3LCD versus LCD - Blu-ray Forum

mainman · 06-17-2006, 08:35 PM

Sony has a line of 3LCD tv's (is this the same as DLP? I think not).

Which are better, (the newest) 3LCD or (the newest) LCD tv's.

I am asking on this forum, because you guys seem to know alot about this stuf.

Thanx

JTK · 06-17-2006, 08:49 PM

http://www.3lcd.com/

Taken from numerous 3LCD TV descriptions:

Quote:

3LCD technology is a video projection system that uses three LCD panels to produce an image. There are three key advantages of 3LCD televisions: A Brighter Picture even in well-lit rooms; Natural Colors are displayed with intense vibrancy; High Detail for spectacular HD performance.

vick vega · 06-17-2006, 08:49 PM

I'm not sure I have a Sony kdf series lcd w/ 1080i res. maybe the new ones put out 1080p i'm not sure

Sony1 · 06-17-2006, 09:06 PM

Negative The three LCD is a 1080i, I own this TV and I have to say it is the best TV i have ever had. The price just dropped on it at BB and is now 2499.$ not bad considering I paid 2999. last August. The only issue that I have with the TV is it only has one HDMI input. Other than that Auwsome TV

mainman · 06-17-2006, 11:12 PM

But 3LCD doesn't have backlight function, right?

AV_Integrated · 06-18-2006, 12:56 AM

Oh dear... two things to cover. Item 1 is LCD vs 3-LCD and item 2 is that there is NO SUCH THING AS A 1080i digital display.

Item 1
LCD vs. 3LCD...

This is a painful concept as people just don't seem to get it. People do get this though: Is a plasma the same as your old tube-type CRT television that you got 20 years ago? No, of course not. How about a plasma compared to the rear projection models of 10 years ago? Once again - no.

LCD/3-LCD is similar to comparing a plasma to a CRT rear projector - that is, they do two very different things to give you the same results.

It should be noted first off, that 3-LCD is a marketing term, that describes one of two different forms of LCD technology.

TWO FORM FACTORS: The first form factor is a LCD flat panel. This is the type of LCD that most people are very familiar with. It is like your laptop screen, or your PC flat monitor (LCD). Sharp uses LCD flat panels as a ton of their displays. LCD flat panels look almost identical to plasma displays. At about 42" they are about 5" deep and can be hung on your wall. No problem. These are not the type of displays that are dubbed '3-LCD' but should typically be called LCD flat panels.
DETAILED INFO: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm
More specific to this type... : http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd7.htm and http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd9.htm

The other flavor of LCD is LCD projectors - dubbed 3-LCD. Many people may be familiar with front projectors, like those used in board rooms at your office that a PC is hooked up to. Well, one of the types of projection technologies is called LCD. (the other 2 big names are DLP and LCoS) These displays use 3 LCD chips inside of them, one for red, green, and blue to create the image. Rear projection televisions today most often have either a LCD projector inside of them, and DLP projector inside of them, or a LCoS projector inside of them. LCoS goes by DILA or SXRD depending on the manufacturer (Sony/JVC).

Details on LCD projection: http://www.3lcd.com/
More specific: http://www.3lcd.com/project.html

1080i displays...
There are 5 primary types of digital displays on the market right now.
Plasma flat panels
LCD flat panels
DLP projection (front & rear)
LCD projection (front & rear)
LCoS projection (front & rear)

Not one of them is capable of showing 1080i natively. From your PC monitor, to the latest million dollar DLP cinema downtown. By the nature of digital displays, they work in the progressive format (unless someone has info I have never heard). This means that if you have one of the 5 listed technologies, you are not ever viewing 1080i...

HUH? (you say) - I always send 1080i to my display, I see it all the time!

Yes, you FEED your projector 1080i, but the projector then displays, progressively, the resolution of the display. It is like your display can ONLY speak English. But, it understands French, German, Italian, Greek, Latin, English, etc. But, when it speaks, it translates those other languages back to English, and that is ALL it speaks.

If your display says 1280x720 under 'Native Resolution' then that is what your display truly shows, all the time. If you feed it 1080i (1920x1080 interlaced) it will typically convert it to 540p (960x540 progressive) then convert it up to 1280x720.

From the day you buy it, to the day it goes into the dumpster, it will never, EVER show anything but 1280x720 - no matter what you feed into it. The most common video types it can translate are 480i (regular TV), 480p (many DVD players), 720p (HDTV), and 1080i (HDTV). Some newer displays, like the Westinghouse, can accept 1080p as well (Blu-ray).

In the end - this is far more technical than most people care about and they typically don't get it. But, suffice it to say that modern digital displays can speak the language of almost anything you throw at it and do a good job showing it. Ten years ago, the technology found in a $1,000 projector didn't exist, and what did exist would cost upwards of $20,000... not including the projector.

zombie · 06-18-2006, 01:22 AM

^ That's a great explanation. I'm a complete amateur when it comes to displays so that really helped explain some things for me. Thank you.

mainman · 06-18-2006, 02:41 PM

How is the lifespan of 3LCD compared to, Plasma, LCD, DLP, CRT and such.

What are the ups and downs of 3LCD technology?

If anybody knows, please share.

The Don · 06-18-2006, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mainman

How is the lifespan of 3LCD compared to, Plasma, LCD, DLP, CRT and such.

What are the ups and downs of 3LCD technology?

If anybody knows, please share.

it blows away Plasma...that I know for a fact....but I believe it's superior to DLP by a small amount and would be similar to LCD as it's the same technology...just improved all around the board in regards to viewing pleasure! lol

JTK · 06-18-2006, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Don

it blows away Plasma...that I know for a fact....but I believe it's superior to DLP by a small amount and would be similar to LCD as it's the same technology...just improved all around the board in regards to viewing pleasure! lol

And SXRD LCOS is arguably even better, imho.

yvzpa · 06-18-2006, 04:37 PM

I am still a bit confused about the 2 forms of LCDs...
According to my interpretation of the Howstuffworks articles, a LCD is capable of displaying three colours by itself. (micro-pixel or the like)
So why is it in a projector they need to have three LCDs instead of one?

Another thing
I was reading about projection tv from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/projection-tv.htm
Regarding the front and rear projection diagrams, the page seems to imply that front projection will use transmissive devices, such as CRT and LCD
and rear projection will use reflective devices, such as DLP and LCoS.
How then can DLP, LCoS, and LCD can, as you said, be both front and rear projections?

Please point me to the right direction, I am definitely interested in finding out more.

Cheers

thunderhawk · 06-18-2006, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yvzpa

So why is it in a projector they need to have three LCDs instead of one?

Because it's a projector.
An LCD projector has three LCDs, one for blue, one for green and one for red (to display RGB colors).
Now, each of these LCDs processes the information in grayscale. Later on, they project the information in the color they represent, each on top of eachother, and this results in a colored image. Example:

Look here for more information. (This also explains the 3CCD principle in digital photography)

That's a basic priciple regarding the reproduction of colors and that's why a projector requires 3 of these LCDs. A unified one hasn't been created I suppose.

suprmallet · 06-18-2006, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Don

it blows away Plasma...that I know for a fact....but I believe it's superior to DLP by a small amount and would be similar to LCD as it's the same technology...just improved all around the board in regards to viewing pleasure! lol

I've never heard of any LCD-based TV blowing away anything. I have a hard time believing that the worst type of TV could suddenly become the best if you gave it separate chips.

AV_Integrated · 06-18-2006, 09:19 PM

Alright... Getting even deeper into it...

COMPARISON
CRT (tube TV), PLASMA, LCD (flat panel), CRT (projection), LCD (projection), DLP, LCoS

CRT is the gold standard by which everything is measured. These old fashioned tube displays are considered the gold standard by which all other display technologies are trying to live up to. They are big - HUGE for that matter. They weigh a lot and have bulky cases. They also are size limited - that is, a tube type TV isn't typically larger than 36 or so inches and those will weigh in over 100 pounds typically. But, the image quality from a CRT is unsurpassed by any display device. In a dark room, a CRT can produce the best black levels and the best contrast ratios of any other display device. Very accurate colors... Plus, they tend not to be overly expensive. Unfortunately, HDTV CRT televisions aren't as common as the more traditional 4:3 televisions - and prices jump a great deal with HDTV versions. Still, a bargain. CRT is succeptable to uneven phosphor wear (old Pac-Man games where it says 'PLAYER 1' in the corner even when the screen is off), but this is very rare with these displays.

Plasma is coming up on about 10 years old. It was one of the first serious flat panel display technologies that could have a decent size. Bright, decent contrast, digital display technology. 42, 50, and 61 inch diagonal screen sizes are most common with some various sizes around there at times. These displays are a few inches deep and are often hung on the wall. The big plus with plasma is that they are so thin they go great on the wall, above a fireplace, or some other out-of-the-way location. One in the bedroom above a dresser... not taking up floor space. Very cool. The bright image is viewable anytime day or night, and contrast ratios, while good, do not match CRT. Biggest downsides? Cost! While coming down rapidly, plasmas are still over $1,000 for even the cheapeast models. Also, they are far more succeptable to uneven phosphor wear (burn-in) than CRT. While today's plasmas go a long way to correct for burn-in, it can still happen. This is especially true for heavy gamers who play games for hours and days on end... But, lighter gamers and those who don't leave the stock ticker up 24x7 at the bottom of their screen usually never experience burn-in. A little caution is key! (I have 2 plasmas)

LCD flat panel displays - Like your PC monitor or the screen on your iPod way up to the newest 65" display from Sharp. They all are similar in design. A light behind LCD panels creates an image. These displays are noticably brighter than plasma and CRT. They produce a very sharp image and often have some of the best contrast ratios in rooms with lots of light in them. But, they tend to be more expensive than plasmas of similar size, and until recently weren't available in 40" sizes or larger. That's beginning to change now. Another big downside to LCD is that the image on screen is a bit slow to keep up with fast action. This can make motion look blurred or jumpy when it shouldn't be. Pixel response time causes this, and manufacturers are working hard to get rid of this smearing effect. Quite often, if you are sitting off center to an LCD the blacks on screen tend to look far more grey than black. This is another issue with LCD technology in general, that manufacturers are working hard to improve constantly. Biggest plusses? Bright, ZERO burn-in potential, can hang on the wall, lots of cool factor, sharp image.

CRT projection technology is almost dead. These projectors weighed a lot and the image they produced is still the best out there. But, they required constant upkeep to maintain that quality image and the image was not that bright. For rear projection you typically would have a special screen on the display that would force you to sit right at eye level with the screen or a little below it. Much above it, to far to the sides, or below, and the image got really dim. But, the black levels on these displays was near perfect and is still the gold standard. As with CRT traditional displays, these displays are big and heavy. They also aren't so bright, so to much light in the room would make the image look really poor. But, once again, they have a lot of value to them and if you have the space, and a room that doesn't get a ton of light... and you don't mind tweaking them regularly, these displays can produce some of the best images imaginable. Yes, like CRT televisions, CRT projectors can (rarely) suffer from burn-in.

LCD projection technology utilizes 3 small LCD chips which light is projected through. Each one of these chips is dedicated to reproducing the red, green, and blue portion of the spectrum. These 3 primary colors are all that is necessary to product a full color image and the only way for LCD projection to acheive full color is to use 3 LCD chips. Rear projection LCD can look very good and does not suffer from burn-in. The cases of these projectors tend to be very shallow at about a foot and don't weight a lot typically. You can get a very large screen size and a great image. For front projection, you get a very small case (about 12"x12"x4") that can project a 10 FOOT diagonal image of HD quality. The Panasonic AE900 and Sanyo Z4 are two of the top selling LCD projectors for home theater in the world. Phenomenal image for a very good price (under $2,000). The downside is that LCD tends NOT to be considered as good of an image as DLP or LCoS. But, you tend to pay less for LCD and LCD is coming closer and closer every year to the same quality levels as DLP/LCoS. As a chip based projector, LCD requires a lamp to create the light source. These lamps aren't like your typical table lamps or even car bulbs. They are very expensive - on the order of $300 -> $500 or more and often only last about 2,000 hours. Manufacturers give all sorts of specifications for how long they will last, but only warranty them for 90 days typically. So, I recommend people budget one new lamp every YEAR for their LCD displays. NOTE: DLP and LCoS both use similar lamps with similar costs - they don't get an advantage there! The lamp is user replacable and when you put it in, the display will (should) look as good as the first day you brought it home.

DLP (digital light projection) uses a chip covered with thounsands of tiny mirrors. A single chip that is less than an inch diagonal for HDTV actually has about 1 million individual mirrors on it. A very nifty technology develped by Texas Instruments. DLP projectors (front and rear) tend to use a single DLP chip. To get all 3 primary colors, the light is first projected through a color wheel that has red, green, and blue segments in it. Some manufacturers add other colors and more segments to produce more colors more accurately, but it varies. Bottom line is that as the color wheel spins, the DLP chip (called a DMD - digital micromirror device) pivots the mirrors on and off hundreds of times a second to produce the image on screen. The downside to the single chip DLP plus color wheel is that some people can see blurs of color that look like rainbows around objects that are moving. This is called the rainbow effect (RBE) and not everyone can see it. The better projectors spin the color wheel faster and add more segments to reduce the chance of rainbow effect (RBE). Some manufacturers make projectors with 3-DLP chips... like LCD projection and LCoS projection, using 3-DLP chips offers a rainbow free image. It also typically offers a very bright screen image... but it is expensive. DLP is the most commong type of rear projection today and is very common for front projection. Good price, excellent sharp image, not a very big case (similar to LCD). The contrast ratios and shadow details of DLP tends to be better than LCD and is constantly improving. But, DLP tends to cost a bit more and 3-DLP technology is a LOT more. While the Z4 is well under $2K the cheapest DLP projector of similar resolution/quality is right at $2K and a 3-DLP model runs over $10K. But, for rear projection, DLP is very common and not overly expensive - right in line with LCD typically. 1080p DLP projectors are not exactly what they claim, but are close. They use a 960x1080 single chip where each pixel pulls double duty to create the full 1920x1080 image on scree. A process called wobulation. It works very well, but isn't the same as full resolution 1080p. Yes, DLP uses lamps that run $300 -> $500+ to replace.

LCoS (prounounced lie-coes) standard for liquid crystal on silicone. It basically puts an LCD panel on top of a mirror. This improves the contrast ratio of LCD a great deal and the overall image quality. DLP and LCoS often go head to head as top dog for image quality in a projector. Yes, always a projection technology with expensive lamps. LCoS goes under two major trade names. From Sony we have SXRD and from JVC we have DILA... both are LCoS at their heart though. LCoS tends to be a bit more expensive than DLP or LCD, but some of the best displays are using LCoS technology and LCoS can boast that it already has true 1920x1080 chips for displays. LCoS, like LCD, always uses 3 chips to reproduce colors, so no potential for rainbow effect. The Sony VPL-100 front projector can boast to be the first 1080p 3-chip projector under $10,000. It is a very cool device - but replacement lamps run about $1,000.00! In rear projection, once again the case is similar to LCD and DLP and while pricing may be a bit more, it isn't typically off the charts higher.

...continued...

AV_Integrated · 06-18-2006, 09:20 PM

...continued...

CONCLUSION: What does all this mean for your final quality? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Far greater than just the display technology is the engineering that goes into creating the product. This includes a focus on color accuracy, the best black levels and shadow details possible, image processing, user interfaces, and more. Image processing is a VERY big factor as digital displays really require the best processors possible to give the best final image - and it has nothing to do with the display technology!

If you were to put the average person in a room with LCD and a plasma, they likely couldn't tell the difference right away - they are very close and very good. Throw in a CRT tube type and they would recognize the tube type, but likely wouldn't see a huge difference in image quality.

For projectors, go ahead and put DLP, LCD, and LCoS side by side and you get the same response - Dang! Those look the same! Add a CRT and you might notice the CRT looks a bit better and a good deal dimmer. But, similar.

Which is best? That always is a factor of the individual room and the setup. A bright room, a dark room, a room with extra space, a room with tight space, the budget, the need for 'cool', the requirement for specific connections, the desire to put on a wall, the need for multiple uses for the room. Front projection goes BIG - but requires a DARK room... so it is rarely ideal for everyone. Plasma is cool, but not often ideal for heavy gamers. LCD is great for all types, but can be expensive and out of budget and the smearing of the image can drive sports fans nuts. Rear projection technology are far more common and price attractive and good... but lamps do need to be replaced and they aren't as slick as LCD flat panels or plasmas. Finally, CRT is the gimme standby and I believe it was only 1 or 2 years ago that CRT fell out of position as the top selling new display type in the USA. So, CRT still carries a LOT of muscle behind it.

Phew - if you don't read every word of what I wrote above I'll have to slap you silly.

(joking of course)

JTK · 06-18-2006, 10:53 PM

^^ Who do we make the check out to?

suprmallet · 06-18-2006, 11:56 PM

I've got a 55" CRT Mitsubishi, and it looks awesome. It's a shame no one seems to be making 1080p CRT displays.

The Don · 06-19-2006, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTK

And SXRD LCOS is arguably even better, imho.

it might even be a fact..."imho" is sandbagging a little lol

vick vega · 06-19-2006, 02:31 PM

What about hdila my brother has a hdila dlp by jvc

AV_Integrated · 06-19-2006, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vick vega

What about hdila my brother has a hdila dlp by jvc

Congratulations - you have been slapped silly.

READ: LCoS info above.

06-17-2006, 08:35 PM	#1
mainman Senior Member Member since:Jan 2006	3LCD versus LCD Sony has a line of 3LCD tv's (is this the same as DLP? I think not). Which are better, (the newest) 3LCD or (the newest) LCD tv's. I am asking on this forum, because you guys seem to know alot about this stuf. Thanx

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06-17-2006, 08:49 PM	#3
vick vega Banned Member since:Apr 2006 Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:1	I'm not sure I have a Sony kdf series lcd w/ 1080i res. maybe the new ones put out 1080p i'm not sure

06-17-2006, 09:06 PM	#4
Sony1 Banned Member since:Nov 2005	Negative The three LCD is a 1080i, I own this TV and I have to say it is the best TV i have ever had. The price just dropped on it at BB and is now 2499.$ not bad considering I paid 2999. last August. The only issue that I have with the TV is it only has one HDMI input. Other than that Auwsome TV

06-17-2006, 11:12 PM	#5
mainman Senior Member Member since:Jan 2006	But 3LCD doesn't have backlight function, right?

06-18-2006, 12:56 AM	#6
AV_Integrated Senior Member Member since:Jan 2005	Oh dear... two things to cover. Item 1 is LCD vs 3-LCD and item 2 is that there is NO SUCH THING AS A 1080i digital display. Item 1 LCD vs. 3LCD... This is a painful concept as people just don't seem to get it. People do get this though: Is a plasma the same as your old tube-type CRT television that you got 20 years ago? No, of course not. How about a plasma compared to the rear projection models of 10 years ago? Once again - no. LCD/3-LCD is similar to comparing a plasma to a CRT rear projector - that is, they do two very different things to give you the same results. It should be noted first off, that 3-LCD is a marketing term, that describes one of two different forms of LCD technology. TWO FORM FACTORS: The first form factor is a LCD flat panel. This is the type of LCD that most people are very familiar with. It is like your laptop screen, or your PC flat monitor (LCD). Sharp uses LCD flat panels as a ton of their displays. LCD flat panels look almost identical to plasma displays. At about 42" they are about 5" deep and can be hung on your wall. No problem. These are not the type of displays that are dubbed '3-LCD' but should typically be called LCD flat panels. DETAILED INFO: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm More specific to this type... : http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd7.htm and http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd9.htm The other flavor of LCD is LCD projectors - dubbed 3-LCD. Many people may be familiar with front projectors, like those used in board rooms at your office that a PC is hooked up to. Well, one of the types of projection technologies is called LCD. (the other 2 big names are DLP and LCoS) These displays use 3 LCD chips inside of them, one for red, green, and blue to create the image. Rear projection televisions today most often have either a LCD projector inside of them, and DLP projector inside of them, or a LCoS projector inside of them. LCoS goes by DILA or SXRD depending on the manufacturer (Sony/JVC). Details on LCD projection: http://www.3lcd.com/ More specific: http://www.3lcd.com/project.html 1080i displays... There are 5 primary types of digital displays on the market right now. Plasma flat panels LCD flat panels DLP projection (front & rear) LCD projection (front & rear) LCoS projection (front & rear) Not one of them is capable of showing 1080i natively. From your PC monitor, to the latest million dollar DLP cinema downtown. By the nature of digital displays, they work in the progressive format (unless someone has info I have never heard). This means that if you have one of the 5 listed technologies, you are not ever viewing 1080i... HUH? (you say) - I always send 1080i to my display, I see it all the time! Yes, you FEED your projector 1080i, but the projector then displays, progressively, the resolution of the display. It is like your display can ONLY speak English. But, it understands French, German, Italian, Greek, Latin, English, etc. But, when it speaks, it translates those other languages back to English, and that is ALL it speaks. If your display says 1280x720 under 'Native Resolution' then that is what your display truly shows, all the time. If you feed it 1080i (1920x1080 interlaced) it will typically convert it to 540p (960x540 progressive) then convert it up to 1280x720. From the day you buy it, to the day it goes into the dumpster, it will never, EVER show anything but 1280x720 - no matter what you feed into it. The most common video types it can translate are 480i (regular TV), 480p (many DVD players), 720p (HDTV), and 1080i (HDTV). Some newer displays, like the Westinghouse, can accept 1080p as well (Blu-ray). In the end - this is far more technical than most people care about and they typically don't get it. But, suffice it to say that modern digital displays can speak the language of almost anything you throw at it and do a good job showing it. Ten years ago, the technology found in a $1,000 projector didn't exist, and what did exist would cost upwards of $20,000... not including the projector.

06-18-2006, 01:22 AM	#7
zombie Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:May 2004 Trading Score:865	^ That's a great explanation. I'm a complete amateur when it comes to displays so that really helped explain some things for me. Thank you.

06-18-2006, 02:41 PM	#8
mainman Senior Member Member since:Jan 2006	How is the lifespan of 3LCD compared to, Plasma, LCD, DLP, CRT and such. What are the ups and downs of 3LCD technology? If anybody knows, please share.

06-18-2006, 04:37 PM	#11
yvzpa Junior Member Member since:Jun 2006	I am still a bit confused about the 2 forms of LCDs... According to my interpretation of the Howstuffworks articles, a LCD is capable of displaying three colours by itself. (micro-pixel or the like) So why is it in a projector they need to have three LCDs instead of one? Another thing I was reading about projection tv from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/projection-tv.htm Regarding the front and rear projection diagrams, the page seems to imply that front projection will use transmissive devices, such as CRT and LCD and rear projection will use reflective devices, such as DLP and LCoS. How then can DLP, LCoS, and LCD can, as you said, be both front and rear projections? Please point me to the right direction, I am definitely interested in finding out more. Cheers

06-18-2006, 09:19 PM	#14
AV_Integrated Senior Member Member since:Jan 2005	Alright... Getting even deeper into it... COMPARISON CRT (tube TV), PLASMA, LCD (flat panel), CRT (projection), LCD (projection), DLP, LCoS CRT is the gold standard by which everything is measured. These old fashioned tube displays are considered the gold standard by which all other display technologies are trying to live up to. They are big - HUGE for that matter. They weigh a lot and have bulky cases. They also are size limited - that is, a tube type TV isn't typically larger than 36 or so inches and those will weigh in over 100 pounds typically. But, the image quality from a CRT is unsurpassed by any display device. In a dark room, a CRT can produce the best black levels and the best contrast ratios of any other display device. Very accurate colors... Plus, they tend not to be overly expensive. Unfortunately, HDTV CRT televisions aren't as common as the more traditional 4:3 televisions - and prices jump a great deal with HDTV versions. Still, a bargain. CRT is succeptable to uneven phosphor wear (old Pac-Man games where it says 'PLAYER 1' in the corner even when the screen is off), but this is very rare with these displays. Plasma is coming up on about 10 years old. It was one of the first serious flat panel display technologies that could have a decent size. Bright, decent contrast, digital display technology. 42, 50, and 61 inch diagonal screen sizes are most common with some various sizes around there at times. These displays are a few inches deep and are often hung on the wall. The big plus with plasma is that they are so thin they go great on the wall, above a fireplace, or some other out-of-the-way location. One in the bedroom above a dresser... not taking up floor space. Very cool. The bright image is viewable anytime day or night, and contrast ratios, while good, do not match CRT. Biggest downsides? Cost! While coming down rapidly, plasmas are still over $1,000 for even the cheapeast models. Also, they are far more succeptable to uneven phosphor wear (burn-in) than CRT. While today's plasmas go a long way to correct for burn-in, it can still happen. This is especially true for heavy gamers who play games for hours and days on end... But, lighter gamers and those who don't leave the stock ticker up 24x7 at the bottom of their screen usually never experience burn-in. A little caution is key! (I have 2 plasmas) LCD flat panel displays - Like your PC monitor or the screen on your iPod way up to the newest 65" display from Sharp. They all are similar in design. A light behind LCD panels creates an image. These displays are noticably brighter than plasma and CRT. They produce a very sharp image and often have some of the best contrast ratios in rooms with lots of light in them. But, they tend to be more expensive than plasmas of similar size, and until recently weren't available in 40" sizes or larger. That's beginning to change now. Another big downside to LCD is that the image on screen is a bit slow to keep up with fast action. This can make motion look blurred or jumpy when it shouldn't be. Pixel response time causes this, and manufacturers are working hard to get rid of this smearing effect. Quite often, if you are sitting off center to an LCD the blacks on screen tend to look far more grey than black. This is another issue with LCD technology in general, that manufacturers are working hard to improve constantly. Biggest plusses? Bright, ZERO burn-in potential, can hang on the wall, lots of cool factor, sharp image. CRT projection technology is almost dead. These projectors weighed a lot and the image they produced is still the best out there. But, they required constant upkeep to maintain that quality image and the image was not that bright. For rear projection you typically would have a special screen on the display that would force you to sit right at eye level with the screen or a little below it. Much above it, to far to the sides, or below, and the image got really dim. But, the black levels on these displays was near perfect and is still the gold standard. As with CRT traditional displays, these displays are big and heavy. They also aren't so bright, so to much light in the room would make the image look really poor. But, once again, they have a lot of value to them and if you have the space, and a room that doesn't get a ton of light... and you don't mind tweaking them regularly, these displays can produce some of the best images imaginable. Yes, like CRT televisions, CRT projectors can (rarely) suffer from burn-in. LCD projection technology utilizes 3 small LCD chips which light is projected through. Each one of these chips is dedicated to reproducing the red, green, and blue portion of the spectrum. These 3 primary colors are all that is necessary to product a full color image and the only way for LCD projection to acheive full color is to use 3 LCD chips. Rear projection LCD can look very good and does not suffer from burn-in. The cases of these projectors tend to be very shallow at about a foot and don't weight a lot typically. You can get a very large screen size and a great image. For front projection, you get a very small case (about 12"x12"x4") that can project a 10 FOOT diagonal image of HD quality. The Panasonic AE900 and Sanyo Z4 are two of the top selling LCD projectors for home theater in the world. Phenomenal image for a very good price (under $2,000). The downside is that LCD tends NOT to be considered as good of an image as DLP or LCoS. But, you tend to pay less for LCD and LCD is coming closer and closer every year to the same quality levels as DLP/LCoS. As a chip based projector, LCD requires a lamp to create the light source. These lamps aren't like your typical table lamps or even car bulbs. They are very expensive - on the order of $300 -> $500 or more and often only last about 2,000 hours. Manufacturers give all sorts of specifications for how long they will last, but only warranty them for 90 days typically. So, I recommend people budget one new lamp every YEAR for their LCD displays. NOTE: DLP and LCoS both use similar lamps with similar costs - they don't get an advantage there! The lamp is user replacable and when you put it in, the display will (should) look as good as the first day you brought it home. DLP (digital light projection) uses a chip covered with thounsands of tiny mirrors. A single chip that is less than an inch diagonal for HDTV actually has about 1 million individual mirrors on it. A very nifty technology develped by Texas Instruments. DLP projectors (front and rear) tend to use a single DLP chip. To get all 3 primary colors, the light is first projected through a color wheel that has red, green, and blue segments in it. Some manufacturers add other colors and more segments to produce more colors more accurately, but it varies. Bottom line is that as the color wheel spins, the DLP chip (called a DMD - digital micromirror device) pivots the mirrors on and off hundreds of times a second to produce the image on screen. The downside to the single chip DLP plus color wheel is that some people can see blurs of color that look like rainbows around objects that are moving. This is called the rainbow effect (RBE) and not everyone can see it. The better projectors spin the color wheel faster and add more segments to reduce the chance of rainbow effect (RBE). Some manufacturers make projectors with 3-DLP chips... like LCD projection and LCoS projection, using 3-DLP chips offers a rainbow free image. It also typically offers a very bright screen image... but it is expensive. DLP is the most commong type of rear projection today and is very common for front projection. Good price, excellent sharp image, not a very big case (similar to LCD). The contrast ratios and shadow details of DLP tends to be better than LCD and is constantly improving. But, DLP tends to cost a bit more and 3-DLP technology is a LOT more. While the Z4 is well under $2K the cheapest DLP projector of similar resolution/quality is right at $2K and a 3-DLP model runs over $10K. But, for rear projection, DLP is very common and not overly expensive - right in line with LCD typically. 1080p DLP projectors are not exactly what they claim, but are close. They use a 960x1080 single chip where each pixel pulls double duty to create the full 1920x1080 image on scree. A process called wobulation. It works very well, but isn't the same as full resolution 1080p. Yes, DLP uses lamps that run $300 -> $500+ to replace. LCoS (prounounced lie-coes) standard for liquid crystal on silicone. It basically puts an LCD panel on top of a mirror. This improves the contrast ratio of LCD a great deal and the overall image quality. DLP and LCoS often go head to head as top dog for image quality in a projector. Yes, always a projection technology with expensive lamps. LCoS goes under two major trade names. From Sony we have SXRD and from JVC we have DILA... both are LCoS at their heart though. LCoS tends to be a bit more expensive than DLP or LCD, but some of the best displays are using LCoS technology and LCoS can boast that it already has true 1920x1080 chips for displays. LCoS, like LCD, always uses 3 chips to reproduce colors, so no potential for rainbow effect. The Sony VPL-100 front projector can boast to be the first 1080p 3-chip projector under $10,000. It is a very cool device - but replacement lamps run about $1,000.00! In rear projection, once again the case is similar to LCD and DLP and while pricing may be a bit more, it isn't typically off the charts higher. ...continued...

06-18-2006, 09:20 PM	#15
AV_Integrated Senior Member Member since:Jan 2005	...continued... CONCLUSION: What does all this mean for your final quality? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Far greater than just the display technology is the engineering that goes into creating the product. This includes a focus on color accuracy, the best black levels and shadow details possible, image processing, user interfaces, and more. Image processing is a VERY big factor as digital displays really require the best processors possible to give the best final image - and it has nothing to do with the display technology! If you were to put the average person in a room with LCD and a plasma, they likely couldn't tell the difference right away - they are very close and very good. Throw in a CRT tube type and they would recognize the tube type, but likely wouldn't see a huge difference in image quality. For projectors, go ahead and put DLP, LCD, and LCoS side by side and you get the same response - Dang! Those look the same! Add a CRT and you might notice the CRT looks a bit better and a good deal dimmer. But, similar. Which is best? That always is a factor of the individual room and the setup. A bright room, a dark room, a room with extra space, a room with tight space, the budget, the need for 'cool', the requirement for specific connections, the desire to put on a wall, the need for multiple uses for the room. Front projection goes BIG - but requires a DARK room... so it is rarely ideal for everyone. Plasma is cool, but not often ideal for heavy gamers. LCD is great for all types, but can be expensive and out of budget and the smearing of the image can drive sports fans nuts. Rear projection technology are far more common and price attractive and good... but lamps do need to be replaced and they aren't as slick as LCD flat panels or plasmas. Finally, CRT is the gimme standby and I believe it was only 1 or 2 years ago that CRT fell out of position as the top selling new display type in the USA. So, CRT still carries a LOT of muscle behind it. Phew - if you don't read every word of what I wrote above I'll have to slap you silly. (joking of course)

06-18-2006, 10:53 PM	#16
JTK Blu-ray Knight Member since:Jan 2006 Location:www.blurayoasis.com	^^ Who do we make the check out to?

06-18-2006, 11:56 PM	#17
suprmallet Active Member Member since:Jun 2006 Blu-ray collection:264	I've got a 55" CRT Mitsubishi, and it looks awesome. It's a shame no one seems to be making 1080p CRT displays.

06-19-2006, 02:31 PM	#19
vick vega Banned Member since:Apr 2006 Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:1	What about hdila my brother has a hdila dlp by jvc

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