damn_skippy

I have been looking for a new TV. I have always over a plasma but after checking out the DLP's I am equally impressed.

Someone told me that the LCD's and DLP's are supposed to last longer than a plasma TV. Does anybody have personal experience with either TV? Anybody have some concrete information on either set?

NikePenguin

LCD and DLP are two separate technologies.

Here is a good source of information about the current Samsung DLP sets. There are other manufacturers of DLP sets but this is a good starting place to learn about the technology.

NikePenguin

The link:

Unofficial guide to Samsung DLP

hoyalawya

The phosphor is plasma TVs will lose its brightness over time and use. The industry standard is 50% reduction in brightness from 30,000 hours of use. It calculates roughly to about 8 hrs per day for 10 years.

In contrast, DLP and LCD RPTV will last longer. DLP uses mirror to reflect image and LCD RPTV displays image by projecting light through the internal LCD panels. The light bulb in both sets will go out over use. But once the bulb is replaced, the picture should be the same as the day you bought the set provided that the tiny mirrors in the DLP set does not get stuck or that no additional dead pixels developed in the LCD panels.

bfrank

Like hoyalawya said but it should be nmoted that the light blub in the DLP (and projection LCD) can cost $1000!!!!

There where many new DLP rear projectors shown at CES that were under 12" deep using a new lens system developed by infocus. These are bigger then most plasmas and can be wall hung.

Plasma+: SEX!, thin, very good off axis, bright
Plasma -: cost, lifespan, black levels, fan noise

DLP +: better blacks, no pixelation, lighter weight, long life
DLP -: thicker, poor off axis, expensive light bulb.

hoyalawya

I don't know how much the bulb in the Samsung DLP cost but the bulb for my LCD RPTV is about $200. One more minus for the DLP is that some people might get motion sickness watching it. My girlfriend does not have the problem but I do. Otherwise, I would have gotten the DLP. Before you decide on a DLP, it is wise to bring your significant others to the store and observe the set for about 15 minutes to determine whether anyone has a problem with the set.

kvrdave

My dad just got a Samsung 50" dlp and it is pretty amazing. As much as I like the initial impression of the plasmas, I am quite sure that if (when) I upgrade, it will be to the dlp. I think his replacement bulbs are $300.

Gateway has a pretty sweet deal on the 54" running about $3000 right now. Some knock the gateway quality, but having seen them, the only difference I noticed is that some people knock the gateway quality. I think it is mainly to show you how discriminating their tastes are. My average eyes and tastes couldn't notice a difference.

tenaciousdave

I owned a 50" Sammy DLP for 29 days. There are a laundry list of problems that I couldn't live with. I'll give my pro's and con's

Pros

No burn in, hence videogame friendly
Small, thin, lightweight
bright
viewable at wide angles
a big WOW factor for friends
DVI inputs
-------------

Cons

No input that supported 480i,480p,720p, and 1080i.
Have to switch inputs for Xbox for different resolution games.
Artifacting, motion artifacts
Very poor black levels, loss of detail in any dark scene
Sound/video sync issues
ghosting images
headaches, motion sickness, and rainbows for some viewers
Horrible internal reflections


What sealed the deal for me was when I was watching LOTR: FOTR EE. When Gandalf lights his staff in the mines of Moria, the light was in the top left of the screen and it whited out almost the entire right hand side of the screen.

I got a good deal on the tv at $3,300, but I couldn't live with paying that much to settle for subpar picture quality. I bought a HDTV to WOW me with the picture not the technology. Right now you aren't going to find anything better than CRT.

Tons of people swear by the Sammy DLPs though. I'm not one of them.

Good luck on finding the set for you.