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

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.