The BIG One, Part II
Believe it or not, it was actually a tough decision trying to figure out which big screen TV I really wanted. I mean, they didn't have that many to choose from, but it was just understanding the technology that tripped me up. I had done my research ahead of time, trying to understand what was what and why it was different, but there was more to it than that.
Going into it, I had my mind set on a DLP set. Digital Light Projection is a relatively new technology that's close to the quality of an LCD or plasma set, but not as expensive. The picture that you get from a DLP set is magnificent as far as I'm concerned. Clear, bright, sharp from just about any angle. And when you're looking at the HD content they pipe into those stores, you'd swear you're looking at heaven itself.
BUT there were a couple of hitches to getting one. One, they didn't have any that went as big as I wanted. The biggest they had was a 50" RCA set. Yeah, it had the better picture and more features, but it also cost more. So, just to get a feel for how good of a set it really was and how it was selling, I played dumb and asked the salesman about it.
"So what's the difference between this and the other sets here?""Well, for a better picture, you're gonna want the DLP technology. Because these sets don't have the big projectors, they're real lightweight and much thinner."
"Oh, really. So I can move it around easier?"
"Oh yeah. And if you get our service plan, that'll cover any problems you might have, like if the bulb goes out, you'll wanna replace that and that'll normally cost youaboutthreetofourhundreddollars,butyou'llbeallset."
"Bulb?"
"Yeah, these DLP sets use a bulb and mirrors to project the picture onto the screen. Now, normally that bulb should last a good while. It's given a usage rating, sort of like a regular light bulb, but it's possible that it could go out anytime. Maybe a year, maybe next month."
"Oh. Really? Wow."
"So, then...is there any big reason not to get a rear-projection unit? That one over there is like ten inches bigger and costs almost $500 less. I mean it's an HDTV unit, so it'll be good for getting a great picture, right?
"Well, this one has a built-in HD receiver. So that means that you can start watching television in high definition right away. With that other one, you'll need a separate tuner or box to pick up the signal."
"But there's not a big selection of HD channels yet, is there?"
"Well, all of the major networks have an HD channel and there's more cable stuff coming out all the time."
"And I can still get a good picture with movies, right? I mean, that's really what I want this TV for. You know, get that theater experience."
"Well, you'll get a good picture, but you'll need the right cables. And to get true HD-quality, you'll need an HD-compatible DVD player."
"But it doesn't have a bulb that'll go out or anything like that, right?"
"Right."
After that brief conversation, the only thing I came away with that I didn't know about was the DLP bulb issue. I couldn't quite believe that people would buy into something like this. Surely, it couldn't be that big of a problem. But was it worth the risk of a couple thousand dollars? That and I'd still be walking away with less than I had in mind. Carol and I had to talk this over while we walked around the store.
For a second, I thought about doing some more shopping. Then, my gut told me to just do it already. So I went back to the TV department.
"Say bro. Let's go with that big one. The six-five.""Yeah? Not the DLP set?"
"Nah. We're going for size here."
"Wait here. Let me see if I've got one in stock."
A friend of mine recently purchased a Samsung 61" DLP HDTV tv and it has an incredible picture. One thing that I was disappointed in however was that the HD quality was significantly better than DVD quality. You can check out out a quality comparision here. If I'm going to spend that much money on a "home theatre" I want to know that my movie watching experience is going to be better than my tv watching experience. I don't want to spend $2,700.00+ for a better cable television watching experience and the number of HD channels is still rather limited from what I've heard.
Anyway I think it's a good idea to keep researching the technology and checking out your alternatives before you settle right away. Also, my friend sometimes notices a "rainbow effect" when looking at the DLP tv. I've never noticed it nor has anyone else so I don't doubt the problem is exclusive to him.
Let us know what you end up getting!
From what I understand, DLP sets are where it's at right now, both for cost and picture quality. I settled on a rear-projection CRT only because of size and relative cost, but if the situation were different, I probably would have gone with a DLP.
And it's true, current DVDs aren't up to snuff with HD programming, but that doesn't have anything to do with the TV. It's the DVD itself. You can play Superbit titles, or the best movie with the best transfer you've got, but it won't matter. A picture in 480p will never match 1080i, no matter how you figure it.
Now, you can get a DVD player that will upconvert the signal, but it's still not true HD. The only thing we can do is wait for the next generation of DVD (either HD-DVD or Blu-ray).
For now, I'm still happy with how nice and grand a picture I get on this 65" screen compares to a sloppy picture on a smaller set. Quality is sometimes a matter of relativity, and until hi-def DVDs arrive, I'm happy knowing this is the best there is.