Plasma TV

[Brett327]

DLP is definately the way to go. I spent two years selling TV's/Stereo equipment at Circuit City which by the way is an awesome part-time job - sweet discount to blow a wad of money right before commissioning with. It's pretty ridiculous, basically all I own is a bed and a $7500 enternainment system (I only spent $3700 - told you the discount was sweet), but hey that's all the furniture I need for flight school right? :icon_mi_1

Anyways, you can get some 42" plasmas cheaper than a 50" DLP, but it's not the plasmas you want most likely. It's going to be smaller and generally an Enhanced Definition (420P) versus (720P/1080i) quality and plasmas DO burn out generally within 8-12 years and are virtually impossible to work on. DLP has an awesome picture that most would not be able to tell the difference between and is rated to last 20+ years (you're just replacing the bulb every 4-6 years depending on how much you watch tv).

Another fact that is usually neglected is having to move all the time,which you will most likely do in the military. Everyone talks about how great it is that you can mount the TV on the wall bla bla bla, but do you realize the hassle and cost of mounting it on the wall so it actually looks nice and clean (concealing all your cables, cords and such)? You're looking at around 400-600 usually to have it done if you don't do it yourself. I've seen alot people buy a plasma to put it on the wall and it actually ends up on a stand or in an armoire. My DLP is slim (around 15") and light (75 lbs, compared to 130 for a 50"Plasma) and it looks awesome on a stand.

LCD Projections are pretty comparable to DLP, but they loose more picture quality over time (I saw this happen to display models on the floor, they just weren't as bright as they were new).

Sorry for the rant, but I spent more time staring at and selling tv's my last two years of college than I did in class/studying.

So DLP is not necessarily a "One Eye" type projector like you find hooked up to the computers at the squadron? As an aside, those are great for showing movies or video games on cruise, so coerce your Intel weenies into coughing one up to JOPA

Brett

 

[bulldozer3]

few corrections from above:
480 is NOT HDTV. that is standard definition - what you see on regular tv.
HDTV is 720 and 1080.
EDTV only does 720... for most this is ok, but 1080 is the standard from here on out, dont make yourself have to buy a new tv in a few years.

DLP can have a rainbow effect, noticable to some people. If it doesn't bother you, DLP is sweet (make sure you get the most recent chips and such).

My toy: Sony Wega 50 inch HDTV LCD rear-projection.

 

[Lawman]

None of these will be anything once Licos comes out in the next year or two.

CRT (Cathode Ray, invented nearly 80 years ago) is the old school of TV. We have learned how to make flatter (see heavier) screens in the last 10 years but that technology was done decades ago.

Projection screens, the old Big Screen Grandpa had 15 years ago with his 18 foot sat dish was invented a few decades ago (at my almamater no less) and has a very bad problem with burnout because once they go bad you basically save maybe two hundred dollars fixing it when you could just buy a new TV. You can find huge ones of these for less then a grand now, but they are typically half as deep as wide due to restrictions of the technology.

Plasma (Bling Bling) is kinda like some of the console systems that came out between super nentendo and Play Station, its just a fleeting fad of technology. The R&D costs have finally been payed off so they arent 10 grand anymore, but the ones you see for cheap at Best Buy, are not HD capable. HD will be the standard in the next 5 years, in 10 years standard image will not be supported by either direct or converted signal and in a few years after that you simply will not be able to run an old TV. Plasma has move issues (cant lay it on its face and transport, very drop sensative) and if one of those small areas burn out its pretty much gone permanently, like a black hole in the screen.

DLP Developed about 10 years ago, and finally coming into effective cost areas because again R&D is pretty much payed for. One, its nearly as good a picture as LCD and two it has typically a 1 to 9 inch ratio for depth to width, so a 45 inch screen only needs 5 inches of depth instead of 20 like a ProJo. They are also incredibly resilient to a beating (typical with any military move, I remember them tossing our stuff over the balcony in Italy from the top of the truck). Also the repair is very cheap, that mirror ball in the bottom is what burns out and they arent nearly as hot as a Pro Jo, and less concerned with "Screen Burn" which was why people told you not to play nentendo on Big Screens 10 years ago, the constant background would burn into the screen like a sun tan.

LCD the newest and the best.... for now. Its still really expensive because of R&D but its lighter and better then Plasma, and its image is cleaner then any other. Most companies are picking this up as there primary 32 inch and smaller screen technology. Sony actually stopped making CRT's two years ago, so like the VCR anything you see in a store today is just making room in the warehouse.

Licos..... the most aw inspiring creation of entertainment known to man. This is LCD on steroids. Using liqued Crystal technology in conjunction with Silicon (dont as me to explain how it works I was to busy drooling to pay attention to the guy) it literally looks like real life. There has even been speculation on introducing an effect to create depth perception. Look for it in the next 2 years to start appearing. It will become the new "I have way to much money and want something awesome" TV.

 

[Godspeed]

Plasma's are definitely not worth the price tag for their life span. If you want the "slim" look, you are much better off countersinking a DLP in to your wall. Front projections are awesome, but from what I have heard, don't give you that ultra high res look that a DLP can give.

Or you could pair a big old bulky rear projection with one of these babies, and you'll be all set.

 

[Lawman]

Plasma's are definitely not worth the price tag for their life span. If you want the "slim" look, you are much better off countersinking a DLP in to your wall. Front projections are awesome, but from what I have heard, don't give you that ultra high res look that a DLP can give.

Or you could pair a big old bulky rear projection with one of these babies, and you'll be all set.

Do Mine eyes decieve me.... my god it is.... a laser disk!!! Yes ladies and gents the single biggest failure in Movie storage and playback since Betamax. I think my grandfather was the only person I ever knew to have one and he only had 4 movies for it.

 

[HOORAH]

Do Mine eyes decieve me.... my god it is.... a laser disk!!! Yes ladies and gents the single biggest failure in Movie storage and playback since Betamax. I think my grandfather was the only person I ever knew to have one and he only had 4 movies for it.

My family rented a house in Dewey Beach once and this multi million dollar house had one and they had like 50 movies for it. Guess they wish they had those on DVD now. HAHAHAH!