Should I wait or pull the trigger?

Your criteria are at odds with each other. You want 82", but only $700-$900. You're concerned about longevity, but you're looking at DLP TVs on Craigs List.

I don't recommend buying anything that's highly subject to the effects of use on Craigs List. It's a risk, there's no indication of the amount of previous use, and you have no recourse if it goes bad. Even if it's supposed to have a "warranty", you won't know if that's real or not until you need it, then it's too late.

Buy new with factory warranty.

I never recommend DLP TVs, not at any size. Yes, the picture is bigger at lower cost, but to get big and cheap you have to give something up. Value is a combination of price, quality, and reliability mixed together to maximize happiness. Nobody can choose that but you. But, remember, "The bitter taste of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten."

What are you giving up with DLP?

Several things, but specific to a DLP TV, it's picture quality. Not so much the DLP itself, but the physics of a rear-projection TV. The entire configuration never looks anywhere near as good as the other technologies.

DLP has a motor spinning a color wheel. The motor has bearings, and bearings wear. When done on the cheap, the motor bearings fail, sometimes before the lamp. I've heard too many whining color wheel motors, it's annoying, and so expensive to replace it's not worth doing. LCD/LED and Plasma TVs have no moving parts.

There's also something wrong with a $700 TV with a $200 bulb that costs you a $200 service call to replace. Not sure the numbers are accurate, but not far off.

There are some very fine DLP projectors, but if DLP TVs were so great, they'd be the type that would have proliferated. They aren't, there's about one manufacturer still making them, and all they are is big and cheap. If all you want is big and cheap, they're the set for you.

Actually, the bulb is only $100 and it doesn't need a service call to replace. A bulb should last you AT LEAST 2 years, maybe 3~4 depending on how you use it and it's very easy for the average person to replace the bulb. Manual of TV shows how to do this as well.

Still, DLP being big and cheap is definitely true. Moving parts be damned.

IMHO, I think the only major problem with REAR PROJECTION DLP is Geometry, especially if you plan to use it with a PC.

Geometry is correctable to an extent, but you can't ever get 100% perfect geometry with a REAR PROJECTION DLP.. at least, I've never seen it. It doesn't seem to bother during movies or TV shows, but if you've got a warped ticker or line of text on the screen, it can be one of those annoying things.

In my opinion, a $100 bulb shouldn't stop you from buying a DLP TV. Also, you can get a 3~5 year warranty through SquareTrade, to replace those moving parts. The warranty is pretty cheap but only obtainable if your TV is currently under the original manufacturer's warranty.

Cheers!

EDIT: Also, I'm actually in the market for a new large screen TV and I'm heavily considering DLP. I just got rid of my 55" Sony NX720 and looking at either a Panasonic TCP60UT50 Plasma or a 65"-73" Mitsubishi DLP.

I'm a gamer and the NX720's motion handling wasn't decent enough for me. Of course it looked good if you turned on ClearMotion, but that introduced all sorts of input lag. DLP does not have a motion or input lag problem, but I am worried about geometry. Plasma doesn't have motion or input lag problems either, but I don't want to have to babysit my TV or teach my girlfriend how to watch TV... Would rather not have to deal with image retention, so I'm leaning heavily toward DLP. I'll just have to do my best to correct the geometry once I get the TV, should it need correcting.
Edited by sodaboy581 - 9/27/12 at 1:21pm