Fezmid Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 If you like Mitsu, stay with it. Check out reliability and repair records before you buy. As Fez suggests, do research on avsforum and it may open your eyes to other possibilities.One piece of advice - why are you set on rectangular ? For movie watching, 16:9 is the way to go. Unless you don't plan on using it to watch movies.... About projection TV - I saw this at a friend's place and the viewing cone sucks big time. He had it at eye level if you are sitting down on one of his two sofas. But if you stand up or wander away from that sofa position, the picture deteriorated RAPIDLY. Please keep that in mind. 151721[/snapback] I normally hang around the Home Theater Builder section of AVSforum, as I'm finishing my basement now... If you can control the light in the room, you might want to think about a front projection system instead of a TV set. The advantages are - larger picture, easy to move, takes up less space in the room. The disadvantages are -- need to be able to control the light in the room, you have to hook your video up to the front of the room instead of where the picture is. However, the price is generally better; you can get the Pannasonic L700u for $2200, the InFocus X1 for about $800, or a used Panasonic L500u for probably around $1500. Something to consider, as the picture is awesome and it makes you feel like you're in a theater. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gantrules Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I bought a 27" SONY WEGA about three weeks ago. I love it. It's not HD it's just an analog flat screen. But the picture quality is excellent and the price is right. Bestbuy was good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I normally hang around the Home Theater Builder section of AVSforum, as I'm finishing my basement now... If you can control the light in the room, you might want to think about a front projection system instead of a TV set. The advantages are - larger picture, easy to move, takes up less space in the room. The disadvantages are -- need to be able to control the light in the room, you have to hook your video up to the front of the room instead of where the picture is. However, the price is generally better; you can get the Pannasonic L700u for $2200, the InFocus X1 for about $800, or a used Panasonic L500u for probably around $1500. Something to consider, as the picture is awesome and it makes you feel like you're in a theater. CW 151779[/snapback] Agree with all you said - I have an Infocus Screenplay 4805 in my newly finished basement since 6 weeks back and have totally forgotten how a movie looks on that puny little TV set. I also did a bunch of research on the various sub-forums on AVS and bought the pj, receiver etc. If you need any help, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I've been a Mitsu freak for years, but this Sony 51 in. projection tv intrigues me. 151678[/snapback] I bought a Mitsu Silver Plus this year, and don't regret it. Nice TV, no matter what people say about "out-dated" standard rear projections... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 My trusty and faithful Mitsubishi is showing signs of myopia and Alzheimers. So (sigh) I have to go T.V. shopping. My question is when is the best time to go? Before Christmas ( entering into mortal combat with other shoppers) or wait until after Christmas when stores get rid of the 2004 models. I'll probably stick with Mitsu, and am looking into the 50-60in. rectangular range. 151430[/snapback] Go shopping now. Find the store, and check their "price guarantee" policy. Many stores guarantee their price for 30-60 days, and if they sell the item for a lower price in that 30-60 days you can get the price difference... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderweb Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 AVSForums is a great place for videophiles to hang out and catch up on the newer technologies. The "Sammy's" (DLP) have a great following and you can find a tremendous amount of info there on them. Also, the JVC LcOS set (the first successful use of this technology) has some interesting reads, and the Sony Wega LCD projection sets are extremely well discussed. Home Theater comes in all varieties, and about the only one you can go wrong with would be the older CRT based rear screen projection sets, although they are now generally the most affordable, but no longer get the developement $$$ from the manufacturers since their R&D is going into the new technologies. A week or so ago, I spent quite some time reading about Dell's Plasma (HDTV) offering, which is now sub $3K. Also blew about an hour going over the new Sharp LCD sets that now reach 45" screen size. Great site. I've been dropping by there for about a year now from time to time. The Sammys (DLP) are very nice, but I catch occasional "rainbows" and after watching it for an extended period (a football game...big surpise there), it gave me a headache. "Rainbows" are a problem for about 5% of the people (estimated). Personally, I plan on waiting til mid to late next year before getting serious about going HDTV. It will be interesting what will come around by then. Happy hunting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 The Sammys (DLP) are very nice, but I catch occasional "rainbows" and after watching it for an extended period (a football game...big surpise there), it gave me a headache. "Rainbows" are a problem for about 5% of the people (estimated). I went to a projector store with a coworker a year or so ago to view a few projectors (go figure...). Anyway, there was an LCD and DLP (1x color wheel) projector there. I thought that both pictures looked great. However, my coworker could see the rainbows on the DLP projector. He said it was mainly on fast-action scenes, or when he moved his head/eyes from side to side. He didn't know anything about rainbows until he saw them and asked me about it. I didn't see rainbows for the most part. The only time I saw one was very briefly as I was walking out of the room. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scribo Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I was hoping this was a Troy Vincent post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 Personally, I plan on waiting til mid to late next year before getting serious about going HDTV. It will be interesting what will come around by then. Happy hunting... 152062[/snapback] Between LCoS finally hitting the market and SED technology oncoming, that's not a bad idea, if you can wait... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderweb Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I went to a projector store with a coworker a year or so ago to view a few projectors (go figure...). Anyway, there was an LCD and DLP (1x color wheel) projector there. I thought that both pictures looked great. However, my coworker could see the rainbows on the DLP projector. He said it was mainly on fast-action scenes, or when he moved his head/eyes from side to side. He didn't know anything about rainbows until he saw them and asked me about it. I didn't see rainbows for the most part. The only time I saw one was very briefly as I was walking out of the room. CW 152070[/snapback] I would agree that they seem most noticeable during fast action scenes. What I'd truley like to see is a three Chip DLP, but those are only currently available in high end projectors. Cost of the chips themselves is the limiting factor I guess. The color wheel thing (mechanical) just doesn't seem to me to be the way to go ultimately, regardless of whether it's 6, 7 or 8 segment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I went to a projector store with a coworker a year or so ago to view a few projectors (go figure...). Anyway, there was an LCD and DLP (1x color wheel) projector there. I thought that both pictures looked great. However, my coworker could see the rainbows on the DLP projector. He said it was mainly on fast-action scenes, or when he moved his head/eyes from side to side. He didn't know anything about rainbows until he saw them and asked me about it. I didn't see rainbows for the most part. The only time I saw one was very briefly as I was walking out of the room. CW 152070[/snapback] rainbows are literally in the eyes of the beholder. I don't see any on my DLP pj - the Infocus SP4805. Most on AVS say that they do not with this pj. If you are serious about it, don't base it on anybody else's advice and check it out for yourself. Another 'problem' with pj is the screen door effect which also is not noticeable with my pj at 2x viewing distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 AVSForums is a great place for videophiles to hang out and catch up on the newer technologies. 152062[/snapback] make that Videophiles, audiophiles and almost anything home theater or satellite TV related.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 rainbows are literally in the eyes of the beholder. I don't see any on my DLP pj - the Infocus SP4805. Most on AVS say that they do not with this pj. If you are serious about it, don't base it on anybody else's advice and check it out for yourself. Another 'problem' with pj is the screen door effect which also is not noticeable with my pj at 2x viewing distance. 152147[/snapback] I'd personally stay away from DLP projectors regardless of whether I could see the rainbows or not because I wouldn't want to invite some friends/family over to watch a movie and have them be unable to watch it due to rainbows. That's why I prefer LCD (and is why I bought the Panny L300u, although I'm regretting buying it so early as I could've gotten newer model if I had waited; thought my basement would be done a LONG time ago, but then we found a leak that took 18 months to fix. Grrr! ) CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I'd personally stay away from DLP projectors regardless of whether I could see the rainbows or not because I wouldn't want to invite some friends/family over to watch a movie and have them be unable to watch it due to rainbows. That's why I prefer LCD (and is why I bought the Panny L300u, although I'm regretting buying it so early as I could've gotten newer model if I had waited; thought my basement would be done a LONG time ago, but then we found a leak that took 18 months to fix. Grrr! ) CW 152156[/snapback] How'd that happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 How'd that happen? 152160[/snapback] How'd what happen? The leak? Fine, I'll tell you (because I'm still pissed about it). There were two leaks -- one was due to a crack in the foundation. Lovely... They patched it and I think it's better now. The second one they couldn't find (although in hindsite, I'll say that they didn't look very hard - "they" being the builder). Here's a couple pictures for illustration purposes: http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01616 http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01617 Anyway, in the upper-right corner by the roofline, above the window in the picture, they didn't wrap the corner properly. So when it rained a certain way, it would get behind the crappy wrap job they did, trickle down behind the wall to the top of the window, flow across to the other side of the window, and then fall straight down into the basement, leaving a nice puddle: http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01640 http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01641 Took them 18 months to find it. Nobody thought to use a hose to keep spraying the house until we found the source until then. I feel stupid for not thinking of it, but I know they were being lazy as well. Oh well... Construction has resumed; doing cat5e and rg6 cabling now, then need to do insulation and drywall and I'll be almost done. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 How'd what happen? The leak? Fine, I'll tell you (because I'm still pissed about it). There were two leaks -- one was due to a crack in the foundation. Lovely... They patched it and I think it's better now. The second one they couldn't find (although in hindsite, I'll say that they didn't look very hard - "they" being the builder). Here's a couple pictures for illustration purposes: http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01616 http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01617 Anyway, in the upper-right corner by the roofline, above the window in the picture, they didn't wrap the corner properly. So when it rained a certain way, it would get behind the crappy wrap job they did, trickle down behind the wall to the top of the window, flow across to the other side of the window, and then fall straight down into the basement, leaving a nice puddle: http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01640 http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01641 Took them 18 months to find it. Nobody thought to use a hose to keep spraying the house until we found the source until then. I feel stupid for not thinking of it, but I know they were being lazy as well. Oh well... Construction has resumed; doing cat5e and rg6 cabling now, then need to do insulation and drywall and I'll be almost done. CW 152178[/snapback] Dude. Sarcasm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 How'd what happen? The leak? Fine, I'll tell you (because I'm still pissed about it). There were two leaks -- one was due to a crack in the foundation. Lovely... They patched it and I think it's better now. The second one they couldn't find (although in hindsite, I'll say that they didn't look very hard - "they" being the builder). Here's a couple pictures for illustration purposes: http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01616 http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01617 Anyway, in the upper-right corner by the roofline, above the window in the picture, they didn't wrap the corner properly. So when it rained a certain way, it would get behind the crappy wrap job they did, trickle down behind the wall to the top of the window, flow across to the other side of the window, and then fall straight down into the basement, leaving a nice puddle: http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01640 http://www.fezam.com/gallery/view_photo.ph...ent&id=DSC01641 Took them 18 months to find it. Nobody thought to use a hose to keep spraying the house until we found the source until then. I feel stupid for not thinking of it, but I know they were being lazy as well. Oh well... Construction has resumed; doing cat5e and rg6 cabling now, then need to do insulation and drywall and I'll be almost done. CW 152178[/snapback] How'd you get water in your basement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I'd personally stay away from DLP projectors regardless of whether I could see the rainbows or not because I wouldn't want to invite some friends/family over to watch a movie and have them be unable to watch it due to rainbows. That's why I prefer LCD (and is why I bought the Panny L300u, although I'm regretting buying it so early as I could've gotten newer model if I had waited; thought my basement would be done a LONG time ago, but then we found a leak that took 18 months to fix. Grrr! ) CW 152156[/snapback] Fair enough - that is why so much of audio and video is about personal preferences and budget. Any other advantages you see of LCD over DLP ? How much did you pay for your pj ? I know we can't post prices on AVS so am just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 Fair enough - that is why so much of audio and video is about personal preferences and budget. Any other advantages you see of LCD over DLP ? How much did you pay for your pj ? I know we can't post prices on AVS so am just curious. 152188[/snapback] $1500, but it's discontinued now. The L500u was also $1500 but is also discontinued... I bought it from VisualApex.com - great company and they gave me a great deal on a DVD recorder as well ($250, back when they were $500-$600 retail). They also have a 0-dead pixel guarantee. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 You should get a 16:9 aspect ratio screen instead of 3:2When the broadcast signal goes digital full time,the 'letter box' format will be the only format. A 3:2 aspect ratio will have large black bands north,and south and the rest of the screen will be useless forever. 152242[/snapback] I think you mean 4:3, not 3:2. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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