Switching to Hi-Def

[steve dave]

I've sort of narrowed my choices down to the Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U 52" or the Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50" but I'm a bit agnostic about which might be the better choice.  The Sharp has better blacks than any other LCD I've seen but I've not had a chance to watch a dark scene in a dark room to see if that 10,000:1 contrast marketing hype really does what they claim.  The Panasonic is about the same price but at almost 700W vs under 300W for the Sharp it's definitely a space heater.  Anyone own either of those or have any thoughts?

Are you deadset on buying a TOTL set?  Pan. makes the best TOTL plasmas but I have never been a plasma fan because of (what you mentioned) power usage and weight.  Sharp always seems to be selling a comparative (LCD) set about $500 more then LG or Samsung.  Do you have experience owning a Sharp?  I hear they are good sets but worth it?  I am a bang-for-the-buck guy so I always recommend a Samsung or LG for LCD and you are probably on with the Pan. for the plasma.  You seem to know all of this though so disregard if you want.  just my fwiw

[AzCat]

In a lot of respects you do get what you pay for in this area.  I'm not at all committed to a TOTL set and neither of my suggestions is anywhere near that area.

The Sharps have pictures that are significantly better than even sets costing twice as much and they're the only LCDs I've seen that have tolerable black levels.  Unfortunatley Sharp opened a new factory late last year to produce them and they've been plagued with banding problems, sometimes very severe banding problems.  I was hoping one of you home theater gurus could tell me if they've solved this yet, I've been waiting for a while.

Hence my interest in the plasma.  I don't really care about energy consumption but having a space heater in the living room during the summer just doesn't seem like a great idea. 

[AzCat]

Thread ressurection.  Sony XBR5 52" vs. Samsung 81 series 52".  Discuss. 

[dr00d]

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/epson-power-lite-pro-leaps-to-1080p-217394.php

something like that...except, you can find decent similar units that only run about a grand.  I would highly recommend the projector.  It is really sweet and takes up a lot less room in your house to boot.

[ksuno1stunner]

How are "Vizio" tvs?

[asava]

Are you any good at guitar?

Nothing about you suggests that you are good at guitar to me.

Do you have a super sweet band I should know of?

I've been playing for six years. Jed Wymore is my instructor (amazingly talented, really). Uhm, I wasn't born with the music gene by any means but I feel like I'm decent. I probably play a few hours every day. I wouldn't have spent the money I did on the guitars if I didn't know how to play them to a certain degree, you know? There are definitely much more talented players my age than myself though.

fwiw, i pwn you on your guitar amp. however you kick my ass to no end on your guitars. i have been thinking about buying a new one. but i can't bring myself to do it just yet.

[steve dave]

How are "Vizio" tvs?

You get what you pay for.

[AzCat]

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/epson-power-lite-pro-leaps-to-1080p-217394.php

something like that...except, you can find decent similar units that only run about a grand.  I would highly recommend the projector.  It is really sweet and takes up a lot less room in your house to boot.

I thought about that but most happy projector owners seem to have light-free basement home theater setups.  I'd need one that would look good in moderate ambient daylight conditions, I don't think that sort of thing exists at any reasonable price point yet.  And I doubt it ever will because if you think about it, how in the heck could you project black onto a white screen in a room with ambient light?  Engineers want to know.

[dr00d]

lumens + contrast ratio ftw.

It's true, I'm sure my projector might not look as well upstairs as it does downstairs, but I would think that you could have some curtains installed to take care of that issue (if you are actually watching tv when it is still light outside)...only on weekends for me.

[pissclams]

Thread ressurection.  Sony XBR5 52" vs. Samsung 81 series 52".  Discuss. 

why the xbr5 and not the 4?

[AzCat]

lumens + contrast ratio ftw.

It's true, I'm sure my projector might not look as well upstairs as it does downstairs, but I would think that you could have some curtains installed to take care of that issue (if you are actually watching tv when it is still light outside)...only on weekends for me.

Weekends here as well but if it won't work well for football on Saturday and Sunday afternoons it's not a satisfactory solution.  Plus if I'm going to drop a few grand on a new television I'd damn well better be able to watch a movie in the afternoon on a weekend without being annoyed by the picture quality. 

You pretty much make my point: projectors are great in the basement or in a dedicated light-free room but they're not a good solution for the living room or family room.  I don't have any desire to hang blackout curtains in the three rooms I'd have to address to make it dark enough to use a projector.  Good idea but not for me, all the lumens in the world can't project black if there's any ambient light. 

[AzCat]

Thread ressurection.  Sony XBR5 52" vs. Samsung 81 series 52".  Discuss. 

why the xbr5 and not the 4?

I suppose the 4 would work as well, I doubt I'd ever use the 5's RS-232 port and that seems to be the only difference.

[pissclams]

http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/television/flat_panel_displays/lcd/release/30448.html

[AzCat]

http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/television/flat_panel_displays/lcd/release/30448.html

There's better info to be had by doing the XBR4 / XBR5 comparison here.

The Sammy 81's 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio is tempting but I don't really have a desire to pay an extra 20% for the privilege of being a guinea pig for their 1st gen technology.  I think I'll go with the Sony, J&R has the 52" XBR4 for $4k delivered which isn't bad.  Anyone know of a cheaper online shop?

[pissclams]

the link was to make you aware of the new panels being released in case you were worried about last year's clouding issue.

[AzCat]

My understanding is that on the overwhelming majority of XBR2/3s that had clouding isues it was noticeable only when running a reference disc with solid color and gradient patterns but that it pretty much vanished on any actual programming.  All of the LCDs seem to have issues from time to time but I still think they're the way to go.

[The Whale]

I've sort of narrowed my choices down to the Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U 52" or the Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50" but I'm a bit agnostic about which might be the better choice.  The Sharp has better blacks than any other LCD I've seen but I've not had a chance to watch a dark scene in a dark room to see if that 10,000:1 contrast marketing hype really does what they claim.  The Panasonic is about the same price but at almost 700W vs under 300W for the Sharp it's definitely a space heater.  Anyone own either of those or have any thoughts?

Are you deadset on buying a TOTL set?  Pan. makes the best TOTL plasmas but I have never been a plasma fan because of (what you mentioned) power usage and weight.  Sharp always seems to be selling a comparative (LCD) set about $500 more then LG or Samsung.  Do you have experience owning a Sharp?  I hear they are good sets but worth it?  I am a bang-for-the-buck guy so I always recommend a Samsung or LG for LCD and you are probably on with the Pan. for the plasma.  You seem to know all of this though so disregard if you want.  just my fwiw

Just a side note -- if you're considering getting an LG, take a look at the Zenith models.  They're pretty much the same tv with the same specs, just branded differently.  My Zenith is even stamped on the back as an LG.

[pissclams]

My understanding is that on the overwhelming majority of XBR2/3s that had clouding isues it was noticeable only when running a reference disc with solid color and gradient patterns but that it pretty much vanished on any actual programming.  All of the LCDs seem to have issues from time to time but I still think they're the way to go.

i've read quite a few customer complaints and had a friend who went through 3 of the sets all with the issue.

[dr00d]

lumens + contrast ratio ftw.

It's true, I'm sure my projector might not look as well upstairs as it does downstairs, but I would think that you could have some curtains installed to take care of that issue (if you are actually watching tv when it is still light outside)...only on weekends for me.

Weekends here as well but if it won't work well for football on Saturday and Sunday afternoons it's not a satisfactory solution.  Plus if I'm going to drop a few grand on a new television I'd damn well better be able to watch a movie in the afternoon on a weekend without being annoyed by the picture quality. 

You pretty much make my point: projectors are great in the basement or in a dedicated light-free room but they're not a good solution for the living room or family room.  I don't have any desire to hang blackout curtains in the three rooms I'd have to address to make it dark enough to use a projector.  Good idea but not for me, all the lumens in the world can't project black if there's any ambient light. 

All I know is that I wouldn't give up my setup for anything.  I originally drew in a 'theatre room' for all of my house plans I made in high school and college.  I think it was destiny. 

[AzCat]

lumens + contrast ratio ftw.

It's true, I'm sure my projector might not look as well upstairs as it does downstairs, but I would think that you could have some curtains installed to take care of that issue (if you are actually watching tv when it is still light outside)...only on weekends for me.

Weekends here as well but if it won't work well for football on Saturday and Sunday afternoons it's not a satisfactory solution.  Plus if I'm going to drop a few grand on a new television I'd damn well better be able to watch a movie in the afternoon on a weekend without being annoyed by the picture quality. 

You pretty much make my point: projectors are great in the basement or in a dedicated light-free room but they're not a good solution for the living room or family room.  I don't have any desire to hang blackout curtains in the three rooms I'd have to address to make it dark enough to use a projector.  Good idea but not for me, all the lumens in the world can't project black if there's any ambient light. 

All I know is that I wouldn't give up my setup for anything.  I originally drew in a 'theatre room' for all of my house plans I made in high school and college.  I think it was destiny. 

It's a good idea and the next time I build I'll definitely include one.  However shortly after the Civil War (yes *that* Civil War) when my current place was built they really didn't give much consideration to home theater setups. 

[dr00d]

lumens + contrast ratio ftw.

It's true, I'm sure my projector might not look as well upstairs as it does downstairs, but I would think that you could have some curtains installed to take care of that issue (if you are actually watching tv when it is still light outside)...only on weekends for me.

Weekends here as well but if it won't work well for football on Saturday and Sunday afternoons it's not a satisfactory solution.  Plus if I'm going to drop a few grand on a new television I'd damn well better be able to watch a movie in the afternoon on a weekend without being annoyed by the picture quality. 

You pretty much make my point: projectors are great in the basement or in a dedicated light-free room but they're not a good solution for the living room or family room.  I don't have any desire to hang blackout curtains in the three rooms I'd have to address to make it dark enough to use a projector.  Good idea but not for me, all the lumens in the world can't project black if there's any ambient light. 

All I know is that I wouldn't give up my setup for anything.  I originally drew in a 'theatre room' for all of my house plans I made in high school and college.  I think it was destiny. 

It's a good idea and the next time I build I'll definitely include one.  However shortly after the Civil War (yes *that* Civil War) when my current place was built they really didn't give much consideration to home theater setups. 

 

damn...and I thought my house was old.  You should see the old picture of the basement before the remodel...it's quite a different looking room now.

[AzCat]

lumens + contrast ratio ftw.

It's true, I'm sure my projector might not look as well upstairs as it does downstairs, but I would think that you could have some curtains installed to take care of that issue (if you are actually watching tv when it is still light outside)...only on weekends for me.

Weekends here as well but if it won't work well for football on Saturday and Sunday afternoons it's not a satisfactory solution.  Plus if I'm going to drop a few grand on a new television I'd damn well better be able to watch a movie in the afternoon on a weekend without being annoyed by the picture quality. 

You pretty much make my point: projectors are great in the basement or in a dedicated light-free room but they're not a good solution for the living room or family room.  I don't have any desire to hang blackout curtains in the three rooms I'd have to address to make it dark enough to use a projector.  Good idea but not for me, all the lumens in the world can't project black if there's any ambient light. 

All I know is that I wouldn't give up my setup for anything.  I originally drew in a 'theatre room' for all of my house plans I made in high school and college.  I think it was destiny. 

It's a good idea and the next time I build I'll definitely include one.  However shortly after the Civil War (yes *that* Civil War) when my current place was built they really didn't give much consideration to home theater setups. 

 

damn...and I thought my house was old.  You should see the old picture of the basement before the remodel...it's quite a different looking room now.

Stone walls, dripping water, and a little unintentional koi / algae pod in the corner?  You should've seen mine: I just went in with a shovel, carried out the animal carcasses and moved right in.   

[fatty fat fat]

too damn expensive. and my parents won't buy one.

frack.

[ksuno1stunner]

What's a good TV for cheep?

Trying to find something that strikes a balance between size/quality/800 bucks

[ksuno1stunner]

too damn expensive. and my parents won't buy one.

frack.

donate plasma.  for a plasma tv ha get it?

but seriously, that's what i'm going to do.

[fatty fat fat]

isn't plasma like liquid electrons?

pretty sure they are diff. plasma's.

how much $$ do u get? or you just fracking with me? 

[ksuno1stunner]

isn't plasma like liquid electrons?

pretty sure they are diff. plasma's.

how much $$ do u get? or you just fracking with me? 

Is it?  I thought donated plasma was inserted into tvs.

u get like 40 the first 2-3 times, then 25 after that.  u can do it twice a week., i guess first time is like 2 hours, after that it's like 1.  haven't done it yet, but most of the potheads around here do it.

[AzCat]

Finally bought one: Pioneer kuro PDP-5010FD.  Plasma Concepts has a pretty solid deal going and a few left for preorder if anyone's in the market.

[pissclams]

1080p on a plasma 

[AzCat]

The set after this will a SED or LED / laser backlit LCD but those are either vaporware, perpetually delayed, or barely 1st gen technology at this point.  I don't think the Pioneeer can be beat for price/performance in a midrange set. 

Besides, if I want to see Ron Prince go down in flames in HD on 01 September on this year's model, the Pioneer is the choice.  No point waiting until halfway through football season to get an inferior LCD.