4 years ago, we helped setup a video wall of NEC plasma monitors. The stated lifecycle was 10,000 hours of use for those particular units.

That would depend on how you define "life." (no abortion issue here ;) )

The brightness and contrast can fall below spec. That is usually the "failure." AFAIK

I have an LCD (cmptr screen) from 1996. . .still works fine.

Poorly designed rear projections LCDs can overheat the LCD. . . causing other life issues.

Re: ok lets narrow this down a little
 

TheHitachi; 3000:1 contrast ratio. . ..from an LCD !? WOW!

oh, one other thing to consider w/ the projection types; Fan noise. . . .its something easily missed, when looking at these in the dept store.

I have the 30in Phillips HDTV CRT. It is 1080i. The local cable company puts out all channels in 480p (EDTV) if you have an HDTV receiver. So, the HDTV give you better reception even on the regular channels.

The one thing to remember, is 1080i and 720p are "interchangable". The HD standard is setup so that a 1080i TV can take a 720p signal abd vice-versa.

Don't expect the prices to drop very much. The NTSC TVs are being dumped to get rid of them.

I plan to pickup a 60in DLP HDTV for upstairs, they're running $1200-1300 at SAMS Club

Thanks guys, bought the Hitachi, hope it was the right decision

If you like the picture and the deal, the numbers/specs, and opinions just don't matter.

Sort of like Porsches.

Enjoy! HDTV is very cool.

Bill--you made a good decision on the Hitachi from what I've read on www.avsforum.com. Very favorable reviews from the owners and the Hitachi is well known as the "cream of the crop" of the new models coming out. I'm in the market for a new bigscreen and was looking at this model as my #1 choice. Let us know how you like it after you get it calibrated and watch a few movies on it.

I live out in the sticks, so I rely on satellite for my signals. HDTV is wonderful, but programming choices are worse than $hitty over the satellite. But I do get HBO...

This thread has really got me interested in a plasma TV. I spent some time on the AVS Forum and kind of got a handle on what to look for, etc. So I head over to the local Best Buy to actually look at a few units. The sales rep on the floor is telling me that my DirecTV receiver won't drive a HDTV or EDTV unit. I thought that was the whole point of satellite and digital cable.

Someone help me out here. What is the real scoop.

They tell me that the digital box that I have now will drive the TV but not provide HD picture quality. To get HD pictures I need a new box or cable card form the cable company. The cable company is coming next week to swap.

Halm,
To get Directv in HDTV, you will need to upgrade to the HDTV capable receiver. Around $300 to get in the door.
I bought a used one for $200, and it works great.
I only use it for local HDTV so far, as I have not activated the card in it yet for Sat HDTV, or upgraded my Directv package to include HD channels.

Not certain what I am waiting for? I suppose I might feel guilty watching TV when I could (should) be assembling the 911?

There is also an HD DirecTivo box coming out shortly (if not already available). That should be couch potato heaven!

Bill, I went with the Sony XBR 34" 16:9 format CRT screen. Mostly because of all the rave reviews about its clarity from sources like Consumer Reports. It weighs a ton, but it fit the dimesions that were acceptable to my wife. We both agreed that we didn't want a tv to dominate the family room. It has both component and DVI inputs. With an HD signal the image in nothing less then astounding. Didn't want to deal with the longevity issues that may be prevalent in Plasma screens. LCD's are the way to go now if you need a bigger screen.

Chris, I saw the HD Tivo box yesterday at Best Buy: $999.00.

The 50" Hitachi LCD is fabulus, just wish there were more HD signals

That is the biggest problem & the long-awaited transition period - from NTSC to some variant of HD - 1080i or 720p - is progressing slowly. The majority of programming will continue to be non-HD for more years to come. And then there is all of those pesky DVDs which are only 480p . . .

I sell in the industry - home theater projectors - to retailers & custom installers. We are positioned at the mid-top end. We have/had plasmas too but these have reached commodity status. And plasmas really aren't very good imho.

In the next while, LCD & DLP TVs (as opposed to the boxy rear pros of the last decade) seem the best bet as Bill is experiencing. 3 chip DLP versions will hit next year with a new cheap chip from TI. I think Samsung will be first. Intel's LCOS technology is one to watch as they get bigger & better. Ditto panel LCD.

But a projector is still bigger & better but with higher cost & room issues etc. I just use on old 800 x 600 DLP on an 80" screen. I feed it from a computer DVD drive using the superior scaling capabilities of a good video card - GeForce. For DVD watching, it is great - good detail & depth. Audio is spdif to a receiver.

fwiw

Ian

yeah, but once you've seen SuperHD, HD looks like a joke. We did a demo of *streaming* SHD over i2 last fall. We were sustaining nearly 1Gbps, and the projector (one of a handful in the world) used 36 cables to get signal from the receiving computer. Of course there are also very few SHD cameras around. But that's what they said about HD a few years back.

I'll stick with standard broadcast for now. Rather save the money for bigger t-bars. Hell, I still have a 26" CRT...

nostatic

My 'daily' tv is a 14 yr old Proton 29". But a gun is going so its days are numbered. What will I buy? No idea. The projector is just for DVD rentals.

Ian

BTW I can't afford the stuff I sell, but some things end up as long term 'samples'.

Bill I have the SONY XBR 34 2004 model. I think it is great. I was going to go all in for the big cash plasma. I found this screen to be great even better than some of the really expensive ones. you can get one for 2k.