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General discussion

looking for new tv lcd rear projection or plasma?

Jun 28, 2005 9:57AM PDT

Hi,
The tv market has changed so much and we are looking for a new tv, what a choice there is. Seems like lcd rear projection is the clearest and budget minded but plasma is dropping. Anyone out there who has done the homework and research, this is daunting.
Don

Discussion is locked

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DLP, LCD, Plasma??
Jun 28, 2005 3:27PM PDT

When I had this problem, I chose plasma.

Pros are better viewing angle, better blacks, bright picture viewable in a bright daylight room, thinner profile, and longer screen life. Cons are possibility of burn in (I have had no problem}, some picture sticking when you go from a menu or static image to a dark or black screen, but it fades very shortly, and initial expense is high.

The big downside for LCD and DLP for me was bulb replacement every 4-8000 hours depending on who you talk to. That could be a 300 dollar expense every year or two depending on how much viewing you do a day. My plasma screen is rated at 60,000 hours to half brightness. Just the savings on bulbs could pay for my plasma over the years and certainly make up the difference in a few years.

Before you buy, view a plasma and an LCD side by side in a bright area. Usually the dealers put the RP TVs in a darker area than the plasmas so you can not compare under the same conditions. Both can be equally sharp, but I believe the plasma is brighter.

Consider your viewing area and the long term costs before buying either.

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Check out the 3 gun rear projectors
Jul 2, 2005 8:26AM PDT

I bought my Sony kp-65wv600 from a high end vidio store and on a side by side comparision my set looked just a stunning for half the price $2500 I have had this set for over a year and I love it also there is no pixel effect you can put your nose to the screen and no pixels + black level is awsome in closing if your expensive plasma poops out you may as well throw it in the garbage can If my projection tubes ever go flat they only cost $200 each just a thought please respond stewart norrie in this chat room

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re
Jul 2, 2005 11:21PM PDT

the big decision is if you want to mount it on the wall-dlp/lcd proj-are pretty comparable to most eyes-but plasma gives you complete 360 viewing angle(north/south and east/west-while dlp/lcd proj are ok from the side not not if they're too elevated)-cost wise-the bulbs are about 300-350 while a plasma-if it burns in or a cell goes out-aill not be worth fixing due the high cost of repair-(and no,they cant be refilled as many believe)

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what to choose..
Jul 3, 2005 5:13AM PDT

All good points, not sure about the replacement costs on CRT tubes, last time I had to find out how much , they were more like 600.00 each. Bulbs for many ''projector'' type TV's (LCD, DLP) are often alot more than stated here too, not too many that I have seen have an 8000 hr life span either (there could be a couple I guess). Plasma TV's certainly are great, BUT... just because the pricing is coming down dosn't mean your getting the best bang for your dollar. Lots of cheap plasma's hitting the market, with below true HD spec's. If I didn't want to break the bank, but wanted a great set that I wasn't going to hang on a wall, JVC's DiLA sets are worth a look.