| bzboy |
| I'm thinkin of taking the plunge and getting the Sony 60in R60XBR1. I already get HD signal from Adelphia Cable. My reasons for getting this particular model is the native resolution of 1080 and progressive. I also plan on hooking up a future PS3 onto it hoping that it will have high def picture. Is getting a 1080p screen overkill? I'm looking for a monitor that I hope wont be obsolete in 2yrs. Any advice or comments more than welcomed. Thanks |
|
|
| 04mdx4sq |
| If you are in the market for a new HDTV anyway, it may be worth considering. If you are going out to buy a TV just so you can get the new 1080p resolution, you may just want to wait. It will likely be several years before you see much of anything broadcast or much in the way of media that uses 1080p. |
|
|
| dj-mdx2 |
| Is this model a CRT or plasma or rear projection or LCD? 1080p is a LOT of definition, probably not noticeable unless you get into 100 inches. Most people cannot tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p on a 60 inch screen, let alone 724p and 1080p. Go with what your wallet will reasonably let you get away with. |
|
|
| cfarm |
1080P native?
I believe the Sony upconverts like all the other 1080Ps on the market since you can't give it a 1080P source. The best you'll get out of your Adelphia box is 1080i and I don't know enough about them to comment on whether they compress their signal or not. In my area, Comcast is not too bad on that score.
The Sony doesn't do blacks quite as well as some of the DLPs, but still not a bad set. I went for the Samsung 61" DLP myself. Just had it calibrated yesterday and the picture is drop dead gorgeous. I can't believe what a huge step up this is from my older Mits RPTV. |
|
|
| Big Gorilla |
| Since u said most can`t tell the difference between the two and there are not that many Hi Def TV braodcasts is it worth buying a hi Def Plasma then? I know it is up to the buy and their wallet but I hate to be penny wise and dollar foolish. A Hd plasma ( Panasonic monitor ) at Costoc would be approx. $1,800-$2,100 and a panasonic ED version would be about $1,400-$1,700 I am thinking that for the extra3-4 hundred it might be worth getting the HD plasma for the long run but if like u said ypou can`t even hardly tell the difference maybe it isn`t worth it. I have to say that in Costco when you put the 2 Panasonics, HD vs ED or even reg 42' plasma with no inhancement, the pics looked really close. I am sticking with Panasonic or Pioneer brands I think are my best bet |
|
|
| vlam |
Since u said most can`t tell the difference between the two and there are not that many Hi Def TV braodcasts is it worth buying a hi Def Plasma then? I know it is up to the buy and their wallet but I hate to be penny wise and dollar foolish. A Hd plasma ( Panasonic monitor ) at Costoc would be approx. $1,800-$2,100 and a ED version would be about $1,000-$1,700 I am thinking that for the extra3-4 hundred it might be worth getting the HD plasma for the long run but if like u said ypou can`t even hardly tell the difference maybe it isn`t worth it. I have to say that in Costco when you put the 2 Panasonics, HD vs ED or even reg 42' plasma with no inhancement, the pics looked really close
1. You really need to find out how much HD broadcasting is in your area.
2. Are you going to watch HD broadcast? I don't watch a lot of TV (but when I do, it's almost always HD only and I find that there are more than enough HD shows)
Now if you are going to compare HD versus ED, lets do it only with the same brand.
The Panny 42" ED is ~$1600 while the 42" HD is ~$2200
You are going to be pretty happy with the 42" ED watching HD broadcast. Is the picture not as good as the 42" HD, technologically, YES..BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE 42" HD NEXT TO IT TO COMPARE. All you can do is recall that they do look very similiar next to each other. Most of your friends/neighbors who can't tell one plasma TV from another will look at it and say wow..that HD plasma looks very good.
Now.. is the HD version worth $600 more? That's a question you can best answer yourself because $600 is very significant when you are talking about a $1600 set. You can look at bigger screens size DLP or LCD or worse yet, you throw in the mix of other brand Plasma.
$1600 for the ED Panny is a very good buy as long as you have seend the ED next to the HD. This way, you would never wonder how it compares to the HD. |
|
|
| MDteX |
There are no 1080p sources as of now. It's not even known if the new blu-ray or HD DVDs will be 1080p. But you can count on there being some 1080p sources in the future. It comes down to how long you want your tv to be current. Even without 1080p the tv should be current for at least the next several years. Even when 1080p sources come out your 720 HD plasma will still work and have a great picture.
By the time 1080p is common you will be buying TVs with 2160 or greater. TV manufacturers can make the displays but it costs broadcasters a fortune to switch. Once they switch to 1080 I would think it will be years before they are willing to switch again.
I personally am waiting one more year. I have been in the market for about a year to get something to replace my old Sony XBR tube. Just recently Panasonic started selling a new 65" 1080p plasma in Japan. A slightly enhanced model is scheduled for release to the USA in Q2 or Q3 next year. That may be the one I'm waiting on. Since I keep TVs for quite a long time I do want 1080p.
And in the next couple of years you will see newer technologies such as SED or OLED and probably something that hasn't been announced that may render LCD, plasma, DLP to the background. Ain't technology grand! :2: |
|
|
| cfarm |
WMV-HD is a 1080P source that can be ported to the VGA port on my Samsung. Requires a pretty stout PC for the playback(fast CPU and graphics card), but yes, it can be done today on a limited number of sets.
Blu-ray and HD-DVD are both going to be 1080I, AFAIK. That's still a big jump from today's current 480P DVDs. |
|
|
| vlam |
| Just be warned that avsforum.com may give you a headache. I joined that site a few years a back and the information was great for setting up my HTPC but some of the stuff on there is way more technical than an average "family person" has time for. |
|
|
| crmsnidol |
quote:
Originally posted by vlam
Just be warned that avsforum.com may give you a headache. I joined that site a few years a back and the information was great for setting up my HTPC but some of the stuff on there is way more technical than an average "family person" has time for.
I totally agree. You'll find some budget-minded folks that would be happy with anything as long as the picture quality was passable and the price was right. You'll also find folks who nit-pick every brand/model to the Nth degree but offer little in advice. Then there are those who pooh-pooh anything in the sub-$7,000 range no matter what. With displays it's best to see for yourself in the store but don't base your decision solely on how a salesman tuned the display you are previewing - use sites like avsforums.com, Consumer Reports, CNet, et. al. for their users reviews and then decide for yourself. |
|
|
| 04mdx4sq |
quote:
Originally posted by crmsnidol
I totally agree. You'll find some budget-minded folks that would be happy with anything as long as the picture quality was passable and the price was right. You'll also find folks who nit-pick every brand/model to the Nth degree but offer little in advice. Then there are those who pooh-pooh anything in the sub-$7,000 range no matter what. With displays it's best to see for yourself in the store but don't base your decision solely on how a salesman tuned the display you are previewing - use sites like avsforums.com, Consumer Reports, CNet, et. al. for their users reviews and then decide for yourself.
I was with you right up to "Consumer Reports" :D |
|
|
| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by 04mdx4sq
I was with you right up to "Consumer Reports" :D
Same here. I find CR ok for general info. Some think HT mag and the rest are too biased because they have advertisers.
But I think they avoid reviewing any real dogs that might embarrass their sponsors.
But they have no problem mentioning the negatives of various products.
At the same time, they have to appeal to a large audience beyond just the technically inclined. But they generally do calibration (with findings) of displays they review, which is also helpful.
In the end, as crmsnidol says, you end up arriving at your own conclusions after reading all the material and seeing what really looks best to you within your budget. |
|
|
| bzboy |
| Hey thanks for all the great info. I think i'm going to skip the top of the line stuff and go for a decent LCD projection probably either sony , samsung, or mitsubishi. With the money i'm saving i'm gonna get some speakers and a good dvd player. |
|
|
| MDteX |
quote:
Originally posted by vlam
Just be warned that avsforum.com may give you a headache. I joined that site a few years a back and the information was great for setting up my HTPC but some of the stuff on there is way more technical than an average "family person" has time for.
I agree there are lots of nitpicky users on that site. They argue everything about a display. Most of us just want a quality display with a good PQ at a decent price. Many of us don't care about some of the "features" those guys argue about. I've learned alot there and I'm pretty sure what I want.
I do agree with one of the biggest complaints people raise. It's so hard to compare displays in a store like BB or CC. Most people don't have vast amounts of overhead florescent lighting in their family room and don't have their signal split about 40-50 times. Also almost all of the displays have not been setup correctly but just pulled out of the box and installed so all of the settings are just factory defaults which is ususally not the best choice.
Obviously each person will view a display differently so its what looks good to you. And hopefully looks even better when you get it home. |
|
|
| cfarm |
quote:
Originally posted by MDteX
I agree there are lots of nitpicky users on that site. They argue everything about a display. Most of us just want a quality display with a good PQ at a decent price. Many of us don't care about some of the "features" those guys argue about. I've learned alot there and I'm pretty sure what I want.
I do agree with one of the biggest complaints people raise. It's so hard to compare displays in a store like BB or CC. Most people don't have vast amounts of overhead florescent lighting in their family room and don't have their signal split about 40-50 times. Also almost all of the displays have not been setup correctly but just pulled out of the box and installed so all of the settings are just factory defaults which is ususally not the best choice.
Obviously each person will view a display differently so its what looks good to you. And hopefully looks even better when you get it home.
I agree that the big box stores are usually terrible for comparing sets. You have to at least visit a higher end place like Magnolia to give the set a fair shake. I looked at the set I ultimately bought at a Best Buy and it looked terrible! But I knew from many reports that it should look better. Fortunately at a local Magnolia they had it set up right beside the $12k Sony Qualia that everybody raves about and in that situation it was a real player. There certainly wasn't $8k worth of difference in the PQ between the two sets and that visit made up my mind for me.
FWIW, my Sammy 6168 model was reasonbly close on many settings out of the box. Basing this on before and after comparisons from my recent calibration. They purposely ship them with slightly tweaked color settings which Samsung has found to be most pleasing to the viewing eye based on marketing studies. As it turns out, the tech who did my set is one of the top people in the country and a consultant to a few different set manufacturers. His input over the years is reflected in some of the adjustment capabilites and color accuracy in these sets. When he's done, the set is tweaked spot on for true color using a colorfacts software system. In other words, the picture colors you see on the screen are what the original film makers intended when they did the movie. Not all sets have this accuracy capability even after calibration. I could ask, but I believe the plasmas get a knock on that score. |
|
|
|
