Finally time to get a big TV to make my setup more of a home theater experience. I don't need the biggest, but I would like a good one. Problem is I haven't followed the maturation of the tech as closely of late so I need some input.

My favorite of the technologies is LCoS (HD-ILA in JVC parlance) but how does it stack up against other current generation plasma, LCD, and rear-projection tech?

TIA,

LJ

Among the newer rear-projection technologies (LCD, DLP, and LCoS), I like LCoS the most. There isn't a noticeable "screen-door effect" (pixel grid) like with LCD. DLP has the potential for seeing "rainbows" due to the way the colors are produced. I believe that LCoS tends to be a slight bit more expensive than LCD or DLP, though I don't follow the prices of rear-projection TV's that closely. By the way, Sony's version of LCoS is branded as SXRD.

Flat-panel TV's (plasma and LCD) are a significantly more expensive and different beast, making for an apples-oranges comparisons with LCoS TV's.

I first saw a LCoS TV a couple of years ago and was stunned by the clarity of the picture. I believe the current JVC models are 2 generations more mature than the one I saw. The black rendering was very good then and must be better now. I guess the question is: Has the bulb life improved significantly since the first 1 or 2 generations?

Also, what does everyone think of those "protection plans?" I disregard them on all cheaper toys but on a more expensive piece I might be tempted. Looks like it's generally about the price of 1 bulb replacement anyhow.

I got the 50" A2000 and did the 5year warranty. Be aware though, most of the warranties do not include bulb replacement. Still, for such new technology the peace of mind was worth it. These things haven't even been around five years, so who knows how they hold up. I normally skip the extended warranty, but this is the one time I thought the cost was worth it.

I got the KDS-R60XBR1, and I'm thinking I should have gotten an extended warranty.

There's a lingering problem where it will occasionally start blacking out. If it's going to do it, it does it within the first minute of being on, and it continues to do it every 5-10 seconds until I turn it off for maybe 15 minutes. After I turn it back on, it's usually fine.

The other problems I've had are discolorations. A very prominent yellow discoloration started appearing on the right side of the screen, right about where the right edge of 4:3 material would be. I don't know if that has anything to do with it. They were able to fix that by replacing the light engine, but now there's a new pink discoloration on the left side since getting it back. I can see why they wouldn't have noticed it. You can't usually see it unless it's a bright white image. Needless to say, I'm worried about these discolorations cropping up again.

My warranty is good until January 30th, so I'm trying to get everything working at 100%, but after that, what? So... I'm trying to get Sony to replace my set. The blacking out worries me, since that's the first problem I called about, and it still hasn't been fixed. The problem is that I can't get it to exhibit that behavior when they're evaluating it. The local repair service needs to come out and look at it again before Sony can decide whether replacement is an option, and that happens next Friday. Wish me luck. I'm going to be trying hard to get it replaced with the new model, along with the option to purchase an extended warranty. That's probably going to be too much of a request, but hopefully there can be a compromise.

That being said, I sure do love the picture.

C.V.