We bought a Samsung HL-S5087W. It is indeed 50" diagonal. Sony is a good brand, but my research indicated that Samsung was arguably better for DLP (specifically). The 5087 was the nicest looking 50" DLP we saw (both from the standpoint of the picture quality, and from the exterior appearance of the television), including Sonys, Panasonic and other brands.
Some things to keep in mind about the various technologies:
- DLP is the best value for sizes over 42". For plasma and LCD, sets get A LOT more expensive each increase in size, while DLP only gets a little more expensive with each increase in size. Personally, that drives me towards advocating buying a set one or two steps larger than you would have otherwise -- I really regret getting the 50", given that for a couple of hundred dollars more I could have bought a 56" and had that much better of an immersive experience. YMMV.
- There is a hybrid technology that just came out this past Autumn: "LED Engine DLP". Regular DLP uses a projection lamp reflected on a million mirrors projected through a rotating color wheel. With LED Engine DLP, the lamp is an LCD instead of a regular projected lamp, so it lasts longer. With regular DLP, plan on replacing the lamp at least every three years (at about $180 each). The LED Engine DLP sets are currently about $800 more expensive.
Regarding Samsung DLP's product line:
- HL-S sets are this year's (2006) models. HL-R are 2005 sets... steer clear. DLP technology came into its own in 2006. 2005 technology is FAR inferior. HL-P and HL-N are even older. Again... steer clear.
- The next two numbers in the model number is the screen size.
- The next two numbers in the model number indicate the quality of the set. Our set is the xx87. It's 1080p resolution, which I highly recommend for reasons that may not be readily apparent until you dig much deeper.
Some background: ABC and Fox broadcast in 720p -- 720 lines of resolution, broadcast all at once, 30 times per second. NBC, CBS, PBS, HBO, Showtime, and the rest broadcast in 1080i -- 1080 lines of resolution, broadcast 540 lines at a time, INTERLACED (every other row, then back to the top and fill in the missing rows). p == progressive; i == interlaced. 720p and 1080i both have almost the exact same amount of data, but the data is applied differently: Progressive handles movement "smoother" than interlaced (so is ideal for sporting events). 1080 is, of course, "clearer" than 720 (so is idea for basically everything else). Whatever HDTV set you get will display either 720p or 1080i. The television will "upconvert" or "downconvert" as necessary, but the closer the native resolution of the set is to the broadcast signal resolution, the better.
Having said that, the xx87 is 1080p -- the extra resolution of 1080, and the smoother movement of progressive. For 1080i signals, it actually takes the two sets of 540 lines and marries them back together, in real-time, producing a better picture than the network actually broadcast, both clear and smooth.
My intention when we first went shopping for a HDTV was to buy a 1080i set, but Robbie walked into the showroom, saw the 1080i set (the HL-S5086) right next to the 1080p set (the HL-S5087), showing the same program off the same feed, and pointed to the 1080p set and said, "That's the one we're going to buy" -- it was that much better.
It is also more future-proof (will not become obsolete so quickly). This is especially true because the next thing you might want to hook your television to will be the next generation of DVDs, which will be, specifically, 1080p (regardless of whether BluRay or HD-DVD wins). There are no plans to introduce any more advanced resolution (1900p or better) to the consumer market -- nothing in development or planning. 1080p is theoretically the last television you'll need for a good long time.
There is another series of Samsung DLPs: the xx88's. These are identical to the xx87s (i.e., 1080p), with some bells and whistles, including CableCARD (which allows you to tune in encrypted cable television channels without needing to rent a cable company's set-top box -- though there is a small rental charge for the CableCARDs). The xx87s' extra features are really for ultimate videophiles. For most folks, the xx87s will be fine.
I bought the set from Circuit City, but that's because I was impatient. My understanding is that one of the best places to buy televisions is TVAuthority.com. It is currently priced about HALF what we paid for it in June: It is now $1195 plus $245 shipping and installation. (There are some places selling the set for about $1000, but they aren't anywhere near as well-regarded at TVAuthority.com.) Remember how I said that larger sets are only a small amount more expensive. The 56" set is $1425. The 61" set is $1665. Believe it or not, prices are supposed to go down another hundred or three just after February 4 (after the Superbowl).
By comparison, an otherwise comparable, smaller (46") LCD set runs $1645. And they don't make larger LCD sets. (But also keep in mind that much less can go wrong with LCD, and there is no bulb to replace.)
Definitely get an extended warranty with DLP televisions. This is new technology. Correlate today's HDTVs with color televisions in 1965 or black-and-white televisions in 1950. You may want to have the warranty include the bulb, but since you're almost surely going to be replacing the bulb every two or three years, they basically build the cost of replacing the bulb into warranties that include the bulb. Your choice which way you pay for the replacement bulbs. <grin>
I hope this helps!
/bck
