DLP / LED / Plasma HDTV advice.

[Noname Given]

Darkman said:
One question I don't see addressed and would love the experts and experienced to comment on:

Power consumption.

I've heard the plasmas draw a lot of power compared to CRTs and other new tech. If I'm home, the TV's on...and I'm not a nature lover...
I can't afford to see my power bill jump up just because of a new set.

TIA for the replys!

Yes, plasmas do draw more power; but it's NOT like it won't run just fine on a standard 15AMP house circut 120v outlet. It's NOT like it's a Central Air Conditing compressor that usually needs it's own circut and makes your DWP electric meter spin like a top.

You won't see your electric bill skyrocket by just using a Plasma-based HDTV

 

[Scout101]

Plasmas DO draw more, but not a crazy amount. They'll run a lot hotter than a LCD will, as well.

Personally, I think LCD is a better all-around option than plasma at this point. Only thing has been price, and that's rapidly falling to the same point plasma is. You get 1080p on more sets than with Plasma (although improving), can plug a computer cable straight in and have a giant monitor, no burn in risk (however slight), etc.

I spent 6+ months researching the crap out of this issue, and wound up with a 46" Samsung LCD on my wall (ln-t4661). Extremely happy with it, been watcing since April and love it.

 

[Dyabolikal]

Johnny Rico said:

FrontLine said:
Oh and she bought me an up converting DVD player. Sure its not Blue Ray or HD, but we're old enough to have lived through the Betamax / VHS fiasco. She decided to go with the best solution that allows us to enjoy our set while waiting out the stupid format war. I love that woman.

What model of DVD player did you get?

I bought an Oppo Digital DV-981HD (1080p upconverting) player to go with my SHARP (It's the thin little device above my big SRS receiver in the pic above.) Yeah, sure it isn't true HD, but with a well mastered DVD, viewing one at a distance of 9 feet or more looks great. But of course, if you get up close, you start seeing all the messy upconversion matrix. It's a mess really, but from afar, all that goes away and you get a pretty good picture from a 480i DVD. The Prison Break DVDs look about the best I've seen for any SD DVD. They must've shot that in HD without adding that digital grain that BSG does.

I have an Oppo Digital DV-981HD as well and absolutely love it. It can't work miracles on a really crappy DVD, but like you said, on a well mastered DVD it can look HD at times.

I researched upconverting DVD players a lot before I bought, and Oppo has garnered many rave reviews from a variety of sources. It's as good as you're going to get without spending $800-3500 for a Denon or some exotic video processor.

 

[Johnny Rico]

Dyabolikal said:

Johnny Rico said:

FrontLine said:
Oh and she bought me an up converting DVD player. Sure its not Blue Ray or HD, but we're old enough to have lived through the Betamax / VHS fiasco. She decided to go with the best solution that allows us to enjoy our set while waiting out the stupid format war. I love that woman.

What model of DVD player did you get?

I bought an Oppo Digital DV-981HD (1080p upconverting) player to go with my SHARP (It's the thin little device above my big SRS receiver in the pic above.) Yeah, sure it isn't true HD, but with a well mastered DVD, viewing one at a distance of 9 feet or more looks great. But of course, if you get up close, you start seeing all the messy upconversion matrix. It's a mess really, but from afar, all that goes away and you get a pretty good picture from a 480i DVD. The Prison Break DVDs look about the best I've seen for any SD DVD. They must've shot that in HD without adding that digital grain that BSG does.

I have an Oppo Digital DV-981HD as well and absolutely love it. It can't work miracles on a really crappy DVD, but like you said, on a well mastered DVD it can look HD at times.

Yeah, I popped in Demolition Man one day a few weeks ago and it was nearly unwatchable. That's one of those first generation DVDs from 1998 or so. That's one movie that needs a new transfer badly.

I researched upconverting DVD players a lot before I bought, and Oppo has garnered many rave reviews from a variety of sources. It's as good as you're going to get without spending $800-3500 for a Denon or some exotic video processor.

Yeah, with the HD format war still in high gear, I'm staying out of it till its settled. Not to mention the high price of BD players. I'd go BD, but the price of their players is just too much at the moment.

 

[STARTREK11]

No point in getting these huge tv sets.It's just marketing hype and media brainwashing.

I have a 28 inch crt tv and I sit 3 feet away from it and it's great.It's got 2x10watts speakers,great sound.
These expensive tv's make wonderful presents for burglers and low lifes in crime ridden society.
It only uses 80 watts.I would never spend my hard earned money on a plasma,lcd,led until the price comes down to under $250 and specs exceed or equal crt's.

Also having is not the same as wanting and you get used to a expensive tv very quickly so that it becomes ordinary.

So to to all advertisers and marketeers trying to steal my money,go take a hike.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Well, to each his/her own. Personally, I absolutely love my LCD. My only regret is that I don't have room for a bigger one.

 

[Johnny Rico]

STARTREK11 said:
No point in getting these huge tv sets.It's just marketing hype and media brainwashing.

I have a 28 inch crt tv and I sit 3 feet away from it and it's great.It's got 2x10watts speakers,great sound.
These expensive tv's make wonderful presents for burglers and low lifes in crime ridden society.
It only uses 80 watts.I would never spend my hard earned money on a plasma,lcd,led until the price comes down to under $250 and specs exceed or equal crt's.

Also having is not the same as wanting and you get used to a expensive tv very quickly so that it becomes ordinary.

So to to all advertisers and marketeers trying to steal my money,go take a hike.

What are you 70+ years old?

With all due respect, that "rant" has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever read.

20 Watts of sonic power!!! WOW!!! That must be rattlin' the house!

Sounds like we got us here a traveler on the River Denial. The day of the standard CRT is dead, my friend. In a very short time from now, you won't even be able to buy a new CRT at a store. Even Wal-Mart, the retailer that catters to the low-income family is moving away from selling CRT TVs. Just as it moved away from VHS a few years ago.

Technology moves on. Don't be stuck in the past.

HDTV prices won't be getting in the $250 range for a LONG time. And even if they do, the only size that might sell for that cheap is a 26".

And lets talk about specs, shall we? I assume your 28" CRT is a SD TV, right? It's resolution is 0.3456 MP. A full 1080p HDTV's resolution is 2.0736 MP. Now you do the math.

 

[TerriO]

STARTREK11 said:
No point in getting these huge tv sets.It's just marketing hype and media brainwashing.

I have a 28 inch crt tv and I sit 3 feet away from it and it's great.It's got 2x10watts speakers,great sound.
These expensive tv's make wonderful presents for burglers and low lifes in crime ridden society.
It only uses 80 watts.I would never spend my hard earned money on a plasma,lcd,led until the price comes down to under $250 and specs exceed or equal crt's.

Also having is not the same as wanting and you get used to a expensive tv very quickly so that it becomes ordinary.

So to to all advertisers and marketeers trying to steal my money,go take a hike.

"Media brainwashing"? Could you please provide us with some evidence to back such an assertion up?

10 Watt speakers? Perhaps if you upgraded a bit, you wouldn't need to sit so close to the television. I think my computer has more wattage to each of its speakers than that. Considering that many from my generation (born in the late 60s) have glasses from sitting too close to the TV playing video games, I remember something I was told when I got my first pair of glasses. If you can see the individual pixels on the screen, you're too close.

As for the rest, well, that's your choice, and you're entitled to it. Those of us who choose differently, however, will hopefully continue to be enlightened by your opinions as we form our own. Personally, we have one of the LCD HDTVs that was a Christmas present to each other last year, and if anyone wants to steal it, they have to get through the cop that lives downstairs first.

 

[Deleted 2]

I'll buy an LCD tv when the picture quality of a medium-range model approaches that of a bargain-price CRT tv.

 

[LiChiu]

If it were possible I would stuff an IMAX screen in my room.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Zero Hour said:
I'll buy an LCD tv when the picture quality of a medium-range model approaches that of a bargain-price CRT tv.

My cheap, brand I'd never heard of, LCD TV that I have in the bedroom looks fairly good... at night, in the dark. Not so good in bright day light though. But, since it's in the bedroom, that doesn't matter too much.

 

[Johnny Rico]

LiChiu said:
If it were possible I would stuff an IMAX screen in my room.

I call dibs on the balcony seats!

 

[Avengers Unlimited]

TerriO said:

10 Watt speakers? Perhaps if you upgraded a bit, you wouldn't need to sit so close to the television. I think my computer has more wattage to each of its speakers than that.

Unless your hearing went south when your eyes did, 10 watts is more than enough to comfortably listen to a tv. The old Sony bookshelf cd player I have has whopping 12 watt speakers and it can run people out of the room.

I have a JVC 5.1 receiver in my living room that's capable of 100 watts per channel and if I had a way of measuring it, I know it wouldn't be using anywhere near that amount when I'm listening to something.

 

[TerriO]

^Hey, I'm going on an estimate there. I said I thought my computer had more wattage. I never said I knew for sure. I'm capable of admitting when I'm wrong. And in this instance, I guess I was wrong.

I did just get this computer today, though. And it's got a Harman/Kardon system built-in so if I find in the documentation where it lists the wattage, and it's over 10 Watts, I'll be sure to let you know.

Although my eyes work just fine, and my hearing checked out at 92% or higher across the board just last year.

 

[MANT!]

one issue with DLP, those little mirriors are precisely aligned in the mounts..if you buy one...move it as little as possible..a light jar that wouldn't affect a LCD,CRT, or plasma set can be fatal to your picture on a DLP and the costs for re-alignment are nearly the same as the cost for a new LCD set..

 

[LiChiu]

Johnny Rico said:

LiChiu said:
If it were possible I would stuff an IMAX screen in my room.

I call dibs on the balcony seats!

Okay deal! I even provide free popcorn.

 

[STARTREK11]

Johnny Rico said:

STARTREK11 said:
No point in getting these huge tv sets.It's just marketing hype and media brainwashing.

I have a 28 inch crt tv and I sit 3 feet away from it and it's great.It's got 2x10watts speakers,great sound.
These expensive tv's make wonderful presents for burglers and low lifes in crime ridden society.
It only uses 80 watts.I would never spend my hard earned money on a plasma,lcd,led until the price comes down to under $250 and specs exceed or equal crt's.

Also having is not the same as wanting and you get used to a expensive tv very quickly so that it becomes ordinary.

So to to all advertisers and marketeers trying to steal my money,go take a hike.

What are you 70+ years old?

With all due respect, that "rant" has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever read.

20 Watts of sonic power!!! WOW!!! That must be rattlin' the house!

Sounds like we got us here a traveler on the River Denial. The day of the standard CRT is dead, my friend. In a very short time from now, you won't even be able to buy a new CRT at a store. Even Wal-Mart, the retailer that catters to the low-income family is moving away from selling CRT TVs. Just as it moved away from VHS a few years ago.

Technology moves on. Don't be stuck in the past.

HDTV prices won't be getting in the $250 range for a LONG time. And even if they do, the only size that might sell for that cheap is a 26".

And lets talk about specs, shall we? I assume your 28" CRT is a SD TV, right? It's resolution is 0.3456 MP. A full 1080p HDTV's resolution is 2.0736 MP. Now you do the math.

I am 19 and I love new technology but only good technology.
The LCD and plasma are inferior in power consumption,cost,durability and may have superior resolution but do I really want to see the make up smudges and wrinkles of hollywood celebrities,do I really need to see the plastic surgery lines in high resolution?

The plastic screens are bendy and easily scratched and degrade over time.One slash and the guts of a LCD pile on the floor.LCD are inferior in performance in every aspect and give variable inconsistant perforormance.Dead pixals anyone?

And do I really need the volume at 110 db AT 100 Watts to ruin my hearing?
Room and speaker acoustics are more important then sheer watts.

Also media content prior to about 2000 is not designed to be watched in high resoultion even with upscaling which is just guesswork by microchips.

Also crt are not going to cease production,just lower volume production and also new technological advances like cold plasma manipulation could actually make it come back as an ultra thin glass sliver 3 mm thick screens in about 5 years time with a power consumption of only 20 watts for a 36 inch screen!

At the end of the day it's content we are watching and if it sucks watching it in higher resolution and higher ear splitting volume is not going to improve it.

 

[Deleted 2]

STARTREK11 said:
I am 19 and I love new technology but only good technology.
The LCD and plasma are inferior in power consumption,cost,durability and may have superior resolution but do I really want to see the make up smudges and wrinkles of hollywood celebrities,do I really need to see the plastic surgery lines in high resolution?

Actually, LCD tvs will consume less power than comparable CRTs, but CRTs can easily kick their asses in terms of resolution. We've been able to make CRTs that can reach 1080p resolutions (and better) since the mid-90s.

LCDs may be flat and low-power, but in terms of picture quality, CRTs are still undefeated.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Zero Hour said:

STARTREK11 said:
I am 19 and I love new technology but only good technology.
The LCD and plasma are inferior in power consumption,cost,durability and may have superior resolution but do I really want to see the make up smudges and wrinkles of hollywood celebrities,do I really need to see the plastic surgery lines in high resolution?

Actually, LCD tvs will consume less power than comparable CRTs, but CRTs can easily kick their asses in terms of resolution. We've been able to make CRTs that can reach 1080p resolutions (and better) since the mid-90s.

LCDs may be flat and low-power, but in terms of picture quality, CRTs are still undefeated.

Agreed, and if I could actually get a HD 42" TV (and it wouldn't take up half the room) I would have bought it instead of the plasma I now have...

 

[Johnny Rico]

STARTREK11 said:
I am 19 and I love new technology but only good technology.
The LCD and plasma are inferior in power consumption,cost,durability and may have superior resolution but do I really want to see the make up smudges and wrinkles of hollywood celebrities,do I really need to see the plastic surgery lines in high resolution?

Translation: You're too poor to buy a Hi-Def TV right now.

I got it. So when you go to a theater with some kickin' DTS surround sound, you're like, "It's too loud!!! Where's my 2-channel 20 Watt system???"

You're in denial kid.

The plastic screens are bendy and easily scratched and degrade over time.One slash and the guts of a LCD pile on the floor.LCD are inferior in performance in every aspect and give variable inconsistant perforormance.Dead pixals anyone?

So don't mistreat your screen once you get it set-up. And because LCDs don't put of any static electricity like a CRT does, they don't attract dust.

And do I really need the volume at 110 db AT 100 Watts to ruin my hearing?
Room and speaker acoustics are more important then sheer watts.

Oh com'on!!! You're a freakin' kid!!! What teen-ager doesn't like his tunes loud?

Also media content prior to about 2000 is not designed to be watched in high resoultion even with upscaling which is just guesswork by microchips.

Fair enough, but only to the date of the mastering of a DVD. Older content of a new DVD is just as good as a new movie on DVD, if the print has been remastered a bit. Especially if it's been restored by Lowry Digital.

Also crt are not going to cease production,just lower volume production and also new technological advances like cold plasma manipulation could actually make it come back as an ultra thin glass sliver 3 mm thick screens in about 5 years time with a power consumption of only 20 watts for a 36 inch screen!

I thought the same thing with VHS. I bought a S-VHS player in 1999, and I thought it would save VHS, but it didn't.

At the end of the day it's content we are watching and if it sucks watching it in higher resolution and higher ear splitting volume is not going to improve it.

I still think you're trying to downplay modern technology to make you feel good about yourself because you have yet been able to afford such technology.

It's not about listening to something to split your eardrums, it's about sound fidelity. 10x2 Watt TV speakers just aren't capable of delivering good clear sound of all frequencies.