imported_viper_2_4

ya they still make them, you can get a decent TV for cheap, last time I checked you could get a 50-53" HD set for around 1k....if you have the right room you can't really go wrong...

imported_JoonyaSI

meh i aint buying a new tv till i can hang it off my ceiling or wall ..

cibs

I'm having the same problem, although i don't think i'll be buying a new TV until the winter time, got other stuff to spend my money on in the mean time...

I'm definitely stuck between a 50" tv, and a projector set up similar to bruce fee's...

For a projector set up are there any things you need (other than a digital cable box to switch channels with?) you can just use your regular surround sound system for that..

also i'm curious to know how well the projector supports HDTV?

imported_Bruce Fee

my projector has a few inputs, so you select them with the remote.

component (xbox)
s-video (switch box)
video (not used)

s-video/audio switchbox (satelitte, vcr (with cable))

if you have a dark room, and enough room, you're honestly stupid if you don't get a projector.

98"

do you understand what it is to be used to that? i cannot watch movies at friends houses anymore. I feel like it's a portable TV they have.

do it man!

the projector is about 10' from the wall, and we made the screen ourselves.

You can get projector paint as well, just paint it onto the wall.

We ran the cables through the drywall.

Regarding sound, i see audio and video as two different modules for the setup.. everything is connected to a 5.1 system. a cheap logitech z680 or whatever... for $300... i'm pretty damn happy.

cibs

i'm really likin the projector idea bruce... and the quality is decent too? i've always been a fan of the projector route... similar price, and WAY better results...

98" seems crazy... i'm so jealous..

how did you make your own screen? is there a certain kind of material that you need to use for a screen?

imported_wajih1

i highly recommend a projector setup, if you have the space, nothing can beat a 100" screen. Most new HD projectors have HDMI input, so thats the best connection to use. like bruce fee said, you can use projector screen paint.

imported_viper_2_4

^^I would think thats a big factor, the space....kind of stupid watching a 100" image in an 8x10 room (an exageration)....but otherwise sounds like a great idea

imported_Bruce Fee

my dad some rubber thing that people are using to put on their ceilings instead of painting them.

you can read all about how to make 'em on the net.

the only problem is ****ty video and game graphics become much more visible.

like SSX 3 for the xbox had the best graphics for the console i had even seen... until i played it and saw all the pixels.

for the most part it's all good though.

cibs

where is a good place to look for projectors? should i be looking in speciality stores? or would FS or BB be good enough... looking at their sites they don't seem to have a big selection of projectors... and some of the ones they do have are REALLY ****ty...

imported_Bruce Fee

i only buy big things when i get access to a really good price... i got into a panasonic warehouse for employees friends and families thing.
...
it was $3799.99 at bestbuy, i got it for $3000.

look around. tigerdirect might have decent prices. make it is a solid projector.

a year ago benQ was good for the price, they were trying to penetrate the market so they have like a warranty way longer than anyone else, and prices were low.

BUT, benQ in general sucks complete ***. so does LG.

JVC is decent I believe, but I haven't look into it much.

ask around, see what you can get. i know 2 panasonic dealers, and someone else who works in an office that gets 25% of JVC... my old company, we used to get 25% off sony... large offices a lot of times have these kinds of discounts for their employees..

in my experiences at least..

Capo

Most 2001's have a few projectors setup in there viewing room so you can check them out there. My only issue with a projector setup from what ive seen is if you have any light the picture doesnt look as sharp compared to a normal TV and as you go up in size the quality of normal SDTV goes down so unless your watching all 720p, 1080i or 1080p the picture isnt gonna look that great on such a humongous screen.

There are lots of factors to consider when buying a TV these days. Things like refresh rate are really important for sports fans or video game fanatics. You also have to look at what inputs they have and how many of each. A big expensive TV with only 1 HDMI and 1 Component can be pretty useless because you would either need to constantly switch plugs if you have a game console, DVD player STB in your setup. Also you must consider how far away your going to be sitting from the TV, having a 50" TV and sitting 5 feet away is just plain dumb. Size the TV for the room and figure out what your gonna be using it for most and work from there.

Import Racer

Thanks for everyones input. I appreciate it. This will mainly be used for watching sports and some gaming. Oh yea, and movies of course. I will be sitting 8 feet away from the TV.

As for this comment:

1. I have not seen a 50" LCD. I don't think they make them.
2. a 50" Plasma would be triple the price of a DLP. That's a little too steep for my pockets.

PULOVR

Capo hit the nail on the head. Unless you can blacken out the room where the screen will be in, it's not going to be to your liking. (trust me on that) Even a little bit of light in the room will turn vivid colours into muted ones, and the picture will also lose some of it's sharpness. And yes, watching anything less than HD programing on a screen that big is a big disappointment.

I used to have a dedicated room/bedroom for viewing TV shows and movies. At one time I had a Da-Lite glass beaded screen (120" wide") The projector I had was capable of resolutions of upto 1,280 x 1,024 (it also had ketstone correction), but considering regular cable didn't come close to that back when I had it, I was stuck using the 800x600 settings most of the time. If I had a completely dark room when watching a movie the piture was great (from a DVD). As soon as I switched back to regular cable, I saw the short commings of the video source. And to really enjoy a screen that's 8 feet or bigger, you have to sit at least 10 feet (or more) from it, or you will see the scan lines/pixels. (the sofa was around 12' from the screen in my old place)

If you are going to be sitting around 8' from the TV, you are better going with a 50" rear projection LCD screen. The clarity and brightness of an LCD (when compared to a regular projector) is better imo..... and when you see that most people don't have a dedicated "movie" room that can block out outside light, an LCD screen makes even more sense.

The only thing I really liked about my old setup, was that the screen could be rolled up out of the way, and the projector could be retracted into the ceiling by remote, leaving noithing behind to see.

Would I do it again? Yes, but only if I could have a room just for movies/sports. (Hmmm.... a future basement reno one day? ) Untill that happens an LCD rear projection would be my first choice if I was going to buy a big screen tv. And considering where I would eventually put the thing....probably in the living room, (which just so happenes to have a big window that would be hard to cover up and block out all light) it's an obvious choice.

PULOVR

Btw, for people wanting a wall mount or table top LCD screen, you are still better off with the rear projection version. The mounting brackets for the wall mount (the good ones that allow you to tilt the screen up/down, left/right, which cost extra), or the table/enertainment unit that a table top version would sit on, still take up room. A typical stand alone 50" LCD rear projection screen could have a depth less than that of a 20" tube tv. I've even seen some with depth's of less than 16". (not bad considering how big the screen is)


Check this out. It has links to some major brands.

http://www.practical-home-theater-gu...v-reviews.html

A few more things.

Try and find a screen that has the speakers along the bottom (like the ones you are looking at). It makes the screen "look" bigger.

And of the two you listed before, I would say the Sony, but you should also have a look at the Hitachi. (a pretty good price right now)


http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN

Panasonic is also a brand I would take a look at.


I almost forgot..... most screens will not come with the stand (even though it shows it in the picture). Don't worry about it if it doesn't. If the screen depth is around 16", just head over to Ikea instead. Alot of their stands/tables..ect.. are that depth. You can probably find something you might like better( and for cheaper) than what the store is willing to sell you the tv stand for. And when you do pick a stand you like, try and get one that will place the middle of the screen (measured from top to bottom) at around eye level when sitting on the sofa.

(and remember get lots of digital animation movies.... like Ice Age, Monster's Inc, Cars, Over the Hedge ) The digital graphics will make you go....)

Import Racer

PULOVR: WOW...thanks for all that info. Only thing that may bother me is the contrast ratio. I know the LCD projections are not as good as DLP in that category. Is that something that I should consider? I did check out the sets at a Future Shop, but it doesn't tell me much cuz they don't tend to adjust their picture to it's potential.
As for digital animation movies, well, I have a little girl so I'm pretty set in that category. I'll be doing a lot of sports watching, movies and some gaming. And of course I will be getting HD.

Capo

Yeah one thing that really screws buyers over when viewing in stores is that the employees and even customers tend to mess with the settings to there liking which may be the difference between another customer buying or not buying a certain piece. If you are going to spend 2-3K on a TV think about picking up a copy of DVE or AVIA. Both of these are DVD's that guide you through setting up your TV fairly close to optimal settings. Obviously if your really serious you can hire a TV tuner to come in and setup your tv to perfect optimal settings but thats gonna cost you about $300-500 and isnt generally worth it for the normal consumer.

So id suggest picking up a DVE or AVIA disc and bring it to your local A/V store and use the disc to setup the TV's your interested in. Also bring along a DVD you have seen numerous times and play the DVD on the TV and let that help your decision.

I definitely agree with PULOVR on the stand, although the stands for the tv's tend to flow with it alot better its not worth the $200-500 that you would pay when you can just get an ikea stand for like 80-150 and it may go with your other furniture better. When looking at stands I would check out the specs on the manufacturers stand and try and get a stand that is very close in height to that one as it will most likely place the middle of the screen at eye level.

AVIA can be found on Amazon.com and DVE is easy to find just google it.

PULOVR

np Import Racer.

civicnation

Samsung Plasma/lcds are absolute bull****. They are the bottom of the line stuff with the worst reviews and picture quality isn't the greatest either. They are equal many of the no name products and lower end makers such as LG. I realize these are major brand names, but the independant reviews speak for themselves. A quick in person comparison will show the difference in picture quality between a ****ty samsung lcd and the higher end lcd.

Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony are the way to go for LCDs. Better off with an LCD as opposed to a plasma.

imported_Bruce Fee

plasma is old and on its way out.

imported_wajih1

You should look at an lcd with non HD programming, its not good at all. Although plasma's have problems, its the only thing that comes close to a crt in terms of picture quality. But you cant beat a 40"+ computer monitor lol.