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In Reply to: Question for Joe Murphy Jr posted by Emil on May 10, 2004 at 08:54:19:
I'm not willing to give you anything off the top of my head. It seems that all of my brothers-in-law are either bald or nearly bald, so I'd like to keep my status as "the one with hair". You don't mind, do you?
:-)There are pros and cons for each display type. Before I purchased my plasma (Panasonic TH-50PHD6UY) and the accessories that I wanted (DVI-HDCP card, wall mount, DVI cable), I spent a great deal of time researching, reading and observing displays. The plasma package I put together cost me just under $6.5k in February 2004. I could have spent more (several times more, actually) or I could have spent less -- for other display types and for an even larger display. But for my display criteria, this was the display that best net what I wanted. You may have similar criteria or you may have completely different criteria for completely different viewing habits and environment. You would have to decide which display type gives you more of the pros you are looking for and then decide if you could live with it's cons. For me, a plasma display (actually, one based on Panasonic glass) satisfied that criteria.
Since you didn't mention a minimum size and only gave a dollar amount, I'll do my best to give you some options. For the $ amount you listed, the best choice in plasma technology would be the Panasonic TH-42PHD6UY. This is a 42" plasma monitor (no tuner and no speakers, but it does have an internal stereo amp). You would need an outboard tuner (VCR, Set Top Box, etc) to watch regular television and/or HD programming. Is a 42" display big enough for your viewing environment? The 50" is going for about $5400, including shipping, so it may be out of your $ range. For either, you would also have to get a wall mount (Sanus Systems VMPL or VMPL2 wall mounts are $130 to $150 delivered) or a table stand ($150 - $199). If you want a digital video connection (DVI-HDCP), the video card is $200. ***
As for DLP, you can get several 50" models in that price range. I'm speaking of Rear Projection units, not Front Projectors (I can't comment on Front Projectors). They don't take up too much room and give a picture that is very nice.
I would stay away from Rear Projection LCD displays. I know plenty of people are going crazy over these displays, but they are -- for lack of better word -- crap. Black levels suck worse than any other display technology and they give too much of a cartoonish animated look to everything. If you play video games for hours on end, this is the display type to get. Video games look great on a Rear Projection LCD display. But that's about it.
Another technology that's out there, LCoS, has had some troubles. Several manufacturers have tried their hand at getting it to work, but they've all either abandoned it or are replacing faulty units. Philips seems to be the only one holding onto the technology for Rear Projection displays. The technology has potential, but it may only have use in Front Projection displays.
All of this said, you didn't give too much for me to go on. I would suggest that you visit www.avsforum.com and www.hometheaterforum.com and spend some time going through the material that available in their display forums. There's a wealth of information on current models of all display types, members report good experiences and bad experiences with their displays and you might find that by spending some time reading you will be better off when you decide which display is right for you.
One piece of advice that you should heed when it comes to all online forums: disregard opinions about technolgy X when you are in technology Y's forum. I have seen too many people in the CRT/LCD/DLP RPTV forums give false information about plasma displays to the point it is outright laughable. I have also seen people bash a DLP set in the plasma forum when plasma displays have a similar fault. Many people in the forums have agendas and feel the need to justify their purchase by bashing others. Gradually, you learn which posters to trust as knowledgeable and providers of accurate information and which posters to just ignore.
If you have any specific questions or can better describe your situation (Do you watch mostly movies? Sports? Regular television? Plenty of light in the room? Dark/low light room? Distance from display? DVD player type? Minimum size display needed?), I'd be glad to reply.
*** The consumer version of Panasonic's 42" HD display is the TH-42PX20U and the TH-42PX25U (newer model that includes a HD cable tuner). They come with stands and speakers and the video inputs are more plentiful. If you're not a videophile, I'd gravitate more towards these models. If you are a videophile, I'd sway more towards the commercial model PHD6UY series. That is, if a 42" plasma is better suited for your wants and needs, if at all.
Follow Ups:
Many thanks, Joe.
A concern of mine is no matter how good the TV set is, its only as good as the signal it receives. Im planning on going with "digital" cable. I put digital in quotes because Ive read its still an analog signal. Im not sure how true that statement is. This concerns me because most of what I watch will be cable broadcast with a few DVDs on the weekends.
Thanks for suggesting the Panny 42 inch plasma but a 50 inch is something I would prefer. Something like this maybe.
Familiar with PlasmaDepot?
Quality on my Brighthouse digital cable varies. Generally, the premium channels usually look the best (HBO) and the analog pass through look the worst. The HD cable content varies from very good to excellent. You'll get occassional artifacts depending on the provider and content, but usually it's a minor annoyance.Since the content I care about the most - movies, Discovery, sports, PBS - looks good, I've learned to live with the rest. (I don't care if QVC looks bad.) On the whole,I'm pleased, and I woudln't fret too much over SD on a 50" DLP. Even the analogue should be tolerable.
BTW, I'm a very picky person about my picture quality but I don't see rainbows on the 50" DLP sets. Murph is right, take a DVD to test - but don't take Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc - digital animation looks great on every digital display I've ever seen. Take a movie with a lot of movement, strong diagonal lines and dark scenes like The Two Towers or Master & Commander. These are all areas where a display (or a DVD player) can let you down. Also ask to see a prgram through a local cable feed if possible. This may tell you if you can tolerate the set's standard definition capabilites.
Keep inmind, most big box stores (CC,BB et al) do not have their sets properly set up. Be prepared to do some adjusting with the remote before evaluating each contender.
I like the latest LCD rear projectors better than Murph, but it's true the shadow detail and deepest blacks aren't as good as the DLPS. (I absolutely hated earlier LCD models and couldn't understand why anyone would buy one. The lastest ones from Sony and Hitachi are very watchable for me, although the Panny is till too blue.)
I bought my current (CRT) widescreen HDTV over the internet and was totally happy, but read up before you do this with a plasma or DLP. I wouldn't worry about scammers necesarily - many of these companies are very good to deal with - but these complex displays can be temperamental. It's much easier to call up Ciricuit City and have 'em replace your set than it is to ship a defective one halfway across the country.
One thing you may have picked up on - the recs are all fixed pixel displays: plasma, DLP, LCD.
I've found the most useful info at avsforum, as long as you heed Murph's caveat about owner bias vs "other" technologies. There is no perfect display yet, but there's plenty to enjoy in the meatime.
Finally, invst in at least a digital Video Essentials calibration disc, or a professional ISF calibration at best.
Many of the channels offered in the cable companies' digital tier are actually analog signals (just like their analog cable) that have been digitized. However, there are some channels in their digital offering that are delivered to them as digital signals. Unfortunately, just like satellite TV, the picture quality depends on the provider and how much compression is used. There are some very nice digital channels and there are some very poor digital channels.See if you can find some reviews of this model in the forums that I recommended. If a 50" display is more fitting to your needs, at your price-point, I'd suggest a DLP display. Just be sure to bring some DVDs that you are familiar with when you demo the display. DLP displays are known to produce an artifact called "rainbows" in some viewers. Along with seeing the "rainbows", some viewers even get headaches and suffer from motion sickness-like nausea. It's best to get other family members in on the demo (if others besides you will be watching the display) to be sure that no one is susceptible to this phenomenon. If anyone has a problem, it usually starts in the 50" and up DLP display category.
I am not familiar with Plasma Depot.
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