Video HD CRT or LCD Rear Projection TVs

R

rishia

Adept
Does any of you have info/experience with High Definition CRT / LCD Rear Projection TVs? I believe the picture quality is at par, if not better, with the new (read costlier) LCD and Plasma TVs at a much lower cost. Apart from the bulk, I don't see a drawback in them, am I missing something here?

Compare the costs, take Sony for example from Sony's site

43 inch CRT Rear projection ~ Rs. 85K -- Size 926 mm x 1255 mm x 537 mm

42 inch LCD Rear projection ~ Rs. 60K -- Size 999 mm x 722 mm x 357 mm

40 inch LCD TV ~ Rs. 119K - Rs. 199K -- Size 988 mm x 664 mm x 103 mm

The LCD RP at about half the cost (than the cheapest LCD) is a just about 10 inches too deep.
 
there is an essential diff. , an LCD projection is a small LCD which is projected by a system of lenses on to a bigger screen... whereas in an LCD TV the LCD that you see is actually of that size, thats why it is costlier to produce LCD TV's of the same size as a projection one
 
Saw the Sony Bravia 55" LCD Projection. Colour reproduction, depth of field and response was terrific.

For 1 Lakh, a 55" HD-Ready panel of that quality is ridiculously good !
 
Ok, one shortcoming I came across is the viewing angle, which is less than regular LCDs and Plasma's (about 170 degrees , I guess). Which IMO might not be a huge drawback considering normal usage.
 
I feel view angles are more important when you are considering using it as your TV. I can't tolerate bad view angles on my lappy...think I would be very upset with bad view angles on my TV.
 
rishia said:
Ok, one shortcoming I came across is the viewing angle, which is less than regular LCDs and Plasma's (about 170 degrees , I guess). Which IMO might not be a huge drawback considering normal usage.
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That's the beauty ! It doesn't have any viewing angle issues, take a demo and check it.

Of course if you hell bent on a 42" LCD, then there's not much of a comparison, but it definitely outshines a 32" Bravia.
 
^ Are you sure? All projection TV's have quite a small viewing angle - something like 130 deg or so. If you have some clue about the design of a projection TV, its not hard to understand why the viewing angle is so poor.

Another shortcoming apparently has to do with its brightness. Since the image is projected onto a screen, you need to make sure its sufficiently bright to be visible in a brightly lit room. The Sony website doesnt seem to state brightness, contrast specs.
 
Guess, I'll have to actually go and compare them alongside an LCD TV.. (hope the Sony World guys will entertain my request :) )

Separately it didn't seem to have a less brighter image in normal showroom conditions (much brighter than home, I guess)
 
The Sony LCD projection models have just brilliant picture quality, part of which is because they don't have one LCD projecting the image on the huge screen, but 3 different LCD's. From Sony's Website

Sony uses three tiny LCD chips (0.73") with a combined resolution of over 2.76 million pixels. The light from a high output UHP lamp shines into a filtering system that splits the beam into red, green, and blue light streams. Each color goes through its own LCD chip, which passes or blocks the light. The three beams are then instantaneously recombined and sent to the projection lens.
Click to expand...

Though I dont remember how good the viewing angles were, the PQ was very good, and unlike the older Projection TV's, the PQ is very good in a well lit room.
 
Ok, had a demo, a copied DTS demo DVD disc on both Sony 50" Rear Projection TV (79K with stand) and a 42" Phillips LCD TV (120K approx) in relatively dark demo area together, and couldn't believe my eyes, the RPTV had better PQ!!

Another piece of information, the demo bugger (didn't know a shit about hdtvs) used composite (yuck!) since he didn't have a component or hdmi cable but used the same player to play the same dvd.

The LCD assembly has an average life of 12K hours ~ 7-8 years of normal viewing and can be replaced at about 10% of the cost of the TV, in this case about 8K.

Will try to get a demo thru an upcoverting dvd player to see what the difference is with 780p transmission.
 
rishia said:
Ok, had a demo, a copied DTS demo DVD disc on both Sony 50" Rear Projection TV (79K with stand) and a 42" Phillips LCD TV (120K approx) in relatively dark demo area together, and couldn't believe my eyes, the RPTV had better PQ!!

Another piece of information, the demo bugger (didn't know a shit about hdtvs) used composite (yuck!) since he didn't have a component or hdmi cable but used the same player to play the same dvd.

The LCD assembly has an average life of 12K hours ~ 7-8 years of normal viewing and can be replaced at about 10% of the cost of the TV, in this case about 8K.

Will try to get a demo thru an upcoverting dvd player to see what the difference is with 780p transmission.
Click to expand...

In your next demo, please pay attention to -

1. Black levels - Blacks will either be grey or completely black hiding all details.

2. Geometry - May be incorrect. Depends on screen's orientation due to tight/loose screws attached.

3. Color uniformity - Put on a black & white movie. There might be blue or red tints/gradations towards corners.

4. Dead pixels & blotches - Check what is Sony policy. Will they replace TV if dead pixels or colored spots appear at any time?

5. Ask whether its possible for Sony service engineers to open unit and clean up screen from behind if required (To remove dust specs etc).

6. Is image sharpness good (comparable to LCD)?

7. Is extended warranty or AMC possible for this TV?

One more thing - LCD assembly is different from lamp. Lamp may be 8-10K but LCD assembly must definately be more expensive.
 
Hello guys!

Despite already knowing its disadvantages, I finally bought Sony 50" RPTV ....Hit me :) ...

Got it for 75K with stand after negotiation. It will be delivered in 2-3 days.

FYI, free stand scheme is now over for Sony RPTVs. I got one because dealer had in stock.
 
rshri said:
Hello guys!

Despite already knowing its disadvantages, I finally bought Sony 50" RPTV ....Hit me :) ...

Got it for 75K with stand after negotiation. It will be delivered in 2-3 days.

FYI, free stand scheme is now over for Sony RPTVs. I got one because dealer had in stock.
Click to expand...

Congratulations on making a wise and informed decision :) RPTV's mrp of 79K and another 8k for the stand .. I think you made a killer deal. Please post pictures/ Comments on the PQ when you get it and the reason you made the decision ( despite the "disadvantages" ) apart from the cost?
 
^ Heh, trust me you wont regret it. I've seen loads of displays, stating from 26" LCD's to 65" Plasmas, and when I told you the Bravia RP's were good, trust me man, they are ;)
 
Guys, I have fallen in love... with my new 50" Sony RPTV :)

It was delivered this weekend. I did some re-arrangments in house to make space for it. I assembled the free provided stand and setup the TV. I then did my home theater setup over it. The results were simply great! My family was doubting my decision earlier but now they are also extremely happy.

PQ is simply great! Even my low-res Divx movies look great. As my mom said - Its like having a personal cinemahouse at home!
In fact, it feels wierd whenever I pause a film while watching, it feels like I have somehow paused a film in a cinemahouse :p

Despite the known disadvantages I opted for it because -
1) The VFM. It really cant be beaten by any LCD/Plasma!
2) The size (50") gives true cinema experience! For Plasma, 50" size is unaffordable. And for LCD, not commonly available.
3) As Rishia has said - I got a killer deal. The free stand (worth 8K!) is really nice and goes very well with this TV.
4) Viewing angles are not that bad. One very easily gets used to it. One also gets used to black levels. Again its not that bad. It didnt find any problems with color uniformity or geometry.
5) I will be using this TV only for DVDs, so I dont care about quality of DTH/Cable signal and life of projection lamp (I will hardly get time to watch it for more than 10 hrs a week)

I still fear problems of dead pixels and color blotches that may strike in future! I hope I can go for some AMC or Extended Warranty with Sony after my first year. Dealer told me its possible. However the Sony service enggineer who came for demo told me that Sony doesnt do AMC or extended warranty :(

For now, I am truly enjoying myself. My quest for true cinematice experience at home is over. Even now, I simply cant wait to go back home to watch movies on my personal cinemahouse! :clap:

P.S. I will post pics soon
 
hey rishia just go for the 50" RPTV they are really goo..as im using it for the past 5 months and im really happy..believe it or not my cousin got a bravia 32" lcd when i saw the picture quality i felt my 50" RPTV was much better
 
So what model did u buy exactly?

Bravia LCD RPTV or WEGA CRT RPTV.

I saw the BRavia at Vijay sales recently and honestly i was impressed.

The only downside is you get only 720P.

Thats the reason XVIDS and VCDs dont look utter crap on these projection TVs compared to Full HD LCD panels which have 1920x1080(1080p) resolution.

You compromise Full HD for pure cinema size display which if you are ok with is damn good bang for the buck.

BRAVIA is far superior to other RPTVs i had seen for sure.
 
While I agree that 720P is a downside.....I am yet to see a 1080P for anywhere close to 1 lac. The Bravia 50" LCD RPTV is for 75k... thats just an unbeatable deal. I know people who bought 32" LCD's for 75k just 3-4 months ago...
 
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