[Pocatello]

I'm just looking for some advice from those that know about the new breed of RPTVs.


I'm not trolling. Really.



What I'm interested in is whether they really are any good. For example, what about bulb life and replacement bulb cost?


Do the LCD RPTVs have the same problems associated with LCD front PJs? If not, why not?


I imagine they use the same high-gain screens, which cause some odd visual distortions if you sit at an angle to the screen, or move your head side to side or up and down?


How do they perform in a room with lots of light? In other words, how well do they perform in a room full of day light? (I can't control for light in my HT room.)


And what about black levels? Same as with front PJs, or better?


Thanks.

 

[Pocatello]

Some more questions...


How do these PJs do with 1080i HD? Is the RPTV scaling everything to the native rate of the PJ?


Is the "screen door" effect noticable?



Thanks.

 

[WeeJavaDude]

You might want to do search on GWII. You will get a lot of info on Sony's Grand Wega II. I will answer based on my experience with the GWII. I have a high glare situation and cannot control light conditions.


1) Does well on angles. In my opinion better than CRT RPTVs but not as good as a tube or plasma. Glare is handled well and is better than it was with my 10+ year tube.


2) I don't see any odd visual distortions and I would since I am very sensitive to visual annoyances. Well I have not moved my had quickly back and forth or up and down, but I have not noticed anything odd visual distortions from any angle.


3) Blacks are not black and in my guess my never be. They are better from what people have said. I did notice when watching a my first full DVD in a dark room that the you can see the haze effect on dark scenes. I have not tuned the TV yet and I was set to Mild, but my guess is you cannot completely get rid of it. Having said that, I found the experience wonderful and very movie like. LOoked like I was watching a movie screen. I have the 60".


4) Dont have a PJ so I cant compare.


5) Dont get any screen door effet on with DVD content.


6) Dish network is poor on this baby. Nature of the beast in my opinion and I am moving to HD this week. This will help for the locals.


Overall... I think the pluses more than outweigh the negatives. I plan on given an updated review once I get some HD content on the set. I am glad I went this route even with no black blacks. The reason I went with this unit was the following.


1) 60" Size

2) Good Viewing Angles.

3) Handles a Glare room better than CRT RPTV

4) No Burn in

5) Thin and Lightweight.


I know you were not asking about Sony in particular, but since the GWII is the latest LCD that I know about, I thought i would give my experiences based on this unit and let you draw your own conclusions.


I have seen a DLP TV (Sammy 507W) and and (Sony LCD TV) and the both put out a very nice picture.


So to answer your question.. Are they any good? In my opinion they are not the holy grail, but they do offer a lot of benefits and I think they are worth considering. We all have our criteria for choosing a TV and ultimately the choice is up to you. I feel they are a good choice in TVs or I would not have bought one.

 

[dbburns]

I, too, have the GWXBR LCD (but the 50"). I don't know if it is the anti-glare coating on the glass screen or the texture of the internal screen or what, but it gives the image a very film-like quality. I like that.


I have noticed the screen-door from time to time, but only during very bright scenes (i.e., when the screen is all-white or mostly white). I can see it from my seat, but since I have to be actively looking for it to see it, it doesn't really bother me. I'm anxious to see how my new Ice Age DVD is going to look on it. It could be a big test of my tolerance for it.


It is my understanding that everything gets scaled to 768p, as that is the TV's native resolution. I set my HD receiver to output 720p and it looks very nice, but to be honest, when I switch it to 1080i, I notice no difference.


The bulb is supposed to last up to 8,000 hours and cost in the neighborhood of $200.


I've not viewed an LCD front projector, so I can't really offer any comparisons of the two.


Dave