After four tv's bought, what should I do?

As fussy as you are, you'll be disappointed by the narrow viewing angle of the DLPs along with the hot spot through the middle of the screen, so go with the best plazma on the market, a Pioneer KURO plasma. A 50 incher is well under $4000.

I would go with a LCD, because they will have less problems than a DLP and larger viewing angles. DLP are less and you can get a bigger screen for a much lower price than the Sony, also for Samsung at least the new LED DLP's are very bright and their blacks levels are pretty sweet. If viewing angles and possible breakdowns and bulb replacements aren't going to be a major issue DLP would be nice because you could get a 61" Sammy for about half of the Sony. If money isn't an issue, and you want a general piece of mind, I would go with the Sony because the tech is more solid.

Plasma looks great in a darker room, but not so great in a bright room. LCD's are TOO bright in darker room for my taste, but look great in a brighter room. I think plasmas are best for home theater, but you have to have the right lighting conditions. I find that my Panny plasma doesn't do blinding snowy whites, but I don't find it objectionable, nor has any review that I have read of them. In fact Pioneer and Panny plasmas are top-rated tv's in most reviews. I have had many sets and find the Panny to be the best overall set I have ever owned. RPTV's in general have been much more trouble prone than plasma, or flat LCD according to recent surveys. (even taking bulb replacements out of the mix) I would not think that most people would say buying a $200 bulb every couple of years is not a 'biggie'. It is a significant expense considering that other types of sets don't require it. 2004-2007 model Panny plasmas had a mere 2% repair rate, vs 12-35% for microdisplay RPTV's. RPTV's are clearly in a death spiral, but can offer a great value in larger screen sizes. Supposedly Sony is giving up on RPTV. Toshiba recently quit as well. That says a lot.

Latest news say Sony is pulling the plug on RPTV production. There is a new thread here on AVS Forum about it. Seems Samsung, JVC and Mitsubishi are the only major players left in RPTV?

I would go with the DLP, since you can get a bigger screen it really makes a difference when you play games and watch movies. It's definately more immersive when doing either. If you plan on using the DLP for your computer you may or may not be very pleased as DLP especially Samsungs are known to have various degrees of bowing issues. I have a 56" Samsung 1080p DLP and it is bright, and has rich colors, and awesome black levels and shadow detail.

Reviews

-Here is the DLP I have: http://reviews.cnet.com/projection-t...?tag=pdtl-list

-Here is the xbr4 you are interested in: http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...?tag=pdtl-list

I would suggest you try and get one of the new LED Sammy DLP so at least you won't have to worry about bulbs, and I hear they are equally if not more bright than the older model DLP.

Can someone define what exactly is 'pop' when desribing a sets picture? I see this term used time and time again but have never understood what picture elements determine a pictures pop. I owned a LG and Toshiba LCD for a short time before deciding on the A3000 RPTV. Both LCD's had what I guess you would call pop, but that had much more to do with the blinding high-contrast and extreme light output. Turn down the backlight and contrast to an acceptable, easy on the eyes level and that pop went away. A RPTV is not capable of producing blinding whites but the light output of my A3000 looks much more natural than the artificial looking pictures of those LCD's. To the OP, I would not recommend a RPTV for regular PC use on a desktop though. Up close, the image definately looks 'projected,' in that it is soft and undefined. Regular PC use is very much an area where LCD's excel over a RPTV.

If you're a 'bigger is better' kind of person when it comes to screen sizes and if the TV audience is a few people I would say look to a DLP or LCoS. Any more than a few people and then you have to start worring about viewing angles when it comes to seating. Keep in mind also that RPTV's also have SSE to varying degrees. Movies and Xbox360 games look great on the A3000 but you will notice SSE on bright scenes. But again, if you're looking for a TV to serve double duty as a desktop PC display you should definately go LCD in the 40-46" range - which the XBR4 would be a great choice. No TV, whether it be LCD, plasma, or LCos/DLP is going to great at everything. You really have to decide on your use and budget and go from there.

I've used my PC on my two Samsung DLPs and I didn't have any complaints. I only use Linux, too.

The trick is you have to know how to calibrate your TV with the correct settings in order to get an acceptable picture. NO TV (be it LCD, Plasma or DLP) comes ready out of the box.

Tbe????