Is a Microdisplay Worth It? Which one should I choose?

[Drunkentig3r]

The Costco near my house is having a sale on all HDTV's, and I was considering finally moving up to one since I have just moved into a new house and will be ordering HD Programming. While they have several Flat Panel LCD and Plasma TV's, they are too expensive for my price range, and so I'm thinking of buying one of the following two:

Panasonic PT-52LCX16-B 52-inch LCD Rear Projection TV

$1399 (After Rebate)

OR

JVC HD-56FC97C 56-inch HD-ILA LCOS Rear Projection TV

*I know its not the exact model but for some reason, JVC doesn't list the FC model on their website*
$1799 (No Rebate)


I'm new to the whole "HDTV" thing, so yesterday night I did some research, reading up on various articles I could find online as well as going over the explanations over at CNET's HDTV World website.

A question still lingers for me though-are Microdisplays worth the money? From what I've read you have to change their lamps every 3000-10,000 hours. I'm not that concerned over the option to mount a TV on my wall, so the microdisplay's extra heft over a traditional Flat-Panel is no big deal for me. If a Microdisplay television is worth getting, which one should I get? There are some difference between the two, the Panasonic having a 1080i resolution, LCD screen, and being about $400 cheaper. The JVC has a "True 1080p" resolution, has an LCOS screen, and is more expensive. Then of course there are the traditional technological differences between the two, LCD screens having a screen-door effect at close viewing and not being able to produce deep black colors as well as DLP and LCOS, the latter which sometimes is associated with having problems producing all clear flat fields, like a Hockey rink for instance. I realize that currently there is no television channel being broadcast in 1080p, but I'm guessing towards the near future HD Channels will begin to adopt the format.

Which one should I get? Any community input would be greatly appreciated.


And sorry for the double post, but I didn't quite know where to post this question.

 

[Noubourne]

LCOS is way better tech than the RP LCD.

Both have the same SDE issues, b/c they're projecting onto a SCREEN, thus SDE - regardless of what tech is being used to project it.

Personally though, I like the way the Samsungs look. When calibrated properly, they're head and shoulders above the rest to my eyes.

I was under the impression that the bulbs on DLP sets was a few hundred bucks, and it was pretty much the only thing that could go bad. Since plasma fades over time (after 7yrs half as bright from some pieces I read?), and LCD pixels can go plooie and then cannot be repaired, I have leaned toward DLP for my first.

Haven't actually made the purchase though.

My buddy has a 42" Samsung DLP, and although with some stuff on the screen occaisionally I can see the SDE, it's not enough to bug me. His is only 720p, and quite frankly, it's still amazing compared to regular TV.

I'll be hitting 1080p though.

 

[MustISO]

What's the main use for this TV? HD broadcast? Movies, games? What type of light is in the room, is it bright with lots of windows or can light be controlled?

I can't stress enough that you should do plenty of research before buying.

There are some excellent home theater forums out there will owners threads on most of the brands and models of TVs. Once you know the specific model you're looking for you can search for it and see what kind of issues people have with them.

My HDTV is a CRT based RP model and I love the picture on it. If I HAD to buy a new TV today, I would first look for a CRT display and then look at LCOS sets (either JVC or Sony). For the bedroom I would probably go with a flat panel LCD.

 

[Drunkentig3r]

The den, where my TV will be situated in, is bright with natural lighting coming in from two windows-they have blinds though so I can just as easily shut the light out. Come evening I have 3 overhead dimmer lights that I can adjust to my needs. Probably the main use for this TV would be watching HD programming alongside with regular TV and DVD movies.

 

[Drunkentig3r]

Bump for the evening crowd.