I'm thinking about getting the Samsung 46" DLP HDTV Model: HL-S4676S for $970, or the Sony 46" Grand WEGA Rear-Projection LCD HDTV Model: KDF-46E2000 for $1170. Does anyone have any opinions about these, such as dlp vs 3lcd, or just which one is better?
Samsung DLP vs SONY 3LCD
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Try the search function since this is asked a lot. Each technology has its pros and cons. I would not say one is better than the other -- it just comes down to personal preference (I prefer both DLP and LCOS over RP LCD, but that's my preference, which may or may not agree with yours). You really need to go to the stores and see which looks better to your eyes.
I had the Sony for a little over a week. I just couldn't get over the blacks. Or lack there of. THe "blacks" it did produce were very cold and were more of a blue-gray color. It does great with detail for HD, and daytime viewing. Having 3 component inputs is nice, and a slick interface with alot of tweaking options. Also does quite a descent job at SD as well. But in the end, for movie viewing I couldnt get over the blacks, and Sony's trademark orange toned reds. But maybe you won't see the same.
Oh and I cannot comment on the DLP set because I see the rainbows big time!
Oh and I cannot comment on the DLP set because I see the rainbows big time!
I've had the Samsung HL-S4676S 46" DLP for a little over a week now.
The Good:
Black levels are quite good in my opinion. Black is black. The colors are vibrant. You can tell the difference between various hues of purple and blue, for example. I sit about 15' back, but even at much closer viewing distances, I'm not seeing any annoying pixelation or dithering noise, etc... I watch a lot of basketball, and this set has none of the annoying motion blur or pixelation that I've noticed on many LCD screens. Sports in HD are incredibly crisp, and the NFL playoff games looked fantastic last weekend. Too bad the Chargers lost though! I have Dish Network HD with the VIP622 DVR.
Sometimes SD programming looks surprisingly good, but if the signal on a particular station is low quality, you will definitely notice. SD is better than I thought it was going to be overall though. The menu system is pretty easy to use on this tv, and it offers enough adjustments for my liking. I've had little need for the owner's manual as of yet.
I really like the styling of this tv too. Screen glare is not a problem at all. The thin bezel and curved rear of the set look very good, it fits nicely in a corner, and it weighs under 50 lbs. And it's solid black, which matches my speakers, speaker stands and tv stand. The Sony rptv LCD looks clunky by comparison (IMHO).
The Bad:
I see rainbows when I glance away from the screen or blink sometimes. They're most noticeable during dark or black & white scenes. At first I was freaked out by it and thought of returning the tv, but I'll probably just learn to live with it. I think I'd rather have this problem than the motion blur/pixelation of LCD. I just don't see anything else on the market that I'd like to replace this set with at the moment. With the amount of news and sports that I watch, I'd surely get burn in problems with a plasma. 46" is perfect for my room, whereas 42" is too small and 50" is too big. I figure I'll enjoy this set for a few years, then I'll invest in an LCD with 1080p and 120 Hz backlighting, or whatever is the best I can afford at the time. In any event, the Samsung DLP is a tremendous step up from the $250 25" Philips/Magnavox direct view CRT I had been watching since 1999!
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There is a bright purple light emitting from the rear left of the tv which is only noticeable when your room is dark. I assume the light engine/tunnel is in there somewhere. This doesn't really bother me, but I supppose it could be a negative for some people. Also the audio/video connections are sort of towards the right side of the tv instead of all the way in the back, but this doesn't bother me either. This could be seen as a positive actually, as you don't have to reach or crawl around to the very back of your set to mess with the cables.
So the only negative for me on this set is the rainbow effect. I'll let you know if it becomes annoying to the point that I decide to return it. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it though. Friends and neighbors have really enjoyed my new 46" DLP so far too. We were watching that Austin Stevens Snakemaster guy searching for the King Cobra in HD, and one friend remarked that he got an emotional reaction (startled fear in this case) that he never would have gotten watching SD programming on a 25" tv.
Hope that helps. $970 is $30 cheaper than I paid too. Enjoy! You'll probably want to turn down the brightness, color and contrast, and turn off the DNie. It's going to be overly bright and contrasty right out of the box. Use the "Custom" mode for your settings.
The Good:
Black levels are quite good in my opinion. Black is black. The colors are vibrant. You can tell the difference between various hues of purple and blue, for example. I sit about 15' back, but even at much closer viewing distances, I'm not seeing any annoying pixelation or dithering noise, etc... I watch a lot of basketball, and this set has none of the annoying motion blur or pixelation that I've noticed on many LCD screens. Sports in HD are incredibly crisp, and the NFL playoff games looked fantastic last weekend. Too bad the Chargers lost though! I have Dish Network HD with the VIP622 DVR.
Sometimes SD programming looks surprisingly good, but if the signal on a particular station is low quality, you will definitely notice. SD is better than I thought it was going to be overall though. The menu system is pretty easy to use on this tv, and it offers enough adjustments for my liking. I've had little need for the owner's manual as of yet.
I really like the styling of this tv too. Screen glare is not a problem at all. The thin bezel and curved rear of the set look very good, it fits nicely in a corner, and it weighs under 50 lbs. And it's solid black, which matches my speakers, speaker stands and tv stand. The Sony rptv LCD looks clunky by comparison (IMHO).
The Bad:
I see rainbows when I glance away from the screen or blink sometimes. They're most noticeable during dark or black & white scenes. At first I was freaked out by it and thought of returning the tv, but I'll probably just learn to live with it. I think I'd rather have this problem than the motion blur/pixelation of LCD. I just don't see anything else on the market that I'd like to replace this set with at the moment. With the amount of news and sports that I watch, I'd surely get burn in problems with a plasma. 46" is perfect for my room, whereas 42" is too small and 50" is too big. I figure I'll enjoy this set for a few years, then I'll invest in an LCD with 1080p and 120 Hz backlighting, or whatever is the best I can afford at the time. In any event, the Samsung DLP is a tremendous step up from the $250 25" Philips/Magnavox direct view CRT I had been watching since 1999!
There is a bright purple light emitting from the rear left of the tv which is only noticeable when your room is dark. I assume the light engine/tunnel is in there somewhere. This doesn't really bother me, but I supppose it could be a negative for some people. Also the audio/video connections are sort of towards the right side of the tv instead of all the way in the back, but this doesn't bother me either. This could be seen as a positive actually, as you don't have to reach or crawl around to the very back of your set to mess with the cables.
So the only negative for me on this set is the rainbow effect. I'll let you know if it becomes annoying to the point that I decide to return it. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it though. Friends and neighbors have really enjoyed my new 46" DLP so far too. We were watching that Austin Stevens Snakemaster guy searching for the King Cobra in HD, and one friend remarked that he got an emotional reaction (startled fear in this case) that he never would have gotten watching SD programming on a 25" tv.
Hope that helps. $970 is $30 cheaper than I paid too. Enjoy! You'll probably want to turn down the brightness, color and contrast, and turn off the DNie. It's going to be overly bright and contrasty right out of the box. Use the "Custom" mode for your settings.
Thans for the info. I just ordered it today and it will be here on Tuesday. I've been reading about the brightness of it. I was changing the setting at Best Buy and so far there, I did not notice the rainbow effect, so hopefully I won't. I did change the screen to 4:3 for cable and it didn't look right, the corners seemed curved a little bit. Do you know if it looks fine when you change yours to 4:3? Also, do you know how it does with gaming such as with a 360?
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