There's nothing wrong with Rear Projection, other than the amount of space that it takes up. If you mom has the room for a rear projection set, you can get a lot more screen for your dollar going that way.

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How big is your Plasma and how much better is the picture quality from a top-of-the line CRT?

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Mnay people think that LCD will soon surpass Plasma in PQ, for ANY size display, but they're not there...yet.

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I go with Bill (quote > Posted - Nov 29 2006 : 09:55:23PM <) in answering your question, adding not to oversee DLP-screens.

p_n

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I still use a Sony XBR HD tube because until recently it was better picture than any plasma/LCD/etc around, if a bit smaller, and I knew a ten-year lifespan was a safe assumption whereas the other schemes were rated well short of that.

But now with RoHS you can't assume anything electronic (TVs, computers, pacemakers, etc) will last more than five years anyway so I may go for something else next time, especially since tubes aren't getting any R&D dollars to improve and won't reach native HD resolutions.

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EU idiots thought they could just wave a magic wand and say "medical devices are exempt!" Losers - doesn't work that way in the real world. My dad had a pacemaker/defibrillator implanted recently and I worry about it a lot.

Eliminating lead *is* is nice idea, but it would have been better to at least understand the whisker problem first and perhaps see solutions on the horizon. As it is RoHS is a huge safety and reliability nightmare that won't really be noticed until too late.

At some point in the next few decades there's going to be a major chemical plant release caused by RoHS-induced whiskers that will dwarf the improvement the lead restrictions give...

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If you mom doesn't have the room for a standard rear projection, the increase in price may be worth it. But, one of the main reasons that I went with a standard rear projection was that, although I liked the DLP better, I didn't like it 3 times better (a 65" DLP was about $5,500 back then).

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One thing of importance though, IMO, is how to connect the TV/screen. Apart from the signal-cabling between (eg.) DVD and screen (with the right settings on both ..., even when using HDMI ('able' to do automatic screen format conversion), it's worthwhile to use good (screened) 75Ù antenna cable with solid (preferably all-metal) plugs, and juice it as directly/un-interrupted from the main powerlines as possible (preferably with dedicated cables). Dress cables with care (eg. no parallel power- and signalcables).

My best friend (B2B sales-person at Barco, thus educated on related technical data) bought a new plasmascreen recently (Panasonic 50"), and couldn't believe the differences the 75Ù-cable and power-cable I had sent to him, made (choice of cable is personal, and open for tweaking of all kinds, of course; these are examples, used in this case). To me essentials for minimal viewing pleasure, but try for yourself.

p_n

PS. I've seen perfect "lead-free" solutions, but perhaps this Euro legislation was implemented to soon overall indeed. In typical Euro-nanny style ...

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Edited by - pinc_noiz on 12/1/2006 3:35:37 PM

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one thing about plasma, specially for old folks (I aint knockin old folks I damn near am one) is that it HEATS up a room if its any size which is why I went the LCD route for my 42 inch HDTV

Im very happy with it

Im not very happy with the lack of choice in programming in HD even HBO-HD is mostly just up sampled 480p

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My parents announced yesterday they want a new TV. Of course, they going to put it where the old one is, right next to a window. Sigh - so much for color quality etc - I'm going to have to look for the brightest thing I can find...

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We want to buy one soon but reading articles like that have me afraid I may waste my money.

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There're more sites like this: always good for a laugh. To me, measuring will help you design/manufacture, but being measured is definitely not the ultimate purpose of most products. When testing should generate the non-plus-ultra 'product', it would change the world once and for all.

I used to 'collect' all measurements of porn-stars, till one day I found out breast-width didn't tell me anything about porn-performance .

p_n

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- set a budget, establish a 'I-want-it-to-do'-list (ie. what do you expect the equipment to deliver to you)
- blankly shopping for bargains, starting with an odd assortment of closeouts and trade-ins available, will most probably not direct you to equipment 'tailor-made' for you , so
- ask advisers (friends/ family/ retailers you trust) for facts like technical-merits/ maintenance issues/ general brand-info
- invest time in seeing as much gear you're interested in as possible: make up your own preferences on an emotional bases (ie. 'what picture looks best to me'/ 'what sounds best to me')
- filter out all 'negative'-branded gear, tipped off by your 'adviser's', from your own 'emotional'-preference list
- investigate the items left, on their suitability in your given situation (check 'I-want-it-to-do'-list: does it have the inputs you need in number and type/ does it fit the place you set it/ is it equipped with the gadgets you use (eg. 'picture-in-picture'): is it suitable for you? . When not, ask the retailer/ manufacturer for add-on products to possibly make the equipment 'tailor-made'
- invest, uh, buy within budget!

Don't settle on an easy-buy (eg. availability/ closeout): it is primerely you buying, and only secondary the shop selling ...

p_n

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Therefore, as technology continues to get better, the TV's can also continue to get better. The fact that set top boxes and TV's can "talk" to one another so that both units know exactly what the other one is capable of, allows older technology to co-exist with newer technology as it comes out. So what if my HDTV can't accept a 1080p signal? My HD DVD player knows that the best signal my TV can accept is 1080i, so that's what it sends. When I upgrade my TV in the future, the DVD player will know and will begin sending 1080p.

HDTV is kind of like PC's right now. Quality keeps getting better and prices keep falling. But if you wait for quality to stop getting better or prices to stop falling, you're never going to buy one.

As far as I'm concerned, the picture quality of the current crop of HDTV's is amazing. There's no reason not to own one because you're waiting for a better one because you are just missing out while you are waiting.

One of the big problems with NTSC was that, once the standard was set,

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1) There's not a lot of HD content
2) There's too much SD content and current HD TVs are pretty shit at displaying it
3) Hardware manufacturers are hell-bent to make you buy a 720p set, then force you to buy a 1080p set in a couple of years.
4) Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD
5) HDMI isn't sorted out properly. There are Stereo Receivers that don't have HDMI inputs, TVs that are the driver of HDMI content, Set Top Boxes that are overly restrictive, hardware being sold that can't enforce HDCP and HDCP itself is not being used.

I may buy a cheap 720p rear projection for no other reason than to play my xbox 360.

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I suggest you look at the new crop - October 2006 on and you will discover very great technology at a very acceptable price point!

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We want to buy a new TV and Camcorder after Christmas so I will do some research during my Christmas break.

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p_n

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I'll do research for now and wait until after xmas to look for some deals to make the decision easier to swallow.

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We thought we'd have a chance to look at some state-of-the-art plasma televisions when, 'lo and behold, the salesmen told us the Sony has stopped making plasmas. I guess this is old news to anyone who keeps up on this stuff, but I was surprised. The only models they had in the store were HD LCDs (Bravias) and HD rear-projection televisions (SXRDs).

Is Sony behind the curve?

Do the SXRDs employ a new technology that's unique to Sony, or is "SXRD" just a fancy coinage?

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One of my colleagues (actually, he's a competitor ... ), far more into all things 'video' than I am, has auditioned a Sony KDS-R5 hex BR1 for a market-review a short while ago: (recap, all between [] are additions by me)

- small inter-pixel spacing [...] hardly any "screen door effect" [and] highly reflective rear surface [make for] high picture brightness, contrast and great black-level performance (bettering CRT) [,] rich and deeply saturated colors [and] perfect depth and dimensionality of its picture
- high contrast level [and] fast (5 milli-second) response time [make for] believably displayed fast-motion material

- slightly over-solid picture [and] one-dimensional colors [make for] too soft a picture [and] less control of picture
- power supply [...] unstable [...] under-designed [for] panels' driving voltages
- weak sensivity [of TV-tuner] [...] losing signal-lock

Overall he thought it was one of the best LCoS/ DLP displays he had ever seen, with only neg. facts on tuner lock and power-supply. Oh well, all of my displays have shown to have weak power-supplies (good ones are difficult to build cost-efficient), and to my experience, most HD-TV's are very resonant-sensitive too (this Sony showed to be a pos. exception).
Sony's PR company Allison & Partners told me a while ago, many power-supplies used in Sony's B2B products will be re-sourced from Q2-2007 onwards in a response to customer-feedback: no news on Sony consumer products IIRC, so lets see what this will bring us.

If you want to please you're wife, it's safe to recommend buying one for her ... .

p_n

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The picture quality on the 55" and 60" SRXDs was impressive.

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But if I want to please my wife, I'll keep the money in the bank rather than spending it.

Ms. Bob is the (relatively) more practical and frugal one, and she's happy enough with the 37" Sony XBR CRT television that we bought a few years ago.

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Sweet-ass quality for high def content but like all HD TVs merely ok for standard television viewing.

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When watching SD-content on HD-displays, you'll see all: negative and positive. And SD is 'only SD': far from perfect. You've to really try getting all things positive out of the SD-standard when viewing it on your HD-display. Just placing your gear and connecting it with the cables supplied will not do when buying quality equipment. The trick, by definition, is the use of equipment as optimally as possible. Optimal for the you, for the equipment stand-alone, for the equipment used as set and for this set used in a given environment.

Why does your HD-display make SD look bad?: it pays off taking extra care connecting and setting up your source-player/ display. Try using different cables (see my posting [Dec 1 2006 : 08:21:37 AM] in this thread too)/ try out resonance-dampening feet (big HD-screens are very resonance-sensitive)/ exclude TL&halogen-light used on same AC-group as your video/ re-calibrate the laser in your source-player (clean lens too)/ I could go on-and-on, but I think you've to try for yourself before accepting SD as 'merely OK': there's great quality to be had from SD-over-HD IMO.

Success

p_n

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I think the problem with the SD picture is just the errors inherent when expanding 480 to 1080. Not many displays do that well. It's OK though and better than what I've seen on most TVs.

I have a Samsung upconverting DVD player and Teagan's Juice looks incredible.

My Xbox 360 and HD Digital Cable look great. The only thing I can do to get a better picture is next-gen DVD or buy an antenna to receive the over-the-air HD broadcasts.

Good TV. Only complaint so far is no VGA input, but I knew that before buying.

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p_n

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I'm definitely not pleased with the selection of TV stands at the furniture stores around here.

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Concerning the TV stand you're after: there's a lot you can buy on-line (search for 'AV furniture' or likewise). Some examples I know or found myself: Finite-Elemente, htmarket, BDI, Audio-Video-Furniture, StudioTech (note: expect some of these to be sold in hi-fi outlets instead of furniture stores). Only a solidly-build stand (preferably without glass shelves) is worthy of carrying you screen (less resonance) IMO. But your taste counts.

Enjoy

p_n

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PC's have been routinely using stouter power supplies for years at lower price points so it's not rocket science, just a matter of deciding to spec the supply good enough and actually checking to see that supply you buy meets those specs. If the only thing the vendor is held accountable for is price, then that's all you get...

I ended up getting my parents a 40" Samsung LNS4095D, an LCD that does 1080p and has true 192 hex 1080 resolution. Next trick - finding affordable HD source material to watch ...

It wasn't an easy choice - LCD's seemed to have better spacial resolution for the dollar, but Plasma's had better chroma resolution (better color). LCD has a ways to go to meet the contrast ratios of Plasma.

Plasma is *very* power hungry: 400 watts apparently isn't uncommon at all. I'll have to put a meter on their Samsung LCD at some point and see what it costs to run.

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Seen the power demands of most HD-screens (like you rightly stated), and the driving voltages involved, a robust power-supply is a required item. But, when I see a picture quality fluctuating along with grid-quality (as I said, something very common to see), I've my doubts on 'deciding to spec the supply good enough' (good enough for whom, for which set-up, where ...) and 'checking ... those specs' (by whom, under what conditions ...).

You could check out the power-supply in use, by arranging a home trial of a stand-alone power-supply (some examples), and make a comparison between the build-in and the additional stand-alone one when used on your HD-display (or any electronic A/V item). It's always worth experimenting when dealing with A/V, in that 'specifications' appear substantially less telling compared to simply using a consumers own senses. I've been involved in setting up roughly 40 or 50 home-cinema sets, and till now have experienced a 100% score on added-value of stand-alone supplies. As always, it's up to you, the customer, to decide what's the appropriate cost/value factor.

p_n

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By "spec" I don't mean the consumer specs on the supply but rather the engineering details which are never published. You can't really make a power supply to consumer specs for fancy stuff anyways: you need to derate it to match the actual transients and frequencies imposed by the device on the output, as well as deciding what to accept from the A/C plug.

Testing is done by the TV manufacturer at test points inside the box: that's why the test group has oscilloscopes and that other fancy gear... The techs take the schematic and look up the component specs, and start looking for out-of-range signals.

(at a higher level of course the marketing group has to decide how good it has to be to sell, and from what you say the marketing groups haven't cared to this point, so it's likely nobody is funding their tests groups to look too hard for problems)

I may try that at some point, but for now my parents are a long way from that being the issue. I have a Playstation 3 and a couple of Blu-Ray discs on order, then we will see.

PS. Samsung or someone has a Blu-Ray demo disc of a watchmaker at work with some amazing shots of the mechanical internals... *That* is a test disc I'd love to have! Samsung should give that disc away with players to sell more gear.

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Like you wrote, most gear is build to 'function within limits'. But the electrical conditions vary from place to place, and from moment to moment. Some power-conditioners can be dialed-in to take real-time changes into account, and deliver fixed-needs to connected gear. Others provide a buffer of some sort to protect your equipment against grid-variations and -noise.

Like in any area, for prices of power-conditions too, the sky is the limit. In some circumstances, even the most expensive ones appear to be under-priced. And there's always a 'more expensive'/ 'better', but as said, I think it's up to a customer to decide on the appropriate cost/value factor (for use on displays, to start of with, a small filter-add-on and quality screened power cable (like this) will do lots of the time, and in most cases a small conditioner (like these) seems sufficient to most people). There's a lot to be had from proper power-conditioning though!

p_n

BTW: an Oppo DV-981HD or Helios X-4000 (just auditioned (together with the X-3000/5000), and working splendid) make for a great set-up indeed IMHO!

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Will the Helios X-4000 enable the playing of PAL DVDs on an NTSC television?

The ad you linked noted that the player offered "PAL" support, but it wasn't clear to me exactly what that meant.

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But the "features" section of this page indicates that when upconverting to 720p, 1080i or 1080p, the frame rate is the speed of the original format (60hz for NTSC and 50hz for PAL).

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Concerning your question:

The player has automatic PAL/NTSC bi-directional conversion; in addition, NTSC/PAL settings can be switched by remote-control, and re-set via the menu. Though it can't do both PAL/NTSC conversion and upconverting to output HD simultaneous.

As it produced much better images when using progressive-scan (much more so then other players IMO), but has a problem outputting robust 1080p over HDMI (even with the supplied firmware-fix), I'd advise using this player, when using HDMI-output, in 720p NTSC/ 576p PAL or 576i playback-mode and let your HDTV do the scaling to it's native display resolution.

Also, I would advise buying this player from a next production run (starting wk.5/2007; build on the Oppo production-lines BTW ...), seen the number of small bugs currently active ("all solved issues", I was told: the player I used was an early release).

For its picture-quality, it's a great mid-field player IMHO (seen within the scope of its MRP): flexibility on the other hand is hard to better. I suspect the design-team is rather 'porn-loving' too, as they include a feature called "Smart Play": eliminating pre-plays (like ads), skipping the DVD menu, taking the viewer directly to the start of the DVD program-material itself ...). At least I liked this feature, as I liked the cost/value factor of this player.

p_n

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