About Dave Hathaway Expertise Questions about any aspect of Home Theater Systems including video-- TV and projectors, projection screens, High Definition Television ,audio/video receivers, DVD, speakers and placement, wiring, Satellite TV systems. Familiar with all these areas from the operating priciples, system design and installation viewpoints.
Experience Electronics engineer with 30 years experience, own a small Home Theater Business and do custom installs of Home Theater, Dish Network Satellite, Surround Sound systems, TV antennas, plus commerial and industrial satellite and TV distribution systems.
Question I have been shopping around for a new television. I was looking at projection t.v.'s when a salesperson told me I would want a lcd t.v. I have just regular cable coming into my house and he said projections would not satisfy me and I want to be able to watch from sides. So I decided on the hitachi 50v500a 50 inch rear projection lcd. Reviews I have read have been great but now I hear about the dlp. When spending this kind of money, I want to make sure I get want will suit my needs. I have free cable so I cannot see switching to satelite or digital cable but I still want to get at least a 50 inch and still have superior picture. I hope you can guide me in the right direction. Thank you so much.
Answer Hello Amy,
Had I been your salesman, I would have suggested the plasma TV first and then everything else! They produce a superb picture and are far and away superior to any other technology out there right now. Of course, the price is higher than any other technolgy as well!! The Pioneer 50" true High Definition plasma set is between $9K and $10K which is down about 50% from when they first came out. Other brands run about this level for a true HD set that does 1080i and 720P formats and delivers a real HD picture. So, while I can recommend with zeal this type of TV set they are costly and out of my personal reach pricewise. Lots of people are finding this to be the case right now. I do expect that in the coming years the price for a plasma will drop into high but more reasonable levels.
Now that I have made you want one, lets discuss your question--the DLP TV is superior to the LCD and worth the difference. This technolgy produces a better and brighter picture than the LCD. It is also less subject to the smearing problems of the LCD during fast motion and game play. This is where a ghost image follows the real image during fast motion across the screen. In regular pictures and movies you generally do not notice it. The DLP does not do this since it responds much better to this motion effect than the LCD. The DLP is also less subject to burn-in problems on the screen. Burn in occurs when the high intensitiy channel logos stay on the screen for long periods of time. Is permanent and essentially ruins the screen. You will find the DLP sets priced roughly half way between the LCD and plasma sets right now.
It is good to have free cable (do you work for them?) and some cable companies do offer an HD capable set top box. This will be worth paying a cost because the outstanding picture quality produced by the HD signal. I watch HD on my Dish satellite receiver and have a 53" standard rear projection HDTV made by Pioneer. The pictures are great! So--you want to find some way to get them if you have an HD set.
One other comment and I'll end this book--the salesman did not know what he was talking about regarding standard projection TV sets. My Pioneer can be watched through an angle of 160-degrees in front of the set. This is way off to each side and the picture is still bright and good. The days of having to sit directly in front the the big screen rear projector ended many years ago. While my Pioneer is not as bright as a plasma it does make a very good picture. So, do not let incompetance cause you to eliminate the best buy in TV sets out there right now. You can purchase a 57" Toshiba full HD Widescreen TV for about $2000 brand new (Pioneer only makes plasma sets now). These are good TV sets and could fill the gap between now and when the plasma and DLP technologies come down in price. Is worth considering.
Hope this gives you food for thought. If so, and you have further questions, just come back in with a follow up.
