Plasma Vs. Rear Projection

[GardenVariety]

Hello,

Besides the obvious benefits (viewing angle/size) are there any Rear Projection Tv's (ILA, Led Dlp,Etc..) that are larger then 60" have a comparable picture to nice plasmas (Panasonic/ Pioneer)? I am looking into the Kuro 60" which runs around $5K and came across the Mitsu 73" for $3K. Any educated opinions?

[typ44q]

well the simple answer would be no.
Its almost not even fair to compare anything to a Kuro unless price enters the equation then you can say well for the money its a really good tv... and thats what you get with rear projection, a great value for the money especially if you want something very large. To say its comparable would depend on how much you are willing to compromise, contrast and black levels would be the biggest.
(just a comment on the led DLP's, all the reviews I have been reading for them have been pretty bad and conclude that you are better off with a conventional DLP)

[Chickengas]

I see the Mits at BB a lot...I don't really stop and look. The pioneer plasmas get my attention for bit..until I see the Samsung 5271 LCD. It has the best picture hands down..in my opinion. Especially with the automotion on...movies look like you your actually THERE.

[Sunny]

hahah when I saw the thread title, I thought the OP was going to say "complete opposites".

[Arkadin]

basically Garden if you want to go larger you should go with front projector.
simple as that.
I personally have 0 desire for a 60 in+ tv.
One day I'll have a 1080p front projector for movies. Until then the Kuros will do fine. my 2 cents.
I personally spent over a year looking at EVERY type of set from all the major ce companies to find a suitable replacement for my Sony hd crt 420. No matter how many lcd sets I have looked at I just DO NOT like what to me is a very unnatural image. I read probably over 100 articles/reviews in maybe 20 different professional magazines and on websites. I personally looked at over 25 different sets--NOT in a fucking stores--but at the houses of various people I know.
It is only in the past 2 months that I finally found a set that I could see upgrading to. I got the 5080 Kuro on sale for $2000 at BB. Of course I wish it was 1080p, but I am absolutely convinced I made a GREAT decision.
I am now saving money for a 9th gen model because I KNOW they will be the best tv of ALL TIME. no doubt in my mind whatsoever. Are they perhaps overpriced? maybe, maybe not. People that have the money obviously don't think about it for 1 second. I mean even with the high cost, getting a 5080 for $2000 is an absolute steal considering it has bested many current lcd sets in the $3000+ price range.
Anyway, good luck.

[Monty HD]

I recently got a Sony 60A3000 with 120hz. It is an awesome TV. It picture rivals the Plasmas as far as contrast. My only problem it is that it is still a rear projections so daytime can be somewhat disappointing when the light creeps into the room.

You really can't tell too much from the store displays with any rear projection. I popped in the Matrix on HD and POTC on BD and the PQ is absolutely amazing. Also sporting events are incredible.

[cloudy]

I'm looking to upgrade in the next year or two. I'm hoping plasma's will still be around by then. I think they look a lot better than LCD.
My current HDTV is a 7 year old Rear screen projection, 61", with 1080i only, and Component only. Doesn't even have DLP.
I have a feeling when I do upgrade, I will be amazed by the difference in quality (at least I hope I am). But for now, the one I have keeps me happy. But as soon as one of the Bulbs goes, I'm all over a new set. I'd like the Mitsu 73" for it's size. My TV room is plenty dark, so there's really no wash-out. However, I have a feeling Any 60" plasma available will look better than even the best Rear screen.

[typ44q]

I'm looking to upgrade in the next year or two. I'm hoping plasma's will still be around by then. I think they look a lot better than LCD.
My current HDTV is a 7 year old Rear screen projection, 61", with 1080i only, and Component only. Doesn't even have DLP.
I have a feeling when I do upgrade, I will be amazed by the difference in quality (at least I hope I am). But for now, the one I have keeps me happy. But as soon as one of the Bulbs goes, I'm all over a new set. I'd like the Mitsu 73" for it's size. My TV room is plenty dark, so there's really no wash-out. However, I have a feeling Any 60" plasma available will look better than even the best Rear screen.

Just a guess based on your descripton but I think your TV is a CRT rear projection which means that there are no bulbs to burn out, just picture tubes so you might be waiting a very long time for that to happen.
and DLP is a projector technology just like LCD and LCOS so if you do have a CRT tv it would not also have DLP.

[GardenVariety]

Yeah, I know the absolute best bet would be a JVC RS2 front projector with a Stewart Screen. The question is, do I really want to throw down the 9K for that combo PLUS the money on mounts, cables and light control? I don't think at this point I do. I am really starting to appreciate my Pansonic Plasma's black levels, brightness and clarity. This is why I want to say with Plasma just at a larger size and 1080P. At this point I would probably rather just save for the Kuro or get the 58" Panny with 1080p. The only issue I have with the Panny is that it doesn't display 1080p/24 properly...

[cloudy]

Just a guess based on your descripton but I think your TV is a CRT rear projection which means that there are no bulbs to burn out, just picture tubes so you might be waiting a very long time for that to happen.
and DLP is a projector technology just like LCD and LCOS so if you do have a CRT tv it would not also have DLP.

actually, my tv has 3 bulbs. Red,green and blue. That's how they made the Rear projections, before DLP and the "it's done with mirrors" concept.

[Blinx123]

actually, my tv has 3 bulbs. Red,green and blue. That's how they made the Rear projections, before DLP and the "it's done with mirrors" concept.

These aren't bulbs but tubes. It's called CRT Rear Projection and I know plenty people who really appreciate them as they form a very natural picture with water really looking like water (fluid).

[ghost271]

I agree with Arkadin.
I have a 51" RP Hitachi @720p and I loved it for watching movies in my small apartment. It had Night/Day modes that you could setup to switch automatically at a preset times and it looked fantastic after a few hours of calibration set-up. But it still didn't feel like a theatre or true movie experiance. We moved into a new house last year and the room downstairs felt like it was made for a home theatre. I felt that Front Projectors had finally reached a level which competed with black levels comparable to Plasmas and colors as vibrant as LCDs. So I bought myself a Sanyo Z5 720pHD projector and a 100" screen. I sit at a viewing distance of 12 feet and screen door isn't noticable until about 7 feet. I imagine within the next year and a bit I will upgrade to a 1080 projector and the SDE will not be noticable at all. In short, I think you would be far better off investing in a front projector if you want to dedicate it to movie watching with your family, and leave a small plasma/LCD for watching TV. A projector gives you so much more choice in whatever size you want to throw on your wall, given the space you have available. Granted you may have to replace the bulb every 2k-3k hours but thats still 1000-1500 movies you get to watch in HUGE HD Glory ! Once you experiance the new projectors, you'll never think a 61" is big enough.

[GardenVariety]

I agree with Arkadin.
I have a 51" RP Hitachi @720p and I loved it for watching movies in my small apartment. It had Night/Day modes that you could setup to switch automatically at a preset times and it looked fantastic after a few hours of calibration set-up. But it still didn't feel like a theatre or true movie experiance. We moved into a new house last year and the room downstairs felt like it was made for a home theatre. I felt that Front Projectors had finally reached a level which competed with black levels comparable to Plasmas and colors as vibrant as LCDs. So I bought myself a Sanyo Z5 720pHD projector and a 100" screen. I sit at a viewing distance of 12 feet and screen door isn't noticable until about 7 feet. I imagine within the next year and a bit I will upgrade to a 1080 projector and the SDE will not be noticable at all. In short, I think you would be far better off investing in a front projector if you want to dedicate it to movie watching with your family, and leave a small plasma/LCD for watching TV. A projector gives you so much more choice in whatever size you want to throw on your wall, given the space you have available. Granted you may have to replace the bulb every 2k-3k hours but thats still 1000-1500 movies you get to watch in HUGE HD Glory ! Once you experiance the new projectors, you'll never think a 61" is big enough.

LOL! I had the Z5 and also had the Z2000, while it's true they are good for the size my room is 12' x 15' so I am sitting probably 8 feet away. I would take a truly pristine picture anyday over having 30 or 40 more inches. I can't help but think that ANY kuro whether it's 768P or 1080P would be better then most any other flat panel. You know, I would like to hear peoples opinions on which is better: The 50" 768P KURO or the 50" 1080P Panasonic. That would be interesting.

[Blinx123]

LOL! I had the Z5 and also had the Z2000, while it's true they are good for the size my room is 12' x 15' so I am sitting probably 8 feet away. I would take a truly pristine picture anyday over having 30 or 40 more inches. I can't help but think that ANY kuro whether it's 768P or 1080P would be better then most any other flat panel. You know, I would like to hear peoples opinions on which is better: The 50" 768P KURO or the 50" 1080P Panasonic. That would be interesting.

My answer: The 720p LG and the 1080p Samsung The 768p Kuro is a fine unit too but feels a little bit expensive. I've compared all 4 of those new Plasma sets and the Panasonic was the one that I found wasn't as detailled as the other ones. The Samsung had a great picture and very good blacks. Same goes for the 720p LG and the 768p Pioneer Kuro. None of them showed really judder effects (only saw some slight blur on the LG while watching "The Wild" Blu-Ray).

I think the LG and the Kuro were the 2 that impressed me the most as both featured great,natural looking colours.

There was a minute I really cried while looking at the LG because it was so cheap (only 800€ or approximately 1000$US) but I ordered a Full-HD CRT projector only 3-4 weeks ago.

BTW: The LG plasma was standing side by side with a Sharp Full-HD 1080p LCD at the same size so that I could compare both properly. The 720p LG had (or nearly) the same detail and sharpness the Sharp had (I really looked close and there was only one little 1-2mm big point on which the Sharp was sharper. I know: My eyes are wolf like to see such a difference ) + the LG had better,more vibrant colours thanks to a special super-clear crystal panel.

[hopewell]

I'm looking to upgrade to a 65" or higher. I'm most interested in sharpness, picture clarity. To me, that's what I like when watching my blu rays. Right now I have a mitsu 52" 1080p and I love it. But I'm looking at other companies and considering plasma. Even though I was an early adopter (my first tv was a 65" 1080i mitsu in 2002) I still feel I have a lot to learn before I buy my 3rd HDTV.