what TV will work best in a large room with a lot of light

[gcappo1]

Ed,

How do I find the AV Master's shop?

Thanks
Greg

[edtyct]

Unless AVMASTER tells us, we'll just have to hop in the car and drive aimlessly. What A/V specialists are in your area? The solution to your "problem" will not be hard to find. Holding to your budget of $6 to 7,000 should easily get you what you need. A good shop won't try to ram something down your throat that you can't use. You are already armed with information about your options vis a vis your proclivities and circumstances. If you need a sounding board for anything that someone else may recommend, don't hesitate to post in this thread. We're likely to be the only ones not motivated in the least by how much you'll be paying.

Ed

[gcappo1]

Ed,
I live just a little north of Chicago. The large electronics stores are ABT Electronics and Applicances, Tweeter, Best Buy, Grant Appliances and Circuit City.

ABT has a spearate installation team. They will install and service items not purchased at their store.

There are a few small shops in the area. I actually started this quest with one of them. Unfortunately, they went out of business early in the project. The work was partially complete and there was no hope of getting any of my money back.

I would appreciate any thoughts you have on the stores listed above.

Thanks again
Greg

[edtyct]

Greg,

I'd stay away from Best Buy and Circuit City, so far as advice and installation goes--not that those stores don't have nice, and sometimes even informed, people working at them. But going by the percentages, dedicated A/V stores are likely to be more knowledgeable and resourceful. However, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from BB or CC if I knew exactly what I wanted and what to do with it.

ABT I know mostly form their web profile, which is among the most respected. They are also pleasant and helpful on the phone. I've had various degrees of relationship with Tweeter over the years. In the Northeast, where I live and the company originated, Tweeter is known as a class act with mid-fi equipment, often venturing into the high end. Its sales staff is well trained, informative, above board, and motivated (on commission). It's also a good gig for enthusiastic and competent electronics installers and technicians, despite the company's recent financial problems. If you use them for research, the protocol would be to buy from them, too. I'm fairly certain that they would have a big rear-projection or flat-panel display that would satisfy you. If you decide on front projection instead, with a larger screen (retractable or otherwise) to suit your room and seating arrangement, they can handle that as well. You don't have to break the bank with front projection, but you can. You'll have to weigh the cost of intrinsic (type, resolution, mount, etc.) and extrinsic (room treatments, ease of use, etc.) variables. A little face time with someone who knows the ins and outs will cut down on the anxiety and give you confidence on how you ultimately decide to spend your money. (By the way, Tweeter has a policy of not being undersold by BB or CC.)

Ed

[AVMASTER]

Ed,

How do I find the AV Master's shop?

Thanks
Greg

Sorry dude, i'm in Washigton DC but check out www.cedia.net under the designer locator;
you'll find custom installers in your area by entering your zip code

[gcappo1]

I went to ABT they recommended the following:

A DLP television:
Samsung HLR7178W
Sony KDS70Q006
Mitsubishi WD73727
Toshiba 72MX195

A Surround Sound Receiver: Denon AVR3806BK

A Sub-Woofer: Snell B300BKBK

I would appreicate any thoughts you have on these components.
Thanks
Greg

[edtyct]

You won't feel deprived with any of those TVs, but my personal favorite, for what it's worth, is the Sony SXRD line; LCoS is where it's at. But isn't that a Canadian Sony model that ABT has suggested? I thought that the US SXRDs were designated as KDSxxXBR. Also, is the Sony in your budget?

I have no comment about the audio, except that people seem to think highly of the Denon receiver. I do have a soft spot for Snell speakers, though I haven't heard the sub. To my mind, ABT is pointing you in the proper direction for video, and probably audio. Don't get too bogged down with our opinions. Stick with the technical explanations that ABT gives you, and then let your gut choose. Your home theater is going to be grand.

Ed

[westcott]

Your room is almost identical to mine in layout.

See if these pictures give you any ideas.

http://community.webshots.com/user/jbwestcott

Light control will be the key issue to success, as pointed out earlier and it can get expensive.

I still use a 27" CRT for SD programming and it works with all the windows open!!!!
You may want to consider using two displays, as well.

Good Luck!

P.S. The new Sony's will only upscale to 1080p but will not accept a 1080p signal!!!!!

[gcappo1]

Ed,

You are right the Sony is out of my price range. They want $10,500 for it.

Do you have a preference for any of the other DLP TVs listed? They are in the $5,000 - $6,000 range.

Are there other DLPs that are 70+ inches that I should consider?

Thanks
Greg

[edtyct]

Greg,

As I said, I don't think that you can go too far wrong relative to other DLPs with the Toshiba and Mitsubishi. Neither of them is in the Sony's LCoS league, but they cost $5000 less. One thing that I like about the Toshiba is that uses full 1080i frames to create 1080p rather than half the original frame (540-lines) to get there--that is, it doesn't bob (see the thread that I intiated about shortchanging HDTV). I'm not sure that Mitsubishi can make the same claim. Toshiba's proprietary video processing isn't always stunning. This set will benefit from a DVD player with its own progressive analog feed (almost every one made) or one with an HDMI or DVI output (slightly less common but hardly rare). But the Toshiba produces a good solid black, and is bright enough to handle a room like yours before the sun goes down. I'm not as familiar with the Mits, so take my second-hand information with a grain of salt. I hear that the color balance is poor, with a fierce red push and inaccurate greens. My inclination would be to go with the Toshiba, with no disrespect intended to those who own and love their Mits.

Samsungs can look awfully good, but they do bob. They also generally have one quirk or another that sets them back, like poor DC restoration, which is a set's ability to hold steady under real-world picture conditions. Quality control with Samsung products still seems to be suspect. Yet the Samsungs are wildly popular TVs, with a lot of different offerings to fit different budgets and tastes. If you like the looks, and the price, you could easily be swayed in their direction.

I won't hedge. I would choose Toshiba, not because it's perfect but because it may stray less from perfect than the others, and in the world of consumer TV, that ain't too bad. But please push the people at ABT hard about the issues that we've raised and look at as many different kinds of material as possible on these sets before you decide. If that seems too daunting, consult the I Ching, or just pick one. Life's too short to wait around. HDTV will look terrific on almost any good set. By the way, someone asked me about the difference between Toshiba's MX (Cinema Series) and MH (TheaterWide) sets. I suspected that it's very little, and it is. The only important difference is that the MX models go to specialty dealers and the MH ones don't. Otherwise only a few minor changes in appearance and an extra input or two distinguish one from the other.

Ed