DLP tv's

[Augustheather97]

Does anyone have one???
Do you like it?
Does thatmean I HAVE to get digital cable also to be happy with teh picture?
What size did you get?
How much was it?
Where did you buy it?
We are thinking of at least a 46" one ...probably a Toshiba...
PLEASE help me decide....thanks

 

[gallaj0]

We've had one for about a year, it's a Samsung, and it's great. We don't have HDTV (yet), but it is an HDTV set.
DVD's are incredible; we just watched Pirates of the Carribean yesterday, and Johnny Depp looked great; it was like being there.

You don't need to get the digital cable, but it would probably make an obvious difference.

OUr set is 52" widescreen, but I don't remember what we paid for it; it was up around 3,000 about a year adn a half ago. It was still very new technology at the time.

 

[Charade]

No, you don't need digital cable but just be aware that a big screen tv will make a lousy picture look worse than it does on a smaller tv. If your cable TV looks like crap, it'll look worse on a big screen tv. DVDs will look great. If you have an older DVD player (non progressive scan), you might want to consider upgrading to one that is progressive scan. It's a better picture because you can use better cabling to connect it to the TV.

Having said that, I would (if you can afford it and have room) recommend get ting 50" or bigger. When I get one, it'll be a minimum of 50 possibly 60.

DLP is just the method of producing the image on the screen. It's still a projection type tv (not completely flat like plasma or LCD (LCD comes in both projection like DLP or flat screen like plasma)).

You may want to check out www.fatwallet.com/c/18/ (use the search feature) for deals on DLP big screens. There's always something going on if you're not in a big hurry.

If you check out www.circuitcity.com user reviews, you can get a good idea how the different models rate by reading real people reviews.

If you have membership (or a friend) at Costco, Sam's you can get pretty good deals there. Their selection is limited but if by chance they have a model you're interested in, the prices can't usually be beat by places like CC or BestBuy.

 

[kerrynic78]

We just got a 52 inch Toshiba about 2 weeks ago and we love it, although I don't see my DH all that much anymore!

My DH did a bunch of research and then found a place online that had this model for $2500, he checked the place out thouroughly to make sure they weren't some scam company and ordered it. They shipped it from NJ to FL and we got it about a week with no problems at all. We have HDTV and it is amazing, the picture is so bright and clear.

We did hear the pros and cons of plasma vs. DLP but we think we made a good choice and are very happy.

 

[gallaj0]

Actually, bigger is not always better (on screen size).

Your TV should be sized depending on how far away you sit form the screen. A really big screen will look bad if you sit too close to it, even with HDTV or a DVD playing. This will become even more apparnt if you stick with regular cable.

 

[MoniqueU]

We had one I think it was a 62 inch. I know it was Toshiba. The bulb went out on it in less then 6 months. I tried to order a replacement for it but they were backordered. So thank god I bought the tv at Costco because back it went. Nothing worse then your main tv out and no estimated date of when you can get it fixed. The replacement bulb ended up coming within a month. Far too long for me. Oh and they didn't bother to tell me the bulbs were backordered til I called back the 2nd time to find out what was taking it so long. So for me I would just rather not deal with bulbs burning out at such a fast rate which apparently is a common problem with these DLP's.
I really want a plasma but I watch pretty much one channel all day long and I am worried about burn in with that. I hear they are coming out with bigger LCD tv's down the line. I think I may wait for one of those.

 

[Charade]

Actually, bigger is not always better (on screen size).

Your TV should be sized depending on how far away you sit form the screen. A really big screen will look bad if you sit too close to it, even with HDTV or a DVD playing. This will become even more apparnt if you stick with regular cable.

I agree but most people sit too far away. The recommended viewing distance is about 2.5 times the diagonal measure of the TV which means a 42 in diagonal has an optimum viewing distance of about 8 - 9 feet and a 60 in would be about 12-13 feet. My ex-MIL sat about 21 feet from their 35 inch TV. That's too far!!

 

[Charade]

We had one I think it was a 62 inch. I know it was Toshiba. The bulb went out on it in less then 6 months. I tried to order a replacement for it but they were backordered. So thank god I bought the tv at Costco because back it went. Nothing worse then your main tv out and no estimated date of when you can get it fixed. The replacement bulb ended up coming within a month. Far too long for me. Oh and they didn't bother to tell me the bulbs were backordered til I called back the 2nd time to find out what was taking it so long. So for me I would just rather not deal with bulbs burning out at such a fast rate which apparently is a common problem with these DLP's.

I really want a plasma but I watch pretty much one channel all day long and I am worried about burn in with that. I hear they are coming out with bigger LCD tv's down the line. I think I may wait for one of those.

You're bulb shouldn't have burned out that quickly. They're usually rated for several thousand of hours. Now if you're TV is on 24/7 then it will need to be replace sooner. Plasma TVs degrade over time just like a traditional tube TV. LCD and DLPs for the most part don't. Just replace the bulb and it's like new (unless you lose a pixel or two along the way). The bulbs are expensive though.

 

[Charade]

Here's a 52 inch Toshiba DLP at Costco for $1699.99

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11090294&whse=&topnav=&cat=4848&ec=BC-1482&pos=30

 

[Charade]

Also you can use www.froogle.com to search for prices. Just put in the model number.

And then check the feedback of the retailer at www.resellerratings.com

 

[Aimeedyan]

Oh my I LOVE mine! And I bought it kicking and screaming all the way to the cash register because I was not convinced it was worth the investment. Well, I'm sold. We opted against Plasma due to bulb life and high prices. LCD was pricey for the size we wanted. So we considered the DLP and love it. We have a 46 inch Samsung, we have a small living room now and will have a small one in our new home so we didn't need anything bigger (a projector and screen slated for the game room in the new house when we win the lottery, of course).

I am amazed at the HD difference - I didn't believe it until I saw it. I still watch things just to see the HD effects =) Course, you can get HD on other TVs as well. It's just a beautiful thing Heck, I even watched football yesterday because I loved how pretty the turf was, LOL!

We do have digital cable, it wasn't that much more expensive and worth it since we spent so much on the TV. But you don't have to have it. DVDs are incredible.

We bought ours from Best Buy and bought the extended plan that will cover any bulbs that go out in the next 5 years or so - and we can renew it after that time. Bulbs are $250 each, if I remember right, but have a tremendous life to them. We have our set on a lot and since the warranty plan was about the price of one bulb we opted for it. We've had ours 8 months or so and it still looks incredible.

=)