[Denim]

Someone explain to me what the big advantage is with 1080 on a smaller size screen. As I understand it, 720 is the standard for HDTV. BlueRay (is that right?) will support 1080, but that's it at the moment. I think a larger screen, say 60" with 1080 does some sort of upconvert to take the 720 signal and present a sudo 1080 on the screen. A screen in the 50 - 56 inch range won't see much of a difference with 1080.

DirecTV transmits at 720, and will for the next decade or two. Can you get "over the air" at 1080 anywhere?
I'm talking progressive scan in both cases. I think 1080i = 720p.
Obviously, I'm not educated on this topic. Clear it up for me.

 

[Elec]

It's kind of a tossup between 720p and 1080i. You either get more lines or a non-interlaced image. 1080p SHOULD be better if you can actually get content in that format, but I don't know if there's any available yet or what's on the horizon. I've also heard that on a 42" 1080p set, you have to sit closer than about 8 feet or you won't be able to resolve the extra detail (assuming 1080p vs. 1080i or 720p content).

 

[1911]

you know it's tough... i frequently togle between 1080i and 720p and quite frankly i cant tell too much difference..i know probably heresy on the avsforum...that said i wouldnt spend alot extra for 1080p since there is so little programming and when there is 1080p programming they will beon the next generation so there is little reason to pay a premium for it now.

 

[KYTGuy]

I sure am happy with my (now nearly two years old) Samsung DLP - Had a talk with the serviceman, and he said that the lamps in the DLPs from samsung are making it over 10k hours, some are still going after more than 14K hours.

My 50 inch Samsung weighs only 56 pounds - is easy to spin/move, as we set it on a piece of felt just so we could turn it as needed.

I was looking into Plasmas when I bought the Samsung, and at that time, there was a lot of warnings on the shipping boxes and a lot of padding in the Plasmas to protect against even moderate shocks. It seems that is the way a lot of new/young plasmas die. Don't know if that is still such a problem.

The plasmas generate a lot of heat, more than the DLP setups.

DLPs have a color wheel, and a fan/blower, both of which make a small amount of noise. My Samsung and I think it was Edwood's, each had color wheel failures - I think it was a production problem. I have had no other problems, and the color wheel was replaced under warranty.

If faced with choosing a new unit, I think I might again pick the DLPs, but that is me voting with my money.

 

[sjt78]

I stopped by Circuit City after work yesterday to check out all three types of technology again. I am only looking at HDTVs, so all my comments are directed towards those televisions. I liked the 42" Samsung DLP (~$1400)they had set up, but the screen was really dim when viewed off-axis. I know some of the television state they have a 180 degree view, but not so on this one. They did have a much more expensive 42" Samsung DLP (~$2500) that looked better on and off axis, but is way too expensive.

I was really impressed by the 42" LG LCD (~$2200) they had set up with the swivel stand. It was all gloss black and the salesman stated it had the highest resolution of all the LCD's on display. I believe it was 1320x? or something. It looked very nice even off axis.

I'm curious about that Phillips Ambilight feature. Does anyone have any experience with those?

My wife and I further discussed the purchase of the television and now we are considering buying one online at Amazon only. We have an Amazon credit card so we would be getting 3% back. They are currently running $100 rebates on all DLP televisions and free shipping. Not a bad deal right now.

 

[sjt78]

Here's a link to all of the DLP's that are on sale at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...758624-2187220

Do any of the smaller <46" televisions look good? Basically it is a comparison of Samsung vs. Toshiba DLPs. I haven't seen the Toshiba ones in the store.

Lastly, does anyone have any experience with the extended warranty services offered by Amazon? TIA

 

[JaGWiRE]

SJT, i've seen the Samsung before, maybe it's just because it's hooked up at CC. That's probably one of the most popular tv's (and one that you can't really go wrong with.) I'de see if you can find somebody with a 42" HDTV near you so you can get a better idea of what the quality will be like.

 

[jefemeister]

I used to think Ambilight was a really dumb feature just meant for consumers who like flashing LEDs and meters all over their equipment. However, there is some merit to the idea that a light coming from behind your TV can help the picture and reduce fatigue--I've read about the concept on avsforum (which must make it true right

).

I know my girlfriend hates watching my HDTV (Rear CRT) in a dark room because she says it's too bright for her (it's not really, but I can see her point.) If you're not watching in a very dark room I wouldn't worry about it.

Whether Ambilight helps or not, I have no idea. I'm just saying the idea has some merit and should be looked into. Maybe you can find a discussion online about it. The fact that the ambilight changes color based on screen content seems a little annoying to me though.

 

[imported_Echo_]

we bought the sony bravia xbr 40 inch and its pretty damn awesome

you might be able to pick these up cheap because new sony models are coming out in september

Also about the plasma's based of what i read, the burn in has a bigger chance of happening in the first 150 hours or so. They recomend running a movie in full screen or a tv show that doesnt have a logo or a bar on the bottom. They say to limit use of 4:3 and other ratio's that do not fill the screen for the first 150 hours. After that your chance of burn in is very low.

 

[KYTGuy]

- was cruisin one of my favorite sites, www.gizmodo.com and ran across an article about eCinema LCD units, remembered this recent thread, and now have posted notice for you - if I was in the market, I would have to go to look at one of these. After all, it was there at gizmodo that I discovered the DLP unit that i bought when I was searching...no prices listed, though, and release date is some few months off yet, but the COLORS!!!