Question those of you who own rear projection units....

[Steelmaker]

What was your deciding factor when you chose to purchase a rear projection TV as opposed to plasma or LCD?? Was it purely the size/cost ratio? Do some of you actually prefer the PQ of your rear projection set over the other technologies? Also, if you had to do it all over again would you choose rptv technology again or would you go in a different direction?

I own a Sony KDS 60A2000. I bought it in January of 07. I guess for me it boiled down to that I felt that at the time it posessed the overall best balance of PQ, size/cost ratio, and functionality of any set I looked at. It certainly stood out to me when compared to other rptv's in terms of picture quality. It seemed to have better clarity, color, vividness, etc. Plus with a rptv I didn't have to worry about burn in and IR or motion blur/ghosting. Really the only drawbacks that I could see in rptv's were the viewing angles, the size, and the picture did not seem to posess quite as much sharpness/fine detail as those found on plasmas and LCD's (however some prefer this as they claim it has a more "film like" look to the picture).

Of course the prices of plasmas and lcd's have come way down since I bought my tv so I might consider going that route next time around. I would like something with a better viewing angle. However I have to say that I have really enjoyed Sony's lcos rptv quite a bit. The A3000 came out shortly after I bought the A2000. If I had to do it all over again I would probably have waited a bit longer and bought the 3000. I do have a bit of buyer's remorse in that sense but I do not regret buying rptv at all.

[sptrout]

I think your experiences mirror mine exactly. I bought a 61" Samsung HL-S6188 in September 07 and LCD & Plasma were not even a consideration. First, I needed at least a 61" screen, which automatically eliminated non-RPTVs. Secondly, nothing at the time touched the PQ of the Samsung & Sony 1080P models. Third, price and again no contest. Fourth, I have a huge room, so thin, or wall-mount TVs mean nothing to me.

IMO RPTVs still give the best bang for the buck if you need a large screen. That will probably change in a few more years, but as of today, if you need a 60"+ screen it is still going to be a RPTV or front projecter if your room configuration permits this option.

I do not regret my purchase at all; great picture then and now, and still nothing than can touch RPTVs for value.

[VDogger]

Deciding factor? Price.

My former boss, down in Orlando, bought a 65" plasma for $5,000. It was an open-box display that was originally priced at $8,000 (or so he says). That is total crazyness!!!!

I don't make the big bucks like he does, so I went the cheapy route. After some shopping around I picked up my 65" DLP with an extended warranty for less than $2,000.

He and I have the same 65 inches of 1080p resolution and the only difference between my TV and his is that his hangs on a wall while mine sits on a stand.

The PQ on my TV is damn good and I haven't had any complaints from anybody who visits.

V

[HeavyHitter]

Price and performance for me. In late 2007, I bought a 60A3000 SXRD and have been very happy with it. The only thing that concerns me are the engine block failures in so many of the previous models. Another thing is the grayscale shifting that happens as the lamp ages. Sets without lamps don't shift as fast.

If I were buying today I'd probably look into the Samsung DLP LED (they are said to quit making DLPs) or plasma. Plasmas are still too high though IMO.

When I go to replace my set in a few years, I'm not sure what I'll do....though I'd like to go to 65-70".

[RC-Bruin]

Price was the factor at the time. Most bang for the buck in my opinion.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

When I go to replace my set in a few years, I'm not sure what I'll do....though I'd like to go to 65-70".

I'm actually going to do the opposite. A 60" set doesn't look quite as huge in the store as it does when you put it in an 8' x 12' tv room!

I will probably get something in the 50-55" range next time. My 60" just frickin' dominates my tv room.

[HD Man]

I wanted a new set to replace my first HDTV, the Sony 65" XBR2 I purchased in 2001 and wanted a set around the same size. LCD's went up to 52" and plasma's went up to around 60", but getting the most bang for the buck, I settled on the Samsung HLS-6767, which I picked up at Costco for around $2100. Moved the Sony to the basement, where it still functions well and looks great.

If I were to get another set today, I would be looking at the Pioneer Elite Kuro, especially the upcoming "Absolute Black" 10G sets.

I say looking because the wife still has "veto" powers.

[Galley]

Simple: my 50-incher was used and I paid $500 for it.

[proxpilot]

I paid $900 for my 60" 1080p Mitsu. witch has a way better picture than my 42'' Samsung Plasma witch i play twice as much for two years ago. i couldn't be happier with my Mitsu

[jkwest]

Price.

$1200 for my Sony SRXD 50A3000 w/matching stand delivered no taxes...nothing else was close to that.

[shooter3295]

PICTURE,.....that's what we buy HD TV's for,....nothing else.

[jgilliam1955]

I had a 56" Toshiba which I loved. Sold it to get a Samsung 61" LED DLP because the price was $1350 at amazon. I was going to wait until later but read here they were not going to make any more 61's. My wife hated the size of the old toshiba but loved the big picture. Now she's happy because the new Sammy sits on a very nice 72" TV stand & all of my equipment is inside of it. After watching 56" for years, couldn't talk myself to go smaller. When I read about the picture quality, size & price, I had to jump.

[aheineken]

I bought my TV in July of 2006 for $900 including the stand. At the time, similar sized flat panels were at least twice as much, and 1080p was not yet the standard. As a graduate student on a budget, I went with the highest performance:cost ratio. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles (no HDMI, only 1 DVI input, and no 1080p), but it gets the job done, and still looks incredible (to me, at least).

[VinnAY]

My first consideration in rear projection was that I just don't care for wall mounted sets. Second would be the size and price ratio. My next purchase will be an LED DLP 67", another Samsung. Two years strong my 56" is a real champ.
HL-S5687W

[fatediesel]

When I bought my 56" DLP in April 2007 I was about to graduate college and had just bought a house so it was purely price. I actually decided the 56" was too big for the room so I've upgraded to a 50" plasma since then.

[Uniquely]

Originally Posted by RC-Bruin

Most bang for the buck in my opinion.

Bingo!

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by VinnAY

My first consideration in rear projection was that I just don't care for wall mounted sets. Second would be the size and price ratio. My next purchase will be an LED DLP 67", another Samsung. Two years strong my 56" is a real champ.
HL-S5687W

Don't wait too long, the LED's won't be around long at the rate they're being snatched up.

[4Dblu]

i never liked plasma or lcd's cause they make too much HEAT! my son has one and i'm getting rid of it and he's getting my 42" RPTV and i'm getting a
50" RPTV. i like these cause more tv for the money and the size fits my space perfect. only thing that upsets me is that now there only making RPTV's from 61" to 72" which is highly stupid cause i don't need nothing that big its too big. they need to go back to 40" to 56". Crutchfield do have RPTV's starting from 50" to 72". so i guess i'll b getting one from them..

[BlueAngelDad]

ok,
here is the deciding factor for me, remember when the 42" plasma was first released almost 10 years ago i think, i remember seeing the commercial for it, and couldnt wait to see this thing up close, the price was 10,000 i believe. well, the stiore in my mall got 1, as i got closer to it, something stood out to me that totally turned me off, the HUGE pixels. i said WTF? how can anyone watch this? I am sorry, that totally turned me off to plasmas, and still does.
yes, i seen the pioneer kero, sorry, it has noticable pixels. sure, you wont notice them 15 feet away, but i will.
the dlp's have absolutely no pixles, that are noticable at close range

take a look at your plasma again, or when you go to Best Buy, head the tv's, check out the plasmas, lcd's and dlp's, tell me what you think.....

[Blown 4.3]

cost and size for me. i think lcd has a tiny bit better PQ, most in daylight veiwing. but i wouldn't pay $4000 for one.