the soon-to-be Laser-TV's use DLP technology, right? And a rear-projection LaserVue kicks the snot out of all other TV's for image quality, right? And has way less power consumption too? And the laser sources last way longer than the pricey replacement bulbs in normal rear projectors, right?

Man...I can't wait for LaserVue projectors...especially when they get cheap.

EQC

hm... with a 150" plasma, who needs a projector? :) (we are talking about money to burn, right?)

froggy

I picked up a Mitsubishi LCD 1080p recently and its killer.

gizjonny

And, yes I know they're talking about projectors.

DustyButt

I've been a fan since the wayback (4 years). The biggest gyp of all are plasmas.

DustyButt

DLPs are fat. :[

leetXcore

@DustyButt: Somebody needs introduced to Kuro! If I ever buy a high-def television set I'll probably get a Kuro...although the future ones will most likely be LCD based.

Right now I've got a three-LCD projector. 1080i though.... As soon as I can find a decent DLP 1080p projector that can easily project a ~130" screen for about $2000-2500, it's gonna be mine!

jamesuschrist

I'm surprised no one has suggested going out to international waters and having a monkey projector fight, just have them shine the suckers at each other, whoever goes blind first wins(the unfortunate prize of winning being blindness).

jackfrost132

Oh god...
Why are people still writing reviews for this?

I thought this was long over and decided.

DLP and LCoS are 99% of the time better. LCDs are sometimes cheaper when looking at name brands, but the chips are just so much better for manufacturing and viewing.

BTW, the color issue only takes effect when a color wheel is used, some high-end TVs will use 3 chips to prevent that.

Also as far as laser TV goes...I heard about it some years ago, I personally don't like the idea too much. Just too many flaws, but posibly good for corporate use...Don't know about home use yet.

Shawn_K

I'd generally agree with a DLP recommendation with a few hesitations that made me go LCD in my recent purchase:

1. Placement flexibility. DLPs don't have much, LCDs have a ton.

2. I see rainbows when I'm watching things on a DLP projector. Not terribly, but it's very distracting.

I didn't pick a projector up as money to burn - $1500 on a projector and screen got me a ton more real estate than a standard setup. And, since I rent, moving it doesn't break my back or fill the car.

Transient

Two things the quick and dirty faqs missed:

LCD projectors are more flexible in placement because generally their lenses are able to be shifted significantly more than DLP.

DLP projectors will last longer without weird color fades and burn-ins compared to LCD technology (well according to TI's testing anyway).

For everyday schlub use, I'd be partial to LCDs because of their placement flexibility and the fact that their lamps run cooler meaning less fan noise (generally).

jibbly

@gizjonny: Just got the hc4900 myself. $1500 after MIR. :( Other than that this thing is killer. I have 5 other HD TV's in the house and it blows them away. It's hard to see the screen door effect over 2' and the amount of adjustment is incredible. It could be smaller but that's not that big a deal.
What we need now is a bulb that will last 4X longer because once you get one of these you will want to leave it one all day. Makes me want to get rid of my 1 year old 56" 1080p TV that I paid $200 more than the projector!
I've seriously have thrown everything at it; 360, ps3, hd-dvd, blu-crap, the computer... It is freaking awesome. 125" FTW

fastm3driver

A 3-chip LCD is great for it's price and for easy-on-the-eyes natural picture due to it's 3 chips, but has inherently less-than-fabulous blacks and lowest pixel density. A single-chip DLP is good for eye popping color and deep blacks, but it's single chip with a color wheel producing colors sequentially will give the rainbow effect. The best of both worlds is either a 3-chip LCoS (SXRD in Sony terms or DILA in JVC's), or a 3-chip DLP. The best projector for the money out there is hands down the JVC DLA-RS2U, seen it first hand. 3-chip LCoS, 30,000:1 NATIVE contrast ratio (highest on the market, done without an IRIS).

steven5737

the article was plain and didnt introduce any new information. nice post giz.

@DLP: replace your own bulb

eighteesix

I'm going to have to agree with Shawn_K and eighteesix: after reading the linked article, it was in fact very very lame. There was no "face off" at all. That article could have been written 3 years ago. In fact, it may have been, since I can't find a date anywhere on the original PaNLoaD page (although the AboutProjectors copy-pasted version was dated April 14 2008). The lack of a date makes their final conclusion all the more pointless:

Technology in both LCD and DLP projectors is improving all the time. However, at the time of writing DLP still has a slight edge in the home theater market.

As many folks above mention, the articles failed to mention 3-chip DLP, LCoS projectors, and a variety of other obvious points that really should have been mentioned in any sort of "face-off."

EQC

@jibbly: The LCD fading issue that TI referred to in that study applies to the older "organic" layer panels. The newer LCD panels like the Epson D7 now use an inorganic layer that should pretty much eliminate this problem. Of course since it is relatively new, we won't really know for sure till they've been in peoples homes for a few years. The biggest problem for me with 3-panel designs (LCOS or LCD) is panel alignment. If the red, green and blue panels are out of alignment by more than a pixel or two, it can result in a softer image than a single panel DLP of the same resolution. I was all set to buy the Epson 2000 UB (Ultra Black) projector until I started hearing stories about panel misalignment problems. Unfortunately, DLP is out for me because even with the fastest color wheels, I'm still sensitive to the "rainbow effect."

Ktak

@timaeus: Actually the JVC DLA-RS2U I mentioned earlier is only $8k

steven5737

DLP's have several practical problems concerning the color wheel:
1. The color wheel is a rapidily rotating mechanical device, so its noisy, much more so by about half life, wears out quickly, and has to be replaced.
2. The different colored filters (4 to 7, depending on brand ) on the color wheel fade at different rates throwing off the color balance.

There are no rear projection tvs that use 3 chips to eliminate the color wheel; only front projectors have three chips and the cost is ~20K-30K.

A friend of mine is a tech for a large company that specializes in doing service on the extended warranties you pay extra for when you buy your tv says that almost half of his in-warranty service calls are for replacing the mechanical color wheels of DLP's

timaeus

There would be no debate if we were considering a projector that had 3 DLP light processors (one LPU for each RGB color). Yes, they're a little expensive right now, but it doesn't suffer from the rainbow effect that a single LPU device would have.

crumb

@steven5737:
Right. I meant DLP rear projectors, not DILA or SXRD rear projectors; that LCOS technology uses three chips and gives a much better picture than either any LCD or DLP set, IMHO.
After much research,I just bought a 60" Sony SXRD rear projector for~$2000. Spectacular HD picture.

timaeus

If you are a graphic designer or work in visual media, you WILL see the rainbow effect on a 1 chip DLP.

Plus, as already mentioned, the spinning wheel is annoying. It's not necessarily LOUDER than a fan, but it's a MUCH higher pitch, whine kind of sound, which is far more distracting. Try it at home before you commit!

I bought a mitsubishi 1 chip DLP and swapped it for a 3 LCD sony. The picture IS a bit softer, and the blacks aren't as spectacular, but it doesn't give me rainbow migraines and you can't hear it running at all during a movie.

ari14850