Will I be able to see the difference?

Right now I have a smallish (@30??) HD 'Ready' Samsung TV.

HD through Time Warner Cable.

I think the HD channels look excellent. I couldn't be happier.


I would like to move this TV into our (smaller) bedroom, and get a
larger set for our living room.


My question:

If I get a 42 inch TV, am I really going to be able to tell the
difference between DLP? Plasma?? LCD?? Rear Projection??

720i?? 720p?? 1080i? 1080p??


I mean really, how big is the difference?


Let's say I'm watching Discovery HD on a 42 inch Rear Projection DLP.
I'm about Ten Feet away from the TV. Am I going to be sitting there
thinking 'ya know, I sure wish I had spent the extra two thousand
dollars and gone plasma...'


Seriously.



-Bob

Hell and High Water wrote:
Right now I have a smallish (@30??) HD 'Ready' Samsung TV.
....
I think the HD channels look excellent. I couldn't be happier.
....
If I get a 42 inch TV, am I really going to be able to tell the
difference between DLP? Plasma?? LCD?? Rear Projection??

720i?? 720p?? 1080i? 1080p??


I mean really, how big is the difference?


Let's say I'm watching Discovery HD on a 42 inch Rear Projection DLP.
I'm about Ten Feet away from the TV. Am I going to be sitting there
thinking 'ya know, I sure wish I had spent the extra two thousand
dollars and gone plasma...'
....
O.K. My opinions based on my own viewing of various sets.

1. As far as resolution, 720p is 720p. Plasma, DLP, LCD, LCoS. It
makes no difference to the detail. If the set does 720p it will have
the same detail. Same for 1080i. Any 1080i set will show pretty
much exactly the same detail as any other 1080i set.

2. 720p vs 1080i. The debate about which is better rages on.
Some say 720p, some say 1080i, some say it depends on what
you are watching. In practical terms, I would say that means the
ordinary viewer isn't going to notice any difference.

3. Technology. Ah, now that's a whole different story. Every
type of technology has its trade-offs. Rear projection sets (DLP,
LCoS, LCD) provide the most size and resolution for the least
money. They also have the smallest angle of view. If all viewers
will always be pretty much in front of the TV and roughly at the
same height as the TV, a rear projection set will work wonderfully.
If on the other hand, some viewers will often be sitting well off to
the side (or well above or below the TV - actually above or below
the plane perpendicular to the face of the set at the middle of the
set), then a rear projection TV may look significantly "washed out".

CRTs still provide the best black levels, contrast, viewing angles,
etc... But they max out at roughly 34", today. And they are bulky.
Big. Huge. Heavy. Solid state rear projection sets are much less
bulky.

Plasmas have great viewing angles; virtually as good as CRTs.
They have the best black levels of any thin screen direct view
TVs. They can suffer from burn-in, just like CRTs if you display
a static image for a long time. (i.e. video game screen components)
Plasmas are made smaller than 37", but they can be as big as
rear projection sets with much less bulk. And they cost more.

LCDs don't burn in. They are generally a little lighter and use less
power than similar plasma displays. They often have a higher
resolution than plasmas at the 42" size. But the black levels aren't
as good. Viewing angles are much better than rear projection
sets, but not quite as good as CRTs and plasmas. Unlike plasma
sets and like rear projection sets, LCDs have a light that can burn
out and require a mildly expensive replacement. (Though some of
the newest LCD TVs are going to LED backlights to eliminate the
burn-out issue.) LCDs come in the widest range of sizes, though
they are often the most expensive for a given size.

There is no perfect technology; each kind has its advantages and
disadvantages. You'll need to determine which compromises best
fit your needs. And even after that, no two sets of the same
technology will do the same job displaying your source. Different
sets can vary tremendously in their ability to process various
signals, particularly with analogue or digital SD sources. Or high
contrast scenes. Or fast motion scenes. Or smooth color gradient
scenes. A good plama EDTV might easily outshine a lot of more
expensive HDTV sets for SD or DVD content. But the same HDTV
might look better for an HDTV broadcast. And so on. Will you
care? And at what price? Only you can tell.

Dan (Woj...)

Hell and High Water wrote:
Right now I have a smallish (@30??) HD 'Ready' Samsung TV.

HD through Time Warner Cable.

I think the HD channels look excellent. I couldn't be happier.


I would like to move this TV into our (smaller) bedroom, and get a
larger set for our living room.

My question:

If I get a 42 inch TV, am I really going to be able to tell the
difference between DLP? Plasma?? LCD?? Rear Projection??

Yes. There are differences between all the different display
technologies in terms of viewing angle, contrast, minimum black level,
color accuracy, resolution, size & weight of the display and cost. Your
budget and how much space you have for the set at the size you are
looking at will steer you to flat panel versus rear projection. IMO, the
better brand name plasmas - Panasonic, Pioneer - still offer the best
overall picture but the LCD flat panels have improved by quite a lot the
past several years.


720i?? 720p?? 1080i? 1080p??


I mean really, how big is the difference?


Let's say I'm watching Discovery HD on a 42 inch Rear Projection DLP.
I'm about Ten Feet away from the TV. Am I going to be sitting there
thinking 'ya know, I sure wish I had spent the extra two thousand
dollars and gone plasma...'

At a 42" screen size for a sitting distance of 10 feet, you should
not get too hung up on 1080p vs 720p or 768p. You will be hard pressed
to see a difference at that distance & screen size between a 1080p and a
720p screen. Here is a article at CNet on 1080p that is causing an
active thread in the plasma & LCD display forum at avsforum.com:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-...-1.html?tag=ms. Don't take it
as gospel, but worth reading.

As for spending $2000 more on the plasma, the 42" HD plasmas have
fallen to under $2K in price (US), so the difference is not that big at
that size anymore. Best Buy is selling the Panasonic TH-42PX60U for
$1700 which is an amazing price drop just from 3 to 6 months ago. The
price war as between LCD flat panels and plasmas with the new generation
whatever plants now in production is in full combat mode right now.

However, if you are shopping for a new main TV, you should at least
consider stepping up to a 50" widescreen size. I have a Panasonic
commercial 42" TH-42PHD7UY plasma that I brought close to 2 years ago
and while it is a great TV, I want to step up to a 50" screen (but not
going to do it until next year). Movies look much better on the bigger
50" screen than they do at 42". I have concluded that 50" is a good
compromise for watching HD while the SD channels still look acceptable
blown up to that size. But the 50" plasmas and LCD flat panels cost more.

Alan F

"Alan F" wrote in message
news[email protected]

As for spending $2000 more on the plasma, the 42" HD plasmas have
fallen to under $2K in price (US), so the difference is not that big at
that size anymore. Best Buy is selling the Panasonic TH-42PX60U for
$1700 which is an amazing price drop just from 3 to 6 months ago.


I feel "black Friday" will prove to be interesting, this year.

I have a Philips 32" LCD HDTV and a Panasonic TH-42PX600U Plasma HDTV.
On the HD channels both are excellent. The plasma has a better picture on SD
channels.
I don't know if the difference is in the setup or the TV's on SD.
The Panasonic uses a cablecard which works great. I use a cable box on the
Philips.


"Alan F" wrote in message
news[email protected]
Hell and High Water wrote:
Right now I have a smallish (@30??) HD 'Ready' Samsung TV.

HD through Time Warner Cable.

I think the HD channels look excellent. I couldn't be happier.


I would like to move this TV into our (smaller) bedroom, and get a larger
set for our living room.

My question:

If I get a 42 inch TV, am I really going to be able to tell the
difference between DLP? Plasma?? LCD?? Rear Projection??

Yes. There are differences between all the different display
technologies in terms of viewing angle, contrast, minimum black level,
color accuracy, resolution, size & weight of the display and cost. Your
budget and how much space you have for the set at the size you are
looking at will steer you to flat panel versus rear projection. IMO, the
better brand name plasmas - Panasonic, Pioneer - still offer the best
overall picture but the LCD flat panels have improved by quite a lot the
past several years.


720i?? 720p?? 1080i? 1080p??


I mean really, how big is the difference?


Let's say I'm watching Discovery HD on a 42 inch Rear Projection DLP.
I'm about Ten Feet away from the TV. Am I going to be sitting there
thinking 'ya know, I sure wish I had spent the extra two thousand dollars
and gone plasma...'

At a 42" screen size for a sitting distance of 10 feet, you should
not get too hung up on 1080p vs 720p or 768p. You will be hard pressed
to see a difference at that distance & screen size between a 1080p and a
720p screen. Here is a article at CNet on 1080p that is causing an
active thread in the plasma & LCD display forum at avsforum.com:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-...-1.html?tag=ms. Don't take it
as gospel, but worth reading.

As for spending $2000 more on the plasma, the 42" HD plasmas have
fallen to under $2K in price (US), so the difference is not that big at
that size anymore. Best Buy is selling the Panasonic TH-42PX60U for
$1700 which is an amazing price drop just from 3 to 6 months ago. The
price war as between LCD flat panels and plasmas with the new generation
whatever plants now in production is in full combat mode right now.

However, if you are shopping for a new main TV, you should at least
consider stepping up to a 50" widescreen size. I have a Panasonic
commercial 42" TH-42PHD7UY plasma that I brought close to 2 years ago
and while it is a great TV, I want to step up to a 50" screen (but not
going to do it until next year). Movies look much better on the bigger
50" screen than they do at 42". I have concluded that 50" is a good
compromise for watching HD while the SD channels still look acceptable
blown up to that size. But the 50" plasmas and LCD flat panels cost more.

Alan F

Hell and High Water wrote:
Right now I have a smallish (@30??) HD 'Ready' Samsung TV.

HD through Time Warner Cable.

I think the HD channels look excellent. I couldn't be happier.


I would like to move this TV into our (smaller) bedroom, and get a
larger set for our living room.


My question:

If I get a 42 inch TV, am I really going to be able to tell the
difference between DLP? Plasma?? LCD?? Rear Projection??

720i?? 720p?? 1080i? 1080p??


I mean really, how big is the difference?


Let's say I'm watching Discovery HD on a 42 inch Rear Projection DLP.
I'm about Ten Feet away from the TV. Am I going to be sitting there
thinking 'ya know, I sure wish I had spent the extra two thousand
dollars and gone plasma...'


Seriously.



-Bob

I have a DLP (Mits 73727) and a plasma (Vizio 50"). The DLP has a great
picture, the plasma is just about as good, but not quite. Of course, the
DLP is a higher end model, while the plasma is a lower tier brand......