Dlp Hdtv

[David Hendrickson]

Has anyone done any research on the new crop of DLP HDTVs? My dad and father-in-law have been converted to hdtv thanks to your truly. They both purchased dlp sets within the past 2 months. One is a Samsung 50", and the other a 50" Sony. I would love to do a side by side with my Mits WS55907. The pictures on the dlp sets seem astounding! Not that I am unhappy with my Mits, I've done the manual and electrostatic focus, have a red push attenuator, and gone through all the Avia tweaks: but HOLY CATS their pictures look better. Anyone seen any side by side comparisons between RPTV and DLP hd picture quality. My wife is groaning as I type, but I can't let those whom I have converted have a prettier picture.   Can I?

[Bebop]

Just walk into Circuit City, if you wanted to see them side by side. I don't think there is a RPTV CRT that can beat them in sharpness.

[Skipjack]

but HOLY CATS their pictures look better.

A DLP based system will usually beat a CRT driven one.  That's because a DLP's picture is purely digital while a CRT display is ultimately analog.

[hgoodman]

Dave,

Are you still interested in hearing the +'s and -'s of DLP as compared to other technologies? I have a degree in Television Engineering (Broadcast Technology Management: Engineering/Operations Emphasis; UW-Platteville) as well as several months of research before I ultimately bought a DLP set.

I'll be glad to post, if you like, but want to make sure you could still make use of the information.


Best Regards,

~Hays

[David Hendrickson]

Hays,

I am very interested. I was out looking this past weekend, and I like what I see. Side by side with an RPTV the DLP HD picture was clearly sharper. It was more difficult to compare the plasma with the DLP, but from what I could tell the DLP pictures were the best of all the HD units I saw.

[hgoodman]

Great,

Here's what research and personal experience have indicated:

DLP Pros:

1.) Extremely bright image potential.
2.) Point-to-point focus consistent across entire screen.
3.) Color saturation full and actually exceeds NTSC + ATSC diagram at  majority of points for most sets. In other words, the saturation capability exceeds what source is capable of providing, which gives comfortable headroom.
4.) Consistent performance throughout lifespan. Lamp does not dim with age as with plasma; in fact, plasma is rated at "half brightness point" in the specs for age, in other words, at 10-15,000 hours, the set will be half as bright. DLP can be fully renewed at the failure point with new hi-pressure lamp by consumer.
5.) Reliability. The DMD (digital micromirror device) sees typical lifespans of 20-30 years of typical use according to Texas Instruments. Few other moving parts for example, colorwheel and/or cooling fan.
6.) Size and weight. Depth on my RCA is 14", weight less than 100 lbs.
7.) Immunity to image burn-in while using computer and video games.


DLP Cons:

1.) Black level still not equal to CRT but better than LCD.  Roughly equal to Plasma; this is heavily dependent on viewing environment, too. In my OPINION, it's adequate even for "deep space" movie viewing, providing you are viewing the latest "Mustang" chip as used in most current DLP sets.
2.) May be slightly more noisy than CRT in terms of color and luminance noise with certain program material.
3.) Expensive relative to CRT.
4.) Unproven so far in this application in terms of long-term reliability compared especially to CRT. MAY have favorable status long-term compared to LCD since the light does not pass THROUGH the chip as in LCD but is rather reflected from it.
5.) Potentially lower resolution as compared to very high-end plasma, most CRT and some LCOS.
6.) Advances continue at a furious pace. By next spring, the updated version of the Mustang DMD chip will be out, promising even better black level performance, and a greater performance on deep green colors. May continue to get better by waiting including price reductions.
7.) Slight fan/color wheel noise during operation. Very quiet but may be objectionable to some.


I hope that helps. If you're looking for in-depth, very technical but passionate debate I encourage you to check out the "display" section on the forum:

//www.avsforum.com

This is one of the most active forums I have found for info. on HDTV and displays in particular. If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask.

I should note that on a personal level, after looking at HDTV for the better part of 2 years, this latest version of DLP with the Mustang chip was finally the kicker to get me to take the plunge and make the investment. It's not perfect by any means for everyone, but it met my particular needs.

[Gregg Lengling]

A few weeks ago when I had to make the choice to get a new set (extended warranty gave me all the money I spent 2 years ago to play with).  I looked at the DLP's and was pretty impressed, the picture was good and the size of the set was a big plus.  However due to the newness of the technology and the less than Black Blacks compared to RPTV's, I decided to get another RPTV.  There was a big cost differential for me to stay at the size I was.  I had a 61" RPTV and the 60" DLP would have taken 2K out of my pocket above and beyond what the warranty people gave me to spend.  I'm also a very big SciFi watcher and it was readily apparent to me about the blacks not being as I was used to.

So I finally went with a new 65" RPTV and I'm not the least big unsatisfied.  Of course I had to rearrange the room and equipment to make it fit, whereas I wouldn't have had that problem with the DLP.

But of course I bought a new extended warranty, so maybe in 2 years when or if it fails, I'll look again.

[mhz40]

Originally posted by Gregg Lengling
[clip]But of course I bought a new extended warranty, so maybe in 2 years when or if it fails, I'll look again. [/clip]

Won't happen unless you pull the Polyphaser gear! :rofl:

[David Hendrickson]

Hays,

Great post:bow: . Those are some of the important technical points I wasn't getting from the sales personnel at the local establishments. IMHO the future of these big screen sets is going to pit plasma against dlp. Because as the prices continue to drop, I don't see our rptv's able to compete. Size, weight, installation options, picture quality all seem to favor the newer technology. The big decision for me will probably be : when to jump up, and will my wife leave me when I do?

[Skipjack]

Also under DLP CONS:

8.) Expensive bulb replacement.


With the prices dropping on front projection systems I might be looking into one of those to replace the old RPTV in a few years.  FPTV gives you the freedom to pick what screen size you want.  

Who knows what technology is down the line.  I mean, there are full color LED's out there that can display 16 million colors.. it's just a matter of time before someone can mass produce and make them tiny enough to make a TV out of them.  Then you'll have a low power, low heat,  wall mount TV that will last a long long time.... well... until the next best technology comes along.

[Bebop]

It's only $300.

Some of the service plans also included bulb replacement.

I almost got the 46" DLP, but found a good price on the Panasonic LCD that I couldn't pass up. I didn't find any problem with the black level. Lord of The Rings with many of the dark scenes were quite detailed on the screen.

It good to never to deal with convergence and geometry ever again.

[StarvingForHDTV]

Originally posted by Bebop
It good to never to deal with convergence and geometry ever again.

That's a very good point.

Can you remove the glare screens on the DLP sets (if they have them)?  I can't stand to watch with those things on.  That would be a big selling factor for me.

Starving

[Bebop]

The lenticular screen with the antiglare finish is right in front of the Fresnel lens. If you remove it, you'll looking straight at the fresnal lens.

[StarvingForHDTV]

Is the lenticular screen with antiglare finish a textured material?

With my current RPTV I had a sheet of I think they called it anti glare in front of my lenticular screen (which is textured).  The anti glare was not accurately named to say the least.  Once that was gone, I could watch with lights on or during the day without any reflections.  The anti glare is now in my basemant collecting dust, which is the role it is best suited for.

Starving

[Bebop]

Yes, on the same screen