LCD vs. Projection (mainly Sony, but open)

[JakeNRoland]

I have a Sony rear projection 720 that we got back in 2002ish. We've very happy with it. No complaints.

Now that I have a PS3 with Blu-Ray, I'm thinking of upgrading to 1080p and HDMI 1.3.

I like Sony. I have friends who have other HDTV's and the picture doesn't look as bright or sharp as our Sony.

I've been looking at their Bravia LCD's and also their rear projection sets.

I'm leaning toward one of their 55" rear projection sets. Can anyone convince me differently?

It's primarily for TV and video game playing. Blu-Ray movie watching is important, though not a terrible priority.

Thanks!

[jorg]

if your playing games then go with there sxrd seriers

[CptGreedle]

I highly recommend avoiding rear projection.
They tend to have a small viewing angle and an effect that is less-than-optimal.
This may not be true for all rear-projections, but enough of them are affected by this that i would recommend avoiding them.
An LCD is very nice, has a large viewing angle, and bright brilliant colors. I use a Bravia with my PS3 and I love it! Could not be happier.
The one thing with LCD is that they tend to not have the darkest darks, but usually I am not distracted by this.

[Sport]

I have the SXRD and I think it's the best picture you can buy for under $5000.
If go the SXRD route, get a model that has the DRC MultiFunction v2.5 (upconverts video signals to 1080p)

Audio
( 6 ) Bose Dual-Cube AM-10 Speakers( Ceiling Mount )
( 2 ) Bose AM-10 passive subwoofers ( Front & Back )
( 1 ) Yamaha 800 watt 10" powered subwoofer ( Behind Screen )
( 1 ) Sony ES STR-DA5200ES Receiver/ Amp 7.1 1080p HDMI

Video
( 1 ) 70" Sony SXRD KDSSR70XBR2 ( Side Speakers removed )
( 1 ) BDP-S300 Blu Ray Disc Player

Software and Control
(630 ) DVD movies
( 24 ) Blu-ray movies

All components controlled with a single:
Sony RM-AV3100 integrated remote commander

Viewing distance is 11ft - 15ft.
The SXRD ver. 2.5 software upconverts standard broadcast TV great.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Sport

I have the SXRD and I think it's the best picture you can buy for under $5000.

I think the current best picture for under $5000 is the Panasonic 50" and 58" plasmas.

The 50" 1080p Viera is MSRP$3499 but currently on Amazon for $2300.

The upcoming 50" Pioneer KURO PDP-5010FD 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV lists at US$4999 list price, but when it starts selling in a few weeks hopefully that will have come down to.

With unseen black levels this 50" 1080p plasma from Pioneer also has Advanced PureCinema - 72Hz with 3:3 pulldown for accurate judder-free display of 1080p/24fps sources like Blu-ray disc.

That's the best picture you can buy for under $5000.

[Pilam69]

It all depends on your budget of course but I love my Sammy. LOVE LOVE LOVE. And it's currently about $2400 at Costco.com I think. Any of these suggestions will likely blow away what you are watching now.

[cpgator]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

I think the current best picture for under $5000 is the Panasonic 50" and 58" plasmas.

The 50" 1080p Viera is MSRP$3499 but currently on Amazon for $2300.

The upcoming 50" Pioneer KURO PDP-5010FD 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV lists at US$4999 list price, but when it starts selling in a few weeks hopefully that will have come down to.

With unseen black levels this 50" 1080p plasma from Pioneer also has Advanced PureCinema - 72Hz with 3:3 pulldown for accurate judder-free display of 1080p/24fps sources like Blu-ray disc.

That's the best picture you can buy for under $5000.

Agreed. While Sony makes good TVs, I think they are overpriced for what you get. Also, of the HDTVs I have purchased, only the Sony has broke - which means Sony has a 100% fail rate.

[daisuke149]

well sony and samsung tv's are pretty much the same price thru all types.

and yes get a sxrd the new A3000 series will be extremely nice. They will be 120hz sets as well. You can look the specs up on sonystyle.com

[jubaiweaponx]

i`d have to say the new samsung ln-t5281f with the new smart light led backlight and 100,000:1 contrast is pretty awesome at 4999.99 just ordered mine best buy is running 3 years 0% financing this week

[jubaiweaponx]

Originally Posted by cpgator

Agreed. While Sony makes good TVs, I think they are overpriced for what you get. Also, of the HDTVs I have purchased, only the Sony has broke - which means Sony has a 100% fail rate.

had a 50 inch sxrd and mine went 37 days after i bought it ,thankfully it was a christmas purchase,returned it ,sony was the only tv i had that failed as well,but at least it was early

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

I think the current best picture for under $5000 is the Panasonic 50" and 58" plasmas.

The 50" 1080p Viera is MSRP$3499 but currently on Amazon for $2300.

The upcoming 50" Pioneer KURO PDP-5010FD 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV lists at US$4999 list price, but when it starts selling in a few weeks hopefully that will have come down to.

With unseen black levels this 50" 1080p plasma from Pioneer also has Advanced PureCinema - 72Hz with 3:3 pulldown for accurate judder-free display of 1080p/24fps sources like Blu-ray disc.

That's the best picture you can buy for under $5000.

I had an original XBR CRT when they came out and Sony is great. But when I went flat panel, I went with Panny in 04' The best value is a Panny, especially that 50". The 1080P I have seen as low as $2000!

I will admit, I have seen the Pioneer 5080 Kuro in action and it has a spectacular picture. It is a 720P native, that looks clearer and sharper than almost any 1080P LCD or projection I have seen, especially with Blu playing. I cannot imagine how great the 1080P Kuro will be when it comes out. I am very tempted to upgrade to it, if the price is right.

[Papi4baby]

I am kind of in the same situation as you, im also looking at the 55 A3000 series that just came out, i have a 42 1080i that i got in 03 and is ok but i want bigger and better.

To whoever mentioned the plasma, the OP says he will be playing games, i believe plasmas are subject to burn in from this sort of stuff. And flat panels are nice but if your not going to hang it in the wall, save the money and get a rear projection.
The viewing angle issue i dont really see your point, i dont watch movies at an angle or anything, while i know what you mean, it is a non issue for me.

[eRICH]

From someone who used to sell TV's! I would totally go with the SXRD series from SONY (HOT HOT TV) But for me I would ask you where you are going to put it? If the TV itself is going against the wall SXRD all the way but if you have a tight fit I would prob say LCD. I myself have the 720P 55" SONY rear projo and I LOVE it! (I got a stupid deal on it, and I would've been crazy not to take it) I do think the PQ is way better on the SXRD series though (for obvious reasons).

[Mr. Joshua]

Originally Posted by JakeNRoland

I have a Sony rear projection 720 that we got back in 2002ish. We've very happy with it. No complaints.

Now that I have a PS3 with Blu-Ray, I'm thinking of upgrading to 1080p and HDMI 1.3.

I like Sony. I have friends who have other HDTV's and the picture doesn't look as bright or sharp as our Sony.

I've been looking at their Bravia LCD's and also their rear projection sets.

I'm leaning toward one of their 55" rear projection sets. Can anyone convince me differently?

It's primarily for TV and video game playing. Blu-Ray movie watching is important, though not a terrible priority.

Thanks!

Check out Crutchfield they have the new SXRD sets on the website. They look pretty awesome. I like the cabinet a lot better than the past series. I think that would be your best bet for PQ and for playing video games. I've already seen one of the new Bravia LCD flat panels with a bad pixel and it's just one pixel and sticks out like an eye sore... It's on display at the Circuit City where I live. I have a 18 month old Sony 720P rear projection LCD. Soon as I can I'm upgrading to 1080P SXRD... Here is the link for the 55" model also comes in 50% and 60%:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-3z5ZfX0...chDisplay=Sony

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by eRICH

From someone who used to sell TV's! I would totally go with the SXRD series from SONY (HOT HOT TV) But for me I would ask you where you are going to put it? If the TV itself is going against the wall SXRD all the way but if you have a tight fit I would prob say LCD. I myself have the 720P 55" SONY rear projo and I LOVE it! (I got a stupid deal on it, and I would've been crazy not to take it) I do think the PQ is way better on the SXRD series though (for obvious reasons).

Good advice. If the OP has plans to hang the TV from the wall, or as you said, it is in a tough space or needs to be viewed at odd angles, LCD and Plasma is the way to go. I have both a 32" LCD and a 56" DLP (Samsung) the the PQ on the Samsung is amazing. I have had it 2+ years now and have not had to change the bulbs on it. If you go the rear projection route, I recommend looking at Sony, Samsung, JVC, and Mitsubishi (although Mitsus seem to get conflicting reviews depending upon the model).

[daisuke149]

id stay away form mitsu unless you time travel back to early 90's. then they had amazing tv's *for the time*.

Again tho i'd purchase the sxrd over a dlp any day. Even tho some people say it doesnt bother them it does bother me. the picture always has a crystaline type look to it and shakiness around edges. Again due to the fact that a 1080p dlp doesnt utilize the full 2.08mp's. one mirror is doing the work for 3 pixels. Also the new led system from samsung isnt worth it either. Looks worse than their standard dlp system for about a 40% increase in cost.

But again the sxrd with the 120hz full true 1080p, 2.5ms, and of course being a sony would be ur best picture quality outta a projection.

ON a side note. played with a samsung 81 series and a sony xbr4 today for about 4 hours again today side by side same feed. and again the xbr4's picture was just simply better than the 81's. Adding in that the 81 does not run at 120hz... sony would easily be the way to go.

[ack_bak]

This Samsung LED DLP is a great set as well. I would highly recommend it as it does not have a color wheel or need to have bulbs changed:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...blurayforum-20

[clownface]

I like the Bravia's as well but thought they were too expensive. I purchased a Sharp Aquos 1080p from Butterflyphoto.com after looking at a few and wouldn't trade it for another brand!

[Digital Filmmaker]

I have a Panasonic PT-AX100U HD front projector that throws a 16-foot picture. Rated at 2000 peak lumens, it has more than enough horsepower to deliver an extremely bright, sharp picture at that size. The projected image looks like a 16-foot plasma in brightness, color saturation, and contrast. Blu-ray discs look phenomenal with this unit.

[Branden]

JakeNRoland, i think you'll find that anyone with a Sony SXRD (like myself) will swear by it. the specs are awesome: 2.5ms response time, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and if you get the new A3000 series: HDMI 1.3, 24p.
it is true that projection TVs don't have quite as good viewing angles as say LCD, but who the f*** watches TV from the side?
the only drawback is it's not slim like LCS or plasma.