Need Purchase Advice for Video Monitor

[Jeffrey]

Hi,

I'm planning on spending some serious green on a video monitor since "we" watch a lot of TV, movies, etc. I know very little about this subject and would REALLY appreciate your guidance. Here's my basic desires:

1. Budget - $4,000 max.

2. Monitor Size - 35 to 50 inches.

3. Best Image Quality Possible (for the money).

I have no idea which format i should chose for my budget. I would probably prefer it to be a widescreen monitor but i'm not even certain of that.

I would appreciate your advice concerning, but not limited to, preferred manufacturer, model number, size, format, etc.

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[JohnG]

The top HDTV monitors these days are the:

SONY Grand Wega LCD monitors. They come in sizes from 42" up to 70"'s. The smaller (42 to 55 inchers) are pretty reasonably priced these days at BestBuys etc. The 42" is just above $2K and the 55" is around $3.2K.

These TV's have a very nice picture and are slim designed.

The other big players are:

SAMSUNG and their DLP Tv's. DLP gives you a very bright vibrant picture with good black levels (better blacks than the LCD's).
The Costco I was in today had 50" Sammy DLP's for $2200!

Another good brand to look at is JVC. Their D-ILA line of slim design LCOS Tv's also look great and are similar to the LCD Tv's. They have a 52" that is just above the $2.6K range at BestBuy's.

These are the three main players right now. Mitsubishi also makes DLP tv's as well as Toshiba. The Mits and the Toshiba's are a little pricier than the Sammy's.

Best image quality comes down to "do you like the look of LCD/LCOS or DLP". I find the LCD/LCOS's are pleasant to the eye. The DLP's are very sharp...maybe too sharp at times. You have to see them and judge for yourself.

[JonUrban]

SAMSUNG and their DLP Tv's. DLP gives you a very bright vibrant picture with good black levels (better blacks than the LCD's).
The Costco I was in today had 50" Sammy DLP's for $2200!

My brother bought one of these at Circuit City before Christmas. It was about $3000. It has a great picture. I was always leary about the brand "Samsung", but they have really got their ***** together with these DLP machines. Very nice.

Actually, the Costco here has some great big screens. Pioneer, Sony, Sharp, Panasonic. Check them out.

[Pinknik]

Jeffrey, for that kind of money, you might consider looking at the Sony Cineza front projector and a screen. The projector is tiny and the screen can be pretty huge. I saw a demo of one, in less than ideal conditions, and was impressed.

This is the latest model:
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=VPLHS51&Dept=tv&CategoryName=tv_ProjectionTVs_FrontProje ction

[Pinknik]

. . .and then I noticed your requirement for monitor size. D'oh!


Well, it could be 80" wide, but still flat against the wall, maybe that'd work. :)

[Dave]

By far the best I have seen is the Sony Trinitron XBR Wega. I don't know for certain if you can get a 36", but for certain a 32". Unbeatable picture quality from what I've seen Jeffrey. Best thing, go to a Sony store and see for yourself. Then if you want, check out others.

[Jeffrey]

Hi All,

Thanks for the advice..... most appreciated! I've always been a Sony video fan (i've owned 2 Sony TV's and 2 Sony VCR's) so your advice does not surprise me. My largest concern is the wide array of formats which has me confused as to what direction is best. Thanks John for the format advice. Since these new formats have only recently been introduced, i suspect it's practically impossible to accurately predict the longevity of these units. It sure would be a bummer to buy a $3,000 monitor that breaks in 5 yrs.

Please keep the advice coming,
Jeffrey :)

[JorgeGvb]

By far the best I have seen is the Sony Trinitron XBR Wega. I don't know for certain if you can get a 36", but for certain a 32". Unbeatable picture quality from what I've seen Jeffrey. Best thing, go to a Sony store and see for yourself. Then if you want, check out others.

I have the 36" and I love the picture too Dave! :righton:

[-=Rudy=-]

I lean toward Mitsubishi mainly for reliability--my folks only owned three since 1967, and all three still work! :eek: Dad bought a Sony color TV around 1974 or so--our first color set.

I don't know why, but I haven't really cared for the pictures of LCD or DLP; I still find I'm attracted to CRT. May be just a "thing" with me. ;)

[Ken_McAlinden]

For those specs, I would probably go with one of those nifty slim Sony LCD rear projection sets, myself. LCD and DLP projectors don't have the degree of burn-in concerns that conventional rear projection and plasma sets have, which is important to me since I still watch a lot of 4:3 programming and hate stretching/distorting the image to fill a screen. Chances are you will have to replace a bulb sometime over the life of the TV, though. Once my basement remodeling project is done, I will be in the market myself, so I have been mulling this over lately.

Definitely check them out in a store (but turn the contrast down to something reasonable) and compare them against other types at different viewing angles (left, center, right, closest and farthest you are liklely to be sitting to it, etc.) to make sure that you are happy with the way it looks.

Regards,

[-=Rudy=-]

Ken--I used to play a lot of video games on my Sony KPR36XBR rear projection set, but even despite all the warnings, I never had an image burn-in problem. I'd play some games for weeks at a time...never a problem, which surprised me since I'd seen plenty of other screens with burn-in problems.

However, my ex's parents have a 46" RCA from the early 90s. Her mom used to watch QVC so much (literally hours per day), for awhile the QVC toll free number was burned into that screen! I mean, it wasn't like a ghost image either--you could plainly read that number! :eek:

[Kevin Bresnahan]

This question has been coming up a lot at many of the forums I frequent these days.

As I said on another of those forums, if I were in the market for a projection HD set right now, I'd probably get the Sony 50 Inch Grand Wega LCD. It's got a beautiful picture and I have had great luck with Sony.

However, I have to add that I am not a big fan of projection TVs of any kind, but a big believer in CRTs. I love my 36 inch (4:3) XBR CRT TV and I know there's no way any projection set is going to touch my picture quality. If I had to replace my set today, I'd get the Sony KD-36XS955 CRT monitor. It's basically the same as my current XBR set (which Sony's discontinued) without the XBR name. Sony discontinued their biggest tube set last year... it was a 40" monster with a great picture.

FYI, a lot of TV shows today, particularly reality shows, are not broadcast in HD and are 4:3. 4:3 on a 16:9 set isn't all that great. You either put black pillars on both sides or you stretch the picture so everyone looks short & fat... which may be pretty cool for "The Biggest Loser" show. One of the nice things about Sony CRT sets is that they don't write in the black bars of a widescreen picture, therefore, no need to worry about burn in.

Speaking of CRTs, I also added:
Another thing to note on CRT sets is that the 16:9 widescreen models all seem to top out at 34 inches (diagonal). If I put a letterboxed 16:9 HD picture on my 36 inch (diagonal) 4:3 set, the resulting picture is 33 inches diagonally. Since the 4:3 picture is so much bigger and a lot of stuff is still 4:3, I didn't go with a 16:9 tubed set. The missing inch in diagonal isn't that big of a deal.

And then, just recently, with regards to Samsung DLP sets: People are still complaining about audio synchronization problems with the Samsung DLP projection sets. That stopped me from considering them in the past and given it's still happening, it'd stop me from considering them today... even though the picture is stunning and some people are not having problems. With my luck, I'd have problems.

A good place to research this is the AVS Forum (http://www.avsforum.com/) or maybe Home Theater Spot (http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/categories.php/Cat/).

An obvious drawback to these big CRTs is size and weight. If you buy one, pay for delivery and save a hernia.

Also, if you need a good quality stand for a set, I have a beaut from Wood Technology. I also wrote about that elsewhere:
I also searched high & low for a stand for my XBR and I found a beaut. I had some "requirements" from the wife: must be wood and must have glass doors. Well, I wasn't going to buy one of the Bush MDF pieces of crap that they sell at Best Buy so I shopped around. I found Wood Technology (http://www.wood-tech.com/) and my prayers were answered. I highly recommend it. If you do decide to go with them, follow the "Buy direct (http://www.woodtechdirect.com/)" button and then choose the "Hot Specials" button. Don't worry about the "flaws" statement... they don't have any flaws, they just say that. Free shipping too. I got the CM-V36 with two extra shelves and glass doors for $389 delivered. Rock-solid construction of all hard wood.

Have fun shopping! When you go, bring one of your favorite DVDs and make sure you set the player to "Progressive Scan". It's with certain DVDs with progressive scan that the audio synch problems show up. I have a friend who went to look at Samsung DLP projectors with DVD in hand and the salesman wouldn't even put it on, he simply told my friend that there was an audio synch problem.

Kevin

[Jeffrey]

Hi Kevin,

WOW.... that's GREAT info.... THANKS! :)

I guess my original post (monitor size of 35 to 50 inches) leads people to believe otherwise BUT my first thought was a CRT. I've always loved the picture on my tube based Sony's and have never liked the look of non-tube monitors as much. I may feel different if i look at some of the newer models but the older projection TV's always left something to be desired, imo. I'm very sorry to hear that Sony discontinued the 40 inch tube set b/c that was one that had caught my eye awhile back.

Take care,
Jeffrey

[JohnG]

I guess my original post (monitor size of 35 to 50 inches) leads people to believe otherwise BUT my first thought was a CRT. I've always loved the picture on my tube based Sony's and have never liked the look of non-tube monitors as much.
Take care,
Jeffrey



I'm sorry :( , I thought you were asking about the latest technology with sizes up to 50". CRT's are not made that large, obviously (I believe the 40" SONY weighed nearly 400 pounds).

The new SONY Grand Wega 3 LCD's weigh in at 100 pounds for the 55"-er.
Ckeck out the XS line...now in stores.

[thegage]

IMO direct-view CRTs still have the best picture. Where they really excel is in the quality/depth of their blacks, in brightness/saturation, and in sharpness. If you can deal with the size and weight, then I think you would be very happy with a Sony VBR Wega.

John K.

[JohnG]

I don't believe CRT sets made today have HDMI inputs. That may be important in the near future with HD broadcasting.

[Dave]

I have the 36" and I love the picture too Dave! :righton:
Good for you Jorge! :righton: Very impressive in the depth-perception dept. on these Wega XBR's with perfect color.

[danstone]

I don't believe CRT sets made today have HDMI inputs. That may be important in the near future with HD broadcasting.

I know for sure that several (if not most) of Sony's latest CRT's have HDMI. I would imagine this is the same with other manufacturers as well.

[Jeffrey]

I'm sorry :( , I thought you were asking about the latest technology with sizes up to 50". CRT's are not made that large, obviously (I believe the 40" SONY weighed nearly 400 pounds).

The new SONY Grand Wega 3 LCD's weigh in at 100 pounds for the 55"-er.
Ckeck out the XS line...now in stores.

Hi John,

No need to apologize.... you were right in that i was asking about ALL technology with sizes from 35 to 50 inches w/ a $5k max budget and the best image quality possible (for the money). IOW, should i buy a CRT, LCD, DLP, or..... etc.? What make, model, etc.?

My main emphasis is the best image quality possible for the money.

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[JohnG]

I know for sure that several (if not most) of Sony's latest CRT's have HDMI. I would imagine this is the same with other manufacturers as well.


Thats a plus. Buying a TV these days without HDMI or FireWire would be foolish.

[danstone]

Not sure if this is feasible for your sitaution, but have you considered getting both a direct-view set for normal day to day viewing, plus an inexpensive front projector (Infocus 4805 for example) for when you want to watch movies? This is what my wife and I decided to do and it works out great. During the day, and for regular television viewing, we watch our Sony CRT. At night, when we watch a movie (or during a big sporting event/concert or even outdoors in the backyard on summer nights), we watch our projector. Seems to be the best of both worlds, and it's well within your proposed budget too. Space and/or light control can be limiting factors regarding a projector however.

[Jeffrey]

Not sure if this is feasible for your sitaution, but have you considered getting both a direct-view set for normal day to day viewing, plus an inexpensive front projector (Infocus 4805 for example) for when you want to watch movies? This is what my wife and I decided to do and it works out great. During the day, and for regular television viewing, we watch our Sony CRT. At night, when we watch a movie (or during a big sporting event/concert or even outdoors in the backyard on summer nights), we watch our projector. Seems to be the best of both worlds, and it's well within your proposed budget too. Space and/or light control can be limiting factors regarding a projector however.

Hi Dan,

Hmmm..... no, i hadn't.... that's an interesting idea...... i'll definitely ponder that thought.

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[4_everyman]

Jeffery - i've been using an InFocus X1 projector for a little over a year now. It cost me ~$950. Since it's a projector, your image size is dependent on how far back you have it set up. Mine sits on the coffee table about 12 feet from the wall and i have an 80-inch diagonal picture. The only significant downside to a projector (in my experience) is that you need a dark room. Mine is set up in our basement and with room darkening shades, i get an outstanding picture with my Comcast HDTV receiver and my DVD player. It's definitely a theater-like experience. :thumbsup:

[Jeffrey]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the info! I had never thought of that option until Dan & you pointed out the advantages.

Take care,
Jeffrey

[d.r.cook]

Not to slow you down, but Wall St. Journal story recently highlighted the display/monitor industry, saying (like computers) the tech is changing so fast that you're likely to see about a 20-30% drop in price by this time next year.

When will that "trend" start slowing? I think that's the $64 question. With various new technologies and new plants being hurridly built, I have to think it will be somewhat of a jumble until at least 4-5 yrs into the universal changeover to hi-def.

I, too, have a 36-Sonly Wega XBR and am very pleased, though I think Samsung and a few others have closed the gap.

doug