[Bajanjack]

I have a 55" Mitsubishi rear proj hdtv,approx 5 years old I am considering replacing. I have a new 42"hd panasonic plasma in my den(fabulous pic) and a 20" Sharp Aquos in my kitchen-terrific also. Iam thinking of the Sony 70"SXRD as the replacement Space is not an issue. Any suggestions/comments?

 

[litzdog911]

Check out the various HDTV Forums at http://www.avsforum.com.

 

[Jhon69]

As long as you know that the rear projection microdisplays are illuminated with a light bulb that has to be replaced,They are normally rated for 3000 hours.Don't know what your budget is but thru Consumer Reports the Panasonic Plasma's are
highly recommended.Good Luck!

 

[Nick]

Actually, check out some threads on the subject right here at DBSTalk.com. Go to
the Broadcast/HDTV Forum to see a list of "Top 10 HDTVs", and in other threads,
read about the worst HD sets, and how the competition is heating up between Plasma
and LCD flat panels TVs.

Also, there is a link that will actually let you visualize a wide-screen Panasonic HDTV
on your very own wall. Show that site to the wife.

 

[john18]

I have a 55" Mitsubishi rear proj hdtv,approx 5 years old I am considering replacing. I have a new 42"hd panasonic plasma in my den(fabulous pic) and a 20" Sharp Aquos in my kitchen-terrific also. Iam thinking of the Sony 70"SXRD as the replacement Space is not an issue. Any suggestions/comments?

I have a SXRD. Mine is an XBR1 and I have had the problems with it that many others have had, specifically the green blob and then problems that came from the repair. There may be a warranty TV exchange for me from my retailer in the future in which I would not have to stay with Sony. That said I would likely still stay with Sony. Now that I have all of that disclaimer out of the way, let's look at things.

The 70" SXRD XBR2 loses the Dumbo Ears, or at least can lose the Dumbo Ears by simply unhooking them. However, depending on where you buy it, it costs $1,100.00 to $2,000.00 more then the 60" SXRD (which still has Dumbo Ears). I know that the HD-DVD format war is still ongoing, and I don't know how you feel about HD-DVD, but you could get the 60" (still an upgrade in size for you) and a HD-DVD and still be money ahead of just the 70" SXRD.

One more thought. The Sony A2000 series is getting pretty good reviews. It lacks picture-in-picture, CableCard and DRC.

I would probably go with the 60", and use the savings on something else to improve your system (if it needs improving).

p.s. - CES is one week away.

 

[Herdfan]

Iam thinking of the Sony 70"SXRD as the replacement

I am looking at one also. The decision for me comes down to is it $1500 better than the Samsung? The Toshiba is out b/c it doesn't accept 1080p via HDMI (unacceptable in a 2nd gen product).

 

[inazsully]

If 70" is your goal I would consider these three. Sony XBR, Mitsubishi 73" 732 Series, The not quite yet released JVC 998 Series. The Mitsubishi is DLP and can be had for under $4K. The Sony and the JVC are LCOS technology. They Panasonic 58" is a sweet sweet plasma display available at Costco for under $4K. All are 1080p except the plasma.

 

[harsh]

As long as you know that the rear projection microdisplays are illuminated with a light bulb that has to be replaced,They are normally rated for 3000 hours.

While this may seem like a disadvantage, replacing the backlight in a flat panel television is much more expensive. Replacing the lamp in an RPTV will bring the TV up to a picture like it had when it was new. There's no similar "renewal" procedure for plasmas.

 

[St Louis Cardinals Fan]

Well put Harsh.

Just buy what you like. Do the research and enjoy !!

 

[purtman]

I would suggest you consider DLP. Also, you mention you are a Cardinals' fan. If you like to watch sports, make sure the screen has a pretty good refresh rate. Find a sports bar in the area to see what they have. Chances are they have D* because of the Sunday Ticket. This will allow you to watch some games on big screens and see if you get any blur when there is a lot of action.
We have a Sony 50 LCD. Occasionally there is a little blur. I think it's the feed because it happens on certain stations but not all of the time. I noticed that if a camera isn't truly focused, it shows on the picture.
Best of luck! Also, if you look at Sony at all, check out there web site. You can get a much better deal than at a store.

 

[Jhon69]

While this may seem like a disadvantage, replacing the backlight in a flat panel television is much more expensive. Replacing the lamp in an RPTV will bring the TV up to a picture like it had when it was new. There's no similar "renewal" procedure for plasmas.

Yea and I hear those RPTV's look really good hanging on the wall.

 

[BillPear]

While this may seem like a disadvantage, replacing the backlight in a flat panel television is much more expensive. Replacing the lamp in an RPTV will bring the TV up to a picture like it had when it was new. There's no similar "renewal" procedure for plasmas.

With a lifespan of 60000 hours, you would have to change 20 bulbs, before you would have to change your plasma, but the OP already knows that because he has one!

 

[harsh]

Yea and I hear those RPTV's look really good hanging on the wall.

Actually, JVC is about to ship an LCoS RPTV that is only 11" deep.

 

[harsh]

With a lifespan of 60000 hours, you would have to change 20 bulbs, before you would have to change your plasma, but the OP already knows that because he has one!

Actually, the 60,000 figure is based on running the plasma in "screen saver" (reduced brightness and contrast) mode. If you turn off the screen saver mode and turn up the wick to make a plasma look like a plasma, you can permanently damage the display in much less time.

 

[Herdfan]

Actually, the 60,000 figure is based on running the plasma in "screen saver" (reduced brightness and contrast) mode.

So even if it cuts the life to 20,000 hours, that's 5 hours a day for 10 years. I will want a new TV before that.

 

[BillPear]

So even if it cuts the life to 20,000 hours, that's 5 hours a day for 10 years. I will want a new TV before that.

Agreed:joy:
And as anyone who has even given there Plasma a rudimentary calibration knows the contrasat and brightnes are set way to high from the factory! A Plasma shouldn't look "like a Plasma" it should look like a TV with "true to life" color and quality

 

[JLucPicard]

OK, many years ago I had a TV repair guy tell me that turning the TV on and off (regular picture tube TV) put more wear on the TV than leaving it on.

I assume that does not apply to today's TVs - such as my Sony Wega LCD Rear-Projection? Does it wear more on the bulb to leave it running (kind of like my computer) that it does to turn the TV off when not in use?

 

[frank29]

The plasma 60,000 hour rating refers to the point the picture has one half the brightness (compared to new). This is a gradual (linear) loss.

I just read an article that claims the average U.S. household has the TV turned on 8 hours per day. That average household's plasma will dim 2.5% each and every year. After four years, it will have dropped 10%.

Personally, I don't think I would have a problem with a plasma, especially since my viewing average is WAY under the supposed national average.

 

[paulman182]

OK, many years ago I had a TV repair guy tell me that turning the TV on and off (regular picture tube TV) put more wear on the TV than leaving it on. I assume that does not apply to today's TVs - such as my Sony Wega LCD Rear-Projection? Does it wear more on the bulb to leave it running (kind of like my computer) that it does to turn the TV off when not in use?

While turning the CRT TV on and off probably put more wear on the set as a whole, leaving it on probably put more wear on the CRT itself.

I read, I think on AVS forum, that if you are going to resume viewing a RPTV within a couple of hours or so, you should leave it on. That is the rule of thumb in my household--two hours. Might be an accurate guess, might not; let me know if you get a more authoritative answer.

Also, there is an air filter on the fan assembly in our RPTVs (at least, in mine) that will clog a lot sooner if the set is left on all the time. When it clogs, the lamp temperature rises and it shuts off to protect itself. I personally don't know where this filter is or how to get to it, so that worries me.

But I still think RPTVs are an excellent value if you need a really large screen!

 

[TigersFanJJ]

Yea and I hear those RPTV's look really good hanging on the wall.

Do you really want to hang a 60+" tv on a wall? Not saying they aren't out there but the big LCDs that I've seen are almost as deep as the DLPs. Also I've had to slide a few 40 to 50" plasmas around in their entertainment centers and those things are HEAVY. I'm not too sure I'd want anything that heavy hanging on the wall.