I'm Waiting for OLED, who's with me?

[rhiohki]

So I've had an HD set for a long time now. I'm still rather content with my 34" Sony XBR 960 CRT. I've also had a 38" Loewe Aconda HD CRT. Both are ISF calibrated and both are phenomenal sets. The color reproduction on the Loewe easily beats the Sony, hands down. The resolution on the Sony is definitely sharper but the extra 4" of real estate on the Loewe is quite nice. So, it's a trade off.

I've still to see any LCD or even a mid-range plasma beat these sets in terms of black-level performance and angle of viewing. I have yet to see any flat panel do better than my sets on a pure analog Standard Definition singal without the use of a high-end video processor.

Of course, this is just my opinion, and I've seen a great deal of sets ranging from wal-mart brands to high-end Runcos, Elites and Fujitsu. I'm sure there has to be a flat panel out there can not only do HD well, but SD well, but either I haven't seen it or read about it, or don't have enough money to buy one.

So, with that said, I'm still waiting for the "miracle" of OLED now that SED is just a dream. I've seen the 11-inch they have up close and it's definitely stunning, but I'm excited to see what will happen in the next couple of years.

Anyone in the same boat?

[jpdylon]

1 million to one contrast ratio is where its at, but I question the longevity of the oLED. If it gets dimmer with age it will be a big deterrent for buyers -- especially at the current cost.

I'll wait a few years to get people's reviews and to see how they hold up in the long run first. They do have impressive pictures.

[whoaru99]

So I've had an HD set for a long time now. I'm still rather content with my 34" Sony XBR 960 CRT. I've also had a 38" Loewe Aconda HD CRT. Both are ISF calibrated and both are phenomenal sets. The color reproduction on the Loewe easily beats the Sony, hands down. The resolution on the Sony is definitely sharper but the extra 4" of real estate on the Loewe is quite nice. So, it's a trade off.

I've still to see any LCD or even a mid-range plasma beat these sets in terms of black-level performance and angle of viewing. I have yet to see any flat panel do better than my sets on a pure analog Standard Definition singal without the use of a high-end video processor.

Of course, this is just my opinion, and I've seen a great deal of sets ranging from wal-mart brands to high-end Runcos, Elites and Fujitsu. I'm sure there has to be a flat panel out there can not only do HD well, but SD well, but either I haven't seen it or read about it, or don't have enough money to buy one.

So, with that said, I'm still waiting for the "miracle" of OLED now that SED is just a dream. I've seen the 11-inch they have up close and it's definitely stunning, but I'm excited to see what will happen in the next couple of years.

Anyone in the same boat?

No, not really....

For one, 34" or 38", especially in 16:9, doesn't suit me for a "movie" experience.

And yeah, SD TV generally looked better on my 36" SD Hitachi Ultravision CRT than it does on my 50" plasma. But, who cares? There's enough programing on HD that I rarely watch a SD channel anyway. Even when I do, it doesn't bother me because I know how the set performs when it's fed the signal it really was designed for.

That's not to mean that SD is horrible, it's not. But, you can only spread the limited resolution so far before it's not as sharp. If your primary interest in TV is still in the SD realm, then maybe a big screen HD set isn't the right choice.

[Rat44]

We bought a HD CRT last year.It's getting hard to find crt sets anymore. Many stores don't even have them any more.The only flat panels that we liked cost as much as a car.TV is not that important to us.

[rhiohki]

No, not really....

For one, 34" or 38", especially in 16:9, doesn't suit me for a "movie" experience.

And yeah, SD TV generally looked better on my 36" SD Hitachi Ultravision CRT than it does on my 50" plasma. But, who cares? There's enough programing on HD that I rarely watch a SD channel anyway. Even when I do, it doesn't bother me because I know how the set performs when it's fed the signal it really was designed for.

That's not to mean that SD is horrible, it's not. But, you can only spread the limited resolution so far before it's not as sharp. If your primary interest in TV is still in the SD realm, then maybe a big screen HD set isn't the right choice.


Well of course you are going to feel that way, as you already invested in a 50" plasma and I'm sure it is quite nice. "Who cares" you ask? Well I would suspect a great deal of people considering many people dont know of the complete switch off of analog programming by Feb 09, let alone those who know and aren't ready to switch to an HD set as of yet. My set looks phenomenal with HD as well as SD. I can sit relatively close since it's in a smaller room and my "movie experience" is probably just as great as the next guy. And of course, an integral part of the "movie experience" is also the sound now isn't it? :D

I'm just content with what I have. I'm sure there are many others. Heck, I still watch laserdiscs on my analog set. I just hope that total HD programming does indeed become the norm as we progress through the years. However there is a lot of steps to be taken before then. Remember the failure of the initial VOOM HD? And what's the point of cable providers giving a nice wide selection of HD channels, but skimping on the bandwidth?

as far as technology goes, it's a nice bleeding edge we have going on. Currently, one can either wait essentially for years and years, or just jump in with the technology we have today. One thing is certain, it's exciting to see all the changes.

[Manuel64]

I love the Sony 34" XBR CRT. I almost purchased one a few years ago. I now have two HDTV's, a 42" 720P Panasonic Plasma and a 52" 1080P Sony XBR LCD. Both tv's are very nice, but I actually prefer the Plasma over the LCD. I do remember checking out the Sony 34" CRT and being very impressed with the picture quality. CRT gives a great HD picture, and none of the motion blur that occurs with LCD's. In my opinion, their only real disadvantage is the size/weight issue. For people that like the picture that a CRT produces, I would not recommend an LCD. Plasma produces a picture that is more like a CRT; not exactly, but close enough without the size/weight issues of the CRT.

[Brian]

Well, I have some inside dope for you all; HD, plasmas, and even color is a passing fancy. I'm holding out until the world become sane again and settles back to black & white tubes sets in big real wood consoles.

[whoaru99]

"Who cares" you ask? Well I would suspect a great deal of people considering many people dont know of the complete switch off of analog programming by Feb 09, let alone those who know and aren't ready to switch to an HD set as of yet.

In general, the big switch to digital will only affect people receiving TV from an antenna. And, Uncle Sam is subsidizing converter boxes for those with analog TVs.

So, IMO, there isn't any big disaster coming with the digital switchover, and nobody has to go out and buy a new TV just because of it.

Technology is always somewhat of the bleeding edge because something bigger and better will always be just around the corner. If one waits for the next best thing, you'll be waiting for a long time. However, plasma TVs and others have been around for long enough to be a proven technology in my book.

I just happen to think plasma still looks the best of the big screen non-projector HDs. Not because I have one, I have one because of that. If I thought LCD looked better I'd have bought one of those instead.

[ducati_EL34]

Well of course you are going to feel that way, as you already invested in a 50" plasma and I'm sure it is quite nice. "Who cares" you ask? Well I would suspect a great deal of people considering many people dont know of the complete switch off of analog programming by Feb 09, let alone those who know and aren't ready to switch to an HD set as of yet. My set looks phenomenal with HD as well as SD. I can sit relatively close since it's in a smaller room and my "movie experience" is probably just as great as the next guy. And of course, an integral part of the "movie experience" is also the sound now isn't it? :D



Well if you watch a lot of movies where the sound is mostly dialog, the sound is not that big of an "experience", and I don't find surround sound adding anything to a movie either.

[uofmtiger]

I have plenty of HD content on Directv and I chose not to wait. I will probably upgrade if something significantly better comes along, but I am not waiting for any technology. Life is too short to be in waiting mode all the time.

[Daravon]

I have a Sony CRT, which I'm hanging onto until someone makes something that looks decent, although I admit some plasmas are pretty dang nice, and I haven't kept up with DLP projectors. Honestly, there isn't an LCD panel out there that I would have in my house; if a display fails at displaying *nothing* then it fails in a fundamental way as a display.

[subdermis2000]

I too was waiting for SED and then once it became clear that the development was, to be kind, troubled we decided to take the leap and replace our hand-me-down 28" CRT. My first thought was to go CRT and wait for the price drop on OLED but we were limited to 27" sets that stopped at 480i. No point in going any further there. Then we went and actually looked at some panels and after comparing which had what we decided, not settled, on a 40" 120 hz Sony LCD (KDL40D3000). Our second choice was a 42" Panasonic plasma and it was second only because our viewing space gets a lot of daylight and, despite the new anti-glare screen, the plasma's just wouldn't work at our place during the day. I blame the plants. Our old CRT is now in the formerly TV-less bedroom and when OLED prices come down, the Sony will replace it when we go OLED in the living room.

As an aside, we've noticed that the quality of black also depends on the quality of source and signal. We only have SD digital tv and the difference in picture quality varies greatly between stations. Some blacks are great, others are fuzzy browns.

[Nakdoc]

The real reason CRT looks natural is that it has more pixels! It kills me that people pay big bucks for more pixels, yet ignore analog gems like the big Loewes. An Aconda picture is stunning. But, the better Pioneer plasmas are also stunning. I have backed away from guessing what it is about a particular display that make sit look good, and simply keep track of the displays that fool me by looking like windows. Yes, the source material has to be good. It is that moment of disbelief when images are almost 3-D and the air is so clear....
Anyway, I am curious about OLED. Pioneer will have the first "big screen" OLED next year. They developed the thing and hold a lot of the patents. Based on their progress from the PDP501 plasma to today's G8 Kuros I doubt they will settle for a compromised display. I still think the Pioneer PRO 118 PJ has the best analog picture, and the PRO 730 the best HD picture. The PRO 118 got the chroma noise out without being too digital...anyway I sound like a walking Pioneer ad. My point is OLED by itself isn't worth waiting for unless it can fool us into thinking we are looking at the real thing. It must be better than what we've had in the past!