I was wondering why so many people are buying Plasma TVs when the 1080p Rear Projection are cheaper and the same quality. Even the guy at my local electronics store agrees that RPTV is better than Plasma. So what am I missing? Is this just a fad? Is it just cool to say,"I just bought a new 50" Plasma" Can somebody please explain to me what is going on?
Rear Projection picture quality is a far cry from Plasma displays. Rear projection is considerd a dying technology, as it is inferior to both LCD flat screens and Plasmas, and obviously SED technology as well.
AS the price has dropped so much on flat displays due to competition, rear projection will be a thing of the past in about 2 years as far as new product.
Sony SXRD screens provide an image that equals plasma and LCD (actually equals is not a great term because each have their advantages, but SXRD clearly have some advantages)
Most rear projection screens are not that great, but if you purchase a 60" SXRD screen, you will be hard pressed to beat that image, for quality and size, even a few years from now. In some ways the SXRD screens are less pixelated and provide a smoother and more beautiful image.
In my oppinion, brand makes a bigger difference than type of technology you choose. An SXRD will beat up on many plasma screens, (and many LCD also), but I would take the Pioneer Elite plasma or Sony XBR LCD over almost all TV sets.
The processor makes a big difference too, not only the screen specs.
Nope. Sony SXRD is a good value, except for the quality control issues they are having---but Plasma and LCD flat are the best image quality available at this time, until SED comes out.
The problem with LCoS technology is that it is refractive and relies on light bulbs still--so viewing angles are limited in the vertical direction ( not fron the side) and also contrast ratios are a problem as the set cannot achieve true blacks and shadow detail in darker scenes is lost.
The images are bright and smooth, but not as realistic as a plasma or the better LCd screens. No technology can touch SED should that become commerically available in 2008 most likely.
Technology and understaindg the differences is pretty important to display selection in my opnion. You have to know your own viewing environment and content to pick the best technology match, and then onto brands from there.
I was talking to the sony rep at our sears a week ago and he mentioned a new type of bulb. I believe he said indescent bulb. He said it will have somewhere between a 50,000-60,000 life which is similar to the life of a panasonic plasma. Anyone else heard more about them?
This is the problem. It seems like personal preferance and knowledge seem to determine what a person prefers. The fact is i went into my local tech shop and they had the SXRD beside a Samsung Plasma and the SXRD was clearly the winner. The salesman agreed but siad he would still buy the plasma...??? When i asked why he said: Because i've always liked Plasma. What???? This is why this makes no sense to me.
Here's another query I had. I won't be running HD cable only regular cable and i don't watch an abundance of movies. Is it worth it for me to get such a high quality TV if I'm running a bad feed through it?
Rob, In my oppinion it depends on the TV you have. If the TV you have now is reasonable, I would not waste your money on a high def TV that will clearly show you how shitty regular TV channels are.
If you do decide however, I would recommend the SXRD. This screen tends to make images smoother... and blends pixels together (I'm not sure that's what it does, but LCD and plasma screends appear very pixelated when showing non-HD channels) ...perhaps SXRD can not generate the resolution of the LCD or plasma screens and therefore does not show all the flaws(??... that's how my eyes see it anyway...)
My buddy has last years 60" SXRD and it looks great in HD, and reasonable in regular def. As much as I like his TV though, I think I may wait a little longer and get a large LCD monitor, but I feel you really need lots of HD programming to justify the price tag.
LCD aand LCos Displays use many small light bulbs that are not replacable by a consumer ( you have to remove the board and change all of them at once which involves soldering).
Bright shiny images, like the LCos Sony SXRD, tend to attract folks on first glance.
However, picture quality is objective and can be measured. Color accuracy, Contrast ratio---etc.
This is why Plasma and flat LCDs are better than competing technologies now, but that could change.
AS an FYI, there are RPTV forums here at ecoustics if posters want to talk about those technologies. This one is for flat screens.
I have an LCD tv but it can't touch the contrast ratio of a good RPTY. Plasmas have great contrast but I find the screen door effects bothersome and it is prone to annoying glare (which is not an issue for LCDs). RPTVs are the best value in larger sizes, although that decreases once you factor in bulb replacement cost. But you can't hang a RPTV on a wall.
No one tv technology is the best in all areas. One is better with contrast, another at black level, another at color saturation, and so on, so it's silly to say that any particular technology is the "best." Best depends on what characteristics is most important to you.
Actually its objectively easy to say certain displays have better picture quality than others. These things are factual such as color accuracy, white light accuracy, and contrast ratio.
There are different technologies lumped together and described as RPTVs. Some are LCD based, others are LCos based, and some are now LED based. These lag flat LCDs and flat screen plasmas in picture quality.
It's not very close, and hiding behind stuff like " Let your eyes decide" etc is a bit of a cop out when folks are seeking knowledge. It is true that ambient light, viewing distance, and source material can cause one display to be advantaged over another, but plasmas and flat screen LCDs are far superior to all RPTV displays in true picture quality as objectively measured. I do note that wth prices on LCds and plasmas dropping so fast, its pretty much a no brainer at this point.