Home audio & video: 60" rear proj VS 50" plasma
60" rear proj VS 50" plasma
by shmeab22 - 8/14/07 11:13 AMshould i go for:
http://reviews.cnet.com/projection-tvs/sony-kds-60a2020/4505-6484_7-32331182.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list
or
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-and-plasma/panasonic-th-50px77u/4505-6482_7-32317316.html?tag=lst
i have a pretty spacious basement so i definitely want to go for at least 50". i hear great reviews on the 60" rear projection from sony, but when i saw it at circuit city, i was pretty disappointed. i was never a big fan of the narrow viewing angle of the rear projections. but i have a lot of space and the basement is generally dark, so should i go for the rear projection?
what do you think? THANKS!
the sony
by givemeaname - 8/14/07 11:40 AM In reply to: 60" rear proj VS 50" plasma by shmeab22It has a good viewing angle of 65 degrees L/R, 130 total. The main thing is to calibrate the tv & having the tv Advanced Iris set to Auto1 helps with the viewing angle then if you have it set too Min.
I've got an A2000 & happy, no troubles, I have had it about 5 or 6 months now.
RE: the sony
by shmeab22 - 8/14/07 5:52 PM In reply to: the sony by givemeanamethanks for your feedback. i will go back and see if circuit city lets me modify some of their settings. would part of it be the lighting as well? the lighting is much brighter at these stores than they would be in my basement.
any other opinion or perspective on this issue would be much appreciated. i'll admit that i am a little nervous about making such a large investment. thanks again.
My opinion
by Kingp1n - 8/15/07 5:26 AM In reply to: 60" rear proj VS 50" plasma by shmeab22I was in the same boat as you about 4 months ago. I went with the Samsung 61' LED DLP rear projection and love it. I basicly figured that viewing angle was not that high of a priority that I could not go with the Samsung. Also, I knew I was not going to wall mount a plasma so which ever I bought; plasma or RP, was going to sit on a tv stand.
Take a look at the Samsung if it is availible to you, the LED DLP works great, and you get a lamp life similar to a plasma. I have read 20,000+ life on the LED lamp.
Also, don't put too much stock in the picture quality at your local Bestbuy or Circuit City. The florescent lighting is terrible to view tv's and the signal that is fed to all the tv's is slit so many times it degrades the strength. I would recomend you buy from a store that you can return the product with no problems should you not like it at home.
SONY KDS-60A3000..........
by Riverledge - 8/15/07 7:17 PM In reply to: My opinion by Kingp1nRIVER.
?
by Kingp1n - 8/16/07 7:07 AM In reply to: SONY KDS-60A3000.......... by RiverledgeWhat about it?
i am assuming...
by shmeab22 - 8/16/07 3:40 PM In reply to: SONY KDS-60A3000.......... by Riverledge...that you are a fan of the sony kds series? ive read a lot of reviews on this series, and everyone keeps raving about how great of an investment it is. so how about this... should i got for the A2020 or the following:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-and-plasma/pioneer-pdp-5070hd/4505-6482_7-31951817.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-and-plasma/panasonic-th-58px60u/4505-6482_7-31813550.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list
it appears that i can get all three of these sets for the same price... my main purpose of this tv is to have a bunch of people over to watch football, so im still a bit concerned about the viewing angle. i understand that givemeaname said that the viewing angle is good, but is it relatively good for a rear projection, or good overall?
based on everyone's opinions, i am leaning towards the a2020, but everyone at the stores are telling me that i should get plasma and that rear projection technology is fading. thanks again for all of your opinions, they are very helpful. i think im just getting anxious.
I LOVE THE NEW STYLING OF THE SONY KDS-60A3000, THAT........
by Riverledge - 8/16/07 4:14 PM In reply to: i am assuming... by shmeab22TAKES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AWAY FROM the SONY KDS-60A2020!!! A great set and a great deal currently price-wise. Almost a steal for a 60" set. Do some price comparisons, and go with the most reputable store.
There are many. ASK the forum, for some quality retailers. A love my plasma but it is pricier.
Best wishes,
Riverledge.
Big screens
by martingreg3 - 8/18/07 1:53 AM In reply to: I LOVE THE NEW STYLING OF THE SONY KDS-60A3000, THAT........ by RiverledgeKeep me updated on this topic. This is where some of the future lies.
Avoid SONY projection AND plasma
by ThePoke - 8/18/07 5:09 AM In reply to: 60" rear proj VS 50" plasma by shmeab22Buyer beware with larger sets!!! And avoid the SONY brand like the plague (pay more, get less and it'll leave you with huge repair bills)
Plasma still has burn-in and longevity issues. You'll soon see network logos burned into your new set... and plasma sets only last about 5 years. (Samsung brags about an anti-burn-in tech in their sets)
LCD is less prone to this damage... but there's a disconnect between price/size around 42" and the larger sets can be outrageous. (Olevia has a nice 42" for $1000 at Target and I preferred it's picture to the $4500, 44" Sony). Beware that most "HDTV" sets under $2000 convert 1080 down to 720p.
DLP and LCD Projection use VERY expensive bulbs that last only 6 mo's to two years and require professional replacement. Less expensive DLPs have a whir and can give those with extra-acute vision headaches from the flashing caused by the rotating color wheel.
You may consider one of the many <$1,000 LCD projectors since the basement is usually dark. Sadly, hard to ever see one of these puppies out of the box and working. CHECK THE PRICE OF THE BULB as often the replacement bulbs cost nearly as much as the projector and you can expect to replace these every 6 months to two years, depending on use and the quality of the bulb. Satin makes a great, inexpensive alternative to a diamondkote screen...
CRT projection has a great picture and typically last 7-10 years but can burn-in, too. They're usually a great budget option. Make sure you get flash-focus or auto convergence and move the set as-little as possible once you get it home. (Oh - and air purifiers keep the cleaning visits down).
Avoid the Sony projection set like the plague... unless you are an electronic tech or are rich and don't mind being bled dry.
I was a sony fanatic for over two decades and my home used to look like a showcase of Sony's mid-to-high end stuff... but, I got tired of paying top dollar for low-end longevity and warranties.
Most recently, my under-used 5 year old SONY hi-def 55" projection set went out and I've been told it's a $670 repair. The problem? Two $20 ICs that are overdriven and blow... and is a problem so common that you can google it and get dozens of answers on how to fix it.
I went through 3 sony CD changers in under a year. Each time the Sony service center pointed out that the warranty was parts only, and the labor estimate was more than a new changer.
I waited for nearly 2 years to replace my aging SONY DVD player with a progressive scan player that did MP3, jpg, mp4, etc... and still had to settle and paid $30 more for fewer features than any other in it's price range.
My 3 year-old, $500 cybershot now has issues that cause 1/2 the pictures to not work out. Not to mention it uses proprietary memory... that costs 3x what other memory cards cost.
Our family has 3 PS2s that need constant manually cleaning and relubing. I can make a dvd on the computer and it will play on one or two, but never all 3. Oh - and neverind that you can't use it to view your pictures or movies on a CD or DVD.. and early versions of it even blocked home-made DVDs.
DVR - Sony's DVR costs 5x as much as my pioneer and you can't even record to DVD! (and don't get me started on the DRM)
So - go Sony if you like... but be prepared to pay and pay and pay...
Before I get flamed....
by ThePoke - 8/18/07 5:56 AM In reply to: Avoid SONY projection AND plasma by ThePokeBefore I get flamed... Sony USED to be the gold standard for most electronics... MOST of the Sony stuff I bought back in the 70's, 80's and early 90's still work and work as well as the day I bought them...
But, Sony then took advantage of its loyal customers and reputation by cutting corners. They moved production to 3rd world countries, started using cheaper components, and over-driving the components and under-building the mechanical components. This resulted in many of us die-hard fans getting stuck with HUGE repair bills.
Spreading salt in the wound were internal conflicts over features that consumers wanted, but the music and motion picture divisions did not want us to have.
Then, there's the whole proprietary thing... Sony can't be happy just selling you the TV, VCR, DVD, PS2, etc... they want a cut of EVERYTHING you do with it -- whether that be new batteries, film, blank CD or DVD, etc.
And in recent years, Sony has been so busy fighting lawsuits over its intellectual property rights and resolving the internal conflicts over what consumers can and can't do with what they've already bought and paid for -- that their products are often incomplete and lack features that people just assume and take for granted Sony will have because everyone else does.
Personally, I'm just hurt and miss the old Sony... and wishing that ANYONE offered the old kind of reliability and extra features that used to come "standard" with the Sony brand.
RE: Sony products
by martingreg3 - 8/18/07 2:44 PM In reply to: Before I get flamed.... by ThePokeI am sorry to hear that the Sony standard has dropped. Whilst I personally do not object to law suits over patent infringement, I have found that it is better to have 10% of something than 100% of nothing. If Sony are going down the drain their appears to be a market opportunity appearing.
martingreg3@aol.com
IT'S NOT THAT EASY TO HAVE "BURN IN" ON A PLASMA IF YOU.....
by Riverledge - 8/20/07 6:43 PM In reply to: Avoid SONY projection AND plasma by ThePokeSIMPLY FOLLOW THE BASIC RULES during the first 200-300 hours. Absolutely NO issues with my new PANASONIC plasma, 45 days new. I don't game on it so that's probably a saving grace. To each his/her own.
Best to all,
River.
TV is new... give it time
by ThePoke - 8/21/07 2:19 AM In reply to: IT'S NOT THAT EASY TO HAVE "BURN IN" ON A PLASMA IF YOU..... by RiverledgeWhat basic rules would those be?
I was scared off before buying one because EVERY plasma in every showrooom so far has been burned in -- some so bad you could read the network logos with the TV turned off! (And plainly visible while on!)
Our local KMart uses DVDs instead of cable and ruins every LCD, Plasma and projection set in the store every few months by burning in the DVD's menu.
The only sets I've seen that aren't vulnerable to this are DLP... but, they have their own achille's heels... super-expensive lamp replacments and they give me a splitting headache in just a few minutes.
Wow Poke, you're pretty negative about quite a few things.
by NM_Bill - 8/29/07 9:17 PM In reply to: TV is new... give it time by ThePokeHave I ever been burnt on a product? Sure.
I believe riverledge was referrng to what he touched on briefly. Namely keeping brightness & contrast at 50% or below for those first couple hundred hours.
Sure many issues have surfaced here in this forum. Viewing angles, rainbow effect, motion lag, yada-yada. Nice to define potential problem areas, but on a personal level many of those hotly argued issues become non-issues for many of us.
Lesser viewing angles? Anyone who has to watch a TV presentation from beyond 45 degrees off center is having a poor experience anyway.
I certainly wouldn't deny some are very sensitive to rainbows, screen doors, lag, etc. I have a DLP & those just listed items are non-issues to me. My lamp replacement is $180. At four years now, I still haven't felt a need to replace. Yes, I had to buy quickly, without having been in touch with the issues at the time & with constricted budget then, DLP was a more decisive price advantage then than now. It was the bargain track into big screen.
When you feel a need for a fresh look at the offerings, try an independent shop rather than mass merchandisers & big boxes. Not so overwhelmingly stressng lowest possible (supposed) price, they usually feature a shorter line of brands & mid to better offerings. But the sets will be calibrated properly. I always go in with online research as to prices, & negotiate politely but firmly. My experience has shown a price differential of pretty consistently 8%, but that brings knowledge, some individuasl attention & service above & beyond saying look at the manual & contact the maker.
The knowledege often advises you quickly as to what not to be concerned with. Right there, that may save money. I have osnme years under the belt, but manage to still look for promise (without being particularly naive.)
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