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HTenthusiast
02-06-2005, 06:31 AM
room - 18'l x 15'w

light - always dim to moderate, never bright

main viewing position - 13' from front of tv, directly in front

sources - DVD's, dish satellite (i think this is SD, not HD)

Since i do not watch HD, and DVD quality is about as high as im going, I was considering a standard rear projection Toshiba 51H84 ($1400ish) or 57H84 ($1600ish)

but seeing the price of a 50" DLP has me wondering if it might be worth upgrading to the newer technology, if for no other reason, coolness factor and future resale value.

considering:
Samsung HLP5063W ($2100ish) (read issues about sound echo and noise)
Optoma RD50 ($2100ish)
Toshiba 52HM84 ($2200ish)

they seem to be the better entry level units, are there any other contenders?

i could care less about the thickness of the tv.

newbsterv2
02-06-2005, 02:56 PM
I just purchased a Hitachi 51" HDTV rear projection set from circuitcity.com for $1600 with free shipping included. DLP is expensive but has a few more advantages. First of all they're smaller and lighter and have a brighter picture and you never have to worry about convergence. The bad things they have are their price point and having to replace the bulb after 8,000 hours or so of use. RPTV's are pretty much bulletproff and in my opinion perfect if you have a dim room and don't really care about what your friends think about the large cabinet. Another great thing about the Hitachi is that it doesn't suffer from hotspotting. I sit 12" away and the pictures brightness is perfectly even across the entire screen. Mitsubishi makes RPTV's that cost more that have hotspotting problems around the center of the picture. They do this so that they can boast higher oeak light output measurements for people who do nothing but look at measurements. Another great feature about the hitachi is the color decoding menu. This feature is usually accesible only via a service menu that would otherwise void your warranty. It let's you basically nail the color balance right on so that fleshtones look realistic while background objects have excellent color reproduction as well. I used to own Sont tv's which are great tv's but they don't have the features that the Hitachi has for the exact same price. Plus Hitachi's cabinet is way nicer. Hitachi also put a black bezel around the edges of the screen so that you dont get any annoying reflections from the screen. Go to circuitcity and look for yourself and have fun with whatever tv you buy. Here's a review for the 46" version of the tv I've told you about. And to answer your original question a 51" would be perfect for you.


http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=735&page_number=1






room - 18'l x 15'w

light - always dim to moderate, never bright

main viewing position - 13' from front of tv, directly in front

sources - DVD's, dish satellite (i think this is SD, not HD)

Since i do not watch HD, and DVD quality is about as high as im going, I was considering a standard rear projection Toshiba 51H84 ($1400ish) or 57H84 ($1600ish)

but seeing the price of a 50" DLP has me wondering if it might be worth upgrading to the newer technology, if for no other reason, coolness factor and future resale value.

considering:
Samsung HLP5063W ($2100ish) (read issues about sound echo and noise)
Optoma RD50 ($2100ish)
Toshiba 52HM84 ($2200ish)

they seem to be the better entry level units, are there any other contenders?

i could care less about the thickness of the tv.