Hi all,
I'm in the market for an HDTV and have just spent the past couple of days giving myself a crash course on the subject. Since I had it all typed out / inputted on a spreadsheet anyways for my own use, I thought I may as well post what I have learned here so maybe someone else can benefit from it too.
The descriptions of the TV's, and the differences between LCD and DLP are all in my own words...so if I have not gotten something 100% technically right I apologize, but I have done my best to be as accurate as I could while converting it to simpler language that even I can understand.
I have ruled out getting a plasma screen for a variety of reasons, so that is why it is not mentioned here. First, what I have discovered about the differences between the two other major technologies, DLP and LCD:
DLP
- Produces a picture by shining a light through a rotating color wheel, which is then reflected onto millions of tiny moving mirrors.
- On the older technology there were only 3 colors on the color wheel (red, green, blue). As the technology has gotten better, the number of colors used in the color wheel has increased. You can now get TV's with 4 colors (red, green, blue, white), 6 colors (all the colors of the rainbow), or 7 colors (all the colors of the rainbow plus white). Obviously, the more colors the better.
- Better black levels and better picture in dimly lit scenes than LCD.
- Better viewing angles. Some sets reportedly have 160 degrees of good viewable area (you don't have to sit directly in front of the TV)
- NO burn-in issues at all. It just doesn't exist on DLP's because all you are doing is reflecting light off of mirrors - not projecting an image.
- Some users report grays do not show up well on DLP. Because there is no "gray" on the color wheel, it has to make this color up using other colors blended together. Some users report grays look a bit blue-ish.
- Some users also report blond hair can appear a bit greenish. Both of these issues are greatly diminished if you have 6 or 7 colors.
- The bulb will likely burn out in 4 to 6 years, and must be replaced (current cost for one of these is about $350). But they say when you replace it the TV will look like it is brand new again.
- There have been almost no reports anywhere of mirrors getting "stuck". The salesman I saw earlier this week stated this was a problem, but most of the forums say this is a myth and happens VERY rarely.
- Main concern: There are a number of warnings of some people experiencing a "rainbow effect" while watching these screens. While 90% of the people can't see it, some report seeing flashing colors, and getting headaches after watching it for a long period of time. I've read this at more than one forum. Apparently it depends on the person - you're either susceptible to it or you're not, and you're not going to know until you've watched it for quite some time.
- Most DLP's I have seen come with a 2-year warranty built in, whereas most LCD's only come with a 1-year warranty. Buying an extended warranty would be recommended in either case.
- A number of users say DLP is better for watching sports; LCD is better for watching movies.
LCD
- 3 layers of glass on the screen (red, blue, green). The image is reflected onto the screen and the appropriate color, or blending of color, lights up to show a full image.
- Users sometimes report a "screen door effect", a series of lines in the picture. Reportedly this problem is getting lesser as time goes on and technology improves though.
- White levels are reported to be not as good on LCD screens.
- LCD manufacturers (Sony in particular) can be deceptive in their advertising. It is frequently mentioned that on 50" sets they have over 3-million pixels, whereas DLP uses only just over 1-million little reflective mirrors. However, this does not mean LCD's are 3 times sharper. LCD's NEED 1 million pixels per color (3 layers of color on the screen)...but in DLP's one mirror reflects ALL colors....so 3 million in LCD is equal to 1 million in DLP. But it sounds like you are getting a lot more when they state they have 3x the number of pixels.
- Pixelation can be a problem, in particular in darker scenes.
- Lower contrast levels in LCD than DLP.
- The color level of the layers of the screen can (and will) fade. In particular, for some reason the blue layer tends to go first in almost all models. This can be replaced, but it is not cheap.
- Picture quality gradually gets worse over time and is not easy to fix.
- Burn-in problems are a real issue, especially if you watch a lot of non-HDTV with black bars down the sides. If you do this a lot, the middle of the screen wears out faster than the black parts that you aren't using. If down the road you then watch HDTV you'll notice the side bars are lighter in color than the main part of the screen. Users strongly suggest using gray bars down the sides if the TV has the option instead of black, so that there is burn-in on all parts of the screen. Some even suggest putting up white bars on the TV while it is not in use (leaving the TV powered on, but the cable/satellite powered off) so that the bars burn in at the same rate as the rest of it.
- I have found a few reports of dead pixels. Some users have reported more than 1 or 2 after just a few months of watching. There are a lot more reports of dead pixels on LCD's than there are of stuck mirrors on DLP's. Still, the number of people reporting either problem is a fairly small % of overall owners.
Probably 70% of the people who responded in the forum I checked out said they would pick DLP over LCD...but it also depends on how you plan to watch the TV.
MANY people report TV's that look great in HDTV but crappy on standard broadcasts. Since for the time being we are going to be watching a lot more standard than HDTV, it's important to really check it out on both modes.
=====================================================
Then I went about comparing TV's from different manufacturers that are all similar in specs. I found 5 TV's that should be almost identical and checked out the pros and cons of each. The first three are LCD - the last 2 are DLP.
Hitatchi - 50V500 50" LCD Rear Projection - This TV is weak on audio. 12 watts per channel when all the others here are 15. No Sound Logic Audio Leveler (all the rest have it). At 67 kg it's by far the heaviest of the 5 TV's. And get this - despite being a 16:9 50" set.... this TV is NOT HDTV ready according to the website. (Compatible yes, "ready" no). Maybe this is an error...I can't imaging anyone making a 16:9 that isn't HDTV ready. Anyways, due to the fact the audio is much weaker than all the rest, I crossed it off my list. (It was also selling for $500 more than all the other TV's).
Sony - KF50WE610 50" Grand Wega LCD - According the website, this TV is not progressive scanning (the only one here that isn't). I've been strongly warned not to get anything that isn't progressive scan. No Adjustable color temperature either (only one without it), and no Wide Band Video Amplifier (again, the only one without it). Only 1 RF input on the back (3 of these 5 have 2). Read a couple of reports of people buying this TV first, not being happy with it and sending it back. So I crossed this off my list.
Panasonic PT50LC13 50" LCD Widescreen - No 480i resolution setting. Only 1 RF input. No Black Level Expansion setting (all the others have it). This TV is the thinnest depth-wise, but also the widest, 10cm wider than the next biggest. Seems like not a bad TV.
RCA - HDLP50W151 50" Scenium DLP - Going by the website specs, this TV appears to have almost no drawbacks at all. It even has a built in ethernet card so you can hook it up directly to the internet, or to your own computer. AND it has a built in HDTV decoder so you can get over-the-air HDTV (which is supposed to be very high quality) without having to subscribe to ANYTHING - the only TV in this range that has this. Wow, I thought...I gotta find this TV and check it out. Then I read avsforum...and holy shit do these people hate this TV. There have to be 15 or 20 different people all saying this is the biggest piece of junk out there, RCA's technical support is awful, etc. People saying it died 1 day/1 week/2 weeks/1 month after they had it. Not one person who has tried the data port reports it working properly. Some people report S-Video port #2 doesn't work. Many report very loud fan noise / rattling coming from it, and technicians telling them "this is normal for this TV". Two or three report it running very hot and a couple even said the motherboard on it fried. Just in case this was a prejudiced forum of RCA haters, I went out and found some other forums...and the people on those report all the same problems. So it would appear this is a TV to avoid at all costs.
Samsung - HLN-5065WX 50" DLP Widescreen - This is the only TV of the bunch that does not have surround sound built into it...that seems to be it's main drawback. However seeing as I'm going to have my home theatre hooked around it this is easily worked around and shouldn't be an issue for me. People also say the "Panorama mode", in which standard pictures are stretched to fill the screen, stretch things too much ... "everyone looks fat on this TV in Panorama mode". Also reportedly not the best TV for viewing regular broadcasts, but it's incredible for HDTV. Other than that the reviews have been more positive for this TV than any of the others.
There is no perfect TV out there, they've all got some drawbacks at this point. But I think I am leaning towards the Samsung. Samsung HLP's are coming out sometime in July too. (HLP being this year's model of the HLN). So it's possible (likely?) there will be a price drop on these HLN's in the very near future.
I'm in the market for an HDTV and have just spent the past couple of days giving myself a crash course on the subject. Since I had it all typed out / inputted on a spreadsheet anyways for my own use, I thought I may as well post what I have learned here so maybe someone else can benefit from it too.
The descriptions of the TV's, and the differences between LCD and DLP are all in my own words...so if I have not gotten something 100% technically right I apologize, but I have done my best to be as accurate as I could while converting it to simpler language that even I can understand.
I have ruled out getting a plasma screen for a variety of reasons, so that is why it is not mentioned here. First, what I have discovered about the differences between the two other major technologies, DLP and LCD:
DLP
- Produces a picture by shining a light through a rotating color wheel, which is then reflected onto millions of tiny moving mirrors.
- On the older technology there were only 3 colors on the color wheel (red, green, blue). As the technology has gotten better, the number of colors used in the color wheel has increased. You can now get TV's with 4 colors (red, green, blue, white), 6 colors (all the colors of the rainbow), or 7 colors (all the colors of the rainbow plus white). Obviously, the more colors the better.
- Better black levels and better picture in dimly lit scenes than LCD.
- Better viewing angles. Some sets reportedly have 160 degrees of good viewable area (you don't have to sit directly in front of the TV)
- NO burn-in issues at all. It just doesn't exist on DLP's because all you are doing is reflecting light off of mirrors - not projecting an image.
- Some users report grays do not show up well on DLP. Because there is no "gray" on the color wheel, it has to make this color up using other colors blended together. Some users report grays look a bit blue-ish.
- Some users also report blond hair can appear a bit greenish. Both of these issues are greatly diminished if you have 6 or 7 colors.
- The bulb will likely burn out in 4 to 6 years, and must be replaced (current cost for one of these is about $350). But they say when you replace it the TV will look like it is brand new again.
- There have been almost no reports anywhere of mirrors getting "stuck". The salesman I saw earlier this week stated this was a problem, but most of the forums say this is a myth and happens VERY rarely.
- Main concern: There are a number of warnings of some people experiencing a "rainbow effect" while watching these screens. While 90% of the people can't see it, some report seeing flashing colors, and getting headaches after watching it for a long period of time. I've read this at more than one forum. Apparently it depends on the person - you're either susceptible to it or you're not, and you're not going to know until you've watched it for quite some time.
- Most DLP's I have seen come with a 2-year warranty built in, whereas most LCD's only come with a 1-year warranty. Buying an extended warranty would be recommended in either case.
- A number of users say DLP is better for watching sports; LCD is better for watching movies.
LCD
- 3 layers of glass on the screen (red, blue, green). The image is reflected onto the screen and the appropriate color, or blending of color, lights up to show a full image.
- Users sometimes report a "screen door effect", a series of lines in the picture. Reportedly this problem is getting lesser as time goes on and technology improves though.
- White levels are reported to be not as good on LCD screens.
- LCD manufacturers (Sony in particular) can be deceptive in their advertising. It is frequently mentioned that on 50" sets they have over 3-million pixels, whereas DLP uses only just over 1-million little reflective mirrors. However, this does not mean LCD's are 3 times sharper. LCD's NEED 1 million pixels per color (3 layers of color on the screen)...but in DLP's one mirror reflects ALL colors....so 3 million in LCD is equal to 1 million in DLP. But it sounds like you are getting a lot more when they state they have 3x the number of pixels.
- Pixelation can be a problem, in particular in darker scenes.
- Lower contrast levels in LCD than DLP.
- The color level of the layers of the screen can (and will) fade. In particular, for some reason the blue layer tends to go first in almost all models. This can be replaced, but it is not cheap.
- Picture quality gradually gets worse over time and is not easy to fix.
- Burn-in problems are a real issue, especially if you watch a lot of non-HDTV with black bars down the sides. If you do this a lot, the middle of the screen wears out faster than the black parts that you aren't using. If down the road you then watch HDTV you'll notice the side bars are lighter in color than the main part of the screen. Users strongly suggest using gray bars down the sides if the TV has the option instead of black, so that there is burn-in on all parts of the screen. Some even suggest putting up white bars on the TV while it is not in use (leaving the TV powered on, but the cable/satellite powered off) so that the bars burn in at the same rate as the rest of it.
- I have found a few reports of dead pixels. Some users have reported more than 1 or 2 after just a few months of watching. There are a lot more reports of dead pixels on LCD's than there are of stuck mirrors on DLP's. Still, the number of people reporting either problem is a fairly small % of overall owners.
Probably 70% of the people who responded in the forum I checked out said they would pick DLP over LCD...but it also depends on how you plan to watch the TV.
MANY people report TV's that look great in HDTV but crappy on standard broadcasts. Since for the time being we are going to be watching a lot more standard than HDTV, it's important to really check it out on both modes.
=====================================================
Then I went about comparing TV's from different manufacturers that are all similar in specs. I found 5 TV's that should be almost identical and checked out the pros and cons of each. The first three are LCD - the last 2 are DLP.
Hitatchi - 50V500 50" LCD Rear Projection - This TV is weak on audio. 12 watts per channel when all the others here are 15. No Sound Logic Audio Leveler (all the rest have it). At 67 kg it's by far the heaviest of the 5 TV's. And get this - despite being a 16:9 50" set.... this TV is NOT HDTV ready according to the website. (Compatible yes, "ready" no). Maybe this is an error...I can't imaging anyone making a 16:9 that isn't HDTV ready. Anyways, due to the fact the audio is much weaker than all the rest, I crossed it off my list. (It was also selling for $500 more than all the other TV's).
Sony - KF50WE610 50" Grand Wega LCD - According the website, this TV is not progressive scanning (the only one here that isn't). I've been strongly warned not to get anything that isn't progressive scan. No Adjustable color temperature either (only one without it), and no Wide Band Video Amplifier (again, the only one without it). Only 1 RF input on the back (3 of these 5 have 2). Read a couple of reports of people buying this TV first, not being happy with it and sending it back. So I crossed this off my list.
Panasonic PT50LC13 50" LCD Widescreen - No 480i resolution setting. Only 1 RF input. No Black Level Expansion setting (all the others have it). This TV is the thinnest depth-wise, but also the widest, 10cm wider than the next biggest. Seems like not a bad TV.
RCA - HDLP50W151 50" Scenium DLP - Going by the website specs, this TV appears to have almost no drawbacks at all. It even has a built in ethernet card so you can hook it up directly to the internet, or to your own computer. AND it has a built in HDTV decoder so you can get over-the-air HDTV (which is supposed to be very high quality) without having to subscribe to ANYTHING - the only TV in this range that has this. Wow, I thought...I gotta find this TV and check it out. Then I read avsforum...and holy shit do these people hate this TV. There have to be 15 or 20 different people all saying this is the biggest piece of junk out there, RCA's technical support is awful, etc. People saying it died 1 day/1 week/2 weeks/1 month after they had it. Not one person who has tried the data port reports it working properly. Some people report S-Video port #2 doesn't work. Many report very loud fan noise / rattling coming from it, and technicians telling them "this is normal for this TV". Two or three report it running very hot and a couple even said the motherboard on it fried. Just in case this was a prejudiced forum of RCA haters, I went out and found some other forums...and the people on those report all the same problems. So it would appear this is a TV to avoid at all costs.
Samsung - HLN-5065WX 50" DLP Widescreen - This is the only TV of the bunch that does not have surround sound built into it...that seems to be it's main drawback. However seeing as I'm going to have my home theatre hooked around it this is easily worked around and shouldn't be an issue for me. People also say the "Panorama mode", in which standard pictures are stretched to fill the screen, stretch things too much ... "everyone looks fat on this TV in Panorama mode". Also reportedly not the best TV for viewing regular broadcasts, but it's incredible for HDTV. Other than that the reviews have been more positive for this TV than any of the others.
There is no perfect TV out there, they've all got some drawbacks at this point. But I think I am leaning towards the Samsung. Samsung HLP's are coming out sometime in July too. (HLP being this year's model of the HLN). So it's possible (likely?) there will be a price drop on these HLN's in the very near future.
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