Need help deciding...

[TidusZ]

Background: I'm a bit of a audio/video newcomer, though I've been making a solid effort to learn what I can.

I am planning to purchase (with my parents, actually) a television for our main room. Viewing distance ranges from 10.5' to 13.5', and the mantle upon which the tv will stand is above a fireplace and thus ~4' 4" above the floor. There is not a lot of depth to it and thus trying to angle the television downward might be a bit of a trouble -> I'm unsure how much this will affect picture quality.

The budget is $2000 or less, so basically I'm looking at ~61" LED DLP
LED DLP 61"

or either 50/52" LCD or Plasma. Parents will be buying new curtains that will block out most glare, so my main train of thought is whether the elevation of 4 feet over 10 feet of distance will make the DLP a poor choice and whether I'd be better off with a smaller plasma or lcd. I'm hoping an expert can help me out here.

Would be planning to purchase in the next two months, so not in a huge hurry but certainly the more planned out the better. We have a sound system already in place, just need the tv.

 

[MustISO]

Personally I think putting a TV over the fireplace is a bad idea. Certainly putting a DLP that is over 14" deep and 71lbs up on a mantle just seems like a bad idea. I would say plasma or LCD would be a better choice since those can be wall mounted and you could find a wall mount system that allows angling the TV or turning it side to side.

 

[Kaido]

Having seen the 56" Samsung LED DLP in person, I'd definitely have to recommend it! Most amazing RPTV I've ever seen, and you can buy a wall rack because it's so thin (> 15").

 

[TidusZ]

Here is a photo of the mantle, Mantle Photo it looks like a piece of wood just juts out on its own in this picture but it's actually fully supported by the bottom part, you could probably have 5 people sitting on it and it would be fine. Unfortunately, its just barely over 12 inches deep... My parents dont want to use a wall mount, they don't want to cut into the wood, so unfortunately its not an option. I've even asked them about just building a bit more into it to get a few more inches depth (my stepdad built it in the first place) but they don't want to do that either.

Is there a DLP that would fit on 12.5"? The first one I looked at online said it was 14" depth, I am not sure whether that's the base or simply the screen itself.

edit: just looking at the picture again, its a terrible picture, in reality the ledge is flush with the rest of it surrounding the fireplace, and the depth is actually depth, not jutting out.

 

[vi edit]

I can't really tell size in that room, but a 62" tv would look unsightly. And a DLP would never fit on that mantle. Plus with the viewing angle issues of a DLP you'll be getting a washed out picture mounting up far above the viewing height.

 

[aphex]

Thats WAY too high for a DLP.

 

[TidusZ]

Alright so DLP is definitely out of the question then - any recommendations on a plasma or LCD that fits the $2000 budget? Keep in mind we'd be buying in November so if there are new models coming out (in september?) those would be possibilities. Also would you go with plasma or lcd and why? The glare should be minimal as I mentioned earlier, all other things considered.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: TidusZ
Alright so DLP is definitely out of the question then - any recommendations on a plasma or LCD that fits the $2000 budget? Keep in mind we'd be buying in November so if there are new models coming out (in september?) those would be possibilities. Also would you go with plasma or lcd and why? The glare should be minimal as I mentioned earlier, all other things considered.

Samsung 630 series LCD. You should be able to find the 46" if not the 52" in that price range. 120hz (like the 650/750) but a matte finish on the screen reducing the glare.

 

[TidusZ]

Thanks a lot, the 52" looks to be a winner, and is available for $2000 at amazon. Now the only problem is that they wont ship it to Canada, so I have yet another question - does anyone know the best website to buy tvs from that ship to Canada is? Futureshop and Bestbuy seem very overpriced, offering the 46" 650 (LN46A650) for $2500. I usually order pc stuff from ncix but they don't have any tv stock.