I just finished building a new family room on my house. It's 20'W x 24'L, I will be sitting 18' from the TV. I was looking for a 60" to 70" screen. I have been reading every thing from dead pixels to burn in's to poor PQ. I'm not looking to hang the set on the wall. I'm also on a budget of 3,000 to 4,000. My main concearn is PQ and dependability. I was looking at the Hitachi 60vx500 Directors series But now I don't know if I should go for a LCD rear projection TV. Help what should I do this is all new to me.
Check out the panasonic 60" LCD. Its got DVI no burn-in and weighs less than 100 lbs. I'm happy with mine. I dont mind spending 250 for a new HID lamp every 3 yrs. New lamp, a bright new screen.
I've concidered front projection but I would have to set it up and put it away every time I use it and my wife woudent want it. And I have no place to store it in a permanent spot so front projection is out. I just don't know what to do because it seems all the different technoliges have there faults I'm almost concidering CRT RP for now what do you think I was looking at the Sony KP-65WV700 but it dosent have a built in HD tuner should I wait and buy one with a HD tuner built in? Would I be better off?
things i considered size, tech, inputs, burn-in, pq, native display. crt's are bulky, prone to burn-in and dont display 720p natively. thats why i got a lcd rp. go to the store, take your time, compare and make sure the tv has everything you want ie pc compatable, dvi, firewire whatever. pass on the extended warranty, they're gonna hammer you on the tv stand cause it aint included in their advertised price.
I dident get your e-mail. I'm still learning, this stuff is all new to me. I've been going to every electronics store I can find and talk to differant salesman, trying to learn as much as I can, but I get all kinds of differant stories and found out I can't believe any of them, there all just out to make a sale. So I realy appreciate the help and advice. I don't want to buy something that I'm not going to be happy with. I am concerned about burn in, but mostly about the veiwing angle. And I do want to go as large of a screen as possible ( within my budget that is) and I'm worried about all tese problems I've been reading about such as stuck pixels, rainbow effects, people getting headaches,and bulbs burning out. So do you recommend a LCD RP and what brand do you find to be the best choice.
steve, I have the 60" panasonic RP LCD. The HD pictures can be stunning on it. PQ really depends on the input source. It was 3999 a thou more than the 50". The sony 70" is 3 thou more. With this LCD no burn-in, 720P native display, 45 view angle and a sleek design. You can move this tv with 1 hand. Oh and 1 DVI input, wish it had 2. The bulb is suppose to last 10000 hrs, i figure every 3 yrs i have to shell out 300 for a new HID bulb. No wayward pixels.. yet. Oh and you can hook up your PC. Its basically a computer monitor. Worth checking out, you will probably get a better price than i did. But be wary of internet deals, they may be trying to get rid of other peoples rejects. Buy from someone reputable with a good return policy. cheers
Paul, Thanks for the input, I guess I'm going with the RP LCD I haven't realy checked out the Panasonic yet I've been looking at the Hitachi 60" and the Sony but I've been hearing about the bulb problem Sonys been having. I wish I could afford the 70" Sony,though I don't know if it has the same problem the 60" has with blowing bulbs, and I"m not sure what inputs I need.
The only regret i have with this 60" is i wish i had gotten the 70". Its true that your TV will "shrink". Only the sony isn't pc compatible. I havent seen the hitachi but havent heard them badmouthed. Any LCD should be covered for 1 year for bulbs. I forgot to add that LCD RP does not have the convergence problems that CRT RP has. A lot of message boards say that CRT's are more bang for the buck, sure you can get em for thousands less but they are bulky, heavy, prone to burn-in usually not pc compatible, need ISF calibration to get the best PQ (cost 400-700) and there is the possibility that you will have to replace the guns, thats why i didnt get the 73" mits. good luck.
this may be a dumb reason why i got the LCD but i saw John Johnson on the screensavers (tech tv) and he said he has an LCD. John is the editor-in-chief of hometheaterhifi.com. I figure he knows more about the various technologies than i do.
Paul, I may just hold off for the Sony 70" or see if others come out with 70" LCD RP that is if I have enough patiance to wait, but it sounds like its the way to go. Thanks
Paul I was in Costco the other day and saw they had the 60" Pannasonic RP LCD for $3195. and it included the stand. I'm not sure of the model # what do you think about this set, and do you think pannasonic makes them special for Costco to sell at a cheaper price, and how good is the Pannasonic compared to Sony or Hitachi.
dude if thats the PT60LC13, its an excellent price. I paid 4750 tax and stand included. SDTV looks so so, depending on the station, most HDTV looks impressive depending on the source. If i could change my purchase, i would have gotten a bigger tv.
I would definatly recomend the SAM hlp5063w, but if you have to have one bigger, mabey the sam hln617w both DLP but the hlp5063w uses the new HD3 chip and will by far give you the best picture you will ever see. but for size mabey the sixty one will do you, not near as good of a picture but still better then most lcd's. No burn in, no pixle burn out, longer life, lighter weight, better picture. I don't know if you go the CES (consumer Electronics Show) but all they used there this year for all of the big displays was dlp even microsoft decided to use it to show of the new WMVHD, it was rated hands down best picture at show. the next best would probably be the Hitatchi, i wouldn't trust pansonic with a lcd projection tv. the pixels burn out so fast we have already had to replace our floor model 3 times because big clusters of pixels go out i heard it was because there lamp is to close to lcd panel but i don't know if thats true.