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DLP vs LCD vs PLASMA

SpankyPenzaanz

SpankyPenzaanz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 4, 2006
705
0
I have decided to buy a new tv especially with the holidays around the corner. I am pretty sure I want something from the 32" to 42" range. The only prefrence I have is that it is capable of 720p or 1080p over either componet or vga (for me xbox360). I would like to hear people experinece and any thing to be wary of. I have seen some great deals (at least they seemed that way) when I went to sams the other day. Thanks
 
What's your budget if you have a lot of money i'd go for an LCD since they have a higher color accuracy, they have less of a risk of images burning in they also last longer and are genarly brighter, but that comes at a cost. if you have a lower budget get a plasma but don't get a DLP there big bulky images burn into them and there color accuracy isn't great.
 
LCD seems to be winning the race, and are in front by a long way in regards to displaying a high re computer image.

Whatever you get make sure it has at least 2 HDMI inputs with HDMP, gives you a degree of flexibility in the future.
 
Carguy172 said:
What's your budget if you have a lot of money i'd go for an LCD since they have a higher color accuracy, they have less of a risk of images burning in they also last longer and are genarly brighter, but that comes at a cost. if you have a lower budget get a plasma but don't get a DLP there big bulky images burn into them and there color accuracy isn't great.
Click to expand...

DLPs are not bulky, unless you're comparing them to LCDs. True, you can't mount them on the wall, but at about 12" deep, they're a far cry from the old projection beasts. As for color accuracy, I'd ask for some reason why you think it's unimpressive. They have by far the best black levels and tend to have less of an issue with oversaturation ("bleed") than plasmas. For the price, DLP sets provide the best performance and value in HDTVs, especially in the 40" + size category.
 
um.. DLP is very bulky compared to LCD and its color accuracy isn't as good as LCD either if you get DLP your going back in time plasma and LCD are the future. Plus they don't have HDMI inputs.
 
Carguy172 said:
um.. DLP is very bulky compared to LCD and its color accuracy isn't as good as LCD either if you get DLP your going back in time plasma and LCD are the future. Plus they don't have HDMI inputs.
Click to expand...
Neither of these points is true. Evidence? A 40" LCD weighs in at a solid 65 pounds, while a 40" DLP set is somewhere around 90 pounds. As for color accuracy, DLP is widely known as having the best picture quality (LCDs are weak on blacks, plasmas have saturation problems). As for HDMI inputs, that's just bogus. DLP sets, furthermore, are wholly modern technology (LCDs are older than DLP anyway). On what are you basing your opinion?
 
DLP devices don't have HDMI inputs? Even if that was true (which it is not), there is no technical reason why they could not, so it would only be a matter of time before they did. In fact, if you understand DLP technology, you'll realize it is THE MOST well suited to digital signals since the image processing is, in fact, a purely digital process (micromirrors flipping on/off).

DLPs suffer from burn in? I don't have enough first hand knowledge of this to assert one way or another (unlike some people, I won't argue a point if I don't know for sure it is true) but again I see no reason why this would be intrinsically worse than any other display technology. The mirrors certainly wouldn't get burned in, unlike phosphors on a TV. Maybe the projection surface is flawed somehow?

DLP's not as bright as LCD? Not in the front projection space. Can't comment on RPTV. Think about it: You pass light through 3 different filter panels (3 LCDs), or you reflect the light off a mirror and into one filter (color wheel). Which do you think is going to be brighter?

Bulkier? The optics, once they leave the imaging surface (which is something like an inch or two wide on a DLP), are likely very similar. You need to light up a 40", 50", 60" surface. There's nothing magic about one technology or other than can overcome the laws of physics. (Unless you're comparing DLP rear projection with an LCD panel display, of course, which is totally flawed.)

I don't follow RPTV's much but in the front projection world, DLP compares very favourably to LCD projectors in the same price range or even higher. Consider the Mitsubishi HD1000U, or the Optoma HD70, both of which are 720p DLP projectors which retail for about $1500 and $1000 USD, respectively. Both offer excellent black levels and contrast, very good brightness, and offer HDMI inputs (as well as DVI, RGB, component, S-video and the rest). The reviews at ProjectorCentral and the buzz at AVSforum.com seem positively glowing.

Up until recently I had an Infocus LP340, which was a first-generation DLP (circa 2001) which was well regarded as being the best value of its day, even including Faroudja scaler. The bulb exploded last month, so I'm back in the market. I did not do market research very often, but I occasionally popped into the forums to see what the "best overall value" of the day was, and they were almost always DLP projectors like the Plus Piano, the Optoma H27, H31, etc.

Maybe stick to cars...
 
Images do burn in my friend had it burn in to his twice maybe it was just those models but I don't know. The brightness LCD's are much brighter thats a given there also thinner and lighter the LCD technology is better My friend has had both and say's LCD is much better I've seen both side by side the lcd is brighter more vibrant. Sure its not cheap but hell it looks a lot better. LCD's also last longer.
 
Veritas&Equitas said:
Come on now Matticus, my Westinghouse 37'' LCD (LVM-37W3) weighs in at only 43 lbs, it's actually really light.

P.S. LCD's are much brighter than DLPs, not even close.
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That's a 37". My 20" monitor weighs 15 pounds. A 40" monitor is four of those. I've never seen a 40" LCD under 50 pounds, and most of them weigh over 60. Just poke around on Google. You'll find lots of 40" LCDs pushing 70 pounds--like the Sony KLV40S at 71 pounds, or the Samsung S4052D at 62 pounds or the Humax LGB-40TPVR at a whopping 76 pounds.

Nobody said anything about brightness, and I don't disagree with you there.

As for burn in, DLPs do NOT. Period, end of story. Old-style CRT rear projection TVs and plasmas suffer from this problem, not DLP sets.
 
I too am in the market again.
I had a 51" Rear Projection CRT Hitachi. It was great.
One thing to be aware of is thickness. As they get thinner, there is a greater tendency to topple over. If you have kids and want a thin screen, mount it to the wall or something.

I'm leaning towards LCOS or DLP at 1080P.
 
I just wish LCD's were bigger and cheaper

P.S. Sorry for the post before I was kind of pissed off
 
It was hard to tell looking at them in the store, but we opted for a Pioneer plasma. After looking at it in our living room for about 3 months, when I go in the stores, DLP or LCD or LCOS projection TVs look like trash. The viewing angle is terrible and the picture quality is sorely lacking.

Flat panel LCDs are the closest, so if you do a lot of gaming, I think I'd recommend that route. If gaming is only a minor factor, there still isn't anything better than a quality plasma.
 
Ok, I think you should go to a store and look at them all your self and decide, this has turned into a fight. geez everyone calm down I didn't know tv's were that debatable
 
matticus008 said:
A 40" LCD weighs in at a solid 65 pounds, while a 40" DLP set is somewhere around 90 pounds.
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FWIW my Samsung 40" weighs only 50.3 lbs. Must have been on a diet. :p

I question your numbers since the only difference between mine and the 4052 is the housing color (black vs. white.) Are you looking at the shipping weight?

B
 
Carguy172 said:
um.. DLP is very bulky compared to LCD and its color accuracy isn't as good as LCD either if you get DLP your going back in time plasma and LCD are the future. Plus they don't have HDMI inputs.
Click to expand...

Ummm the DLP im sitting in front of now has HDMI... in fact most newer DLPs do. My DLP is also 1080p, not too bad for a TV that was about $2000 cheaper than a similar plasma and LCDs, Also, DLPs don't suffer from burn in, although you can sometimes get a rainbow effect in an extremely dark room. LCDs do suffer from something similar to burn in, its called image persistance.
 
rhsgolfer33 said:
although you can sometimes get a rainbow effect in an extremely dark room
Click to expand...

Ah, yes. The rainbow effect. I am unfortunately one who can see rainbows quite easily, so my first few hours with my first DLP projector were kinda heartbreaking (considering I spent $2800 USD on it, and at the time, that was considered a *steal*). I guess I learned to ignore them, though, because they don't bother me that much anymore. I still see them even with today's 4x color wheels, but they're not nearly as bad as that first day or two.

My sister also could see them quite readily, but the rest of my family could not, and most of my friends couldn't, either.
 
Get an LCD or Plasma. I have yet to see any DLP set with a good picture (obviously picture quality is a personal opinion). If you want a 60" screen, bad picture quality, and only want to spend $2000, get a DLP. If you want a good picture, get an LCD or Plasma.

My 50" Pioneer plasma weighs 75 lbs.
 
id stick with lcd. they have really hit low in price, and last forever. an awesome site that i use for comp stuff is tigerdirect.com (never ever gave me troubles, even with return items), and they have 32 inchers for 600-700 bucks. if i only had that kind of money... :p
 
balamw said:
FWIW my Samsung 40" weighs only 50.3 lbs. Must have been on a diet. :p

I question your numbers since the only difference between mine and the 4052 is the housing color (black vs. white.) Are you looking at the shipping weight?

B
Click to expand...

No, not the shipping weight. The numbers come from reviews of those respective models, not from shopping sites. Also where possible, I used the weight without the stand, and if you really want to compare weights of DLPs and LCDs, one should include the stands, since I've not seen a DLP without a stand--it's the depth that prevents them from being wall appropriate, not the weight. Certainly they weigh more than LCD counterparts, but not by some obscene amount.

EDIT: oops, that's the wrong Samsung model. The others are accurate.
 
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