Getting a new TV...

[OS]

Buy DLP.

[STL JA]

Buy DLP.

Don't listen to this person.

[cprice12]

Buy DLP.

DLP Pros and Cons:
Pro: Cheaper than plasma and lcd. Good picture. Should last longer than plasmas or lcd.
Con: Can't hang on wall. Picture isn't as bright and vibrant when viewing from angles.

My friend has a 50" Samsung DLP. It's nice.
But I'm a "hang on the wall" guy...so the DLP isn't as appealing to me.
Personally...I prefer my Pioneer Plasma...JMO.

[BF44]

Buy DLP.

Btw, another con with Plasma is that they are susceptible to screen burn-in -- which is a definite factor if you play video games on it....

[cprice12]

Buy DLP.

Btw, another con with Plasma is that they are susceptible to screen burn-in -- which is a definite factor if you play video games on it....

Myth.
Plasmas made in the last few years have virtually no risk of burn in because of improvements in technology, unless you pause the game and leave it on the screen all night.
With normal use, you won't get burn in on a plasma or any tv.
And like I mentioned above...you can get burn in on a tube tv if you leave something paused long enough...but that's not normal use.

[OS]

Buy DLP.

DLP Pros and Cons:
Pro: Cheaper than plasma and lcd. Good picture. Should last longer than plasmas or lcd.
Con: Can't hang on wall. Picture isn't as bright and vibrant when viewing from angles.

My friend has a 50" Samsung DLP. It's nice.
But I'm a "hang on the wall" guy...so the DLP isn't as appealing to me.
Personally...I prefer my Pioneer Plasma...JMO.

The consumer in question said he needs a TV for an entertainment center.

[cprice12]

Buy DLP.

DLP Pros and Cons:
Pro: Cheaper than plasma and lcd. Good picture. Should last longer than plasmas or lcd.
Con: Can't hang on wall. Picture isn't as bright and vibrant when viewing from angles.

My friend has a 50" Samsung DLP. It's nice.
But I'm a "hang on the wall" guy...so the DLP isn't as appealing to me.
Personally...I prefer my Pioneer Plasma...JMO.

The consumer in question said he needs a TV for an entertainment center.

I'd still stick an LCD or Plasma screen in an entertainment center, mainly because of the viewing angle issue with DLP's. DLP's are great, as long as you are sitting right in front of it or aren't at too much of an angle...and they are cheaper.

BUT...if the entertainment center ever goes bye-bye, then with a plasma or lcd, you have the option to hang it on the wall. With a DLP, you will always have to have an entertainment center or some sort of shelving system-stand type thing for it to sit on...and then hope it's at the height you want.
I actually ended up cutting a rectangular hole in the wall, installing built in shelves in the wall below the tv for the DVD player and cable receiver. It looks pretty sharp if I do say so myself.

I dunno...I guess if I am paying that much for a TV, I want the picture to look good from ANY angle. If that's not overly important to the buyer, then a DLP is a fine choice.
FTR, my friend loves his DLP.
Another friend of mine has a ridiculous 60+" projection tv (not DLP), that he uses for gaming...and it seems to work out nicely for him.

We had a Toshiba plasma tv a couple years ago, and we had issues with it (green streaks in the screen, tv repairman couldn't fix it & Toshiba didn't know what the issue was). I partly blame myself because I ignored the extensive research I did and went with the Toshiba because it was cheaper. (trust your research...don't get swayed by a "bargain")
When we traded it in, we went with a highly rated plasma. We've had it over a year now, and we couldn't be happier with it.

Oh...and do your research if you are thinking about a 1080p HDTV. Don't buy one expecting to watch hockey games or broadcast HD television stations in 1080p...nobody broadcasts in 1080p, and nobody has any plans to right now. The best anyone broadcasts in is 720p.
If you plan on gettting a Blue-Ray DVD player (don't go with an HD DVD player...I think they have lost the 1080p HD format battle) or if you have an XBOX 360 (I think it's XBOX 360) they utilize 1080p technology.

[OS]

I have absolutely no problem with watching my DLP TV at any angle....

[Prngr44]

I have absolutely no problem with watching my DLP TV at any angle....

The angles are different from down there.

[OS]

I have absolutely no problem with watching my DLP TV at any angle....

The angles are different from down there.

Sorry to spoil your comedy, but wouldn't the angle be worse down here?

[Prngr44]

Hell if I know! I'm still slumming on my analog tube.

[cprice12]

I have absolutely no problem with watching my DLP TV at any angle....

Awesome.
But would you not agree, that the picture is slightly better/brighter when it is at eye level and straight on?

[cprice12]

Hell if I know! I'm still slumming on my analog tube.

Come Feb. of 2009...you might have trouble watching tv on that thing...unless of course you have a digital cable/satellite receiver.

[Prngr44]

Hell if I know! I'm still slumming on my analog tube.

Come Feb. of 2009...you might have trouble watching tv on that thing...unless of course you have a digital cable/satellite receiver.

I'm behind the times, but not THAT behind the times.

I've just got too much damn more important bullshit to be buying these days.

[OS]

I have absolutely no problem with watching my DLP TV at any angle....

Awesome.
But would you not agree, that the picture is slightly better/brighter when it is at eye level and straight on?

No, I wouldn't agree with that at all. I absolutely no issues with my picture at an angle. I wouldn't have gone with DLP if that was an issue.

[cprice12]

I have absolutely no problem with watching my DLP TV at any angle....

Awesome.
But would you not agree, that the picture is slightly better/brighter when it is at eye level and straight on?

No, I wouldn't agree with that at all. I absolutely no issues with my picture at an angle. I wouldn't have gone with DLP if that was an issue.

Really? Well, I found this:
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/dlpvsplasmatv.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

VIEWING ANGLE

Along with D-ILA, DLPs are the best of the best among rear-projection TV technologies. Still, they are far from perfect. The eyeball test of effective viewing gives me about a 100° side-to-side viewing angle. One very important note here is that, with DLPs, the vertical positioning of the display should be very close to eye level. The vertical viewing angle on DLP televisions is far less protracted than its side-to-side viewing angle. Indeed, the vertical viewing angles of the DLPs I tested were maybe 40° or so.

Because each individual pixel is its own light and color source, plasma-display TVs are evenly lit across the surface and have a nearly perfect 180° viewing angle. This figure is uniform across all manufacturers and applies to side-to-side and to top-to-bottom viewing angles.

And this:
http://www.dlptvreview.com/dlptv/dlptelevision.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Manufacturers claim viewing angles of 160-170° for both LCD and DLP displays. The viewable picture at these extreme angles is quite impressive for both technologies. The picture on the LCD displays remained consistent throughout all viewing angles. This was not the case with the DLP TVs. Viewing a DLP set from various angles will impact the overall color accuracy of the image. There is a considerable shift in the tints when changing vertical positions. You will notice this if you shift positions (i.e., stand up or sit down) while watching your DLP unit.

Now, most people don't view tv's at extreme angles, so it may not even be an issue for most. And I wouldn't so much care about an extreme horizontal viewing angle...but it would the be the vertical angle that I might have concerns about.

Couple questions...
I saw comments and reviews of a rainbow effect on DLP tv's at times. Have you noticed any rainbow effects? They say this is less common now due to faster color wheels in newer DLP tv's.

Have you had to replace your DLP bulb yet? Aren't they a couple hundred dollars? I heard you had to do this every few years or so, depending on the amount of use. Just curious.

[deadphish]

I have the Sony 40s3000. It's a 720p LCD and it is a thing of beauty.

DON'T FORGET BEST BUY WILL GIVE $300 OFF THE STICKER PRICE IF YOU SIGN UP FOR DIRECT TV!!!!!

[OS]

VIEWING ANGLE

Along with D-ILA, DLPs are the best of the best among rear-projection TV technologies. Still, they are far from perfect. The eyeball test of effective viewing gives me about a 100° side-to-side viewing angle. One very important note here is that, with DLPs, the vertical positioning of the display should be very close to eye level. The vertical viewing angle on DLP televisions is far less protracted than its side-to-side viewing angle. Indeed, the vertical viewing angles of the DLPs I tested were maybe 40° or so.

Because each individual pixel is its own light and color source, plasma-display TVs are evenly lit across the surface and have a nearly perfect 180° viewing angle. This figure is uniform across all manufacturers and applies to side-to-side and to top-to-bottom viewing angles.

Manufacturers claim viewing angles of 160-170° for both LCD and DLP displays. The viewable picture at these extreme angles is quite impressive for both technologies. The picture on the LCD displays remained consistent throughout all viewing angles. This was not the case with the DLP TVs. Viewing a DLP set from various angles will impact the overall color accuracy of the image. There is a considerable shift in the tints when changing vertical positions. You will notice this if you shift positions (i.e., stand up or sit down) while watching your DLP unit.

Now, most people don't view tv's at extreme angles, so it may not even be an issue for most. And I wouldn't so much care about an extreme horizontal viewing angle...but it would the be the vertical angle that I might have concerns about.

Not sure what to tell you Curt, but on the TV I own viewing at an angle is not an issue. Perhaps plasmatvbuyingguide.com isn't the most unbiased source for DLP information. Or maybe they can only afford Walmart TV's in their budget.

I saw comments and reviews of a rainbow effect on DLP tv's at times. Have you noticed any rainbow effects? They say this is less common now due to faster color wheels in newer DLP tv's.

No I've never seen that and everything I read when researching said that it hasn't been an issue in models in a while. And from what I understand it was only an issue when the screen was all black.

Have you had to replace your DLP bulb yet? Aren't they a couple hundred dollars? I heard you had to do this every few years or so, depending on the amount of use. Just curious.

I don't have a bulb in my tv, I have LED's.

[BF44]

I saw comments and reviews of a rainbow effect on DLP tv's at times. Have you noticed any rainbow effects? They say this is less common now due to faster color wheels in newer DLP tv's.

I have this issue. And I wouldn't even call it an issue. It happens with a mostly black screen, and is really only noticeable if you're actively looking for it. And even if you do see it, I can't imagine letting that deter you.

I'm not as fortunate as OS, I do in fact have a bulb. I've had my TV almost 2 years and haven't replaced it yet.

(Although, now that I've typed that, I'm sure it will die within the week........)

[goon attack]

(Although, now that I've typed that, I'm sure it will die within the week........)

Naturally.