[nozlep]

Greetings AVS Forum. I have a RP Samsung DLP (HLP5674WX) with ~4000 hours and have been very pleased with its performance up to this point. Unfortunately it has developed an issue with a bad DMD board. With the bad board, a new bulb in my future and a little money to spend, I am opting to replace the TV rather than having it fixed. I have the following criteria:

>55 inches

Budget of $1500 but could go up to $2000 for a big jump in picture quality or less quality issues down the line

TV will be used for sports, blu-ray movies, HDTV, and videogames (360 and PS3)

Seating distance is 14 feet on a stand

No issues with viewing angles with the DLP

RBE not an issue as I have a DLP RP in the living room and a DLP projector in the den

I have considered the following TVs:

Panasonic TCP58S1

Samsung PN58B550

LG 55LH40

Mits WD60C9

LED is out of my price range for the size

I went to four different stores and checked out TVs for a number of hours. I was the least impressed with the RP DLP (still pretty good) compared to the plasma and LCD pictures, and in most cases, the LCD was brighter than the plasma; however, I am aware the TV will look differently in my home.

I have looked at the pros and cons of the technologies, but still can't make up my mind. I started with DLP but the LCD and plasmas looked better. Then plasma, but the increasing blacks scarred me off. Then LCD but the motion/video game delay of LCD has me worried. All in all a bit confused. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[MountainMan10]

Even if the blacks rise they will still beat LCD.

 

[mbyrnes]

I recently went from a Samsung DLP RP to a Panasonic 50S1. HUGE increase in PQ and black levels. Even if the blacks doubled they would be better than my old DLP. I have over 1200 hours on the S1 and have not seen any black level rise. Of the DLP, LCD and Plasma TVs in my house, the Plasma is by far the best display. If you don't have an overly bright room I would think the S1 or Samsung would be your best option.


At 14' I would also try to get the largest display you can. Plasma is great because you get a great HDTV for very little money. LCD is expensive in the larger screen sizes and to me, PQ is nowhere near as good. Local Dimming LED have great blacks but at a huge premium. Save your money and go plasma!

 

[nozlep]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MountainMan10 /forum/post/18150096


Even if the blacks rise they will still beat LCD.

Thanks for the quick response. That's a point that I didn't consider. I'll have to look into that. Also I am wondering, if calibrated correctly, wouldn't DLP, plasma and LCD have similar pictures?


Edit. Thanks for the response mbyrnes. That answers my question above.

 

[coderguy]

Have you ever considered a projector?

 

[coderguy]

Just about everyone that buys a front projector never watches another movie on their Plasma again. You cannot beat the immersion factor of a 92"+ screen, and now with plenty of 1080p content, we can see it all in the glorious details and now approaching IMAX clarity in some cases for under $2K... Recommend the Mits hc3800 for a bargain, or the Epson 8100, the Panny Ae4000u, or the Epson 8500ub.

 

[nozlep]



Quote:
Originally Posted by coderguy /forum/post/18173625


Just about everyone that buys a front projector never watches another movie on their Plasma again. You cannot beat the immersion factor of a 92"+ screen, and now with plenty of 1080p content, we can see it all in the glorious details and now approaching IMAX clarity in some cases for under $2K... Recommend the Mits hc3800 for a bargain, or the Epson 8100, the Panny Ae4000u, or the Epson 8500ub.

Thanks for the responses. Actually, I have a DLP projector in my den (mmmm 92 inch goodness). The tv is for the living room. To your point, once the bulb in my 4805 goes, I am replacing it probably with the AE4000 you speak of. Depends on how much longer I have on my current bulb (over 3000 hours now).


To anyone that is interested, I am seriously considering the Panasonic TCP58S1, and was lucky to view one next to the Samsung PN58B550. I commented to the salesman that I liked the picture on the Samsung a bit better, he shook his head and told me to get the panny (they were the same price). What's even better is I get a discount from Panasonic through work, so the 58S1 is below $1350, and the guy from the local store dropped his price to within $50 of my discounted price.

 

[mannyp22]

14 feet is pretty far away. Have you considered the Mits 73c9? I think it'd be better for that viewing distance and can be found under 2k.