DLP vs Plasma

[Falloutboy]

I rearrange my living room which changed my viewing distance form 8-10 feet to 12-16 and that is making my 32" LCD seem tiny now.. looking for something around 50" to replace it for under a grand.

I can get a Vizio or a Sanyo 720P Plasma for 999 or I can get a Samsung 1080p DLP for 999. what would have better PQ in general? I like my current TV ym main complaint with it is blacklevels, and some motionblur which I beleave is fixed by both of the above.

I'm leaning towards the plasma since I can reuse my current stand without it looking bad because of overhang. new stand would prolly add an additional 100-200 to my cost.

 

[CMC79]

I'm a big fan of DLP, and I think it represents one of the best values in HDTV. I know they don't have the appeal of a thin LCD or plasma, but you can get truly large, good looking screens for much less. That being said, regardless of TV type, I would say Samsung>Vizio or Sanyo. A Samsung plasma would certainly be the equivalent or superior to a Samsung DLP; however, you aren't going to find a 50" 1080p plasma of a top tier brand for anywhere near $1000 (or even a 720p plasma, for that matter).

 

[Excelsior]

Agreed (I'd go for a DLP).

With a viewing distance of 12-16, I'd aim for as big as possible.

You can get around the overhang thing by simply getting a big piece of MDF, maybe putting a round over on it, then painting it to match your stand.

 

[sportage]

I hold that DLP is great for but only for movie theaters and over head projectors.
Otherwise, go plasma for a bright sharp extremely wide viewing angle picture with a typical 30 year screen life.
DLP's have limited viewing angle and the fear that the bulb will go out at any time, costing $300+ to replace.

PS. In fairness, a plasma does take a lot of wattage power, twice that of DLP.
And while hanging a plasma on the wall is popular, plasma's weigh a lot and
take two or more people to lift & handle when moving or hanging.
They are heavy and you need to be careful to wall mount it securely/correctly.

 

[erwos]

The only thing about DLPs is that the bulbs do go after a while. I would definitely investigate any warranty you get to see if a replacement or two is covered. Or you could buy an LED DLP, I suppose.

I'm a happy SXRD (DLP-like) owner, and I definitely agree that DLP is the way to go if you don't need the size advantages of plasma or LCD. Don't let brightness or viewing angles dissuade you - those issues have largely been fixed on modern DLPs. My own SXRD goes as bright as a good plasma, easily - but if you're watching at that brightness, you're probably doing something wrong.

 

[sportage]

Yes! LED is another option to look into. I would if I were shopping around.

 

[Falloutboy]

LED starts to push my budget to much unfortionatly, unless I find a good deal. dunno more I look at it at 50" I mine as well go plasma since right now I can score a 50" samsung plasma for 999 from frys.com now if I do go bigger then dlp is the way to go. guess i'll scope out local electronics stores for open box deals on dlps.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Falloutboy
LED starts to push my budget to much unfortionatly, unless I find a good deal. dunno more I look at it at 50" I mine as well go plasma since right now I can score a 50" samsung plasma for 999 from frys.com now if I do go bigger then dlp is the way to go. guess i'll scope out local electronics stores for open box deals on dlps.

Sears was selling the discontinued Sony A3000 series of SXRDs on the cheap. Hard to find them anymore, but you won't find a better deal.

 

[Falloutboy]

ok i'm buying a 61" Sammy DLP I saw at sears today, just need to print off a coupon a found, LED model as well...under a grand out the door I couldn't beleave it...

now it just needs to be there after work tommrow....since there electronics guy called in sick when I was there and the replacemnt dude didn't know what model it really was. (had to research it when I got to work to find out what I was really looking at.

 

[vi edit]

I'm sorry, but anytime I walk through any electronics stores the DLP sets just look washed out and very "blah". The viewing angles are horrible and it just doesn't have that "pop" to it that Plasma does. They are basically an evolution of the original RPTV with many of the same drawbacks.

When it comes to pure color reproduction and black levels, nothing out there beats plasma. The viewing angles (which I appreciate) are another bonus.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: vi edit
I'm sorry, but anytime I walk through any electronics stores the DLP sets just look washed out and very "blah". The viewing angles are horrible and it just doesn't have that "pop" to it that Plasma does. They are basically an evolution of the original RPTV with many of the same drawbacks.

When it comes to pure color reproduction and black levels, nothing out there beats plasma. The viewing angles (which I appreciate) are another bonus.

Is your house lit the same way a store is?

 

[CMC79]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: vi edit
I'm sorry, but anytime I walk through any electronics stores the DLP sets just look washed out and very "blah". The viewing angles are horrible and it just doesn't have that "pop" to it that Plasma does. They are basically an evolution of the original RPTV with many of the same drawbacks.

When it comes to pure color reproduction and black levels, nothing out there beats plasma. The viewing angles (which I appreciate) are another bonus.

Is your house lit the same way a store is?

Agreed--the settings used in stores aren't a good way to judge a screen. Indeed, if you were going to buy a TV based on those settings, there's no reason to buy quality at all. Why calibrate when all you want is a giant light bulb?

I think the plasmas have more "pop" because of the reflective screens a lot of them have. They enhance the apparent contrast ratio, and colors often look more vivid. Indeed, a screen like that is exactly why I bought my 22" HP LCD monitor. That said, I couldn't stand using it as a TV--I don't mind seeing my reflection when using Office or browsing the web, but seeing a reflection of everything in the room while watching a movie? No way. That said, I don't hate plasmas, and for many people they are the ideal TV. I certainly feel they are the picture quality superior to LCD, although LCD has gotten better and better.

 

[master7045]

Originally posted by: Falloutboy
ok i'm buying a 61" Sammy DLP I saw at sears today, just need to print off a coupon a found, LED model as well...under a grand out the door I couldn't beleave it...
.

Sounds like an awesome TV, I haven't shopped for TV's since I bought my panny plasma a year ago, but the LED DLP's were way more than a grand. personally, the picture quality of a Plasma will always be better than a DLP, but the price per inch on a DLP is amazing. The picture quality on that thing will be great, just don't expect SD channels to look all that great. That small of a native resolution stretched to that large of a screen won't be fantastic.

BTW the only reason why I got a plasma was b/c I worked at bestbuy and was able to get a 42" 720p model for 600 AR.

Good luck w/ the purchase

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: master7045
personally, the picture quality of a Plasma will always be better than a DLP, but the price per inch on a DLP is amazing.

When the A3000 series SXRDs came out, they trashed everything except the Kuro in terms of image quality. It's only recently that plasmas have been able to catch up.

Brightness != image quality, although I should point out that most DLPs are pretty good in the brightness area, too. Some people here are working on old facts.

The reason they look washed out in the store is because the extreme vertical viewing angles aren't as good on DLPs.

 

[CKent]

If you can find a 50" LCD or plasma for under $1k, let us know about it in hot deals :Q

 

[spidey07]

At 12-14 feet you need to be looking at a 65+ inch TV. Plasma would be ideal but that's gonna get pricey. You can probably find a 73" DLP for under two grand that would fit your needs.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: spidey07
At 12-14 feet you need to be looking at a 65+ inch TV. Plasma would be ideal but that's gonna get pricey. You can probably find a 73" DLP for under two grand that would fit your needs.

I think Mitsubishi makes some in that size. But, IMHO, you could get away with 60-65.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: spidey07
At 12-14 feet you need to be looking at a 65+ inch TV. Plasma would be ideal but that's gonna get pricey. You can probably find a 73" DLP for under two grand that would fit your needs.

I don't know if you've actually SEEN a 73" DLP in a living room, but being 12-14' away is pretty dang close. I sat ~20' from one and it was still monstrous! I'd say for 12-14', 60-65" is a really nice size. I'm actually going with a 60" @ 12' because Pioneer doesn't make a 65" set. My choices came down to either the Panasonic 65PZ850 or the Pioneer 151 or 141. I think 65" would be prefect for me, but I don't want to sacrifice PQ for size, so I'm going for the 141.

But I'm going off on a tangent. I agree with erwos, a 60-65" DLP should do very nicely for the OP and should fit right into his price range.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: spidey07
At 12-14 feet you need to be looking at a 65+ inch TV. Plasma would be ideal but that's gonna get pricey. You can probably find a 73" DLP for under two grand that would fit your needs.

I don't know if you've actually SEEN a 73" DLP in a living room, but being 12-14' away is pretty dang close. I sat ~20' from one and it was still monstrous! I'd say for 12-14', 60-65" is a really nice size. I'm actually going with a 60" @ 12' because Pioneer doesn't make a 65" set. My choices came down to either the Panasonic 65PZ850 or the Pioneer 151 or 141. I think 65" would be prefect for me, but I don't want to sacrifice PQ for size, so I'm going for the 141.

But I'm going off on a tangent. I agree with erwos, a 60-65" DLP should do very nicely for the OP and should fit right into his price range.

I am sitting about 13' away from my screen and it's 8' across (no, not diagonal)

You can never have a big enough screen!

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: spidey07
At 12-14 feet you need to be looking at a 65+ inch TV. Plasma would be ideal but that's gonna get pricey. You can probably find a 73" DLP for under two grand that would fit your needs.

Yea, there's actually is such a thing as "too big". I have a 56" DLP @ somewhere between 10 & 12 feet sitting, and it's BIG. Hell, I used to be fine watching a 37" CRT at that same distance.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: sdifox
I am sitting about 13' away from my screen and it's 8' across (no, not diagonal)

You can never have a big enough screen!

That's great, but I actually think that is too big. And that is just my opinion mind you. Some people like to sit in the front row of the theaters, but that's just not comfortable for me.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: sdifox
I am sitting about 13' away from my screen and it's 8' across (no, not diagonal)

You can never have a big enough screen!

That's great, but I actually think that is too big. And that is just my opinion mind you. Some people like to sit in the front row of the theaters, but that's just not comfortable for me.

No kidding. When watching a movie feels like a tennis match, the screen is too big.

 

[thomsbrain]

It's a very rare female who will allow a large TV that isn't LCD/plasma these days. A big TV cabinet just isn't going to cut it for those who have or live with a set of ovaries.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: sdifox
I am sitting about 13' away from my screen and it's 8' across (no, not diagonal)

You can never have a big enough screen!

That's great, but I actually think that is too big. And that is just my opinion mind you. Some people like to sit in the front row of the theaters, but that's just not comfortable for me.

I sat in row 1 (not by choice) when I went to watch Blown Away in theatre. I was literally blown away.

I enjoy the big screen I am actually trying to figure out a way to make it 1 foot wider...

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: sdifox
I am sitting about 13' away from my screen and it's 8' across (no, not diagonal)

You can never have a big enough screen!

That's great, but I actually think that is too big. And that is just my opinion mind you. Some people like to sit in the front row of the theaters, but that's just not comfortable for me.

No kidding. When watching a movie feels like a tennis match, the screen is too big.

dude, your eyes are filled 100% of the time in real life..