Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions DLP Technology and Rainbows Question

I do have sync issues with my 2005 unit :-/ Disabling the noise reduction can help, and for DVDs I can adjust the audio delay on my Oppo. Sometimes ITMS/QT over DVI-HDMI gets out of sync. I'd love to upgrade to a [bigger!] current model with HDMI1.3+ and upgrade to Oppo's forthcoming Blueray player to avoid it, but I can't justify that expense.

onn,

Home Theater magazine did a shootout this past February or March that included rear projection, lcd and plasmas from different companies. The LED Samsung rear projection set came in dead last. The two biggest problems they listed were very bright picture in the center and then more dim towards outside, very high contrast ratio. The one and two position in the shootout was the 720p Pioneer Kuro and the 1080p Panasonic plasma respectively. The Pioneer was the only 720p set and it beat every other 1080p set in the shootout because of its contrast ratio( the panel of judges didn't know what brand or model each tv was in the shootout). In the middle was (and not very close to one and two positions) Sony SXRD, Sharp lcd, JVC lcd and the Mitsubishi diamond rear projection. If you can afford the Pioneer Kuro then buy it and don't look back. It doesn't have much competition except for the Panasonic 1080p plasma right now. I tryed the Samsung lnt5265 against the Pioneer pdp5080hd and immediately knew that the Samsung was going back store as soon as possible. The Samsung 5265 was the only lcd near the price of the Pioneer in its size at the time. The difference in contrast ratio is very clear. I haven't seen the local dimming lcd's vs. plasma but I think that it is still kind of expensive and plasma still is probably a little bit better in contrast ratio and viewing angle. I say go with the Pioneer, I am very happy with mine. People are blown away at the high def picture from the Pioneer when they come over.

- Nick

+1 for the Kuro

Father-in-law has it, and I only wish I had that kind of scratch. It's beautiful

Well I pulled the plug and bought a Samsung HL61A750 for $1900. If I don't like it I will go with the Pioneer at a later date. Thanks to everyone for your opinions.
Mel N.

The pdp5080hd can easily be found for $2200 to $2500.

- Nick

Interesting, Nick. I agree that plasma is a superior technology and produces a crisper, more punchy picture.

But from a value perspective, I think it's too close a call to totally knock out DLPs just yet.

Congrats on the decision Onn. I bet once you get it home and calibrate it, you won't look back. I bet the differences are too insignificant to worry about, especially if you don't have a side by side comparison that highlights any supposed shortcomings it may have.

For me the choice was between quite a few options. The plasma (PRO-151FD) and the Samsung DLP LED (HL61A750). If I choose the plasma, the model I was looking at I could buy 3 Samsungs for the price. With plasma there is also the burn-in that might occur (even though burn-in is highly unlikey). Since, compared to my 27" crt both of these options would be better, would I really notice that much of a difference? I went with the choice that made sense to me at the moment, the Pioneer will still be waiting for me if I decide the Samsung doesn't tickle my Axioms. It's all about choice, what one is willing to accept and not accept. I have noticed that others go by their priorities in regards to choosing their sets and me as an individual try to see something in others experiences that jive with my own to help make up that decision I hope that my decision making processes aren't totally out of wack. Only time will tell.
Sorry to ramble.
Mel N.
Does any of this make sense?

Hi onn,

I think you'll be happy with the Samsung DLP. As to the Home Theater magazine reviews, I mostly disagree with their rankings. I don't know who the reviewer(s) is or are, but in the past some of their reviews have been, uhm, rather casual, not well controlled.

For example, I've always been underwhelmed by the Pioneer plasma sets--greatly overpriced and I've found picture quality to be inferior to the Panasonic plasma panels or the Sony Bravia LCD panels, the latest generation of which are really quite excellent.

As to Samsung DLP problems, my 4-year-old DLP has inaudible fan noise and I've had no problems with lip sync. As a group, rear-projection DLP sets do have more reliability troubles long-term, but that's only if you count bulb replacement as a "problem."

I honestly believe the over-the-top praise for the Pioneer plasmas is because the reviewers know the price of the set while they are making judgments. In other words, the brand names and prices are not concealed, and the same bias that exists in uncontrolled speaker evaluation, where the brand, price and size of the speakers are visible, also biases video reviewers at magazines and web sites.

The only Pioneer plasma that I was greatly impressed with was when HD first went on the air, and a $30,000 Pioneer plasma on loan was calibrated by a former colleague of mine at etown, Kevin Miller. He is an ISF calibrator and reviews displays occasionally for Cnet. The occasion was a Super Bowl party and most of the guests were professional AV reviewers, editors and journalists.

Displays have greatly improved. Four years ago, I would always recommend DLP over LCD panels, which had lots of visible problems, as well as plamsas, unless the person had an unlimited budget, as plasmas then were a lot more expensive than DLP in an equivalent screen size. Costs have come down dramatically, and many of LCD's early problems (grayish black levels, image smearing with fast lateral motion, etc.) have been largely overcome.

Anyway, enjoy your Samsung and give us an update after a while. As you may be aware, the DLP sets deliver their best picture on the "Cinema" setting, suitable for dimly lit or dark rooms. That also goes for the LCD and plasma displays.

Regards,

Thanks for the response Alan. I have gone to the avs forum as per Fredk's input and found some settings I will use for my set-up when my TV arrives next week.
Thanks
Mel N.

Hey Peter, I was wondering what settings you are using for your Samsung. When I get a chance I will post mine.
Mel N.