OK HDTV DLP gurus...need your help

steveinaz

Ok, I'm starting my search again for a 50" DLP and looking for some input on what brands to look for; ie, Samsung, Panasonic, Hitachi, Sony, Mitsubishi, etc...

I don't need cutting edge technology, but would like a nice set. I'm thinking $1800 and below street price. I've got a Denon DVD-2910 for movie watching, and I get my TV via cable company if that helps.


Any and all ideas welcome...

bobman1235

I'll vouch for Samsung's customer service at the very least. I don't have much room for comparison quality-wise, though I love my set, but about a month or so after I bought it, it started shutting itself off randomly. I called them on a Saturday night... they gave me a two hour window early Monday morning when a technician would be there. They came right on time, fixed the unit in like 15 minutes, and even re-hooked everything up. Didn't leave a trace. All less than 40 hours after I called with the problem, on a weekend.

So, there's my Samsung DLP sales pitch

PolkWannabie

I was looking in larger size ( ~ 70" ) then you are but I did a lot of side by side comparisons and as much in store tweaking of picture as I could to get the settings off torch mode and as close to what I could expect in home after full calibration...

I personally preferred the Samsung's over the much higher priced and imho not as good Sony's which would have been my second choice ... I thought the Hitachi's were also very good but personally did not like the Panny's or Mitsubishi's ...

unc2701

Samsung CS is great. My buddy had his color wheel get warped when the power went out & the TV couldn't power down properly... They got it fixed for free even though it was a couple months out of warranty.

I can also vouch for buying TVs off amazon. I got my LCD $800 off the CC price, delivery in about 4 business days and they're authorized retailers.

PoppaDog

About 8 months ago I purchased my first big sceen TV, a 50" Hitachi DLP and within the first week had a pixel out (blue pixel) which was highly annoying. Call them up and they stated (which is also in the fine print of the catalog) that having a pixel or 3 out is typical as all DLP technology is fairly new and they would not fix my issue. They said that there needed to be at least 4 pixels out before it was considered a defect!!! It took almost a month in order to find all of this out as I was working through Circuit City. Just in time before I could return. Thank god!
Replaced it with a Sony 55" DLP with LCD Screen and had the thermal fuse go out in it after 1 month. Called Sony and they where out within 48 hours to fix the issue. Up and running ever since and haven't had a problem.
I fell in love with this machine as soon as the HD hit the screen! :eek:
Don't have much reference for you in order to find a cheaper unit but wanted to let you know of the issue with Hitachi even though it could have been an isolated issue.

steveinaz

I have a Samsung CRT television (27") in my master bedroom, and have always thought the color was very accurate---even next to my 36" Panasonic monster, the Samsung has a more realistic image. That 27 incher really impresses me, it's about 6 yrs old too. The big Panny tends to over saturate Reds too much, and my color control is turned way down at "6" the picture looks artificially warm. The Samsung is dead neutral in its color presenation to my eyes.

PoppaDog

If was to complain about anything on my Sony it would be the color adjustment.
Was reading after my purchase that you want to look for a larger color adjustment range with the DLP units as the black is not a true black, its more of a charcoal color.

Sami

Another vote for Samsung. Their HL-S series in 50" should be around 1200-1300 if I saw correctly at Fry's, for 720p models. I haven't looked at online prices lately so could be cheaper even. For the money they are very hard to beat.

I have 61" 1080p model myself and couldn't be happier. HT viewing on a projector has been very minimal since I got the Samsung. HD-DVD on 1080p is just....sooo good!

PolkWannabie

Steve,

You haven't stated if 50" or $1800 is the confining criteria i.e. do you not want to spend more then that or do you not have more room then that ...

If for example the dollars are more of an issue then how much room there is then with the Samsung you should be able to go to at least their 56" and stay under that dollar amount ... For example ... http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/458999553 ... and they are an authorized dealer ...

maingey

Recommend the same series, the...87 Samsung series. PolkWannabe hit the nail on the head. For that price range you're looking for, the Samsung would be the best, I've speck'd a couple of these in my proposals and they do look great (with a little adjusting). The fact the the component inputs accept 1080p is insane, I don't remember what version HDMI it accepts, but no biggie if you're using it as a monitor, the HDMI ins also accept 1080p. Vanns is giving away the set at that price (I don't know what shipping charges are) but the 50" you should be able to get $200-$300 off list easy. The colour wheel speed is greatly improved (IMHO) also.

I-SIG

Steve,

I don't mean to be a hater, but some folks are saying there are issues with macroblocking and at least some DLP's.

2910 Owner's Thread

Above is the 2910 Owner's thread. I'm sure you have probably looked through this, but I want to be sure for you, bud.

ETA: If you don't know what MB is, then ignorance is truly bliss in this case, but knowing you, you'll pick up on it in half a second or less. When I first saw watching a SD show on my plasma, I wanted throw up it was so bad and especially annoying.

Wes

PolkWannabie

MB is more of a source material issue then anything else and while present on some will be far more tolerable on a properly calibrated display.

Fireman32

I love my Mits 62" DLP and have not had a single problem with it.

MSALLA

I've had my Samsung over a year now and have not had any problems with it. The pictuers is excellent. If you can swing the price for the 1080p version I would try to go with that. The picture is even better, So much so, I almost upgraded.

amulford

I bought an RCA a couple years back. Has an integral HD tuner and cable card option. Was the least expensive and the PQ is pretty damn good.

I demo'd alot of 'em and this one, while not the absolute best PQ, the difference in price made up for the negligble difference in PQ

jdelan

Sony SXRD line. best picture out there in DLP's.

Ron Temple

I chose the Mits 57731 over the Samsung 87,88 series and the Sony SXRD, brighter and truer colors to my eyes, slightly cheaper, but the PQ was so close with these 3 mfgs. that price became a reason. This is the new line of Mits 1080P DLPs. It's a great set. I'd look at the Sammies and Sonys, but in your price range the Mits WD 52631 might do the trick. Check it out.

steveinaz

PolkWannabie wrote:

Steve,

You haven't stated if 50" or $1800 is the confining criteria i.e. do you not want to spend more then that or do you not have more room then that ...

If for example the dollars are more of an issue then how much room there is then with the Samsung you should be able to go to at least their 56" and stay under that dollar amount ... For example ... http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/458999553 ... and they are an authorized dealer ...

I don't want to go any bigger than 50" because of room size, not money. My couch is only about 9ft from the TV, I don't want to be "overwhelmed" by a huge screen.

steveinaz

I-SIG wrote:

Steve,

I don't mean to be a hater, but some folks are saying there are issues with macroblocking and at least some DLP's.

2910 Owner's Thread

Above is the 2910 Owner's thread. I'm sure you have probably looked through this, but I want to be sure for you, bud.

ETA: If you don't know what MB is, then ignorance is truly bliss in this case, but knowing you, you'll pick up on it in half a second or less. When I first saw watching a SD show on my plasma, I wanted throw up it was so bad and especially annoying.

Wes

I appreciate the info, this is exactly the sort of info I'm looking for..thanks Wes.

dane_peterson

I've owned nothing but Samsung DLPs, and I've had several.
However, I would sway SXRD if the price was a little more competitive. Produces a little better PQ than Samsung's.

I-SIG

steveinaz wrote:

I appreciate the info, this is exactly the sort of info I'm looking for..thanks Wes.

Hope it helps. I think it's a pretty long thread to wade though, but I've been overall pleased with the info available on AVS Forum.

It helped me decide to spend about a 1/6 of what I was comptemplating spending and probably get at least 80% of the PQ I was hoping for. I also decided that I was an audiophile and would ultimately be happier spend the rest of that coin on tweeters rather than video.

Wes

steveinaz

I'm not that fussy about my video either, just want to make sure I'm not buying something that people are having issues with.