[I wasn't sure where else to post this topic so forgive me if this is the wrong spot]

Just an off-the-cuff question about rear projection TVs. Which set will give you a better all around quality picture for analog, digital and HD... DLP, LCD, or CRT?

Mike

Yes.

Just kidding. Seriously, the best picture you can possibly get is CRT. You pay for it in terms of difficulty in setting it up, in the size of the unit, and in the cost of repair. (Although if you damage a LCD panel, hoo boy, are you going to be shelling out some bucks!)

LCDs and DLPs are both competing formats. DLPs have the advantage over LCDs in terms of better black levels, however they have a controversial "rainbow" effect, where sometimes, if you turn your head, you'll see a rainbow.

Both LCDs and DLPs are inherently progressive, if memory serves. A big advantage in avoiding flicker.

If quality is your number one goal, go CRT. (Or heck, go for the biggest direct view you can afford!) Otherwise, to choose between LCD and DLPs, you're going to have to do some careful comparison.

(Not that you shouldn't compare the CRTs to the LCDs and DLPs, but the differences will probably be more subtle between DLP and LCD.)

Jeff

Welp... I was just curious, that's all. Thanks D!

Mike

I can't speak to what is better but I can tell you that I am thrilled with my DLP. The fact that I can pick up and move my 42" Widescreen all by myself is a great thing. It seems that total screen size is a factor as well as the 'viewing standard tv on a widescreen' issue. For me personally I've never seen the rainbow thing on my machine. I watch normal tv in the normal resolution with black bars down both sides of the screen. That doesn't bother me, but I wouldn't be surprised if it bugged some people.
just my 2 cents

I have heard that the rainbow effect is only with the single chip DLP projectors and that the 3 chip DLP projectors do not have that problem. Does anyone have any knowledge on this? Thanks, Reed

I thought they were all single chip projectors. I know the Samsung DLPs that I have looked at are. However, from what I understand, they are a the second generation of chip. I wonder if this "rainbow" problem exsisted solely with the first generation.

Mike

At my workplace, we sell 'mass market' products, which include the DLP from Samsung, the LCD from Sony, Pansonic, and Zenith, as well as the LCOS from Philips and Toshiba. On day to day picutre comparisons, most people light on either the Sony or the Samsung. The differences are not very subtle. Sony has its traditional picture which involves an extremely bright picutre, and oversaturated colors (which can be mitigated to a point, but seems to never want to get fully under control). The Samsung delivers a more 'natural' picture, however, at the sacrifice of some color depth. At a larger viewing distance (14+ feet from the screen), I have yet to find anyone who can honestly see a difference in a CRT versus the LCD. Directly above the main viewing of our LCDs we have placed our Plasma sets, and again at 'normal' viewing distances, the picture qualities are comparable, with pros and cons on both sides of the fence. I will tell you this, however, if you settle on the Sony, don't expect to be able to take home one of the larger sets this year (expect January). Sony is shipping less than 20% of its orders at this point, with no relief for the situation in sight.

My understanding is that the rainbows from DLP projectors stem from the speed of the color wheel and also how many color segments that wheel may have. If you look at some specs for the projectors, you'll see that the higher end the projector, the faster the speed of the color wheel and also how many color wheels may be involved.

For more helpful info, I would try looking up DLP projectors at the following two sites:

www.avsforum.com
www.ecoustics.com

Good luck!

I got my tv last year -- a 36 inch Panny Flat HD CRT. At the time I checked, CRT had the best picture from all angles. All projection tv's I saw still had issues when viewed from severe angles. Plasma looked good but I didn't want to shell out the bucks. With my crawling then 8 months old girl, I figured I had to be all over the room as I watched TV. So, the angle of view was important. It hasn't changed now that she is walking. I love the picture on it (from all angles), but it's seriously heavy -- over 200 lb's. For anything under 38" inches, a flat CRT gives the best picture for the money when viewing angles are considered. Unfortunately it gets really heavy and bulky.

All the CRT RPTVs I have seen have a glossy front screen. While that does not present issues in a showroom with controlled lighting, in the typical home family room, light comes from many angles, including windows on the sides. Sorry, but in atypical family environment the room is used for many purposes at the same time and controlled lighting at home is not practical.

In these circumstances, the glossy front screen acts like a mirror - whenever anyone walks by, the screen displays their reflections. Very annoying.

Most non-CRT TVs (DLPs, plasmas, etc) I have seen have a non-glare (matte) front screen finish that eliminates these reflections. This is sufficient improvement to make me consider a non-CRT TV.

Has anyone seen CRT RPTVs with a non-glare
fron screen finish?