HDTV's Breaking?

Hey, I am interested in getting an HDTV. Money is kind of an issue, so when do you think the best buying time will be? Also, I read that they break a lot? Is that getting better as the new tv's come out?

I've had my 42" Samsung DLP for close to 2 years, I haven't even had to replace the bulb... No issues here.

[quote70d70bf947="h3x"]I've had my 42" Samsung DLP for close to 2 years, I haven't even had to replace the bulb... No issues here.[/quote70d70bf947]

Cool, what does DLP mean? Something Light Projector?

HDTV's aren't breaking in general just certain brands that are very cheap aren't cracking up to what people thought they would be, IMO.

Digital Light Processing (developed by Texas Instruments)

If you go DLP, go with a Samsung... They were the first to integrate DLP technology into TVs... and in my opinion the quality is #1 compared against other brand name DLPs.

Personally, I prefer DLP over flat-panel (LCD/Plasma)...

I've also heard good things about LCoS (Liquid Crystal over Silicon) but I haven't played with one hands-on so I can't formulate an opinion on that technology.

I thought the 42" samsung dlp's have the "black grass" problem, and that is why they're so cheap?

... and what is "black grass"?

"Black grass" was a visual defect noticed on many 42" DLP models. It was apparently a mechanical defect from what I've read, something about excess pressure on the screen or something. Apparently the newer and larger models don't suffer from it. You can read about it at AVS and other Hi-Fi/HT sites.

My order of preference for screens larger than 42"

1. SXRD/LCoS
2. DLP
3. Plasma
4. LCD

It's actually a toss-up between DLP and Plasma for me, depending on the circumstances. DLP for price, Plasma for formfactor and convenience.

DLP suffers from the "rainbow effect," which many people don't notice until it's pointed out to them, but other people are just naturally sensitive too. You also have the mechanical issue of a color wheel spinning at very high RPM -- high speed moving parts are a major weakness and prone to failure. Still, it's very popular and has very good image quality, especially for the price. I too consider Samsung the best DLP brand you can buy, although Mitsubishi's are pretty highly rated as well.

I've done a lot of research and laid eyes on all of the above TV technologies. By far the best, in my opinion, is Sony's SXRD. The image quality is head & shoulders above anything else I've seen. I was shopping for a DLP when I first laid eyes on an SXRD, which caused me to put off my purchase for a few more months until I could better afford the much more expensive 60" SXRD. ) They're quite a bit cheaper now, though.

[quotea10b09f4e3="dmorris68"]"Black grass" was a visual defect noticed on many 42" DLP models. It was apparently a mechanical defect from what I've read, something about excess pressure on the screen or something. Apparently the newer and larger models don't suffer from it. You can read about it at AVS and other Hi-Fi/HT sites.

My order of preference for screens larger than 42"

1. SXRD/LCoS
2. DLP
3. Plasma
4. LCD

It's actually a toss-up between DLP and Plasma for me, depending on the circumstances. DLP for price, Plasma for formfactor and convenience.

DLP suffers from the "rainbow effect," which many people don't notice until it's pointed out to them, but other people are just naturally sensitive too. You also have the mechanical issue of a color wheel spinning at very high RPM -- high speed moving parts are a major weakness and prone to failure. Still, it's very popular and has very good image quality, especially for the price. I too consider Samsung the best DLP brand you can buy, although Mitsubishi's are pretty highly rated as well.

I've done a lot of research and laid eyes on all of the above TV technologies. By far the best, in my opinion, is Sony's SXRD. The image quality is head & shoulders above anything else I've seen. I was shopping for a DLP when I first laid eyes on an SXRD, which caused me to put off my purchase for a few more months until I could better afford the much more expensive 60" SXRD. ) They're quite a bit cheaper now, though.[/quotea10b09f4e3]

I can't see the DLP Rainbow effect, and someone has tried to point it out to me and I just can't see it... shrug

[quoteb088ac95ce="h3x"]I can't see the DLP Rainbow effect, and someone has tried to point it out to me and I just can't see it... shrug[/quoteb088ac95ce]
It's most easily noticed when you move your head/eyes across the screen while watching. Some people who are hyper-sensitive will notice it all the time, while others probably never notice it.

And in each subsequent generation of DLP, RE is claimed to be reduced -- usually due to a higher RPM color wheel. Which is in itself a further weakness IMO, trading immediate image quality improvements for long term reliability.

Still, I recommend DLP when people on a tighter budget come to me for HDTV recommendations. It's the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of picture quality IMO, provided you aren't hyper-sensitive to RE.

[quote7f8b15b421="dmorris68"][quote7f8b15b421="h3x"]I can't see the DLP Rainbow effect, and someone has tried to point it out to me and I just can't see it... shrug[/quote7f8b15b421]
It's most easily noticed when you move your head/eyes across the screen while watching. Some people who are hyper-sensitive will notice it all the time, while others probably never notice it.

And in each subsequent generation of DLP, RE is claimed to be reduced -- usually due to a higher RPM color wheel. Which is in itself a further weakness IMO, trading immediate image quality improvements for long term reliability.

Still, I recommend DLP when people on a tighter budget come to me for HDTV recommendations. It's the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of picture quality IMO, provided you aren't hyper-sensitive to RE.[/quote7f8b15b421]

I have also heard that the RBE can be more noticeable with different sources (i.e. cable vs. dvd). I noticed it on a school video projector, so we ended up spending a tiny bit more and bought the 60" Sony SXRD A2000- so far, we have been extremely pleased. When our Best Buy put the A2000 on sale, and it came within a few hundred dollars of the Samsung, it sealed the deal.

The lionlyli annoyance we have is that the XBR series is not currently able to receive 1080p signals from the Xbox 360 (The XBR CANNOT receive 1080i over component). However, the HD still amazes me away in games, especially on such a large screen.

Finally, to answer the original question, microdisplays DO have a much higher "repair rate", when compared to plasma, etc.. From what I have heard, this is mostly caused by premature bulb failures- a user serviceable item. With these failures taken out of the equation, the repair rates are more in line with other televisions.

Mike

I doubt anybody is going to do 1080p over component. The CSS and HD media governing committees are not allowing components to output 1080p over analog connections, due to lack of DRM protection. Sony being both a component manufacturer AND a media conglomerate with a strong interest in DRM, are going to be especially hardnosed about allowing it.

One thing I don't like about the big screens is that if it's not HD picture it seems to look a lot worse than on a smaller screen. We have an SXRD and when the stupid network forgets to tune in the HD on a football game, it looks like shit. When HD finally kicks in, the picture looks 100x better...

By the by, who should I be pissed at for the HD not kicking in until halftime? The network or my cable provider? This happens atleast one game a week.

double post.

[quote3712d29b10="dmorris68"]I doubt anybody is going to do 1080p over component. The CSS and HD media governing committees are not allowing components to output 1080p over analog connections, due to lack of DRM protection. Sony being both a component manufacturer AND a media conglomerate with a strong interest in DRM, are going to be especially hardnosed about allowing it.[/quote3712d29b10]

All the Samsung DLPs can input 1080p over component.

HDDVDs have yet to enable CSS/AACS, and from what I am reading, it may never happen.

Therefore, the Samsung DLPs can input full HDDVD resolution, and upscaled games at 1080p.

However, you are right in that 1080p over component is not exactly common.

[quote3712d29b10]One thing I don't like about the big screens is that if it's not HD picture it seems to look a lot worse than on a smaller screen. We have an SXRD and when the stupid network forgets to tune in the HD on a football game, it looks like shit. When HD finally kicks in, the picture looks 100x better...[/quote3712d29b10]

That is a common annoyance.. on such large TVs the small resolution of SDTV must be stretched quite large, further worsened by the necessity of stretching the 43 signal to 169. Thankfully 80% of the TV i watch is HD.

dmorris

http//www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7932767&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050041&id=1149208957434

is that the 60 inch sony that you want.

while at best buy i was in awe while watching it in action.

the prices are low right now and possible will drop in the future i want a new SXRD by summer

He already has his SXRD.

Yeah, I've had my SXRD almost a year. Got it around the first of February. I have the XBR1 model, which was the only line of SXRD's last year. For the 2nd gen models they introduced a budget line, the A2000 model (the one you linked to Kidd), and the XBR2 higher-end model like I have. Except the XBR2 has an upgraded WEGA engine and adds an additional HDMI port. 2nd Gens also allow 1080p inputs -- mine upscales everything to 1080p but only takes 1080i input.

bball, my SXRD looks gorgeous even in SD, of course that's over digital cable (and formerly DirecTV), so the signal was clean. Poor OTA or analog cable reception does look pretty poor, but it's been so long since I've had an analog TV hookup I don't even remember. ) One thing that impressed me so much about the SXRD is just how good it makes SD look compared to most big screens. It has an excellent scaler compared to many.

[quotec2b00675b5="mikedb"]All the Samsung DLPs can input 1080p over component.[/quotec2b00675b5]
True, I forgot that Samsung has been somewhat of a rebel in the industry on that issue. Their upconverting DVD players were popular too for awhile because they output 1080p over component, but I was thinking that new players were brought into compliance. You have to remember that upconverting players that play standard (and thus CSS protected) DVD's must adhere to the rules or they get their license pulled, or fined, or whatever.

At any rate, having a TV capable of 1080p input over component doesn't do you much good if you don't have any devices outputting analog 1080p.

[quotec2b00675b5="mikedb"]HDDVDs have yet to enable CSS/AACS, and from what I am reading, it may never happen. [/quotec2b00675b5]
I hadn't heard that, in fact just the other day I was reading about the 360 HD-DVD player and why it wouldn't output 1080p over component because HD-DVD wouldn't allow it. To be honest I haven't followed HD-DVD that closely because I had made up my mind to go with Blu-Ray. Only after BR's dismal showing out of the gate have I begun to reconsider, although BR still had the technical edge and may pull things together later. Still, I'll probably wind up with both players if there isn't a clear and dominate winner soon.

Any idea who I should complain to with the football games, dmorris?

[quote3bebf300e3="bballp6699"]Any idea who I should complain to with the football games, dmorris?[/quote3bebf300e3]
Your cable/sat provider, I guess. I haven't seen that problem myself, even with the crappy Charter Digital service I have (can't wait to go back to satellite, wish I never left).

I don't think the TV itself is going to switch back and forth -- it's simply going to show whatever is input. Then again my situation may be different because, as far as my SXRD knows, lieverythingli is HD because my AV receiver upconverts everything to 1080i and outputs via single HDMI connection to the TV.

Yeah, we have all the latest cables and such, honestly we just don't know enough about it to use it to it's full potential. Spent like $200 on a surge protector....

I just didn't know if it would be FOX/NBC or Comcast (my provider).

speaking of hdtv breaking, I think theres a problem with my Samsung 50" Plasma HDTV. When the TV is on, it'll randomly turn blank, not necessarily off.(when the tv is off, a blue light will glow, not the case here) It'll stay like this anytime from 5 minute to 20 min and it'll power back on. There is absolutely nothing I can do. I cant turn off the tv, no buttons work, even when I disconnect the power source and reconnect it'll stay that way. It usually happens only once, the first time I power on the tv and 5 mintues after. Happens every thing so far since 2 days ago.

Anyone know whats the problem??
Its only a month old!!!

[quote4e801454dc="dmorris68"][quote4e801454dc="h3x"]I can't see the DLP Rainbow effect, and someone has tried to point it out to me and I just can't see it... shrug[/quote4e801454dc]
It's most easily noticed when you move your head/eyes across the screen while watching. Some people who are hyper-sensitive will notice it all the time, while others probably never notice it.

And in each subsequent generation of DLP, RE is claimed to be reduced -- usually due to a higher RPM color wheel. Which is in itself a further weakness IMO, trading immediate image quality improvements for long term reliability.

Still, I recommend DLP when people on a tighter budget come to me for HDTV recommendations. It's the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of picture quality IMO, provided you aren't hyper-sensitive to RE.[/quote4e801454dc]

I still can't see it... Though I can see the lit bulb behind a black screen or a very dark scene but I have to look real hard to find it... I guess I'm lucky I can't find see any RE.