Television advice

[Zero]

Okay, I'm looking for a new TV to put on my Best Buy card. There are two that I've been looking at in particular. A 61" 1080p DLP, or a 56" 1080p DLP. Both are Samsungs. The 61" is 1399.99 and the 56" is 1199.99. I know that DLP is dying tech, but that doesn't bother me. Basically what I'm having a hard time with is whether those 5" are worth the extra $200 and how my gaming will display on them. Both have free shipping and no interest for 3 years. The smaller will also net me a crappy $400 massage chair. What do you guys think?

[KingGorilla]

DLP and Plasma Really suffer in light. Plasma less so, generally just direct light. But they are great sets, especially for the price.

[Mdot]

I agree with KingGorilla. I think LCD's are the way to go these days, but I'd definitely wait till XMas and try to get a sweet deal.

[Loki_09]

I usually am of the opinion bigger is better with TVs, but itt also depends on the size of your room and your distance from the set. I will say my parents have both a 56 and a 62: DLP (one upstairs, one down), and I like the bigger set much better.

[Deunnero]

Xmas sales are the best to get great deals. We recently picked up a 1080p 42" LCD for 899 and plan on getting another, similiar model but in the 50"+ range, this xmas; which will likely cost us about the same.

[sparkfizt]

I've got a 50" samsung DLP. I've personally been real happy with it, especially the price I paid for it. I will say this though, 56-60" is freaking huge, I was rather shocked how large my 50" was when I got it set up and honestly not sure I'd want one much larger. They always end up looking smaller in the stores :P

[johnperkins21]

I've got a 50" samsung DLP. I've personally been real happy with it, especially the price I paid for it. I will say this though, 56-60" is freaking huge, I was rather shocked how large my 50" was when I got it set up and honestly not sure I'd want one much larger. They always end up looking smaller in the stores :P

Same here. I love my Sammy 50" DLP.

Size is really dependent upon the room it's going in. I'd recommend creating a cardboard analog in the two sizes and set them up where your TV would go to see how big it's going to be and make your decision based on that.

[roguebaboon]

I say look up the price of replacement bulbs for both. I just replaced the bulb in my 42" Panasonic and it made me wish i had just bought a LCD. Just a thought.

[Schnoogs]

DLP is fine at that size...you're gonna pay a ton more for LCD.

I have a 57" Mitsu and it looks amazing...1080p...great for having large amounts of people over....saves me from having to put lamp hours on the HT projector.

[Psykoboy2]

Starting in September, I never make any big purchases. Games? Sure. But TV's, laptops, cameras...things like that, I hold off on.

Why?

Black Friday.

A few years back I picked up a 22-inch monitor for my PC for near $400 in October for my birthday. Then, on Black Friday, the SAME monitor at the SAME store (Best Buy, by the way) had it on sale for $200.

Wait if you can. You might be glad you did.

[PathMaster]

Starting in September, I never make any big purchases. Games? Sure. But TV's, laptops, cameras...things like that, I hold off on.

Why?

Black Friday.

A few years back I picked up a 22-inch monitor for my PC for near $400 in October for my birthday. Then, on Black Friday, the SAME monitor at the SAME store (Best Buy, by the way) had it on sale for $200.

Wait if you can. You might be glad you did.
Agreed. Just save up the cash and wait.

[fitbabits]

Two words, Zero - Black Friday.

[NoName]

Awww, I was coming in here to mention Black Friday. But it's been mentioned. So... yea, really, wait.

[Mr. Murphy]

Black friday.


What's this thread about?

[Mason]

I've got a 50" samsung DLP. I've personally been real happy with it, especially the price I paid for it. I will say this though, 56-60" is freaking huge, I was rather shocked how large my 50" was when I got it set up and honestly not sure I'd want one much larger. They always end up looking smaller in the stores :P
It's true, I had a similar experience with a 36" CRT several years back, before sane HDTV prices. It seemed merely adequate in the store, but once it was home it was a little embarrassing the way its bulk dominated the living room. I was happy to be rid of it.

Depending on how far you're sitting from the TV, at a certain size you're going to start seeing pixel separation, even at 1080p. This is most noticeable on LDCs, but on every display things start to look worse when the same fine details are blown up to a bigger size.

Unless you're going to be pretty far from the TV, get the smaller set and eBay the chair.

[Purple Santa]

What's this thread about?

Pretty scarfs ;)

Since no one has played the "don't buy it" i'll chime in...why put that much money on a credit card? Ok, thread goes back to suggestions of how big the tv should be and type...

[harle]

Mason is exactly right. It depends on how far away you are sitting from the TV. I sit about 8 feet from my 46" LCD and it seems a bit close. Another thing to consider is the viewing angle of DLP's. After ~60 degrees, there is a noticeable loss of picture quality. Most LCD's and Plasmas do not have this issue. If you are looking for a good LCD >50", this (http://shop1.frys.com/product/5575320) or this (http://shop2.frys.com/product/5541270?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG) a pretty good deal.

I have seen a lot of people recommend waiting until Black Friday for some insane deal. The problem with this is stores like Best Buy and Circuit City purposely limit the stock of big ticket items like HDTV's to maybe 5 or 10 units. Then 50 people come for the TV and the first 5 that have waited in line for 8 hours get it. If you are willing to get there the night before and camp out, then you can get it. If you arrive when the store opens, it will most likely be sold out already.

[PathMaster]

The Sears Black Friday ads have been leaked apparently. Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com/5069125/sears-black-friday-ad-leaks-full-of-hdtvs-digital-cameras-and-other-gadgets)has a copy.

[Dukefrukem]

Don't get DLP unless you want to continuing buying parts for your TV after you buy your TV.

[PathMaster]

Very interesting if this turns out to be true.

According to a blog post on the very same topic at the New York Times, another researcher, also at DisplaySearch, says that prices are likely going to plummet in the next few weeks. According the post, this researchers says prices on 32-inch TVs could hit between $399 and $499.

Via Yahoo (http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/108089).

[Mike Kelehan]

I voted no on DLP. I've gamed on a couple Samsung DLPs, and they look good (a hell of a lot better than SD), but there's definitely a reason that it's the cheapest cost per square inch on the market. One of my friends had his bulb die, and rather than spend the hundreds (!) of dollars on a new one, he got a plasma, and it's way, way better. Go plasma or LCD. Size is less important than quality.

[Scull]

A friend of mine just recently got a 73" DLP and has it in a room that is way too small for it. We were watching an upscaled DVD on his PS3 and it looked like crap that close and that large. We were about 8' from the screen. On the other hand, my 46" LCD at about 12' showed the same DVD and it looked much better because it was smaller and further away. So really consider your room size carefully before making any purchase. Also, the Best Buy credit card gouges you on interest rates, so I would really recommend not using it for a large purchase unless you are going to pay it off right away.

[KingGorilla]

If it is the size to distance ratio, Cnet had a somewhat handy guide earlier this year

http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108580-2.html

A good rule of thumb is that you never want to sit closer to the set than one and a half times its diagonal measure(mentioned in the article).