New lcd,plasma etc

[d_griff]

i'm just wondering how many of you guys bought a big screen hdtv??
my fiances father did a ton of research and after all was done,bought a 55" sony grand wega LCD..well less then two years old now and the "bulb" blew in it,screen went black,had to order a new one,the person from sony on the telephone made it sound like it is a common thing to expect..
any experience or input??????????
sounds like alot of money to put out for these problems

[k-fridge]

Plasmas are having their problems. LCD is the more reliable TV.

Rear projection will run for years and years.

[gruntly]

I've got an RCA rear projection in the family room that the kids and wife won't let me get rid of.. its 15 years old this summer. I just mop off the lenzes, mirror and screen once in a while and she's good to go. S'like an industrial TV.

[generaltech1]

From what I understand, those bulbs commonly last about 1.5-2 yrs, and run about $400. Plasmas are a rip-off in my opinion.

[t527ed]

bulb in a lcd projection tv is a wear item and you expect it to go.


mines 1 1/2yrs old so i guess i better get a bulb to have on hand...

[karsthuntr]

I have a 42inch plasma I have had for 1.5 years now. No problems with it and I can see it no matter where I sit in the living room, try saying that with a rear projection.

[d_griff]

yes now that i searching the internet im reading they generally last 5 moths to 2 years

[2hot2coolme]

I purchased the extended 4 yr parts and labor warranty with my 55" plasma...we'll see.

[Stamas]

Got a four year warranty, I don't care.

[gruntly]

I have a 42inch plasma I have had for 1.5 years now. No problems with it and I can see it no matter where I sit in the living room, try saying that with a rear projection.

The only problem I have seeing my RP is when I'm behind it.

I know what you mean though, I have seen rear projections that go blank at 45 degrees, but mine doesn't. There are grooves on the front of the main screen similar to the grooves in a L.P. record and I think they help spread the light evenly across the screen. See it as clear as any flat screen from any direction.

[aemeeich]

Below is a post that I made at the beginning of the month.

Each different technology has its own benefits and minuses. You have to decide what characteristics you need in your situation.

A good site to research on is www.avsforum.com

Anything smaller than 42 inches is only available in LCD - so there is no choice. Above that you have all the different technologies to choose from.

First of all, the current generation of plasmas are rated with a half brightness life of 60,000 hours. This comes directly from the manufacturers. Watching tv for 5 hours a day, gives 32 years. (quite a bit more than the 4 someone else claimed!)

As to altitude, the problem with plasmas is that they buzz at high elevations. But most sets don't have any problem up to around the 7,000-8,000 ft range. There is a company that I have heard of that makes high altitude plasmas.

The warranty is the exact same as any other type of tv. When I bought my LCD and plasma, I bought the extended warranty for them. However, I don't think that I am going to have a major problem with it for quite a while, and even if I do, by that time the technology will have changed and there will be something better available then.

The main failure point in all of the different types of tv's is the power supply board. This is easily replacable in all of them.

Plasmas have the best black levels. This means that they have the blackest blacks compared to other formats. LCD's are the worst, but they are geting much much better recently.

Plasmas have the best viewing angles to the sides. LCD's and DLP's have poorer angles. When you get off to the sides of LCD or DLP, the picture starts to get washed out. Again, they are getting better, but plasma still has them beat.

Plasmas have more "depth" to the picture. It has a much more realistic picture - like looking out of a window. This comes from the increased contrast ratio - blacker blacks, etc.


Places where plasmas are not as good - rooms without controllable lighting. Plasmas use a sheet of glass on the front. In a room with lots of windows, you will have lots of reflections on the glass. LCD's use a non-reflective plastic sheet that doesn't reflect under direct lighting - it will however, slightly wash out. Alot of the newer plasmas that are coming out this year have a new type of anit-reflective coating on the glass that greatly reduces the reflections, so they are getting better in that area.

Plasmas also could have the possibily of image retention and burn in. This happens when a static image stays on the screen too long and then that image will be somewhat visible permanetly. This happens because the phosphors are aged unevenly. This is really only a concern during the first 100 hours of operation. All you have to do is make sure that you don't let static images, or letter box bars on the screen during the break-in period. The more hours on a set, the less likely to have a burn in issue.


I originally bought a LG 42" LCD in January. I kept it for two weeks before exchaning it for a Samsung 42" plasma. The LCD had lots of bleed through in the blacks. It also wasn't even bleed through. The upper right and lower left corners had somewhat of a yellow tint to them. The viewing angles - even though claimed to be 170 degrees, were really poor. It had a good picture looking straight on, but off to the sides, it degraded noticably.

The plasma I have now has an absolutely georgous picture. If im watching tv during the day, I just close the curtains and all reflections go away.

Michael

[slimwoodie]

i just bought a 42" samsung dlp for 699$, new
i can afford a bulb, i guess

[kneedeep]

double check on the sony that its not just the thermal fuse. Search the web with the model number and the words "thermal fuse" and you will find that is a very common problem that sony wont talk about much. Cost ya a whopping 5 bucks to replace and you can do it!!