DLP / LCD Rear Projection Reliability?

[eteller]

I've got a 50" 720p Magnavox DLP that had prolly 4000hrs. on the bulb, died last week, ordered new one yesterday for $125. Also have 2 DLP projectors, picture looks great on all of them. I do find the projectors to be ALOT less reliable in general though.

[chard306]

I just picked up a Samsung 50" DLP dumped on the side of the road, plugged it in and works but has hundreds of white and black dots. The DLP Chip is bad and this is a common problem. I ordered the replacement chip ($170). Everything else works great. Cannot wait to put this thing back together.
It is only 3 years old.

[bre's dad]

I found a 52" LCD rear projection Panasonic (720p) at GW for $800 a few years ago. it was cheap entertainment for me to go in, look at the price & laugh over the ridiculous price. They are way overpriced there, often setting out 'greyware' (Target rejects, returns & damaged items) and marking the price up a few bucks from the target price tag that they often forget to remove... D'OH! Anyway, I quit laughing when I walked in one day and it was reduced to $99. After another $85 for a bulb (all that was wrong with it) Its now sitting in my family room. Picture quality & color is pretty good. Its not as bright as our plasma tv but better than our cheap-o lcd we have in our bedroom.

I'd say if you're looking at DLP, make sure its a 3 element DLP rather than a single element. The single element DLP's are prone to rainbowing. The 3 element aren't. I have a DLP projector that's bad about that.

[MediumCool]

I have a 56" Samsung DLP with LED and absolutely love it. Much better black level and color saturation than my old Samsung DLP with a regular bulb.

[DENNYDOG]

Why would someone buy a tv that they know they have to stick money back into in the future? Now I don't know if this is the case with the led dlp's but the prices are so cheap on the lcd's and plasma's now why would you buy anything else?

As far as burn-in on plasma's your not going to have a problem unless you leave a menu screen on the tv for more than a day at a time. I fell asleep watching a movie one night with my Panasonic plasma playing a blue-ray movie. It was on for several hours and had no problem with any burn in. That's just a scare tactic for people that own other kinds of tv's to make you think plasma's are inferior.

My panasonic plasma get's no hotter than any lcd tv I have ever seen either. The differences in power usage between different tv's these days are minimal.

I would stay away from older rear projection tv's unless you know for sure you can set the convergence yourself. I had a Toshiba 57" and was very happy with it. I sold it to a friend when I upgraded to my plasma. If you can't access this in the menu stay far far away as you will spend just as much as the tv is worth to have a repairman adjust it for you.

[Cheezman]

Originally Posted by DENNYDOG

Why would someone buy a tv that they know they have to stick money back into in the future? Now I don't know if this is the case with the led dlp's but the prices are so cheap on the lcd's and plasma's now why would you buy anything else?

When you can get a 60" 1080p for $1000 new, you let me know.

I know I am quite happy with my Mitsubishi, and the $99 for a bulb every few years still undercuts the cost of buying a 60" Plasma or LCD. Plus in terms of image quality, it looks better than most LCDs I've seen in the same price range. Better colors and black levels.

[chadnliz]

Originally Posted by DENNYDOG

Why would someone buy a tv that they know they have to stick money back into in the future? Now I don't know if this is the case with the led dlp's but the prices are so cheap on the lcd's and plasma's now why would you buy anything else?

As far as burn-in on plasma's your not going to have a problem unless you leave a menu screen on the tv for more than a day at a time. I fell asleep watching a movie one night with my Panasonic plasma playing a blue-ray movie. It was on for several hours and had no problem with any burn in. That's just a scare tactic for people that own other kinds of tv's to make you think plasma's are inferior.

My panasonic plasma get's no hotter than any lcd tv I have ever seen either. The differences in power usage between different tv's these days are minimal.

I would stay away from older rear projection tv's unless you know for sure you can set the convergence yourself. I had a Toshiba 57" and was very happy with it. I sold it to a friend when I upgraded to my plasma. If you can't access this in the menu stay far far away as you will spend just as much as the tv is worth to have a repairman adjust it for you.

I guess you will never see the value of 100+inch displays because every couple years a projector will need a bulb. Plasma burn in was a real concern but has been addressed and in the past couple years isnt as bad as once was.
All the same a large picture is worth the occasional expense, for movies I will never go back to even something as small as 60in...........I will invest the occasional money for a bulb and enjoy the huge picture my projector gives me, plus for an audio/Home theater application being able to fold up the screen and only have a small box on ceiling is also well worth the expense for a better soundfield.

[DENNYDOG]

Originally Posted by chadnliz

I guess you will never see the value of 100+inch displays because every couple years a projector will need a bulb. Plasma burn in was a real concern but has been addressed and in the past couple years isnt as bad as once was.
All the same a large picture is worth the occasional expense, for movies I will never go back to even something as small as 60in...........I will invest the occasional money for a bulb and enjoy the huge picture my projector gives me, plus for an audio/Home theater application being able to fold up the screen and only have a small box on ceiling is also well worth the expense for a better soundfield.

I thought we were talking about rear projection style tv's? Obviously your going to need a bulb for a regular projector.

Yes I would buy a projector for movie watching at night but that is it. I would NEVER use a projector during the day. I've seen quite a few and every projector I've seen during the day SUCKS. Unless it's in a basement where you can block out all light. Too much washout from any daylight that hits the screen.

[chadnliz]

Yea they are not practical for daily drivers but bulb life even in a rear projector isnt that huge of an issue, they usually last a pretty long time and you get the larger picture experience without the premium price. One could buy a Projection unit and replace bulbs a few times and still not have to put out the cash a slim unit will often fetch.

[Art K.]

I've owned 3 Sony rear projection models and never once lost a lamp. I did have a fan go out on one which required that a service tech come out twice to get it fixed...both times covered under warranty. I went flat panel a little over a year ago and don't regret it but the rear projectors were ok.

[1octave]

Originally Posted by harleyfatboy

I've got a Samsung DLP LED model. Love the picture and I've seen a few used on CL recently - last years models for a decent price...

Same here, I am also happy with my Samsung LED... though I agree Sony is equally good.