Thoughts on DLP...

[Cabaiguan Juan]

Ever since Baka and BPP have made peace, things were getting slow and boring. I'm glad that came to a halt.
But seriously, I've probably learned more about TV's in this post then all my trips to CC or Bestbuy.

[bard]

What kinds of problems is your b-n-l seeing? The only moving parts that I'm aware of is the color wheel and the 1-2 million mirrors (720p vs 1080p) that are located on the DLP chip itself in an area about the size of a postage stamp. There is absolutely nothing any technician could do for the DLP mirrors other than replace the entire chip or maybe clean the window on the surface of the chip that the light shines through. Any other mirrors or focus lenses should be set in a fixed position.

[SuperChuck]

What kinds of problems is your b-n-l seeing? The only moving parts that I'm aware of is the color wheel and the 1-2 million mirrors (720p vs 1080p) that are located on the DLP chip itself in an area about the size of a postage stamp. There is absolutely nothing any technician could do for the DLP mirrors other than replace the entire chip or maybe clean the window on the surface of the chip that the light shines through. Any other mirrors or focus lenses should be set in a fixed position.

That's actually EXACTLY what's prompting me to look into extended warranties: "replace the entire chip". If there was a disco ball in there and I could just glue broken mirrors back on, I'd consider it. But from what I understand, most of the system is on one chip.

I'm still not a fan of extended warranties, but it seems like the cost of repair and the possibility of defect outside of the manufacturer's warranty may warrant it. No pun intended. :)

[SuperChuck]

But seriously, I've probably learned more about TV's in this post then all my trips to CC or Bestbuy.

Best thing you can do looking at TVs is LOOK at TVs. When I look at TVs, I spend hours just wandering around Best Buys and Circuit Cities staring at TVs. Stare up close, stare far away. Try to forget your brand loyalties.

It also helps to think about what you really want. When I bought my current tube TV everyone wanted to know why I didn't get a "big screen". Because I wanted a flat screen and a wide viewing angle. At the time, that meant sacrificing size for image quality.

Harv mentioned it, I've mentioned it before as well, get the Avia Guide to Home Theater Setup. It's $40 on Amazon or you can get it for around $30 on eBay. If you have a surround system, you're gonna need a sound pressure meter from radio shack (slurge and get the digital one).

I tune my TV and surround every 6 months or so. The first time you do it, you will be completely blown away.

Televisions are factory tuned to look good in a brightly lit store. If they were tuned for your dimly lit living room, they would look too dim in the store and you wouldn't buy them.

And surround sound needs to be balanced in order to operate properly. Part of the power of surround sound is the ability to transfer a sound from one speaker to another cleanly. In order to accomplish this, the sound output of the speakers must be equal. If you listen to Saving Private Ryan on an unbalanced system, you hear noise all around you. If you listen on a balanced system, you can actually hear bullets whizzing past your head.

The DVD has a whole porttion devoted to speaker placement and stuff like that, too.

And the most important part: ask people. If I didn't check in here, I wouldn't have George yelling at me to get an extended warranty and it never would have crossed my mind. :)

[planenut]

I've got a Sharp 9000 Projector and love it.

PJ's aren't for everyone. I've got a 14 x 22 room painted burgandy but furnished with regular furniture (couch, recliner etc.). Dark paint and curtains to inhibit light is not for everyone.

That said I love my DLP projector on the 12" screen.

I've had it for 4 years and the only maintenance is replacing the bulb. I've replaced it once and am due another one now. They only last 2000 hours.

Hence my point. check out the bulb life if you are thinking DLP or a few other types of TV's to factor in bulb cost. Mine is around 419.00. It's like buying a normal size TV every couple years just for a bulb. Also, you won't want to leave it on for show while you go in and out or to entertain your dog while you are at work! You should see ESPNHD though!

[SuperChuck]

PJ's aren't for everyone. I've got a 14 x 22 room painted burgandy but furnished with regular furniture (couch, recliner etc.). Dark paint and curtains to inhibit light is not for everyone.

A buddy of mine painted the wall with the screen on it a couple shades darker than the other 3 walls. The result was incredibly subtle, but looked great.

[QUOTE]That said I love my DLP projector on the 12" screen. {/QUOTE}
You know, if you back the projecter up a bit, you can get that image bigger than 12 inches

Hence my point. check out the bulb life if you are thinking DLP or a few other types of TV's to factor in bulb cost. Mine is around 419.00. It's like buying a normal size TV every couple years just for a bulb. Also, you won't want to leave it on for show while you go in and out or to entertain your dog while you are at work! You should see ESPNHD though!

Bulb life and price... Most run around $200 or so and live for 3000-6000 hours. There are some new LED-based units coming out that claim 20,000 hours without a color wheel.

It's a little like buying a car. You have to take into account the price of gas, insurance, tires, oil, etc. If you do your homework you won't get surprised at that first $100 oil change.

[planenut]

You know, if you back the projecter up a bit, you can get that image bigger than 12 inches

silly me. 12'
Reminds me of my other saying. "what you measure your screen in inches... how cute!"

[SuperChuck]

So I finally got to a point where I had made a decision (Samsung HL-S5087W), the price was in the right spot (and seems to have settled down), and I commit to buy on Monday...

Being a smaht consumer, I find a company out of Brooklyn, NY who has it in stock and can ship via ground service (UPS/DHL) in 1-2 days. With 2-3 days for delivery, I'm optimistic I can get the thing by Friday.

Yesterday evening I get a call from them; it's a salesman trying to sell me cables and such. When I finally get him off the phone, he mentions it's backordered, so it will be out in just a few days. Um, excuse me?

Furious, I call their customer service. Basically, the kid I'm talking to just keeps saying "DHL's policy on ground shipping is 7-10 days and I'll have it within 7-10 days". For some reason he can't seem to understand that they actually need to give it to DHL for that to be true...

It then occurs to me what their scheme is. They know full well it only takes 2-3 days to ship something out to RI. Their "ground shipping" is 7-10 days. So... They can sell the television I reserved and just give me one off the next truck. If they ship it 5 days after I order, it should be in the same window.

Fuck 'em. I cancel the order and order it from Amazon instead. I actually save a couple bucks, too, by using my amazon visa card.

Ten minutes later, some slimeball from their company calls me asking why I cancelled my order. For some reason I can't seem to explain that I do not enjoy being lied to. I bought something based on the knowledge that it was in stock and would ship within 2 days when it apparently was not. After yelling at him for 10 minutes it became painfully obvious that he was NOT going to offer me the world on a silver platter, so there was no point to continuing the conversation.

It just amazes me that a company would pull something like that and expect me to want to continue doing business with them. If they lied to me once, I really have no reason they wouldn't lie to me again. What next? The truck got a flat tire? The DHL guy didn't come that day? They can't ship on a full moon?

I'm not sure I understand the rationale behind calling me after I cancelled the order, either. I only answered because I figured they'd offer me free overnight shipping or something. Nope.

[Cabaiguan Juan]

Best thing you can do looking at TVs is LOOK at TVs. When I look at TVs, I spend hours just wandering around Best Buys and Circuit Cities staring at TVs. Stare up close, stare far away. Try to forget your brand loyalties.

It also helps to think about what you really want. When I bought my current tube TV everyone wanted to know why I didn't get a "big screen". Because I wanted a flat screen and a wide viewing angle. At the time, that meant sacrificing size for image quality.

Harv mentioned it, I've mentioned it before as well, get the Avia Guide to Home Theater Setup. It's $40 on Amazon or you can get it for around $30 on eBay. If you have a surround system, you're gonna need a sound pressure meter from radio shack (slurge and get the digital one).

I tune my TV and surround every 6 months or so. The first time you do it, you will be completely blown away.

Televisions are factory tuned to look good in a brightly lit store. If they were tuned for your dimly lit living room, they would look too dim in the store and you wouldn't buy them.

And surround sound needs to be balanced in order to operate properly. Part of the power of surround sound is the ability to transfer a sound from one speaker to another cleanly. In order to accomplish this, the sound output of the speakers must be equal. If you listen to Saving Private Ryan on an unbalanced system, you hear noise all around you. If you listen on a balanced system, you can actually hear bullets whizzing past your head.

The DVD has a whole porttion devoted to speaker placement and stuff like that, too.

And the most important part: ask people. If I didn't check in here, I wouldn't have George yelling at me to get an extended warranty and it never would have crossed my mind. :)

Its a little early for me to think about dropping serious cash on a tv, but I know it will happen soon. I've also had friends who have worked at Bestbuy spout off their knowledge to me and it has peaked my interest. One of these days...