[Drunkentig3r]

The Costco near my house is having a sale on all HDTV's, and I was considering finally moving up to one since I have just moved into a new house and will be ordering HD Programming. While they have several Flat Panel LCD and Plasma TV's, they are too expensive for my price range, and so I'm thinking of buying one of the following two:
Panasonic PT-52LCX16-B 52-inch LCD Rear Projection TV


$1399 (After Rebate)


OR
JVC HD-56FC97C 56-inch HD-ILA LCOS Rear Projection TV


*I know its not the exact model but for some reason, JVC doesn't list the FC model on their website*

$1799 (No Rebate)



I'm new to the whole "HDTV" thing, so yesterday night I did some research, reading up on various articles I could find online as well as going over the explanations over at CNET's HDTV World website.


A question still lingers for me though-are Microdisplays worth the money? From what I've read you have to change their lamps every 3000-10,000 hours. I'm not that concerned over the option to mount a TV on my wall, so the microdisplay's extra heft over a traditional Flat-Panel is no big deal for me. If a Microdisplay television is worth getting, which one should I get? There are some difference between the two, the Panasonic having a 1080i resolution, LCD screen, and being about $400 cheaper. The JVC has a "True 1080p" resolution, has an LCOS screen, and is more expensive. Then of course there are the traditional technological differences between the two, LCD screens having a screen-door effect at close viewing and not being able to produce deep black colors as well as DLP and LCOS, the latter which sometimes is associated with having problems producing all clear flat fields, like a Hockey rink for instance. I realize that currently there is no television channel being broadcast in 1080p, but I'm guessing towards the near future HD Channels will begin to adopt the format.


Which one should I get? Any community input would be greatly appreciated.


I know I'm posting this in the Rear Projection section, but please try to give an unbiased answer

 

[Drunkentig3r]

Shoot...just realized that the forums don't let me link anything since I'm new....I'll try to figure out what to do about that.



EDIT: Fixed it.



And from what I've read when it comes to LCD screens, proper lighting tends to be an issue (makes sense...when I use my laptop outside when its sunny its really hard to see the screen

)-I am going to be putting the television in my den, where there is more then enough natural lighting (the windows have blinds so I can adjust if I need to), as well as some overhead dimmer lights, so lighting is definitely not an issue.

 

[AKA BUD]

DLP/LCD/LCOS rptv microdisplays provide excellent value....bang for the buck. As for the two you are looking at, I've seen both at Costco and do like the PQ on the JVC. I've nothing against the Panny...it's just that the JVC PQ looks better to my eye.


Personally, I have the Sony KDF 46E2000 3LCD. My local Costco carries the set although it's not listed on their website. However, I bought mine at BB for $100 less than the Panasonic you listed. Currently, also at BB, the KDF 50E2000 is $100 more than the Panasonic you listed. I chose the Sony over the other sets that I looked at mainly because I preferred the PQ, plus I have been buying Sony products for over 25 years and have never had a problem with any of them.

 

[dponeill]

I just replaced a Toshiba DLP with the JVC HD-56FN97 and the image on the JVC is just stunning! The FC is the same set with a couple of missing connectivity options.

 

[chrisclearman]

If you're just deciding between those two, the JVC w/o a doubt.

 

[BillP]

I agree that the 1080p JVC LCOS is a better display than the 720p Panny LCD. You may want to also look at 1080p DLPs.

 

[jquick]

I looked at both of those sets at Costco. The JVC was far superior. I also looked at the 50" SXRD at another store. In the end, I chose the Sony SRD-50A2000 over the JVC. The JVC's fan was louder, and after a bit of tweeking I found that I preferred it to the JVC. That said, the D-ILA and SXRD are quite similar, and for the money, each is an exceptionally good picture quality for their price+size. I also saw some excellent pictures from some DLP sets which were very good values. If I were you, I would ignore the LCD RPTVs and focus on DLP and LCOS (D-ILA and SXRD are both forms of LCOS). If you are not bothered by the rainbow effect (few people are), you might find them pleasing. I am bothered by rainbows even on the newest color wheels, so went with the SXRD.

 

[Drunkentig3r]

Thank you-I'm still debating with myself though, concerning the RPTV's, the main issue for me being the mandatory lamp change. For you RPTV owners, have you found that to be a big deal? I hear the replacement bulbs cost a few hundred dollars each and to have to dish that kind of money out every year would be a pain.


I'm also looking favorably toward the JVC model if I decide to go with the RP route. Since my den is going to be bathed in natural lighting, the LCD unit would probably be a hassle to set up. I also like the fact that the JVC has LCOS, so there's no worry over rainbow effects (at least according to Cnet) or Screen-door effects up close.


Also, whats "PQ"?

 

[dponeill]

My Toshiba is on the original lamp with about 3800 hours on it. Replacements can be found for it at around $175.00.

 

[chrisclearman]

The only negative with the JVC is I believe it does not have independent input settings, but rather a few modes that have to be shared between inputs. That is really a small detail that can make a big difference. The price is usually right vs the SXRD though.

 

[AKA BUD]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Drunkentig3r /forum/post/0



I'm also looking favorably toward the JVC model if I decide to go with the RP route. Since my den is going to be bathed in natural lighting, the LCD unit would probably be a hassle to set up. I also like the fact that the JVC has LCOS, so there's no worry over rainbow effects (at least according to Cnet) or Screen-door effects up close.


Also, whats "PQ"?

PQ stands for Picture Quality. As for a bright room....IMO there's no difference between and LCD or LCOS as far as that is concerned. Extremely bright rooms are more of a problem with Plasma sets. I have windows all around my room plus a glass door....my LCD rptv is not adversly affected by all the light.

 

[jquick]

chrisclearman made a good point about multiple settings. If I recall correctly the JVC stores settings per resolution. The SXRD line has per input settings.


I did not think of it much before buying mine, but it turns out that I benefit from this feature. On one composite line I have a tivo fed from a cable box. On the other I have a Tivo tuning the analog channels on its own. On many stations the former produces much higher quality than the latter. Thus, I have different settings for the analog box to help clean up noise and sharpen the image. Sharing the same settings for all 480 sources would have forced me to compromise the image quality for each device.

 

[Drunkentig3r]

I just found a Hitachi Ultravision 55'' LCD RPTV 55VS69 for close to $1000 through Best Buy-compared to the other two, how does this stack up against the other two? Certainly it is definitely the cheapest...


There was also a nice JVC 52'' (I think its LCOS) RPTV w/HD-ILA for around $1200; is this part of JVC's True 1080p line? If it is I might have found the "sweet spot" for my television needs.


EDIT: Ah, just saw the resolution size of that-I guess its 720P.


So what do you guys recommend? I looked over DLP RPTV's, as well as flat-panel Plasmas and LCD's, and unless I wanted to go for a 42-inch Plasma, Rear-projection TV's seem to be the best option available to me. Unfortunately I can't spend a fortune seeing as how I just bought a new house and that my wife is going to KILL me if i go over the $2k mark

(Yet she spends so much on clothing...)

 

[DblHelix]

That 52" is a 720p set. The 1080p 52" is the HD=52FA97. It can be ordered from Beach Camera, which is authorized, for about that price.

 

[hindukid]

Circuit City is having a sale on a similar 52 inch Panasonic. It's only 1000. Normal price is 1700.


Panasonic 52" LCD Projection HDTV (PT-52LCX66)

 

[paulman182]

The Panasonic is a marvelous set for the price. It comes with an 18-month warranty on the bulb.


I think anyone considering an RPTV should go look at them. There are certain RPTV characteristics that may or may not bother you, but to get a 52-inch HDTV for $1000 is pretty amazing. The Panny looked as good as any of the 720p RPTVs, seen side-by-side at CC.

 

[dponeill]

Of all of the RPTV technologies out there, LCD would be at the bottom of my list. Most of these sets are plagued by SDE along with poor blacks and contrast ratios.

 

[chrisclearman]

Bah. The Sony E2000 series has an auto iris that really helps with black levels. SDE is nearly non existent at normal viewing angles. What these RPTVs (LCD, DLP, and LCoS) do have is SSE which is more annoying.


In the 42-50" range I still prefer a plasma.

 

[BillP]



Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisclearman /forum/post/0


In the 42-50" range I still prefer a plasma.

And I can't get past the SDE with plasma. All the differing opinions already expressed in this thread is why the OP must go look at them in stores to see which he prefers (which may be different from what you or I prefer). Sorry, Drunkentig3r, but nobody can tell you which set you will like best.

 

[Drunkentig3r]

Alright-thanks for the input guys.


In the end I went for a JVC HD-56FB97 56'' HD-ILA LCOS Rear-Projection TV; I ended up being able to pick it up for only around $1400 (thanks for recommending Beach Camera-I used Pricegrabber and they were still the cheapest retailer). Again, many thanks for the help. I'm sure I'm going to absolutely love it.



Question: Should I order any special wiring for the best quality, or do the cables come with the tv?