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Topic: Is this TV supposed to suck? (Read 13047 times)
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Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942
Muse.
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I bet most people still go to shops to buy their TVs because they're not afraid of being caught out in the sun.
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My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Brick & mortar is where you go to kick tires before you buy online, tax-free!
I was joking, but honestly, it's a bad place to evaluate picture quality, as we've discussed before. Sets are cranked to the max and fed a crappy signal, your view distance/angle is all off and the lighting is atrocious. Best bet is always a place like avsforum, see what the wacky videophiles say. They will find a bajillion issues you'll never see, but I did get the service manual for my set from there and that's how I got 1:1 pixel mapping set up (and thankfully my mirror is well-aligned out of the box!). I bought both my DLPs sight unseen, the last one I did buy through a brick and mortar, but only because the salesman fucked up and gave me an extra $1000 off. At the very least you need to make them hook up a PS3 with a decent bluray disc.
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Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23657
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Everyone seems to be leaning in any direction that is not LCD. any particular reason why? It seems most sets in stores now are lcd. I cant find dlp in any local stores and plasmas are getting fewer and fewer.
Is LCD not a good option at all?
Ignore Sky and his love of DLPs  His is a dying breed. Plasma is still the technology closest in video quality to CRTs which was the best consumer video display technology. But plasma has enough disadvantages that if you aren't a video/image quality fanatic a direct-view LCD is the better choice.
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Sky
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Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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Nerf
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Posts: 2421
The Presence of Your Vehicle Has Been Documented
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I really like DLPs too, if I were in the market for a TV right now, a LED DLP set at 65" or better would be my #1 choice.
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Cyrrex
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10603
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I like DLP projection technology for the bang for the buck factor...but for me, it's all about front projection. You haven't lived until you've played (for example) Deadspace on a 250 inch screen in your living room with the lights out and the volume up. There is no comparable experience. I love my Sammy LCD and my Panny Plasma, but I'd take my shitty (and cheap!) Toshiba DLP projector over both of them, if it were solely up to me.
Next stop: 3D projector.
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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I'd eventually like to do front projection if I get my basement finished. Too much light in my living room. The DLP is fine right next to my french doors with full sunlight, blackout curtains in my bay window...but for a FP I'd need to black out the french doors, too...and even I don't like /that/ much cave effect. Maybe by next upgrade cycle...unless I decide to upgrade the "studio" (such as it is). Then all bets are off and I'll probably be single again :)
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Cyrrex
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10603
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Yeah, that's the main drawback with front projection...you either have to wait until it's dark or you have to be able to control the light in the room.
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Stewie
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Posts: 439
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Professional Forum Lurker.
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Cyrrex
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Posts: 10603
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Personally, I think the Samsungs are better than the Sonys, and that is even without factoring in the fact that they are also loads cheaper. I have a similar Samsung (it's a 650, not a 610), and I LOVE it.
Either way, though, rest assured that you are going to get a really nice TV.
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Salamok
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Posts: 2803
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I like DLP projection technology for the bang for the buck factor...but for me, it's all about front projection. You haven't lived until you've played (for example) Deadspace on a 250 inch screen in your living room with the lights out and the volume up. There is no comparable experience. I love my Sammy LCD and my Panny Plasma, but I'd take my shitty (and cheap!) Toshiba DLP projector over both of them, if it were solely up to me.
Next stop: 3D projector.
You have room for a 20ft screen in your living room?
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Cyrrex
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10603
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I like DLP projection technology for the bang for the buck factor...but for me, it's all about front projection. You haven't lived until you've played (for example) Deadspace on a 250 inch screen in your living room with the lights out and the volume up. There is no comparable experience. I love my Sammy LCD and my Panny Plasma, but I'd take my shitty (and cheap!) Toshiba DLP projector over both of them, if it were solely up to me.
Next stop: 3D projector.
You have room for a 20ft screen in your living room? Not an actual "screen" (of which I have a roughly 150 inch one in the office), but I can throw it up on the regular wall at roughly 250 inches, give or take. I would actually be able to make it bigger, if it weren't for the pesky windows that I have to fit the image between. It would help to explain that I have those watchamacallit high loft ceilings and can set the projector back a huge distance. The image quality is better than you'd think. To be honest, though, that isn't really the point. Anybody could make a pretty big ass screen somewhere in their house, even if it doesn't get quite that big.
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Nerf
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The Presence of Your Vehicle Has Been Documented
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We had a projector as our main TV at my parents house for awhile, and it's really easy to make a decent screen on the cheap. Go to Home Depot and get a bunch of 1x2's to make your frame, and then you'll want to add a few support crossbeams. Cover the 1x2's in a layer or two of white butcher paper, and then get a nice heavy white sheet and cover the whole screen it. It may not look as nice as the $500+ screens, but it does the job. Theres also a special screen paint thats available online that you could paint the sheet with to put it on par with the super expensive ones.
I think our 110" or so screen ended up costing around $20 to make.
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Cyrrex
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10603
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We had a projector as our main TV at my parents house for awhile, and it's really easy to make a decent screen on the cheap. Go to Home Depot and get a bunch of 1x2's to make your frame, and then you'll want to add a few support crossbeams. Cover the 1x2's in a layer or two of white butcher paper, and then get a nice heavy white sheet and cover the whole screen it. It may not look as nice as the $500+ screens, but it does the job. Theres also a special screen paint thats available online that you could paint the sheet with to put it on par with the super expensive ones.
I think our 110" or so screen ended up costing around $20 to make.
For the screen in my office, that is almost exactly what I did...I built a big ass frame with crossbeams. I'm an idiot with the sort of thing in general, but it was super easy. The one difference is that I used actual professional screen material, which you get get off ebay for pretty cheap. All told it cost me around 100 bucks or so, most of which was the screen fabric.
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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ghost
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If you can get any light control in a room at all the plasmas all seem to look better to my eye.
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Arthur_Parker
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5865
Internet Detective
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Bought a Samsung LED and I'm very happy with it. UK review here, think this is the US version. What surprised me most was how good the USB 2.0 interface for playing avi files. If I was doing it again I'd probably go for a cheaper tv and just buy the Western Digital WD TV Live for media streaming as we recently did for the main bedroom hooked up to a new cheap 32" LG TV.
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Stewie
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Professional Forum Lurker.
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Nebu
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Two dumb questions to necro this thread:
1) Will I hate myself for saving a few bucks buying a 60Hz over a 120Hz? I don't watch a lot of television, but when I do it's sports and movies. Found a Samsung 40" LCD for $649 and I'm tempted.
2) Is a 46" really worth the significant cost over a 40"? I have a decent size living room, but it's usually just me so I can move the sofa as close to the screen as I like.
Thanks!
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Cyrrex
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Posts: 10603
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1) You may indeed hate yourself. It's an "eye of the beholder" kind of thing, but I personally think the 120hz tech beats the 60hz all sideways At least with the Samsung sets...I didn't notice as much improvement on other brands.
2) If you think a 40 inch is just about right, buy a 46". If you think a 46 inch is just right, buy the 52". Basically, the rule of thumb is to buy at least one size bigger than you think. I remember thinking my 52 inch (which replace a 40 inch) was absolutely massive a year ago when I bought it. Now I consider it to be borderline.
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Nebu
Terracotta Army
Posts: 17613
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Based on our tests, it pays to ante up the extra $200 or so to move up to a 120Hz HDTV from a 60Hz model-if you're confident that the set implements the technology well. Just saw this quote in a review that mirrors your statement. I think you've given some excellent advice and it has made me rethink the purchase. Thanks a lot, Cyrrex!
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942
Muse.
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We've had this 50-something inch TV for several years now and I still think it's fucking massive. I yearn for a smaller TV. I want the other half of my living room back!
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My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
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MahrinSkel
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Posts: 10859
When she crossed over, she was just a ship. But when she came back... she was bullshit!
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We've had this 50-something inch TV for several years now and I still think it's fucking massive. I yearn for a smaller TV. I want the other half of my living room back!
I'd agree. I just can't see the point in anything too much bigger, 60" is probably the highest I'd go, and only if I really felt the need for 1080p. But I don't even feel the need for Blu-Ray, upsampled widescreen DVD's at 720p seem perfectly acceptable to me (with the bonus that I can use component video and skip all the HDMI crap). --Dave
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--Signature Unclear
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Koyasha
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Posts: 1363
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I'm seriously thinking of getting a new TV soon, (probably within ~3 months) but I figure I might go with a simple 32 inch one and simply set it on my desk near me, instead of across the room. It'll be 2 inches larger than my monitor even if it does have less resolution, and I typically prefer to watch movies on my monitor rather than on my 50 inch TV across the room. I don't typically have anyone else that I watch TV with, so it seems like it would give me just as good an experience for a fraction of the price. Anyone see a flaw in this plan?
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-Do you honestly think that we believe ourselves evil? My friend, we seek only good. It's just that our definitions don't quite match.- Ailanreanter, Arcanaloth
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Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942
Muse.
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Well, the only flaw I see is having it on the desk. I want to lounge on the sofa relaxing with a cup of coffee or something and enjoy a program. I'd hate having to sit at a desk. It wouldn't feel relaxing for me.
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My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
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Koyasha
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Posts: 1363
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Not a problem for me, I like my office chairs. I don't have a couch or recliner, just a nice high-backed reclining office chair. Hell, perhaps I can get an even more comfortable one.
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-Do you honestly think that we believe ourselves evil? My friend, we seek only good. It's just that our definitions don't quite match.- Ailanreanter, Arcanaloth
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Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942
Muse.
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No sofa? Just office chairs? Do you live in a packing crate behind Staples? 
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My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
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Sky
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32117
I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.
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2)  My 65" 1080p set is perfect from 10' away. Although, to be honest, as a pc monitor I'd probably would've have gone larger due to fixed text sizes in some games and for better legibility. The 73" set probably would've been the sweet spot at 1080p for a pc monitor. Also, don't dismiss DLP, especially if cost is a factor. My new Mitsu is very sharp, great colors and good blacks.
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Nebu
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Posts: 17613
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Ok, narrowed it down to a 46" 120 Hz LCD set (~$1000). Is there a brand preference here? I've been looking at Samsung, but there's a Sony at the same price with a higher contrast ratio.
Hopefully this is my last question.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Cyrrex
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Posts: 10603
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Contrast ratios are eternally exaggerated about by all manufacturers, so believe your eyes before you believe your numbers.
That said, in my opinion, Samsung is currently better than Sony (particularly with the 120hz implementation) and is generally even cheaper for comparable models. You'll get others saying the opposite, but I don't really think it's even close right now.
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Nebu
Terracotta Army
Posts: 17613
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That said, in my opinion, Samsung is currently better than Sony (particularly with the 120hz implementation) and is generally even cheaper for comparable models. You'll get others saying the opposite, but I don't really think it's even close right now.
I was leaning that way (toward Samsung) so thank you for pushing me forward! You've been a wonderful help.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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Cyrrex
Terracotta Army
Posts: 10603
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Next, I'll be talking you into 3D computer gaming. On a projector. Start saving!
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"...maybe if you cleaned the piss out of the sunny d bottles under your desks and returned em, you could upgrade you vid cards, fucken lusers.." - Grunk
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Nebu
Terracotta Army
Posts: 17613
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Next, I'll be talking you into 3D computer gaming. On a projector. Start saving!
I'm saving for a hovercraft.
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"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
- Mark Twain
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