat a lot of electricity, good size/price ratio, good black levels, and can handle letterboxed type content for extended periods.
The downsides for me are the sort of lottery that's played in buying a DLP model with all the variations from same model unit to same model unit. The dust buildup is a concern but cleaning can solve that. The ridiculously constricted viewing angles on the LED models just really aren't workable for me. Not interested in a color wheel based solution primarily due to color wheel noise (I'm very sensitive to that sort of noise) and would prefer to avoid the bulb replacement hassle is possible.
Am I barking up the wrong tree? Would LCD or plasma technology be a better solution for me? Front projection is not an option for me right now. Plasma image retention issues seem to really conflict with my usual tv usage (heat and power consumption are minor complaints). LCD's have a half life on screen brightness and suffer from poor black levels and potential image smearing. Plasma and LCD also just cost a lot more at the big screen sizes. I'm really hoping that the laser DLP systems give a larger 'perfect' viewing angle.