SWMBO "orders" me to get another TV

The wife "ordered" me to get a new television today.

I have long been planning a projector but, the best room in the house for a projection system with a decent sized screen is being reserved for the coming addition.

So that leaves me with the back guest room. A small 13 foot by 13 foot with a 6 foot wide closet, it's own bathroom, and a mere 8 foot to the kitchen. The ONLY really good part about this room as a TV room is that it is in the very back of the house away from all the other bedrooms (it's called a mother-in-law bedroom).

I have two options;

a 72" DLP widescreen Samsung (1080p)

or a 73" DLP Widescreen Mitsubishi (1080p)

I used to be in the industry but have long been out and have not kept up with technology. The last television I bought was a Mitsubishi 46" table top retro 3 gun. In it;s time it was a decent TV but, it has been rebuit in the nearly 7 or 8 year I have had it and it's internal processors are having some troubles keeping up these days ( a fair amount of artifacting and poor edge rendering).

This is my one and only experience with Mitsu and I have no experience with Samsung (although I know that most all of the component for either set come from the same manufacturer).

So, which would you choose and why?

I have a 12 x 10 foot bedroom with a 6 foot closet that houses my projector. It lives on a shelf in the closet. I have the doors removed. I currently have an old, but trusty, Infocus X1. Even at the X1's SVGA resolution, with a *slight* bit of defocus, I can sit about 9 feet from the screen and get little to no SDE on a 106" diagonal screen.

I would reconsider a PJ for that room...especially if your closet is strategically placed, giving you more throw room.

Isn't that I bit big for a room that size? I have a 46" going in to a 14'x14' room and it's pretty close to just right.

That said, I have a Samsung and really like it. Its an LCD. On Blueray it's killer!

I have a samsung and it has been great never had any problems with it. Good picture, and the one time I called them when I first got it and was having problems setting up some of the features I got someone on the phone right away.

4 years and counting in my samsung DLP its been rock solid. It runs from 7 AM to 10PM non stop everyday. My kids have hit it more times than I can count. I don't think its possible to go wrong with it. The ability to split the screen 50-50 is worth its weight in gold now one kid can watch a dvd and the other can play on the wii.

jspence1 said:

4 years and counting in my samsung DLP its been rock solid. It runs from 7 AM to 10PM non stop everyday. My kids have hit it more times than I can count. I don't think its possible to go wrong with it. The ability to split the screen 50-50 is worth its weight in gold now one kid can watch a dvd and the other can play on the wii.

Click to expand...

I saw that in the features. The Mit doesn't have PIP.

The rub it appears is that the stores I am looking at don;t stock the Samsung but they do stock the Mit.

The Samsung is definitely favored so far. It may come down to availability tho'.

For what its worth... I picked up a new HD TV this summer and did about 6 months of research before I started. The general consesus that I came across was that DLP and associated tech is on its way out. Rear Projection (which DLP is) in general is on its way out. Many of the major Manufacturers are ditching any rear projection tvs. The AVS forum guys argue a lot between LCD and Plasma as the leading tech currently. I ended up going with the Panasonic 42PZ80 1080p Plasma.
I don't know if your stuck on DLP or not, but you might want to consider LCD or plasma. The thought by the audio/videophiles at the moment are that Pioneer/Panasonic are the best for the money in Plasmas, and Samsung/LG/Sony are the best in LCDs... I hope that helps.

MrShake said:

For what its worth... I picked up a new HD TV this summer and did about 6 months of research before I started. The general consesus that I came across was that DLP and associated tech is on its way out. Rear Projection (which DLP is) in general is on its way out. Many of the major Manufacturers are ditching any rear projection tvs. The AVS forum guys argue a lot between LCD and Plasma as the leading tech currently. I ended up going with the Panasonic 42PZ80 1080p Plasma.
I don't know if your stuck on DLP or not, but you might want to consider LCD or plasma. The thought by the audio/videophiles at the moment are that Pioneer/Panasonic are the best for the money in Plasmas, and Samsung/LG/Sony are the best in LCDs... I hope that helps.

Click to expand...

+1 I have the 720p Pana 42" Plasma and I'm very happy with it. The DLP might have a good pic, but it takes up too much room, IMHO.

+2 for the pannys. Samsung is not a bad TV but IMO the plasmas that Panasonic put out are the best (I have two, 42" in the bedroom and 50" in the living room). I would only buy the Mitsu if it were my only option.

For what is essentially a 12' viewing distance, I would personally go with a 50" Samsung 1080p LCD wall mounted. Any bigger than that and assuming decent light control, I'd go Sanyo PLV-Z2000 shelf mounted on the rear wall ($1600 after rebate).

Bobby_M said:

For what is essentially a 12' viewing distance, I would personally go with a 50" Samsung 1080p LCD wall mounted. Any bigger than that and assuming decent light control, I'd go Sanyo PLV-Z2000 shelf mounted on the rear wall ($1600 after rebate).

Click to expand...

Light control in this room is not an issue. It only has a small 2x4 window and that will have a blackout curtain over it. The walls will also be painted a cobalt blue thus officially converting the room into the Man cave.

Sanyo is out of consideration as we are taking advantage of No Interest for 4 years but it only applies to Samsung. That also eliminates the Mits as well.

I know all to well about optimal sizing vs viewing distance and early on had been swayed from LCD when sitting too close. I know that isn;t as big a factor these days unless you get into large screen projection from LCD.

Turns out the 72" Samsung is not available in stores and can only be bought on-line but while researching the set I came across the Samsung 67" Series 7.

While that set is stil a DLP has two things that the 72" does not. Series 7's are LED backlit which means no bulb to replace every 2000 hours and the Series 7 has a 10,000:1 Contrast ratio as opposed to the 2500:1 the 72" has.

I had not heard that DLP is going away but, I don;t think that will sway my decision. For one, it still has a great picture and a reliable history (given that all technology has some flaws), it is less expensive still than a 50" LCD (oddly enough), and it's still huge (bling factor).

I don't have a BlueRay or HD DVD for source. AT best I have an upconverting Sony DVR to get me to 1080p. I figure I'll wait until the boy is older on the gaming systems. Point is whatever the source material it will still look better on this set than it does on my Retro cabinet. BTW my Yamaha RX-Z9 also has an on-board Faroudja video processor (but sadly, no HDMI ins/out) which also does a good job of cleaning up images as long as the sets filters can handle the signals.

The retro tv still works great it just doesn;t have a very detailed picture and it's clunky. Even tho the DLP is still 16" deep, it's much thinner than the 30" deep cabinet on the current big screen.

The new tv will be backed up to an exterior wall so I don;t really care for wall mounting it since in-wall wiring will be a chore. So I will be resting the new set atop a entertainment table (undecided) that is large enough to hold the behemoth Yamaha (damned thing weighs 80lbs).

Thanks for all the replies. I have ultimately decided to go with the 67" Series 7 DLP and will be picking it up tonight. Another plus is that the closet in this room is large enough I can move the kezzer out of the garage and into a proper man cave. I think I can even get the doors to close if I want it out of view.

It an oddly laid out room with some challenges for arrangements. It only has one blank (no doors or windows) wall for the TV to go against. I'll post pics once it's done.

I just saw this. You are way oversized and will regret that big of a set. At Bobby's suggestion that is about right.

That's a magnificent order to receive.

No judgment but I'm confused by the money y'all will put down on a TV. Guess it comes with the fact that I don't ever watch any. And my kids sure as heck don't need to see the Backyardigans on a plasma.

Love my Sammy, and the PS3 for Blueray is great, AND does games, music, pictures, etc. (Although my TV itself does music and pictures via USB slot too...)

I'd take a look into the size. That just seems like a heck of a big TV for that size room (unless you want to watch from the kitchen or other end of the hall...) You could save money on the set and put into a PS3. Blueray is friggin sweet!

Amen to that.. blu-ray is AWESOME!! I love my ps3.

and shecky, plasmas arn't as expensive as you might think.... I paid just under 1400 delivered for mine.

MrShake said:

Amen to that.. blu-ray is AWESOME!! I love my ps3.

and shecky, plasmas arn't as expensive as you might think.... I paid just under 1400 delivered for mine.

Click to expand...

My definition of expensive must be entirely different. That's a lot of jing, man. So many other uses for it.

Bless you guys and your fancy TVs. I'll go with my 12-year-old, 27-inch RCA until it decides to give up the fight.

zoebisch01 said:

I just saw this. You are way oversized and will regret that big of a set. At Bobby's suggestion that is about right.

Click to expand...

While I recognize what the statistical numbers say (for Inches to viewing distance) I have to disagree from a personal preference. I have lived with a 46" from a 8 foot viewing distance and have always found it lacking in size. Not enough immersion as a result of my field of view being filled with too little screen.

My viewing distance will be approximately the same despite the room size (minus a couple foot maybe).

Additionally, I have paid attention while looking at the set in store. Looking at the details from a 2 to 3 foot distance to screen. Sure, it isn't perfect and will prolly worsen over the years but then again a distance of 8 foot blurs a lot of that out and of course our eyes don;t work better as they get older either.

It's also PC compatible so, it looks like recipe formulation is gonna get a bit more interactive too.

MrShake said:

For what its worth... I picked up a new HD TV this summer and did about 6 months of research before I started. The general consesus that I came across was that DLP and associated tech is on its way out. Rear Projection (which DLP is) in general is on its way out. Many of the major Manufacturers are ditching any rear projection tvs. The AVS forum guys argue a lot between LCD and Plasma as the leading tech currently. I ended up going with the Panasonic 42PZ80 1080p Plasma.
I don't know if your stuck on DLP or not, but you might want to consider LCD or plasma. The thought by the audio/videophiles at the moment are that Pioneer/Panasonic are the best for the money in Plasmas, and Samsung/LG/Sony are the best in LCDs... I hope that helps.

Click to expand...

Everything I have read so far is focused on the 50" and smaller sets being phased away in DLP in favor of newer chipsets and laser driven light sources. I have seen nothing yet that indicates a DLP phasing out of sets larger than 50" or of DLP projectors.

Thanks for the tip off tho'. I had not considered the idea of new technology replacing DLP. Of course there has always been OLED, D-ILA, SRXD, etc.. that have been in competition but ovber the years it seems DLP has held on.

I have the WD-65833, the same set only 65 in. I have had it close to a year and I love it! I sit about 12 feet away from the tv, and the picture is great. I was a little nervous about the spinning color wheel (was going to buy plasma or lcd), but have had no problems so far. I did get an extended 3 year warranty, which also includes your first bulb for free. I don't think you could go wrong with a diamond series tv.

I just bought the 61" Samsung a month ago, an I love it...check what cnet and consumer reports says

Bobby_M said:

Any bigger than that and assuming decent light control, I'd go Sanyo PLV-Z2000 shelf mounted on the rear wall ($1600 after rebate).

Click to expand...

This is a great suggestion. I have this projector (LCD) and a 100" diagonal screen I made with a 4x8 (nominal) sheet of mdf set out 1 1/2 inches from the wall and some Screen Goo. Great picture if you can control the light - mine is in a dedicated room with no windows and stadium seating. I don't see pixels until I'm about 8 feet from the screen and no annoying DLP rainbows.

Paul

GilaMinumBeer said:

While I recognize what the statistical numbers say (for Inches to viewing distance) I have to disagree from a personal preference. I have lived with a 46" from a 8 foot viewing distance and have always found it lacking in size. Not enough immersion as a result of my field of view being filled with too little screen.

Click to expand...

My understanding has always been that a 2:1 ratio of screen to distance was neccessary for your eyes to properly merge the color cells and prevent pixellation. As such, a 42" picture at 8ft would be less blurry than a 56" at same.

pldoolittle said:

My understanding has always been that a 2:1 ratio of screen to distance was neccessary for your eyes to properly merge the color cells and prevent pixellation. As such, a 42" picture at 8ft would be less blurry than a 56" at same.

Click to expand...

Not quite, for a 56" screen at 8 ft you are just able to notice some small benefit of 1080p over 720p. A 70" screen would be more optimal.
Here is a handy chart courtesy of Engadget.

Paul

I've got a 50" Samsung DLP that's a few years old. I absolutely love it, but did have one issue with it. About a year ago the bearing (it's all bearings these days, boy) that the color wheel spins on went bad. What resulted was the most horrible screeching any time you turned it on. I had the extended coverage (something I almost never do) and I'm glad. Total cost was $300, I was only out a soda to the guy who came to fix it. Mine was an early model and this issue was fairly common apparently. I think they've changed the design since then. Otherwise Smamsung makes a great product. My $.02

Terje

GilaMinumBeer said:

While I recognize what the statistical numbers say (for Inches to viewing distance) I have to disagree from a personal preference. I have lived with a 46" from a 8 foot viewing distance and have always found it lacking in size. Not enough immersion as a result of my field of view being filled with too little screen.

My viewing distance will be approximately the same despite the room size (minus a couple foot maybe).

Additionally, I have paid attention while looking at the set in store. Looking at the details from a 2 to 3 foot distance to screen. Sure, it isn't perfect and will prolly worsen over the years but then again a distance of 8 foot blurs a lot of that out and of course our eyes don;t work better as they get older either.

It's also PC compatible so, it looks like recipe formulation is gonna get a bit more interactive too.

Click to expand...

If you are happy with it, that's what matters

shecky said:

No judgment but I'm confused by the money y'all will put down on a TV. Guess it comes with the fact that I don't ever watch any. And my kids sure as heck don't need to see the Backyardigans on a plasma.

Click to expand...

I mostly watch films on mine. After my last TV died, and I got a promotion I decided to buy a nice TV. It was a huge difference.

Since I've had 1080p native with the sources to back it up, I could never go back to big screen SD. If you want to have bliss, add the PS3 and a netflix subscription.

It's done.

I did end up with the 67" LED DLP for an Open Box price of $1869.00.

Additionally, I also picked up a Sauder solid wood TV stand/component rack, a Logitech Harmony One remore with recharge base, and a 2 year warranty with option to extend to 4 year. The deal is no interest for 4 years and the grand total with tax came to $2895.75.

Now, I just have to relocate the equipment and wire it up, calibrate the video and audio, sit back and enjoy. Woot!

Nice, Congrats!

Awesum! Grab some beers and watch some football!

Nice job. You've got the whole season to look forward to now.

Yeah. And I even have the wifes "permission" now to relocate the keezer into the "Theater Room". It's getting painted and wired this weekend. I'll update with photo's when it's done.