1080p HDTV thread

Domingo

Domingo

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Well, with the forum issues over the last few days it seems my previous thread was deleted.
I'm looking for a 1080p television (46" - 50") that will do 1080p over components or VGA in addition to HDMI. My price range is no more than $2500.
There were several good suggestions including a Samsung LCD, Sharp Aquos LCD, Hitachi DLP, and a Samsung DLP.

Anyone have any other suggestions?
 
I say save you some money and get a 47'' 1080p westy...or wait for the new ones to roll out. (Don't know far off the new ones are though.) They are great TV's and are veryyy good.

It's like getting an e6600, even if you can afford an quad-core, the e6600 will pretty much satisfy every need. (Unless your pretty hardcore)
 
Domingo said:
Well, with the forum issues over the last few days it seems my previous thread was deleted.
I'm looking for a 1080p television (46" - 50") that will do 1080p over components or VGA in addition to HDMI. My price range is no more than $2500.
There were several good suggestions including a Samsung LCD, Sharp Aquos LCD, Hitachi DLP, and a Samsung DLP.

Anyone have any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

I currently have the 46'' Sharp AQUOS LCD and it freaken rocks!. Tons of different color settings, crisp image, does 1080p, has 2 HDMI spots, I think 2 composite spots and 1 component.

I got mine from BestBuy with a replacement plan. The first gone I got had like 3 dead pixels (which from far away you cant see at all) but I took it back and got another one withen the 30-day return period. My new one has no dead pixels and works great.

I went over $2500.. but thats because I got this right around the super bowl and I know the price on it has dropped since. I've also got a 4 year replacement plan which cost a few extra hundred bucks... I'll take some pictures of it with my new 7.2 mega pixel sony camera when I get home...
 
Pictures are always a great help.
I was thinking of a Westinghouse, but I've read a lot of negative things about them.

How common are dead pixels on LCD TV's? I have NO intention of keeping a TV with dead pixels but I was even considering ordering from Amazon. I don't want to get stuck having to ship TV after TV back (or worse, have them tell me I can't return it).
 
 
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Yes, and it's better than any 1080p set out right now. Any reason you're stuck on a 1080p native set?
 
Because he's got a PS3 or a 360? I mean, it is in the gaming section. Add to that the opportunity for Bluray or HD, and I would be doing the same.

There is no way if I was upgrading my set that I would look at anything but a 1080p set.
 
Exactly. If you think 720p on ANY set tops 1080p from the PS3 (I've never seen the 360m in 1080p), you're likely in the wrong place.
My local Best Buy was doing comparisons and it was a pretty big difference for PS3 games and the movies they used.
I'm future proofing and optimizing.
I've already got a nice 720p set anyway.
 
DLPs, D-ILA, LCoS, dropping that kind of cash, you really want your TV to have nice black levels, as close to the "perfect" blacks of a CRT you can get. (I'm spoiled, I sunk a shitton of cash on a nice 1080 CRT).

And some TVs, thanks to poorly written firmware/handing on their end, won't like a PC connection over a HDMI port (DVI->HDMI adapter), I've got no idea why. I've seen some Samsung 720p TVs exhibit that (oddly, PC worked fine over the VGA input...).

1080p over component starts to hit the signal bw limitations of component video, so you wanna go over DVI/HDMI when possible...a receiver w/ HDMI switching could/would be nice. You can switch HDMI up at will, its not analog and won't suffer attenuation.
 
My one catch with wanting to do 1080p over components/VGA is the Xbox 360.
I pretty much refuse to buy a 360 Elite, hence why I was was wanting 1080p via other means :)
I won't be watching HD-DVD's, so I'm *just* looking for games. No need for audio as I'll use an optical out for that, too.

Can the normal 360 do DVI 1080p?
 
No a normal xbox 360 cannot do DVI as DVI is digital and the regular X360 just doesn't do digital video output.

Whats wrong with 1080p for games over component or vga on the regular x360?
I have the Elite and you really can't tell a difference between VGA and HDMI. HDMI does have the advantage that the TV doesn't have to try and auto adjust the image, but thats not really a major issue for the user.
 
Actually, it's theoretically possible with an adapter such as this, but I don't see why you would want to go this route? You're not going to gain anything over the 360's vga adapter. Since the DVI adapter is DVI-I (analog and digital). I know you asked prior to the forum going down, and I think the Samsung LED DLP's or the new Sony XBR4's are your best bet as I previously suggested, and there's a 2nd suggestion from above poster referencing the same set. I'll have to take a look at the Pioneer though, that one is new to me :)

On a sidenote, if you're worried about VGA being washed out on the 360. The last patch addressed the colorspace issue via VGA.
 
That cable doesn't work.

DVI-I with both Digital and Analog is used on video cards so that you can use a DVI to VGA adapter (what you linked) on it to connect to a VGA monitor.

A HDTV or monitor with DVI will not accept the analog portion of the DVI port so that adapter only works DVI to VGA and not VGA to DVI. Look at the DVI cable on your PC and it shouldn't have the analog pins around the part of the cable that looks like a long dash -.
 
Not clear on what your trying to say but my HP LC3200 will accept DVI-I. The 360's VGA cable is male and the VGA side of the adapter is female. Still don't see why this will not work.
 
DVI is digital, DVI-I is DVI with an extra few analog pins for VGA pass through for backwards compatibility. So your method is just VGA.
 
Yes, using a VGA 360 cable thorugh a female VGA adapter and DVI-I male on the end. Okay, back to the topic you will not see form of any image enhancement using this method over a normal 360 VGA cable.
 
Sixthsense said:
Actually, it's theoretically possible with an adapter such as this, but I don't see why you would want to go this route? You're not going to gain anything over the 360's vga adapter. Since the DVI adapter is DVI-I (analog and digital). I know you asked prior to the forum going down, and I think the Samsung LED DLP's or the new Sony XBR4's are your best bet as I previously suggested, and there's a 2nd suggestion from above poster referencing the same set. I'll have to take a look at the Pioneer though, that one is new to me :)

On a sidenote, if you're worried about VGA being washed out on the 360. The last patch addressed the colorspace issue via VGA.
Click to expand...

Here u go: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/projectkuro/index.html?src=home :)
 
The best thing you can do is go to different stores and see the TV's side by side. Granted they may not all be set up the same or using the same quality feed but it gives you a general idea. From what I've seen the Westinghouse TV's look like crap compared to Samsungs, Sharps, Pioneers, etc. Don't get me wrong, they're nice and have some great input features at a nice price but they fall woefully short as far as image quality is concerned.
 
Sixthsense said:
Actually, it's theoretically possible with an adapter such as this, but I don't see why you would want to go this route? You're not going to gain anything over the 360's vga adapter. Since the DVI adapter is DVI-I (analog and digital). I know you asked prior to the forum going down, and I think the Samsung LED DLP's or the new Sony XBR4's are your best bet as I previously suggested, and there's a 2nd suggestion from above poster referencing the same set. I'll have to take a look at the Pioneer though, that one is new to me :)

On a sidenote, if you're worried about VGA being washed out on the 360. The last patch addressed the colorspace issue via VGA.
Click to expand...

I hadn't heard that about the colorspace being fixed over VGA. That's stellar news. I haven't been using my VGA cable since I have my 360 hooked up to an old HD set now via component. However, now I know that's an option as I'm looking to eventually upgrade my set (which is also why I'm paying attention to the suggestions in this thread!) ;)
 
I'm going to bring this thread up for one more set of questions.

How common are dead pixels on LCD sets? What are some stores/manufacturers that have a "zero policy" for them without purchasing an expensive warranty?

The Samsung DLP's all claim to have a 16ms response time. For an LCD monitor, that's usually not that great, especially in twitchy FPS games. How does that translate over to a DLP set? I realize it might not be the same and that there are killer 16ms LCD's, but before I spend a lot of money or wade through those annoying 400-page threads on AVS, I was wondering if anyone has one. I'm not sure what my Sony LCD Projection's is, but it's not great. It motion blurs like a madman.
 
i have a Samsung HL-S5687w DLP (1080p) set and i love it. i bought last July for 2900.....and i think it's now down to like 2000 or might be a little below that price wise. Anyway it's fantastic.....the picture is out standing with a little tweaking....i have my 360 hooked up via VGA cable and the update they did recently greatly improved the colors. I highly suggest the Samsung DLP's and i've heard the new LED's are even better.
 
A buddy of mine just bought a Samsung DLP and it looks like complete crap during fast moving scenes. I don't know if it's his DirectTV or if it's the TV that's the problem but it slideshows and blurs pretty bad during movement. Take my comments with a grain of salt seeing as how I don't know which is the cause of the problem.
 
Just curious - does he have HD-DirecTV?
My Sony motion blurs the most during normal 480i broadcast TV. Possibly the worst examples are in cartoons like the Simpsons, Family Guy, Sea Lab, etc.
In cartoons, whenever there is scrolling or movement - you literally almost cannot read background text because it motion blurs so much.
For games it's not that bad, but it's pretty noticeable in shooters or anything with rapid movement. One fun example is in Katamari Damacy. In the loading screen (when the king is spitting our letters) you can barely tell what the letters are because they're moving so fast.
 
Domingo:

Samsung DLPs are 16 Microseconds..

There's no motion blur period... but I am going to warn you on the LED DLPs.. I had one, and I can tell you I've never seen rainbows on the newer colorwheel sets, but on the HLT models they slowed the LEDs down to achieve the 10000:1 contrast ratios...

I saw them like crazy... I went with SXRD instead.

Hope this helps.

-Crack.
 
Good to know :)
I'm going to head over to some electronics stores on my lunch break and see if I can spot rainbows on the newer sets.
 
I have a new Samsung HT-T5087S, and it's great for gaming. Very bright (too bright sometimes, but that can be adjusted), zero ghosting or blur, no burn in worries, every input i need (HDMI, VGA, component, svideo, even composite). The rainbows some people see are mostly not a problem for me, but there are some cases where they appear. Scenes that have a sepia-toned look (parts of the movie The Illusionist for example), but only if i move my eyes back and forth rapidly. Never seen them in games or full color scenes, and only very rarely on black and white scenes.

Also be aware that SD tv signals look like crap (like Dish, DirectTv, etc), but that's more a side effect of upconverting to 1080p i think. The compression of the signal seems exaggerated by the high resolution. You can tweak the settings so that it's not as noticable though. Or just watch DVDs all the time. =P
 
I spent about an hour at Best Buy and I'm thinking the LCD route is good for me.
I kept looking at DLP's and projections and the picture just isn't as good to me. I also don't care for the viewing angle limitation, too. It's fine if you're right in front of it, but my wife tends to sit off to an angle in her chair...and that just isn't cutting it from an angle.

My only issue now is dead pixels. Apparently Best Buy will only replace TV's if you have 3 deads in a single quadrant and then only if you buy the warranty.

Time to investigate manufacturer's warranty information for Samsung, Sharp, and LG.
 
beast said:
I have a new Samsung HT-T5087S, and it's great for gaming. Very bright (too bright sometimes, but that can be adjusted), zero ghosting or blur, no burn in worries, every input i need (HDMI, VGA, component, svideo, even composite). The rainbows some people see are mostly not a problem for me, but there are some cases where they appear. Scenes that have a sepia-toned look (parts of the movie The Illusionist for example), but only if i move my eyes back and forth rapidly. Never seen them in games or full color scenes, and only very rarely on black and white scenes.

Also be aware that SD tv signals look like crap (like Dish, DirectTv, etc), but that's more a side effect of upconverting to 1080p i think. The compression of the signal seems exaggerated by the high resolution. You can tweak the settings so that it's not as noticable though. Or just watch DVDs all the time. =P
Click to expand...


that also depends on who your cable provider is.....about the standard definition quality. I had Comcast for a long time and i noticed a HUGE improvement once i got FIOS for standard definition.
 
Blech...seems that no manufacturer's warranties do much for dead pixels. Both Sharp and Samsung gave me VERY vague answers like "it depends how many and how close they are."
Anyone know of a store that has a good policy?

(EDIT: Even Newegg won't replace it unless it has at least eight dead pixels)

I'm not liking this risk. I've owned 4 LCD monitors and 3 out of 4 came with at least one dead pixel right smack in the middle of the screen.
 
Domingo said:
Just curious - does he have HD-DirecTV?
Click to expand...
Yes he does. Blurring isn't as big of a problem as the lack of smoothness. Anything that moves does so very choppy. There's nothing smooth about any movement, it's similar to playing a game on outdated hardware and the fps aren't up to par. The reason I haven't ruled out the TV is that I've seen it on other DLP sets and it also does it on his Blue-ray discs. It's so annoying I can't stand watching anything on his TV.

FWIW I remember dead pixels not being much of an issue with TV's. If you browse through the display forum you'll find an answer why. That's much more common in monitors. I agree that it's garbage to not allow people to return monitors with dead pixels, I usually have things like that tested before I walk out of the store.
 
Domingo said:
Blech...seems that no manufacturer's warranties do much for dead pixels. Both Sharp and Samsung gave me VERY vague answers like "it depends how many and how close they are."
Anyone know of a store that has a good policy?

(EDIT: Even Newegg won't replace it unless it has at least eight dead pixels)

I'm not liking this risk. I've owned 4 LCD monitors and 3 out of 4 came with at least one dead pixel right smack in the middle of the screen.
Click to expand...

Well I can't change your mind then :D If you're set on purchasing a LCD, Tigerdirect has a 30 day return policy on dead pixels. Personally, I would rather walk into a B&M store and buy one. On the other hand, Costco is an alternative even though they have re-vamped their return policy, but their selection is less then stellar
 
Sixthsense said:
Well I can't change your mind then :D If you're set on purchasing a LCD, Tigerdirect has a 30 day return policy on dead pixels. Personally, I would rather walk into a B&M store and buy one. On the other hand, Costco is an alternative even though they have re-vamped their return policy, but their selection is less then stellar
Click to expand...


Yeah but I thought the Costco revamp was specifically for computer and computer related devices. Not all electronics and appliances?! I would still rather walk into somewhere vs buy online for something like this. And many times BB, CC, OD will match pricing for places like Newegg/TigerDirect.:D
 
Domingo said:
Blech...seems that no manufacturer's warranties do much for dead pixels. Both Sharp and Samsung gave me VERY vague answers like "it depends how many and how close they are."
Anyone know of a store that has a good policy?

(EDIT: Even Newegg won't replace it unless it has at least eight dead pixels)

I'm not liking this risk. I've owned 4 LCD monitors and 3 out of 4 came with at least one dead pixel right smack in the middle of the screen.
Click to expand...

At most B&M stores, you can return a set within 30 days with no questions asked. I bought a Samsung plasma a couple months back at Best Buy and kept seeing this faint little skipping during fast motion. Thinking it was just a problem with my set, I returned it for another one. The second one did the exact same thing. I tried to live with it but it was really bothering me, so a couple weeks later I returned the second one and just told them I changed my mind about the set. (ended up getting an LCD from a different store)

They gave me a full refund with no questions asked. I am fairly sure most B&Ms have similar return policies, so you may just want to go over your set with a fine toothed comb when you first get it to make sure there aren't any dead pixels.
 
Good to know. I think that's the plan. If all else fails, I'll "find" something else wrong with it in a pinch. Something asinine like claiming minor backlight issues or a humming sound should hopefully work if I have to.
I like buying it from a B&M store, too. Amazon's running a pretty nice sale on the 4665F, but if Best Buy can get within a few hundred of that price I'll buy it there.
 
gregnash said:
Yeah but I thought the Costco revamp was specifically for computer and computer related devices. Not all electronics and appliances?! I would still rather walk into somewhere vs buy online for something like this. And many times BB, CC, OD will match pricing for places like Newegg/TigerDirect.:D
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the sole reason for the revamp on the policy was due to the TV's. There were some costco member's in the past that had the gall to purchase a set, keep it for less then a year . Then either return it and take advantage on a price drop or upgrade to a newer set. It was a nice policy, but to take advantage of it before the year ends? I would puncture that guy's tires so he would have to carry that set home


oops did I get carried away
 
Sixthsense said:
I'm pretty sure the sole reason for the revamp on the policy was due to the TV's. There were some costco member's in the past that had the gall to purchase a set, keep it for less then a year . Then either return it and take advantage on a price drop or upgrade to a newer set. It was a nice policy, but to take advantage of it before the year ends? I would puncture that guy's tires so he would have to carry that set home


oops did I get carried away
Click to expand...

Ok just looked on Costco.com and found this:

Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. Exceptions: Televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPOD / MP3 players and cellular phones must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund.
Click to expand...

So their return policy is actually better than BB or whomever due to it being a full 90day! I would go with this one and give yourself a full month if not two to test every application and make your decision.
 
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