[DanT]

This site has some good for info. After you bought your TV there is also brand specific tips to tweak your set.

Also to prevent burn in your contrast setting should be way way way lower than what most people set it.

Read here for contrast

The contrast factory setting for my set is 50

movie 80

for standart 100

for sport
That will give you burn screen very quickly.

My contrast is set at 19

following the instruction given on the site above

 

[dSquared]

don't drive yourself completely nuts over this, but basically if you head over to avsforum.com just keep in mind that the size of the tv you get should be proportional to the distance in which you are sitting; you'll want to sitting in between the range of 2 to 5 times the screen width of your tv.

Also, keep in mind with Costco units, they're specifically made for Costco, and typically have fewer inputs than a BB/CC model; for example, Costco units have only one digital input, while a the BB/CC model will have two, which becomes an issue when you start wanting to connect your various devices (Xbox, HD/DVD, PS3, HD Tivo, etc)

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuroraProject lcd vs plasma vs projection. I just want a great picture, widesceen, and something that will look great with the Xbox 360. Advice?

First of all, best of luck on your decision

When I'm designing a home theater system, or just specifying the display for someone's HD-compatible-system, I use the following criteria (I've listed the order of selection by criteria)

Room size
LCD
Plasma
Rear Proj

Subjective "realism" of picture
Plasma
LCD
Rear Proj

Higher Contrast Desired
LCD
Plasma
Rear Proj

High Room Brightness
LCD
Plasma
Rear Proj

Source - DVDs
Plasma
LCD
Rear Proj

Source - Cable
Plasma
LCD
Rear Proj

Source - Satellite
LCD
Plasma
Rear Proj

Cost
Rear Proj
Plasma
LCD

Impact protection
Rear Proj
LCD
Plasma

Lowest Maintenance Cost - 7 years, intermttent usage
LCD or Plasma
Rear Proj

Lowest Maintenance Cost - 7 years, continuous usage
LCD
Rear Proj
Plasma

***

1 - Remember that the lower cost Plasma displays that use the older phosphor technology will burn-in, especially if you leave the XBox on overnight

2 - Don't worry about HDMI - connections via Standard Component Video Cable, as well as the Digital Fiber Audio Connection are just as good, if not better considering the opportunity for more defectective HDMI cables.

3 - Black Flat Panel Displays seem to be returning to popularity (if you are someone that enjoys buying within the trends

)

4 - Enjoy whatever you decide on getting!

 

[AuroraProject]

So today I went to my local tv dealer and looked at the Samsung DLP tv's. The biggest they had was a 50" widescreen (I'm not sure what model number it was). The picture looked fabulous, we watched some Finding Nemo and Blade 2 dvd's. For some reason the Finding Nemo filled the screen with the tv set to 16:9, but Blade 2 didn't, and the salesman didn't know why.

They allowed my to connect my Xbox and try it out for awhile (I was the only customer in the store), I tried Links 2004 (480P), Halo 2 (480P), and MX vs ATV Unleashed (720P). In Links 2004 I tried to detect the so called lag using the swing power bar, I was unable to detect any lag at all. Halo 2 looked good and played just fine, and MX vs ATV Unleashed looked great.

I didn't pick up on the rainbow effect at all, which is great. But they didn't have any lcd rear projection tv's for me to compare the picture with. I may have to head down to my local Best Buy tomorrow for a comparison.

So far I'm pretty much sold on the Samsung HLR5667W 56" widescreen HDTV. Just thought I'd share my experiences.

 

[AuroraProject]

I hit the local Best Buy today to do some comparisons. They had the 56" Samsung on display (2 of them even!), an sale for $2499 (I wont buy it from them). Unlike the place I went yesterday, they actually had an HD feed, and the picture was gorgeous, I did have to do some tweaking though as they most definitely had it in torch mode. I checked out the Sony lcd rear projection tv's, but I was able to pick up on the screen door effect easily. Plasma and LCD's sure do look nice, but they are out of my budget.

The decision has been made, I'll be getting the Samsung HLR5667W once my bonus check rolls in!

 

[AuroraProject]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuroraProject The decision has been made, I'll be getting the Samsung HLR5667W once my bonus check rolls in!

Heh, how things change! I ended up getting the Sony KF-E50A10. I was able to compare the Samsung and the Sony side by side and the Sony just looked better. The wife and I decided the 56" was too big, so the 50" was purchased. I also updated my receiver to a Denon AVR-3806. Overall I'm happy with the tv. Here's a pic:

 

[AdamWill]

Are those...Bose speakers? oh, say it ain't so!

 

[AuroraProject]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamWill Are those...Bose speakers? oh, say it ain't so!

Hell no!

They are Energy Take 5's, not seen is the Energy ES-10 sub.

 

[Homeless]

I wouldn't care if you had bose speakers anyway, but those really do look like it says Bose...

 

[AuroraProject]

Doesn't look anything like the Bose logo.

 

[Homeless]

not from that angle no...lol
it does from the other picture...maybe it was an assumption because of the shape of the speaker...anyway...more importantly, how do they sound?

 

[AuroraProject]

I really like them, they sound far "bigger" than they really are. They do a much better job on home theater duties than they do on 2 channel music though. I would ideally like to find some floor standing speakers that sound great with music and have matching center/surrounds for home theater listening. But thats an upgrade for another day, and a bigger room.

 

[ken36]

Listen to Squeek. Get the biggest screen you can afford.

 

[bpm2000]

I have the take5's as well - they've served me very well over the years (although my psb's get the grunt of the music service, the energies just dont cuz it for the 2ch music..)

Enjoy your new purchase! I bought a 34" widescreen panasonic direct-view HDTV this year and I cant stand watching SDTV anymore

- Monday Night football right now looks damn good!
(If only comcast seattle would get off their #@$@ horse and get tnt-hd, hdnet, etc..)

 

[mbriant]

I don't normally go for extended warranties, but on these newer TV technologies an extra 5 years worth of warranty provides peace of mind. They can be expensive to fix and I've heard of several breaking down after a year or two.