Torn between buying the Sony SXRD or the Sharp Aquos LCD.

You all were so helpful with my last post, I thought I'd post my most
recent dilema and get your thoughts. I am torn between buying the
Sony KDS-55A2000 or the Sharp LC-52D92U (or the LC-52D62U if there is
not much difference between the two). The TV I dream about is the new
Pioneer Elite 1080p plasma, but I don't want to pay $7000 for a tv.
However, here are my priorities - #1 - Clarity. I hate the pixilation
that you get with most LCDs. Since the Sharp has a 4ms response time,
there is little to no pixilation that I can see. That is the reason I
choose the Sharp over any other LCD. However, the Sony seems to have
a very clear picture, but it is not as bright as the Sharp, which is
my #2 priority. I know these are two very different technologies, but
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts. Which is the better buy?

Also, does anyone know if the LC-52D92U is much different that the
LC-52D62U. I know there is a $2k cost difference!

The other question I have is that I am thinking about ordering the tv
over the internet. There is a huge cost savings as opposed to going
to Best Buy. I'm looking at Zoomania, Universal LCD, or
50topsellers. Is it safe to buy via the internet? Has anyone used
any of these companies?

Thanks for you help!!!

Dru

wrote:
You all were so helpful with my last post, I thought I'd post my most
recent dilema and get your thoughts. I am torn between buying the
Sony KDS-55A2000 or the Sharp LC-52D92U (or the LC-52D62U if there is
not much difference between the two). The TV I dream about is the new
Pioneer Elite 1080p plasma, but I don't want to pay $7000 for a tv.
However, here are my priorities - #1 - Clarity. I hate the pixilation
that you get with most LCDs.

If you can wait several months, you should be able to buy the
Panasonic 1080p TH-50PZ700 plasma. It is already listed as available in
April for just under $3000 from a on-line dealer. I suspect the dealer
is optimistic on the schedule (take April to mean May), but the
expectation is that the 50" 1080p will have an MSRP of around $3500 to
$3999 USD. It looks as Panasonic is going to get aggressive on the
pricing for the 50" and 58" 1080p plasma panels this summer.

The Panasonic commercial 1080p 50" plasma, the TH-50PF9UK monitor, has
been available since December and is down to around $4200 from the more
reputable on-line dealers. The commercial Pannys are monitors only so
they have no speakers, no tuners and swappable interface cards, so one
needs to understand exactly what they are getting if they get one of
these for a use as HD TV.

However, if I had to buy a 50" HD TV flat panel right now, I would get
the 768p Pioneer 5070 plasma. The benefits of 1080p over 769p resolution
is not that noticeable at a 50" screen size at a normal living room
sitting distance. While LCD picture quality for TV viewing has made many
improvements the past several years, the advantage in contrast, color,
and black levels still goes to the Panasonic, Pioneer, and better brand
name plasmas for TV, movie, and sports viewing, IMHO.

Alan F

Alan F wrote:
wrote:
You all were so helpful with my last post, I thought I'd post my most
recent dilema and get your thoughts. I am torn between buying the
Sony KDS-55A2000 or the Sharp LC-52D92U (or the LC-52D62U if there is
not much difference between the two). The TV I dream about is the new
Pioneer Elite 1080p plasma, but I don't want to pay $7000 for a tv.
However, here are my priorities - #1 - Clarity. I hate the pixilation
that you get with most LCDs.

If you can wait several months, you should be able to buy the
Panasonic 1080p TH-50PZ700 plasma. It is already listed as available in
April for just under $3000 from a on-line dealer. I suspect the dealer
is optimistic on the schedule (take April to mean May), but the
expectation is that the 50" 1080p will have an MSRP of around $3500 to
$3999 USD. It looks as Panasonic is going to get aggressive on the
pricing for the 50" and 58" 1080p plasma panels this summer.

The Panasonic commercial 1080p 50" plasma, the TH-50PF9UK monitor, has
been available since December and is down to around $4200 from the more
reputable on-line dealers. The commercial Pannys are monitors only so
they have no speakers, no tuners and swappable interface cards, so one
needs to understand exactly what they are getting if they get one of
these for a use as HD TV.

However, if I had to buy a 50" HD TV flat panel right now, I would get
the 768p Pioneer 5070 plasma. The benefits of 1080p over 769p resolution
is not that noticeable at a 50" screen size at a normal living room
sitting distance. While LCD picture quality for TV viewing has made many
improvements the past several years, the advantage in contrast, color,
and black levels still goes to the Panasonic, Pioneer, and better brand
name plasmas for TV, movie, and sports viewing, IMHO.

Alan F

Forgot to discuss dealers. be very careful when buying on-line. Ask
for specifics on their replacement policy if the TV gets damaged in
shipment or shows up with a screen defect. Stick to more reputable
dealers rather than go for the absolute lowest cost because the low
ballers will have nasty restocking fees if you have to send it back.
Visual Apex and Plasma Concepts have good reps.

Alan F

In article om " writes:
You all were so helpful with my last post, I thought I'd post my most
recent dilema and get your thoughts. I am torn between buying the
Sony KDS-55A2000 or the Sharp LC-52D92U (or the LC-52D62U if there is
not much difference between the two). The TV I dream about is the new
Pioneer Elite 1080p plasma, but I don't want to pay $7000 for a tv.
However, here are my priorities - #1 - Clarity. I hate the pixilation
that you get with most LCDs.

The blocking that forms is a characteristic of insufficient bandwidth
to do the picture -- it is NOT a function of the screen being a LCD.
The same signal will produce the same effect on plasma, DLP, LCoS, CRT,
LCD, etc.


Since the Sharp has a 4ms response time,
there is little to no pixilation that I can see. That is the reason I
choose the Sharp over any other LCD.

Well, there is none to see on the Sony or the Samsung, either.

The various plasmas don't have it either.

However, the Sony seems to have
a very clear picture, but it is not as bright as the Sharp, which is
my #2 priority.

The Sharp as seen in the store is turned up WAY BRIGHT (to maximum,
or near so), and is set at the bluest picture which looks even brighter.

Most of the others do similar.

Set properly, they are all not that bright.

The Sony has a clear picture because most of the Sony demos are from
a very carefully mastered Blu-Ray disc running 1080p with enough bandwidth
to look very good.


I know these are two very different technologies, but
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts. Which is the better buy?


Better buy requires knowing price information.


Also, does anyone know if the LC-52D92U is much different that the
LC-52D62U. I know there is a $2k cost difference!


Yes, they are different. The D92U has the 120 Hz processing to reduce
visible blurring. It sort of helps, but if you don't have it, you are
unlikely to miss it.

The 46 and 52 inch D92U units I saw next to a 46 and 52 inch inch D62U
all running the same program month or so ago looked like the colors were
more washed out. They seemed a bit lighter than most of the many other
sets in the showroom.

Of course, since I didn't get to check the settings on all of them,
they could have been set up differently.


The D62U has had some complaints of the gamma being set such that it
causes dark parts of images to crush into blackness. It can be annoying
on some programs. If you like the Pioneer plasmas, this may not bother
you, since they seem to do similarly (in my opinion).

Both the D62U and D92U have reports of problems with uneven bands
of brightness, or light leaking through the panel, affecting gray
screens, and sometimes other images. Sharp has been reportedly good
at dealing with them.

Sony and Samsung have other reported problems with some of their large
LCD sets.



The other question I have is that I am thinking about ordering the tv
over the internet. There is a huge cost savings as opposed to going
to Best Buy. I'm looking at Zoomania, Universal LCD, or
50topsellers. Is it safe to buy via the internet? Has anyone used
any of these companies?

Yes, it is likely that someone has used these companies, since they
continue to be in business.

If you want to deal with shipping, and the risk of damage in shipping,
and the problems of dealing with a distant seller if there is a problem,
you might save some money.

Costco has an almost clone of the D62U units for fairly good prices.
The speaker looks a bit different (seems to face forward more), but the
units are reported to be electrically the same.


Alan

Alan F wrote:

Alan F wrote:

Forgot to discuss dealers. be very careful when buying on-line. Ask
for specifics on their replacement policy if the TV gets damaged in
shipment or shows up with a screen defect. Stick to more reputable
dealers rather than go for the absolute lowest cost because the low
ballers will have nasty restocking fees if you have to send it back.
Visual Apex and Plasma Concepts have good reps.

Alan F


Alan, don't some manufacturers void their warranties if you purchase
from unauthorized dealers?

--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35

http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler
remove –SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson

Ric Seyler wrote:


Alan F wrote:

Alan F wrote:

Forgot to discuss dealers. be very careful when buying on-line. Ask
for specifics on their replacement policy if the TV gets damaged in
shipment or shows up with a screen defect. Stick to more reputable
dealers rather than go for the absolute lowest cost because the low
ballers will have nasty restocking fees if you have to send it back.
Visual Apex and Plasma Concepts have good reps.

Alan F


Alan, don't some manufacturers void their warranties if you purchase
from unauthorized dealers?

You should also check that the on-line dealer is authorized. The more
reputable dealers should be upfront about this. If I was looking to buy
from someone who I was unsure of, it wouldn't hurt to contact the
manufacturer and ask if so & so is an authorized distributor.

Alan

I have the Sharp 52" D62 which I bought from Costco. I actually like
the styling of it better than the regular version. I wanted to get a
plasma but due to room lighting, I decided there would be too much
glare off the screen. So far, I've been pretty happy with the Sharp.
Fantastic HD pic and even the SD looks very good.

As far as buying from an online vendor, I would recommend checking
them out at resellerratings.com (just click on store ratings).

There are pretty good reviews of both choices at CNet (and other sites).
They review the Sony KDS-60A200, but it is virtually identical to the
KDS-55A2000. Of course there might be other considerations that factor
into your decisions. I believe the Sony is cheaper, but it is larger (flat
panel v. rear projection), and at some point will require a lamp
replacement.
I recently bought a Sony KDS-60A2000 and with proper setup and adjustment
could not be more pleased with the picture quality. Both the color and the
clarity are excellent. The bottom line is to buy what looks good to your
eye. BTW, I also considered buying "online" but ended up at a major
retailer because a I was able to haggle with them to give me a package price
for the TV, a stand, delivery, and professional setup. So don't be afraid
to ask them to match the internet price. If they don't, they lose the sale.
Good luck.



wrote in message
ps.com...
You all were so helpful with my last post, I thought I'd post my most
recent dilema and get your thoughts. I am torn between buying the
Sony KDS-55A2000 or the Sharp LC-52D92U (or the LC-52D62U if there is
not much difference between the two). The TV I dream about is the new
Pioneer Elite 1080p plasma, but I don't want to pay $7000 for a tv.
However, here are my priorities - #1 - Clarity. I hate the pixilation
that you get with most LCDs. Since the Sharp has a 4ms response time,
there is little to no pixilation that I can see. That is the reason I
choose the Sharp over any other LCD. However, the Sony seems to have
a very clear picture, but it is not as bright as the Sharp, which is
my #2 priority. I know these are two very different technologies, but
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts. Which is the better buy?

Also, does anyone know if the LC-52D92U is much different that the
LC-52D62U. I know there is a $2k cost difference!

The other question I have is that I am thinking about ordering the tv
over the internet. There is a huge cost savings as opposed to going
to Best Buy. I'm looking at Zoomania, Universal LCD, or
50topsellers. Is it safe to buy via the internet? Has anyone used
any of these companies?

Thanks for you help!!!

Dru

Ric Seyler wrote:


Alan F wrote:

Alan F wrote:

Forgot to discuss dealers. be very careful when buying on-line. Ask
for specifics on their replacement policy if the TV gets damaged in
shipment or shows up with a screen defect. Stick to more reputable
dealers rather than go for the absolute lowest cost because the low
ballers will have nasty restocking fees if you have to send it back.
Visual Apex and Plasma Concepts have good reps.

Alan F


Alan, don't some manufacturers void their warranties if you purchase
from unauthorized dealers?


If you are concerned about warranty coverage call your state's consumer
affairs office or attorney general's office. They will tell you what you
need to know. In my state all that is required is for the item to be
bought new, legally and have a USA warranty card. It does not have to be
bought from an "authorized dealer". The product is warrantied, not the
relationship of the seller to the manufacturer.

Matthew

--
I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one.
Which one do you want?

Matthew L. Martin wrote:

Ric Seyler wrote:



Alan F wrote:

Alan F wrote:

Forgot to discuss dealers. be very careful when buying on-line. Ask
for specifics on their replacement policy if the TV gets damaged in
shipment or shows up with a screen defect. Stick to more reputable
dealers rather than go for the absolute lowest cost because the low
ballers will have nasty restocking fees if you have to send it back.
Visual Apex and Plasma Concepts have good reps.

Alan F


Alan, don't some manufacturers void their warranties if you purchase
from unauthorized dealers?


If you are concerned about warranty coverage call your state's
consumer affairs office or attorney general's office. They will tell
you what you need to know. In my state all that is required is for the
item to be bought new, legally and have a USA warranty card. It does
not have to be bought from an "authorized dealer". The product is
warrantied, not the relationship of the seller to the manufacturer.

That makes sense. And I heard about products being bought that didn't
have a USA warranty card.


Matthew


--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35

http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler
remove –SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson