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If cost does not matter, RPTV or Plasma???

2317 Views 46 Replies 22 Participants Last post by johnnybrulez, Oct 9, 2006

auburn34

Discussion Starter · Oct 5, 2006

OK, I am interested in the opinion of the readers of this forum as opposed to the plasma forums. The question is this...if cost is no object and we are comparing same screen size to same screen size, same number of inputs, features, resolutions, etc., would you get a rear projection set or a plasma. From what I read in these forums, it seems that every type of RPTV has some kind of issue (SSE, RBE, SDE). The only issue I have read about with plasma is possible burn in, although recent generations of plasmas seem to have that problem resolved. What do you think??? I am in the market for a 50-58" HDTV for my basement and am more concerned about my long term happiness with the picture than the short term cost of the set.

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walford

· #2 · Oct 5, 2006

I would pick the new Samsung 56" 1080p LED DLP model which is just now arriving in the stores. In any case you want a full 1080p display 1920x1080 since with the much smaller pixels in a 1080p model some of the other effects you mentioned are not at alll noticable.

just in case check out the make/models your are interested in at your viewing distance in the stores to see if any of the effects you are concerned are present since what is a problem in one make/model may not be a problem in another make/model due to differences in the internal firmware as well of course for diferentn technologies.

RealAudiophobe

· #3 · Oct 5, 2006

For me DLP.

I thought that Plasma would be the way to go and frankly, for a 5+ year investment the extra cost didn't completely scare me away. I was looking at the Hitachi 55" and the Panasonic 58". But going store to store there's no way the PQ is as good as the good RP TV's and especially the Samsungs. Even if space is limited the RPTV's are so thin now. I asked often why Plasmas were so popular if the PQ is at best the same and in most opininions inferior. The answer: 1- because the can be hung on the wall and 2- they're "sexier" or "cooler".

The downside would be viewing angle and possibility of the rainbow.

auburn34

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by walford
I would pick the new Samsung 56" 1080p LED DLP model which is just now arriving in the stores. In any case you want a full 1080p display 1920x1080 since with the much smaller pixels in a 1080p model some of the other effects you mentioned are not at alll noticable.

just in case check out the make/models your are interested in at your viewing distance in the stores to see if any of the effects you are concerned are present since what is a problem in one make/model may not be a problem in another make/model due to differences in the internal firmware as well of course for diferentn technologies.

But right now, there aren't (to my knowledge) any 1080p plasmas on the market yet. I'm trying to get opinions about "apples to apples" comparisons between RPTV's and plasmas. So to your recommendation, if there was a 56" 1080p plasma on the market, would you still recommend a DLP over a plasma (again, price is not part of the equation)?

BillP

· #5 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by auburn34
From what I read in these forums, it seems that every type of RPTV has some kind of issue (SSE, RBE, SDE). The only issue I have read about with plasma is possible burn in

I disagree with you on this. Plasmas also have SDE (IMO, SDE is worse with plasma, and make it unwatchable to me). Glare is also bad with plasma, so it's a very poor choice on a wall opposite a window.

auburn34

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillP
I disagree with you on this. Plasmas also have SDE (IMO, SDE is worse with plasma, and make it unwatchable to me). Glare is also bad with plasma, so it's a very poor choice on a wall opposite a window.

You disagree that the only issue I have read about with plasmas is possible burn in??? I didn't say plasmas don't have SDE. I don't know. I just had not read that before.

walford

· #7 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by auburn34
But right now, there aren't (to my knowledge) any 1080p plasmas on the market yet. I'm trying to get opinions about "apples to apples" comparisons between RPTV's and plasmas. So to your recommendation, if there was a 56" 1080p plasma on the market, would you still recommend a DLP over a plasma (again, price is not part of the equation)?

Yes I would still recommend the Samsung LED DLP or possibly the Sony SXRD XBR2 which is also just arriving in the stores. I certainly do not recommend a 720p in the picture size you are considering since most HDTV broadcast are in 1080i and the new HD DVDs are in 11080i or 1080p. If you look at 720p plasmas be carefull since to reduce manufacturing costs some of them only have 1024 pixels per row instead of at least 1280 which is the 720 broadcast standard since this results in 20% of the detail being eiminated.

MustangSVT

· #8 · Oct 5, 2006

I don't see how you can compare RPTV's and Plasmas. For $1900 you can get a JVC 56" 720p 3-LCoS rear projection from Best Buy. I'm not aware of any plasma under $3000 that's as good as this LCoS at 50" or higher. And on the 1080p front, with the Samsung 56" 1080p at like $2700 I think, again from my knowledge, a similar Plasma (50"+ along with 1080p) probably goes for $5000+.

Anyway, my take on it, long term happiness isn't a thing people should look for nowadays. You can get a 55-60" 1080p set (be it Samsung DLP or JVC LCoS) for like $3000 nowadays and they have excellent PQ. Why bother spending more? Just get something like that, then in a year or two, sell it or something and spend another 3 grand on something even better.

BillP

· #9 · Oct 5, 2006

Bottom line is that every single technology has its own set of pros and cons. There is no "best" technology (if there was, the others would all go out of business). You need to spend some time in several stores looking at them to see which best meets your needs, which may be very different from others' needs. If you like plasma best, then go for it. If you like DLP or LCOS best, then again, go for it. Purchasing decisions should be based on what looks best to your eyes, not a vote on the forum.

JonDotCom

· #10 · Oct 5, 2006

What kills me about plasma is pixel density and size... whereas DLP has no discernable pixel structure.

What that all means to me is that DLP looks best from my 7-10 foot viewing distance.

benareeno

· #11 · Oct 5, 2006

I would say that if cost is of no concern, then a 1080p plasma would be far and away better than a dlp...with black level, contrast, and motion artifacts issues all being better with the plasma.

auburn34

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 5, 2006

Thanks for the replies so far. A couple of other things that might affect my choice. The built-in area that will house the TV is only about 56" wide so I will be limited to a 55-60" Tv max. I don't need to hang it on a wall. There is no window or lights opposite where the TV is so glare is not an issue. If I wanted to, I can sit as close as 5 feet away but when I have a party I could have people as far as 20 feet away and at fairly wide viewing angles.

The breakdown on what I will be viewing is about 50% HD (mostly football and hockey), 20% SD, 20% gaming and 10% DVD.

The reason I brought this up is that I haven't seen many HDTV's in people's houses. I don't really trust what I am seeing in a store as I don't know the source and those sets usually haven't been calibrated. I have a friend that has a Panny plasma and another that has a Sammy DLP. My initial impression is that I like the Panny's picture better, especially for sports watching. I figure most of the people in this forum are RPTV owners and just wanted to know if a current RPTV owner could have gotten their exact set in a plasma display for the same price, would they have gone with the plasma.

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auburn34

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by MustangSVT
I don't see how you can compare RPTV's and Plasmas. For $1900 you can get a JVC 56" 720p 3-LCoS rear projection from Best Buy. I'm not aware of any plasma under $3000 that's as good as this LCoS at 50" or higher. And on the 1080p front, with the Samsung 56" 1080p at like $2700 I think, again from my knowledge, a similar Plasma (50"+ along with 1080p) probably goes for $5000+.

Anyway, my take on it, long term happiness isn't a thing people should look for nowadays. You can get a 55-60" 1080p set (be it Samsung DLP or JVC LCoS) for like $3000 nowadays and they have excellent PQ. Why bother spending more? Just get something like that, then in a year or two, sell it or something and spend another 3 grand on something even better.

It's interesting your signature line says to "get something you really like" which seems to contradict what your reply says. If I felt the picture quality in a hypothetical 1080p plasma set was better than a 1080p RPTV set, I would not have a problem spending more. That is the whole point of my question. I want to get opinions on just the picture quality and totally take price out of the equation for the sake of this discussion. Once I decide (via current owners opinions and my own eyes) which type of display I feel has the best quality, then I will have to decide whether the difference in quality (if there is one) is worth any difference in price (again, if there is one).

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Auditor55

· #14 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by MustangSVT
I don't see how you can compare RPTV's and Plasmas. For $1900 you can get a JVC 56" 720p 3-LCoS rear projection from Best Buy. I'm not aware of any plasma under $3000 that's as good as this LCoS at 50" or higher. And on the 1080p front, with the Samsung 56" 1080p at like $2700 I think, again from my knowledge, a similar Plasma (50"+ along with 1080p) probably goes for $5000+.

Anyway, my take on it, long term happiness isn't a thing people should look for nowadays. You can get a 55-60" 1080p set (be it Samsung DLP or JVC LCoS) for like $3000 nowadays and they have excellent PQ. Why bother spending more? Just get something like that, then in a year or two, sell it or something and spend another 3 grand on something even better.

I have owned Sony Lcos and JVC Lcos and I owned a Vizio 50 inch Plasma and I preferred the picture of the Vizio over the Lcos sets. The Vizio's are now $1999.00.

Basically I don't see the need for 1080p unless you have large 65-70 inch screen and you are sitting about 10-12 feet.

Also, you have the Pioneer Elite Plasma 1080p and the 65 inch 1080p Panny Plasmas now hitting the stores.

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MustangSVT

· #15 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

It's interesting your signature line says to "get something you really like" which seems to contradict what your reply says. If I felt the picture quality in a hypothetical 1080p plasma set was better than a 1080p RPTV set, I would not have a problem spending more.

That's true, as someone else mentioned, those 1080p Plasma's which are 55-65" by Pioneer (and also by Panasonic I guess) are much better TV's. I'd like a 60" Pioneer 1080p plasma too. But when you consider that a 61" DLP 1080p is like 3 grand and that the plasma 50" by Pioneer with 1080p is $8000, it's pretty hard to not consider the price difference.

Also I'm not sure how that guy found a Vizio 50" plasma better looking than a Sony or JVC LCoS. I don't share the same opinion. I've seen some expensive Pioneer plasma's in store (similar to that $4000 one I was quoting) and I did not find it in any way better looking than a JVC 720p LCoS, let alone the new Samsung 1080p DLP, but that's just my opinion.

Nobody here can truly tell you if plasma or RPTV is better. Those expensive ones are most likely better (they better be anyway). Go to the electronics store and take a look at some plasmas.

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avjeff

· #16 · Oct 5, 2006

I have the 50" Panasonic 50PX60U, and love it. Before that I had a Samsung DLP, and then a Sony LCD RP. I returned both of them because I could not tolerate the SSE, which was sparkling at me all day and all night long. My Panasonic handles standard definition superbly as well. Standard definition looked pretty bad on the RPTVs I tried before the plasma. I can see SDE if I get about 1 foot away from the TV. Any further than that and they disappear.

MustangSVT

· #17 · Oct 5, 2006

This brings me to another question. How does plasma handle content? 480i, 720p, 1080i? Those new Pioneer plasmas are 1365x768 but they can handle a 1080p/24 input. How does it scale it though? Is the plasma a fixed pixel display just like LCD's and microdisplays or is it different?

johnnybrulez

· #18 · Oct 5, 2006

At the 50 inch range, I do not believe 1080p is the most awesome advantage one display can have.

768p vs. 1080p is very hard to discern side by side at 50 inches, beyone a certain range of feet. (Some people flat out can't tell the difference).

It comes down to black levels, color reproduction, and contrast. Those are much more important when it comes to PQ.

I have a Samsung DLP 1080p and it is a great picture. I have read reviews that its black levels are great, but to me they are still unsatisfactory. In dark scenes there's still a bit too much gray for me.

I hope to find a Pioneer soon to test its black level ability. Anything closest to CRT would be great. But until further testing, I think Plasma gets the nod for me. If you're comparing a Sony A2000 or a Samsung vs. a Pioneer anyway.

1) it's FLAT out sexier on the outside.

2) No Silk Screen Effect (as opposed to Screen Door Effect). Screen door effect leaves as you back away from the screen. Silk Screen is there no matter what.

3) No need for lamp replacement.

4) It turns on right away without a fuss.

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texuspete00

· #19 · Oct 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by auburn34
You disagree that the only issue I have read about with plasmas is possible burn in??? I didn't say plasmas don't have SDE. I don't know. I just had not read that before.

Question is then, have you LOOKED at them? Forum doesn't replace checking them out. The Pioneeer elites are pretty good about it. Plenty others have some of the worst SDE you'll have seen. If money was no object, I might have gotten a Pioneer Elite 1080p plasma set. I believe it was a 60" I saw at BB. That thing looked nice. I lived in there for a few days. Now, if money was no object I probably would have gone in there twice and gotten the Elite. I went with the A2000 and I like it a lot.

Auditor55

· #20 · Oct 6, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by avjeff
I have the 50" Panasonic 50PX60U, and love it. Before that I had a Samsung DLP, and then a Sony LCD RP. I returned both of them because I could not tolerate the SSE, which was sparkling at me all day and all night long. My Panasonic handles standard definition superbly as well. Standard definition looked pretty bad on the RPTVs I tried before the plasma. I can see SDE if I get about 1 foot away from the TV. Any further than that and they disappear.

ME too, I had DLP's, SXRD's, JVC's and returned them. I now have a Panny Plasma and quite frankly, I'm never going back to RPTV. Its plasma and then onto SED.

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