Rear projection TV's

[mangled]

Been looking at those big rear projection HDTV's lately in Best Buy. Not bad prices. Most hover around $1600 for 42" - 55". Can't afford plasma

Anyone got one of these? Opinions? I know that angle of view plays a factor, and so does ambient light. Those are a little concerning, but not too much. The ambient light isn't too big a factor because well, most of our tv and movie watching is at night. Angle of view should be ok since you sit down to watch tv anyway.

Just mulling it over....

 

[MustISO]

CRT based RPTV's are great, but they can require some setup. I have a 51" Sony HDTV and I like it a lot. It's great for DVD's but makes cable look really crappy. HDTV looks awesome on it. As long as the TV is setup right, there's really no issues with it.

LCDs and DLPs are nice too. Newer technology but more expensive as well. They require less tweaking and have no issues with burn-in.

P.S. Head over to www.avsforum.com or www.hometheaterspot.com if you want to get more info.

 

[azazyel]

I love my Panny, 47HD. Lighting not a problem at all.

 

[MustISO]

Lighting is a huge problem for me. On Sunny days I really can't want anything on the TV. Just something I have to live with. LCD and DLP will be brighter so if you have light issues, you may want to check those out.

 

[mangled]

Originally posted by: MustISO
Lighting is a huge problem for me. On Sunny days I really can't want anything on the TV. Just something I have to live with. LCD and DLP will be brighter so if you have light issues, you may want to check those out.

Lighting isn't really a problem for me. The living room has one large window pointing to the east. In the mornings the sun can shine through, but that's what curtains are for. By mid-day and in to the afternoon, the sun is over and on to the other side of the house, so no direct light in the living room keeping it on the darker side, even with the curtains open.

 

[Doggiedog]

I've got this one.

Its an LCD Panasonic 50LC13. I am very happy with it. I hear you can get them for as low as $2K right now.

 

[Dulanic]

For CRT RPTV go to CC and check out the Hitachi 51 F500 or S500 The F500 runs $1699 tho their running 10% off currently. The S500 runs $2000 but is well worth the added cost. I do have to admit tho for the price, the NEW Panasonics are nice, much better then last years. Circuit City is only place I know that has them already so far, havent seen the new model elsewhere. Ill go against Doggie here and say your better off with a CRT RPTV then the Panasonic 50" LCD. I see the Panasonic day in and day out, and the picture just isn't even close to the quality on a good CRT RPTV or a DLP. Samsung DLP is my personal choice for a TV, but the new one arent out yet, thats what I really want to see. Also run a decent amount more $.

 

[Koing]

I personally don't like the look of RPTV's. Our rooms are too small and we have a window directly behind us. Watching stuff with the curtains closed all day would not be great.

Dad will get a Plasma in the New Year. Been saving the £££ for a while.

Koing

 

[Doggiedog]

I will admit the Hitachis are really nice.

I was actually going to buy a Hitachi when I spotted the Panasonic but the form factor of the Panasonic really did it for me.

I would also have to disagree with Dulanic. I've owned the Panasonic for almost a year now and the PQ is fantastic. I have gone into BB and CCs and seen the ones in the stores and they tend to look horrible. A well adjusted TV will look much better than the ones in the stores that have their brightness turned up to the max with red push to boot.

The one issue I will admit to is there is some black crush but I can live with that.

Personally, I feel spending $2400 on my TV vs $3500 for a DLP was a much better deal. DLPs are nice but they are not without their issues too. If LCDs were so bad, why would practically all the major manufacturers produce them?

My next project is a front projector system for my family room. That should solve the black crush on my Panasonic.

 

[m2kewl]

i'm hoping to get the 50" here

 

[Antisocial Virge]

I bought a Hitachi from CC and love it. It dosn't seem to be affected by room lighting or viewing angle to any large amount. Be prepared that regular cable may look worse because every flaw in the picture is now going to be blown up. DTV and DVD looks great on it though. Buy the extended warrenty!! its worth it on a bigscreen. I've had mine repaired once (took 3 visits) and its also good to buy from CC because they have in-house repairmen and don't contract the warrenty work to the lowest bidder. In my case, the repairman really knew his stuff also and gave me his Nextel# so I could contact him directly.