who makes the top DLP televisions? i'm looking to buy a new tv for next year, but dont have the money for an LCD, so DLP is the next best option. i've heard good things about Samsung. whats this 1080p chip? i've heard of 1080i, can someone explain the difference, if there is any? any opinions on DLP or good DLP brands in general is greatly appreciated. thanks

9/25/2006 9:29:29 PM

personally I've always felt like most LCD's pale in comparision to other HD options

9/25/2006 9:32:26 PM

so you think DLP is better than LCD? one of the few that i've heard say that...i agree with you, for the money, DLP is a great deal

9/25/2006 9:34:15 PM

DLP doesnt have the brightness of LCD or the super wide angle viewing of the high end LCD's. It does have much better color reproduction and contrast ratio than LCD panels (in my experience anyway, anyone feel free to post numbers to contrary)

9/25/2006 9:52:02 PM

One of the biggest factors in my purchasing a LCD over a DLP was the fact that within 3-4 years you'll have to replace the bulb in a DLP. Supposedly those bulbs are only good for about 6,000 hours before you have to have it replaced. At 5 hours a day (national avg. that people watch tv daily) you are looking at about 4.5 years. You are probably looking at around $200 for parts and labor.

So, if you figure in 1-2 bulb replacements you have your difference in cost between DLP and LCD. I went with LCD - 40" Sony Bravia, the picture is awesome!

9/25/2006 10:09:25 PM

yeah, the sony lcd is awesome, my parents have a 42 sony lcd, i love it, but cant afford it, atleast not back when they bought. i'll have to take a closer look at lcd tvs, i'm assuming the price has come down a lot over the past 1 1/2-2 years. i was initially looking at DLP b/c i knew they were cheaper, but maybe i should start looking at LCD again. one thing i know tho, is that i cant afford a flat panel, so i'd have to go rear projection

9/25/2006 10:32:52 PM

Quote :

"So, if you figure in 1-2 bulb replacements you have your difference in cost between DLP and LCD."

Yea but by that time your LCD's picture will have degraded where as the DLP's will still look new.

9/25/2006 10:41:20 PM

Quote :

"One of the biggest factors in my purchasing a LCD over a DLP was the fact that within 3-4 years you'll have to replace the bulb in a DLP. Supposedly those bulbs are only good for about 6,000 hours before you have to have it replaced. At 5 hours a day (national avg. that people watch tv daily) you are looking at about 4.5 years. You are probably looking at around $200 for parts and labor. So, if you figure in 1-2 bulb replacements you have your difference in cost between DLP and LCD. I went with LCD - 40" Sony Bravia, the picture is awesome!"

Rear-projection LCD TVs still have a bulb that needs to be replaced. I bought a display model Samsung HLN-50" back around July of 2003 with 3-4k hours already on the bulb. I just had to replace it about 2 months ago and when I did, the display was like new. The TV is probably on 2-3 hours per night and 12 hours on college/pro football weekends. $180 parts (samsungparts.com is the cheapest I found) and $0 labor unless I bill myself for 15 minutes of work.

9/27/2006 8:04:42 AM

DLP over LCD anyday.

DLP has a better looking picture, "true" black (something that bugs the shit out of me w/LCDs), better bang/buck, etc...

yes, you have to replace the bulbs every now and then (you can DIY on most models, bulbs are around $150), but once you do the TV is BRAND NEW again. LCDs are prone to burn-in and degradation.

If you can afford it, get a LED-backlit DLP, those will neer burn out but still cost $texas I think.


For my money, Samsung makes the best DLP followed VERY CLOSELY by Toshiba.

9/27/2006 10:01:39 AM

just got my 50" Samsung DLP - love it except for the resolution limitations on PC inputs - bet even then it's still looking good

9/27/2006 10:24:19 AM

just ordered the samsung 46"dlp...can't wait.

9/27/2006 11:26:42 AM