HD tvs: Flat screens vs rear projection

[medjuck]

I like my hdtv so much that I'm thinking of getting another. I notice that rear projection tvs

(I don't think I've seen any that are just monitors) are much cheaper than flat screen tvs and aren't actualy that thick nowadays. Is the visual quality as good?

[RDK]

It's a matter of personal preference. Flat screen plasmas have superior contrast to most RPTVs, but they often have less accurate color. Most RPTVs are actually sharper - except for the still very expensive 1080p plasmas - but I've found that the other qualities more than make up for it. Plasmas and flat panel LCDs are still relatively limited in size, with very few of them over 50". For me, one of the biggest differences is the reflective glass screen of the plasmas verses the non-glare screen of the DLPs. Not a problem, of course, in a darkened room, but in my living room I really prefer the "matte" screen of my DLP that reduces room/window reflections.

Personally, unless you need/want to hang your TV on the wall, I'd save the money and go with a RPTV.

Which HDTV did you end up getting Joe?

[medjuck]

Thanks for the info, Ray. I got a 30" LCD set a while ago. Love it. the other night watched Finding Nemo just cause it looked so good. I suspect the source was a digital and had never gone through film. it looked better than it did in theaters (though I never saw it projected digitally).

[RDK]

Speaking of Finding Nemo, the HD-DVD (or Blueray, I forget which) was playing on a 1080p 70" plasma when i was in Best Buy last week. Stunningly good picture - maybe the best I've ever seen - but over $9,000.

BTW, you can get a lot more HDTV advice, recommendations, and hostilty over at the AVS forums. But I've pretty much come to the conclusion that nearly all HDTV sets look pretty damn good and - properly set up - are virtually indistinguishable from each other.

[J Larsen]

Speaking of Finding Nemo, the HD-DVD (or Blueray, I forget which) was playing on a 1080p 70" plasma when i was in Best Buy last week. Stunningly good picture - maybe the best I've ever seen - but over $9,000.

BTW, you can get a lot more HDTV advice, recommendations, and hostilty over at the AVS forums. But I've pretty much come to the conclusion that nearly all HDTV sets look pretty damn good and - properly set up - are virtually indistinguishable from each other.

I'll agree with that to an extent - when I was shopping, I noticed a distinct difference between the "quality" big name brands (e.g. Sony, Sharp) and the "budget" big name brands (e.g. Westinghouse, Polaroid, several others). But I personally didn't see a whole lot of difference between the product of the quality brands.

Of course, it could also be that the stores set the lesser brands to look crummier compared to the pricier brands to improve their margins. I'd be midly surprised if that were the case, but not shocked.

[Dave Garrett]

I'll agree with that to an extent - when I was shopping, I noticed a distinct difference between the "quality" big name brands (e.g. Sony, Sharp) and the "budget" big name brands (e.g. Westinghouse, Polaroid, several others). But I personally didn't see a whole lot of difference between the product of the quality brands.

Of course, it could also be that the stores set the lesser brands to look crummier compared to the pricier brands to improve their margins. I'd be midly surprised if that were the case, but not shocked.

You'll never find a TV that's been properly set up on display in a big box store. Almost without fail, they all will have the brightness and contrast jacked way, way up so they will stand out under the bright fluorescent lighting. It's almost impossible to tell under such conditions how a TV will really look once it's installed in your living room and the settings cranked down to something approaching reality. And if you're really intent on tweaking a set so it'll perform to its maximum ability, you'll want to have it professionally calibrated by an ISF-certified technician - these guys have special tools and intimate knowledge of TV service menus so that they can make setup changes that aren't accessible via the standard controls.

[Chuck Nessa]

Never saw one with a place to connect the rabbit ears.

[RDK]

Never saw one with a place to connect the rabbit ears.

You joke, Chuck, but I'm getting all my local HD signals through a $12 UHF antenna!