Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater SXRD or DLP? I'm going shopping!!

I'm going shopping this week for furniture and a new big-screen television. Any suggestions about either technology would be appreciated. I know there are some happy Samsung owners on the forum but I haven't seen any of the other. I have read many reviews on both televisions and both have received accolades. I'm looking to spend around $3000 on a 60in. set.

Please help
thanks

SXRD. Albeit last year's models, since mine is about a year old, but I compared the Sony to the Samsung and thought the Sony looked better. No rainbow concerns either.

In a word "wait"!!! Do more research and wait for prices to fall.. the price difference(Can/US) is still to big on TV's of that size.. If I was you I would wait until christmass before pulling the trigger on a big screen here in Canada! Prices are falling but the real correction is comming, albeit slowly....

You can always wait and prices will always fall. If cost is a big concern, get last year's model before they are completely phased out. My dad just got the 55" Sony A2020 for less than I got my 50" A2000 a little over a year ago.

Ok i just saw use of the word "albeit" in three posts including one of my own in the past ten minutes.
I blame a forum virus.

Best Buy has the 60" SXRD 2020 on sale for $2199. Darn good price if you ask me. $600 cheaper than the Samsung HL-T6189 anywhere I looked. Might have to snatch that up. Your dad happy with the 2020?

He's been happy with it. I'm happy with my A2000 as well, which is the same TV. A2000 has silver on the bottom, A2020 has black. Other than that they're the same. A3000 is starting to replace them, so get the 2020 soon if you want one before they are gone.

Yes, thanks for the info. I found that slight difference about the two models and I preferred the 2020 because it doesn't have any silver on it. Oddly enough, I've seen pricing on Sony.com and other websites for the 3000 and they are a lot cheaper than the 2020. I don't really understand this, with them being the new model.

From my personal experiences go with the SONY SXRD. I went through 2 Sammy DLPs. The first was the very cool looking "Captain Kirk" pedestal model which was a 1080i 50 inch, the second was their first 1080p, 60inch.
Both had excellent picture quality with connected to HD, but they both showed problems with standard DVD was played. In dimly lit scenes color became smeared. Faces took on a “Chalk drawing” effect that floated – there was no real color tone levels just on flat fuzzy shade. It really stood out in DVDs of THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE and THE FRIGHTNERS. This problem also cropped up in MASTER AND COMMANDER during the storm. I had Sammy send a tech to my home who blamed it on every part in the set. He literary re-build the set in the house replacing the HDMI board, the light engine; and some board- then went on to say it was my DVD player. Well, went through all my players, a Sony, Panasonic, and a Denon (by the way, the Denon looked the worse to the incompatibility between the Farojudja chip which is known to have issues with certain sets and cause micro blocking). The tech then went out to his van and pulled out his Sammy DVD player and boy did it really look bad. Finally he shook his head and said, “DLP not for you!”, and left.
Now those two Samy did have the old light wheel, but the second didn’t show signs of the flicker or rainbow. My friend in Canada went out again my opinion and purchased a 61” Samy with the new LED lights. Well, she sent it back due to a problem of a blue “crona” effect that showed up in darker scenes. Turns out other are experiencing this too. Samy is saying it’s a light engine problem. Others on the net and saying they are experiencing red or green same light effects.
DLPs tend to be a bit more grainy in picture quality too. Again, not so noticeable with HD signals – but with standard def, and DVDs. My friend returned the Samy and purchased a Sony SXRD 60 inch and he couldn’t be happier.
I even called DLP the original designers of the technology and described what I experienced and they told my it’s has nothing to do with what their technology but rather what is “applied” to it.
Although the idea of LEDs to light DLP is a wonderful idea in terms of a longer and theoretically cooler I’ve read these sets actually use more power and for some reason burn warmer. Also, since it is a new technology, as being applied to DLP I think they probably didn’t get the kinks out just yet. The same was true for SONY with SXRD when the first 6 – 8 months of those sets had problems as well – very similar to what Samy is experiencing now.
I have referred two persons to SXED so far and both are extremely happy. Hope this helps.

I have owned two DLPs and have had nothing near the problems of the previous poster. In fact my current Samsung has been trouble free and performing beautifully for 15 months (I've had it ISF calibrated).

I would point out that all of these technologies (DLP, SXRD, LCoS, Plasma, LCD) have had their growing pains, and stories similar to the one above can be found regarding any of them. I have a good friend who had a Sony die on him (green blob issue?) after a year, and the repair would've cost him thousands of dollars. He dumped it and got a Mitsubishi DLP and has had no problems whatsoever. Does his story mean that Sony's are junk and should be avoided? Of course not. Does the story above mean all DLPs are junk and should be avoided? Not at all.

To the best of my knowledge all HDTV sets don't do as well with standard def TV signals as they do with high def TV signals. This, logically, can be explained by the fact that SD is a lower quality signal being shown on a large screen TV. I've never had reason to complain about DVD's on either of my DLPs.

It has been claimed that the Sony green blob issue has been solved. Perhaps this is so, because all of these technologies have evolved and improved, DLP included. (I would point out that LED DLPs are only a second generation technology. A new technology is bound to have problems, and early adopters should be prepared for that)

On my first DLP, the difference between standard def TV channels and high def TV channels was quite noticeable. The difference between SD and HD on my second, current, DLP is, with rare exception, barely noticeable. Though softer than HD, as is all SD when compared to HD, I would be hard pressed to classify SD on my DLP as "grainy."

Good hunting, and I hope you end up with a TV that pleases you as much as my DLP delights me.

I had a first-generation SXRD, and it was plagued with endless problems. They finally replaced it with the next year's model, and it's been nearly flawless. One day it exhibited the same kind of yellow discoloration, all over the screen, but it hasn't acted up again since. Maybe the issue is fixed, but that day had me worried. I bought the 5 year extended warranty on the replacement unit, as I didn't want to be out $1600 to replace the light engine if it went bad after a year.

I've resolved not to purchase Sony hardware again after having to deal with their godawful customer service, but I do have to say that I love the picture.

I have to agree with you Ajax. I currently own a 50" Samsung DLP and have had no problems with it. I used DVE to calibrate it. I don't find SD DVDs to be grainy either. In fact, a friend of mine used to own a 34" Sony XBR and my DLP was kinder to SD television signals.

Also keep in mind that a DLP requires a darker room. The picture quality can get washed out in a bright room. If the TV will reside in a bright room, look for a different technology. When I lived in an apartment I used to hang blankets over the windows if I wanted to watch a movie during the day. I've since moved into a house and the TV is in the basement. It's much better.

Thanks for all your input. I never fall for the "one manufacturer is junk". For the most part it's all based on hearsay, like vehicles. I currently have a 60 inch Hitachi UltraVision that I purchased in 98 and I only had one problem with it that was covered under warranty. Right now I'm looking at going the Sony route. It's slightly cheaper than the Samsung. In the 60 inch screen size.

Prices in the US are much more competitive than up here in the great white north .. You are correct electronic prices are always falling but in our case they are still high compared to US prices... With our $ now 2 to 3 cents above the US peso a 25 to 30% difference in price is unreasonable .. Canadian retailers have been fleesing the Canuk consumer for over a year now and have been very slow to share the wealth so to speak with the consumer.. Maunfacturers are threatening US retailers for selling to Canuks looking to save money by shopping in the US.. At the rate things are going soon Canuks will be carded for ID at Walllyworld USA.... Now back on topic .. wheelz do make sure if your TV is going to be in bright room you get something that can be seen properly... This can be a big issue with some screens..

My room is located in the basement with only one small window and some light from the stairwell, which shouldn't affect the TV because the light from the stairwell shines down on the opposite wall. I'm planning on putting a door there in the future anyway. That being said. I don't like being in complete darkness while watching TV, so I'm assuming from the previous posts the Sony would be the better choice for my environment

Darn it. Just noticed that the sale at Best Buy ended yesterday.

Don't rule out mom and pop operations for TV's wheelz as they are in most cases more competitive than BB and FS! check out redflagdeals.ca for the latest sale prices on TV's ..Those boys find the best prices and give you the facts to go into a place like BB and FS and tell them how much you want to pay...TV buying in Canada has become a sport...lol

The Sony 60 srdx can be had at the Bay for around $1750 check the thread at the RFD"s site

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=493569

Check out Vanns too...they had pretty good prices on SXRD.

I would not limit your LCOS option to only Sony SXRD. Take a look at the JVC 61FH97 as well. JVC has been using LCOS for a longer time compared to Sony and this would explain why there has been the "green blob" on some of the Sony 1st generation SXRD and "Green haze" on some of the 2nd generation while the last 2 years of HDILA have been pretty solid.

I would also consider the SONY XBR2 vs. the Sony A2000 (A2020). I had an ISF calibrator tell me once that the video processor in the A2000 was inferior to that of the Panny Plasma, Sammy DLP, SONT XBR or JVC HDILA and that is why SD looked soft on it.

I got scared off by too many stories of DLP, but know of people that have theirs and love them. Sony sells a lot more than JVC because of their marketing skill and that may be why there are more reported issues...just more TV's on the market to have issues. I researched for over 2 years and cant say I have heard of many major reliability issues from JVC FH96 owners(2005 model) or FH97/FN97/FC97 owners (2006 model.

Best of luck, but my vote is either JVC 61F?97, Sony XBR2 or Samsung 6187. All good TV's, but prices should drop farther in a month or 2.

+1 @ctown.

I haven't had time yet to post "my story", but I recently took the plunge on the JVC HD-61FC97 (Costco). I looked at A LOT of sets at a lot of stores. I cannot imagine how I could be happier with this acquisition. It looks great.

I could have saved a token amount of money by going through Vanns or Buy.com, but then I would have had to deal with shipping/waiting, and Costco provides a second year of the Mfr warranty for free.

Tom, congrats on the new purchase and welcome to the world of HD, looking forward to hearing your impressions.

Tom, contgrats on getting a set.

I looked at a lot myself and also ended up with the 61FC97 last year. Only thing I regret is they are much cheaper now, but I guess thats the price I paid for 13 months of HDTV enjoyment.

Just watched some ALCS and Sunday night football in HD last night and man do the M22's sound great instead of the speakers on the TV.

Enjoy the set and make sure you calibrate it with Avia or DVE. My settings are in Standard mode Contrast -23, Brightness +2, Colour +5, Tint +2, Sharpness 0, Iris 4 and turn off all the auto pic enhancements. Yours may be slightly different, but the contrast needs to be around -25 for true black.

Hey there Wheelz999.

It seems like a lot of the SXRD televisions are made in the USA. For example, see story at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06200/706728-28.stm

If this is true, couldn't you import the KDS55A3000 without needing to pay duty/tariffs? If it is on Sony's website at $2,000 ($1,933), I'm betting it can be obtained even cheaper elsewhere in the US. EX: according to pricegrabber.com, Vann's has it for $1,700 USD or ~$1,644 CAD.

I'm also looking at TV's but I use my set almost solely for movies, and supposedly, as you likely read too, the newer 120 Hz refresh televisions are purported to be much smoother/more pleasant for hi def viewing.

Can anyone confirm that USA SXRD tv's are made in the US?

I also read that Panasonic Viera's are made in Mexico, which should afford them the same duty free treatment (I'm currently waiting on confirmation from Canada Border Services on that one).

Tom,

Can you comment on the fan noise from the JVC hdila. I have read some reviews on amazon.com that claimed there is excessive fan noise from this set similar to the level of noise from the PS2. I am planning on getting this set in the 56" model early next year but I will only be sitting 7 or 8 feet from the set. So the fan noise may be something to take into account. My second choice would be the Sony SXRD, but the processor on the Sony is supposed to be inferior to the one on the JVC (Most processors are inferior to the one on the JVC though).

- Nick

Tom, it's about time!!!! Congrats on entering video nirvana.

The fan noise on the JVC is only noticeable at startup in a silent room. IF you have a very cozy space, AND are very close to the set, AND have a very quiet house AND very quiet content, you might accidentally notice it. My opinion is that it is inconsequential in my environment. I think that fan and/or hard drive noise from both my old Philips DirecTivo and the Wii are louder. I KNOW that forced-air HVAC is louder. I'll try to quantify its impact on the ambient noise in my room if I get a chance. At any rate, I would dispute the accuracy of the word "excessive" in this case.

Michael, ctown, Ray - thanks. I'll try to compose a complete story as soon as I can. For me, the JVC was the perfect solution and an excellent value.

Thanks for that tip Perc, I'll definitely look into it. I've seen some model 3000's on eBay for really cheap.