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What display are you using?


Youthman

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True, you can get a better value on a Rear Projection DLP but do they produce the same quality you can get from a plasma? (Note, that is a question, not a comment against what you are suggesting). I'm in learning mode right now since I haven't ever really looked at TV's. I still am using a 32" CRT. LOL.

I think everyone has to judge for themselves on the issue of relative picture quality. I've seen excellent pictures from plasma, lcd and rear projection. Personally, I think lcd has the best detail, while plasma looks the most film-like. I find the better rear pro's to be a compromise between the two, with the added incentive of giving you more screen size per dollar. The best thing to do (of course!) is look at them side by side, if you can.

The big negative with plasma, to me, is the potential for phosphor burn. I think the life expectancy is probably good enough now to not be a real issue. And if you go beyond 50", hang on to your wallet!

LCD's are still awfully high too, once you get over 40" or so. And motion blur can still be a problem, but I think it's getting better; especially with 120Hz refresh.

I agree jdm. For anyone to come on here and say with almost absolute certainty that XYZ is the BEST is a bit much in my book. As the old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Bottom line is that if all you're gonna do is feed your TV a perfect signal, then yes you'll probably notice the subtle differences between LCD or plasma or RP. But in the real world where we watch DVD's 30% of the time and the TV gets fed from cable/SAT the rest, the differences ain't so great. At one time I had a 102" FP system in a dedicated HT room and a 46" Samsung RP TV. I liked both. Did I ever see another TV that made me go WOW! Yep. But when I was watching the Samsung I never said, "I bet I would enjoy this movie more with a plasma". Anyhow........

My advice is to take what we say here with a grain of salt, and buy the biggest display within your budget that looks good to you. Realistically, you'll be like the rest of us here that say, "Why.....this set should last me 7 or 8 years" yet 4 years from now you'll be saying, "But honey.....this new TV has got these cool features and it's the new generation 8644p super-duper hi def."

My 46" Samsung is gone now and was replaced only because I came across a deal I could not pass up. I now have a 60" Samsung RP DLP that's lit via LED and not a bulb. The picture quality is dang close to plasma with a price that didn't gag me ($1800). Add to that the fact that I can pick the thing up by myself and the 3 years same-as-cash financing and I was sold. And when fed a clean HD signal, you'd be hard pressed to know that it was a RP DLP. The other things like it having USB and RS232 ports just added to the flexibility of the set.

Of course.....I don't have the bragging rights of owning an XYZ PRO model TV, but that's ok. [;)] [:D]

Tom

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Before you buy, look at the Sharp Aquos line. Last Jan, I bought a Sharp LC42D64U at Sears. I looked all over to find one that would fit in my entertainment center. At that time this was the ONLY 42" model I could find to fit my spot. I really had a case of "sticker shock"at Best Buy. Two weeks later, I got lucky. I was in Sears and the same TV was on sale for less money AND a free Blu- Ray player in the deal. This TV is like watching an old fashioned TECHNICOLOR MOVIE! The same TV also comes in 46" and 52" sizes. Don't rule out LCD's before you go look at some. LCD's are much improved now and on par with plasmas. I am sure that now you could buy a newer and better Sharp than mine for less money. With the economy the way it is, I think that this year will be a good time to buy TV's and other electronics.

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I have a 40" Sony XBR4 and I love it. It is a very bright room and it always looks good, even in the day with the sun pouring in. I know that some people have experienced dropouts from AVRs via HDMI. I have a Denon 3808ci and I have had no problems. It certainly pays to play with the multitude of settings options. At AVS Forum there is a very good compilation of user settings. I have tried a couple and the picture clarity and black levels improved considerably.

Chris

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it's the new generation 8644p super-duper hi def

Where can I get one of those? Me wants! [:D] I totally understand Tom. I realize that there is no perfect TV nor is there not a perfect speaker. We all have bias, opinions and different needs. What I am mainly looking for is a place to start, some advice from people who have been there, things to avoid whether it be brands or specs etc. We will not have cable/sat in our home (I know shocking). Wife doesn't care for the junk that is on TV, especially for our young kids so I'm not sure if or when it will ever have a normal signal on it other than maybe local channels on occassion. It will mostly be used for DVD and BluRay. Eventually, I would like to mount a projection unit with a motorized screen in front of it so kids can use the TV for games and their kids movies and drop down the screen for movie night, superbowl or concert DVD time.

Truth is, I have not been to the store to study TV's yet as we just made this decision a few days ago when I posted this topic. I put my CRT and entertainment center up for sale on CL. Hoping to get a couple hundred to use towards TV and BluRay.

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Since it appears you are starting with a clean slate, I recommend you invest in a front projector and screen. I have a 60" Panny RP LCD and purchased an Epson HC1080 front projector with a 92" screen that comes down in front of the TV for watching movies. The TV hardly ever gets turned on any more. You will enjoy DVD's and BluRays much more on a larger screen and with the cost of new front projectors, they have become a bargain if you have the space and ability to control lighting.

I do not endorse any particular TV or Projector. Do your research and view as many as you can. Just keep in mind, it is hard to match your viewing environment in a store. Look for the image that appears most consistent to you and your family.

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Since it appears you are starting with a clean slate, I recommend you invest in a front projector and screen. I have a 60" Panny RP LCD and purchased an Epson HC1080 front projector with a 92" screen that comes down in front of the TV for watching movies. The TV hardly ever gets turned on any more.

Ah man. Now why did you have to go and say that? LOL. This morning, my girls are going to see Grandma and my son is going to a friends house so I have 3 hours to go looking. Probably will not purchase something until we move in but I want to see my options that are out there. DVC, do you have a tv in another room? This will be the only TV in the house so my thought was that I do not want to have my kids watching Cinderella on the projector. You know what I mean? Any others have both setup in the same location like this? Would love to hear your thoughts as well. Again, I really appreciate all the feedback from people that have actually own either a flat panel, projection or both. Your experience with these is much appreciated.

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Cinderalla would look great on the Big Screen. Big Smile

Cars, Transformers and Incredibles are allowed on the Big Screen, but not Cinderella. LOL

Ok, so I went looking today at Sears, BB & Circuit City. All carried the 50 " Panasonic TH-50PX80U 720p Plasma for $1000.00. It looked good as the rest but of course they did not have it hooked up to Bluray to see how it would look on that.

Speaking of Bluray, they had an Open Box Sony BDP-S300 for $$239.00. I did not purchase it. Wanted to come home and look up some info first. I thought this was a pretty sweet deal because I knew that the Samsung BDP-1500 was marked down from $400.00 down to $300.00. I just got home and looked online to see what the Sony BDP-300 was selling for new and it is $250.00 so not that big of a savings. It might be scarce to find since the release of the BDP-S350. Is the new BDP-S350 just faster in loadup time and thinner profile or does it have additional features that the BDP-S300 does not?

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Just called about the Panny, it is a display model, no remote, no manual. I have downloaded the manual from the Panasonic website. I'm assuming I can program my Onkyo learning remote to control the panasonic? Not sure. Less than $200 is a good deal though anyway you look at it.

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Load times are less than my HD-A30. Have not timed it but I know that it is shorter. Yes it does have decoding for DTS-HD MA which is one step up from DTS-HD. About the difference as Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby True-HD. I use my Onkyo remote for basic operation but use the Panny for setup options. You can order a remote from the Panasonic website for around forty $$.

Bill

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Possibly look at MCM Electronics, they may have the remote that you would need. I know when I purchased my Denon 3910 it was without a remote and MCM carried alot of the MFG remotes. I think the Denon remote was $40 when I bought it. You would probably be able to program the Onkyo to control the Panny but it probably will not have all the functions you might need. i.e drawer open/close, setup menu and so on.

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It took a few of us, it's on wheels so once it was down it was easy, but it should last a long time according to reviews? The picture is good and HD 1080i is really nice, hope it lives ling enough for the newer models go down in price and up in size !

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