DLP or LCD and what brands to look at?

[Lefty]

I have been told to get DLP but I was at Best Buy today and the picture on the LCD looked better than the DLP. Which one is the better one and who makes the best ones?

 

[Chaz]

They are both good technologies. DLP is the newer one.

LCD is a 'fixed pixel' display. That means that the number of pixels that make up the picture are always the same. This is only important as you watch different sources from 1080i (HD), 720p (HD), 480p (DVD), 480i (TV). Some may look a little better than others based on the 'native resolution' of the display.

Also if this a projection LCD then you will not be able to get true black because LCD is a panel that light shines through. If you are worried about having the most accurate picture then it may not be for you. I know many people that like projection LCDs just fine and never notice. The true black is not a problem if it is a panel display. A panel display is the thin kind you can hang on the wall like a plasma.


DLP is the latest and greatest. It is not a fixed pixel display and can usually display multiple resolutions. It is a newer technology and has moving parts that the LCD does not have.


I would not worry too much about how they look in the store. They tend to crank up the picture setting so they look good under the bright lights. Once you get a display you should adjust the settings to fit the lighting in your house and save the life of the bulb. Of course this is not as critical for an LCD or DLP because they dont suffer from the danger of 'burn-in' like CRT and plasma displays do.


As for brand I would shop around on the net where there is feed back. There are also several HDTV and home theatre message boards where people have reported problems with different brands.

Hitachi, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, and Samsung I have heard good things about.

 

[FischerKing]

question about the DLP technology. do you know of any reported issues with any of the moving parts breaking or wearing out? with all those little hinges moving, etc. and the other pieces used to display color, i was just curious if anyone had said anything about it.

shawn

 

[Chaz]

question about the DLP technology. do you know of any reported issues with any of the moving parts breaking or wearing out? with all those little hinges moving, etc. and the other pieces used to display color, i was just curious if anyone had said anything about it.

shawn

I haven't but they are still pretty new. I think they have only been around 2 or 3 years. Of course then LCDs may have problems with dead pixels and CRT and Plasma have problems with burn in so there is no perfect technology.

The real test will be a good history with 5+ years of use. You have to remember there is probably a bit of planned obselence built in. They are probably not built to last past 10 years like most things today.

DLP is probably the best tech out there for video projection.

I know a couple people that have DLP units, one a Samsung rear projection set and one with a NEC front projector. Both look great and there have been no problems with either one but are only a year or so old.

 

[FischerKing]

the wife and i were watching star wars: ep 1 in the store this past weekend on a dlp and it was pretty impressive. i was walking around the store to see if i could find one with an HD broadcast showing - but they only had the plasma's running with that.

the hd tech is pretty impressive imo. pretty cool stuff - but i'm still about 2 years away from a purchase.

shawn