Circuit City may be dumping DLP

[MacLeod]

Was at my favorite store in the world tonight sizing up tv's for my new crib and got to talking to the sales guy about DLP sets and their crappy reliability. He told me that due to their poor reliability that CC was going to phase them out of their showrooms and offer them strictly for online sales. Said they were losing money having to keep working on them and most of the time swapping them out.

Dont know how much of an authority a CC sales guy is but I wouldnt really be surprised. RP tv's as a hole seem to be on their way out. When you consider $200+ bulb replacement and up to 30% repair rate (Consumer Reports) and the fact that you can get 720 plasma sets for about the same price as comparable size DLP's you can see how the RP's days could be numbered.

Sucks too, cause a good DLP picture is still my favorite this side of a Pioneer Elite.

[wingnut4772]

I have had several and they have all had issues. The only reason I kept giving them a shot was for the PQ.

[MacLeod]

Not to derail my own thread but I just checked out your pictures Darla. How did you afford that HT on a cops salary? ;)

[hoosier21]

2) How did you afford that HT on a cops salary? ;)

hey, it's easy, bust a dealer that has 10k in cash, turn in 5k, everbody knows that:rolleyes:

[wingnut4772]

Not to derail my own thread but I just checked out your pictures Darla. 2 questions. 1) anybody tell you that you look like Ally Sheedy? 2) How did you afford that HT on a cops salary? ;)

No one has ever told me that because I really don't :eek: Really. Never.

[hoosier21]

The I my reason I kept giving them a shot was for the PQ.

umm what? too much wine maybe

[wingnut4772]

umm what? too much wine maybe

Ha no. I don't drink. That was sent from my iPhone and I guess I forgot to check it.:o

[avguytx]

Man....I always loved Ally Sheedy. From Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire especially. Sigh....

[disneyjoe7]

Plasma must be kicking some ass in the reliability department ;)

[MacLeod]

****

[BaggedLancer]

I dunno - there is a little resemblance. :D

It's close, but we're gonna need the full body shot of Darla for the true comparison.



Darla.............:p

[wingnut4772]

:)...

[BaggedLancer]

We're waiting!

[avguytx]

I concur. :D

[MacLeod]

Plasma must be kicking some ass in the reliability department ;)


Actually is seems that LCD's are gaining ground. There are more of them on the salesfloor than plasmas and Sony is dumping its RP line entirely in favor of LCD's exclusively.

[BaggedLancer]

Nothing can compare to the reliability and longevity of an LCD. Plasma has the reliability, not the longevity. DLP has neither.

[MacLeod]

From what Ive been reading, plasmas are supposed to be in the 15 year lifespan now. That seems plenty long. Especially for upgrade prone individuals like us.

[BaggedLancer]

I'll believe that when I see it. I want the PQ to be the same as the day I bought it. LCD PQ may be a little less than plasma but it never changes. The people I know with plasmas have said you can tell that it deteriorates over time.

[obieone]

I was unaware that DLP's were THAT unreliable? I'm glad I went w/ LCD!:D

[Mike Reeter]

I was unaware that DLP's were THAT unreliable? I'm glad I went w/ LCD!:D

I'll second that,I knew there were some issues,but not that drastic...We bought a Sony LCD over a year ago...still very brilliant p.q.

[bobman1235]

LCDs are great as long as the picture isn't moving. The lag with fast action and sports (unless you spend for the top tier LCDs which I certainly can't afford) is just a dealbreaker to me.

My DLP has been fantastic, and I've had it for .... well a while now, I'm not really sure how long. I wouldn't mind the bulb replacement, but it's a shame they can't make them more reliable.

[Monster Jam]

Actually is seems that LCD's are gaining ground. There are more of them on the salesfloor than plasmas and Sony is dumping its RP line entirely in favor of LCD's exclusively.


Thats also what the Home Theatre Guys reported on their podcast from CES. They visited the varous manufacturers booths annd noted a suprising absence of ANY projection TV. Sony wasn't the only manufacturer to state that they were getting out of the DLP/SXRD/LCOS business.

[MacLeod]

Went to Best Buy today to buy some interim HT mains and talked to the guy about their DLP's. He hadnt heard anything about them phasing out the line at all. He knew Sony was giving them up but as far as he knew, they were still going to carry them.

I also saw a new Panasonic LIFI rear projector there. Same price as the Sammys but with supposed better reliability and longer lifespan of the bulb. PQ looked pretty solid. This might be something. I suppose time will tell.

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Televisions/LIFI-Projection-HDTVs.list.75005_11002_7000000000000005702

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/learn/televisions/whats-hot-LIFI.jsp

[venomclan]

I can see DLP's being out for a while longer as long as the prices for Plasma and LCD remain higher for the larger screen. I would not be surprised if Circuit City disappeared though.
Venom

[wallstreet]

For pure PQ, plasma beats LCD hands down. LCD has come a long way though. I'm just not sure they'll ever catch plasma though. At some point, you reach the limit of the technology. DLP is an expensive technology, especially for front projection. I get bulbs at cost and they still run $350.

[1fastz28]

screw CC, i was one of the 3400 they laid off back in march

regardless toshiba and sony got out of the RP world this past year. i can't imagine samsung much longer, mitsubishi is still producing really good DLP sets, and they have their new lazer tv's do out sometime this year. the world of DLP is going to be reserved for the 60''+ screens i believe

[mulveling]

For pure PQ, plasma beats LCD hands down. LCD has come a long way though. I'm just not sure they'll ever catch plasma though. At some point, you reach the limit of the technology. DLP is an expensive technology, especially for front projection. I get bulbs at cost and they still run $350.
Like most anything, that really depends. I personally prefer plasma, too. However, that's driven by my preferences and present needs.

Plasma looks better than LCD in a dark room, vice-versa in a bright room (ala BestBuy & CC showroom). The reason is a consequence of the technologies used; the LCD screen's polarizing filters do a MUCH better job rejecting ambient room light than the plasma's phosphor-coated glass. Also, out eyes don't notice the LCD's backlight bleed-through because they've adjusted to brighter conditions. Stick them in a the dark room and the bleed-thru from the LCD's backlight suddenly becomes a significant issue compared to the excellent natural black level of a plasma. Now UNFORTUNATELY I bet this phenomenon is going to have an effect on the market going forward. Consumers see LCDs looking great in the BB/CC showroom, so that is what they are going to buy. If they take that and stick it in a dark HT they might be disappointed.

A more subjective generalization is that plasma tends to have significantly better color purity & accuracy. Decades of evolutionary refinements to phosphor formulas (thanks to the CRT) has achieved wonders. Now if plasma goes, we risk losing the fruits of this wonderful tech :(
Now accuracy is not the same as color vibrance; as LCD panels have that in spades. As a consequence, I prefer the more film-like natural colors of plasma for live-action films, but love the vibrant pop of an LCD for animation movies (where arguably color vibrance is more important than accuracy).

The Rear Projection sets (the vast majority of which are DLP) are a maintenance nightmare because those bulbs will never have a consistently long life. Way too much heat concentrated in such a small area. Plus it often depends on a moving part (fan) to keep things from frying. The excess heat can also have an effect on the image chip. Not to mention what would happen if that small projector in the big box gets dislodged during transport...Those RP TVs must be beating the hell out of CC and BB on those warranty plans they offer, which is traditionally where they expect to make the most money. Anything that screws with their margins there is going to be enemy #1 for corporate headquarters.

[mantis]

Honeslty DLP sucks for all those reasons. Some have great picture quality but at a high expense. LCD and Plasma are the way to go. As said before everything will be flat panel. No one wants tabletop tv's anymore. There are a small few that still hang on.

99% of our tv sales get hung on the wall.

Dan

[mulveling]

Yeah, another issue with the DLP/Rear Projectors is that they depend too much on optics. There's a lens on the projector - really good lenses cost too much to go into a set that's going to sell for under $5K. Cheaper lenses will have a greater degree of chromatic aberrations and geometric distortion.

Then the screen itself is a kind of lens that focuses the projector's output to display a sufficiently bright image. It does this at GREAT sacrifice to vertical viewing angle, in particular, and it also adds in some of that grainy texture to bright areas of the image - go ahead and compare it to a plasma; it's striking how much smoother the plasma looks. No optics on flat panels, completely bypassing a significant source of image degradation.

There was a time when I was a CRT stalwart, and a time when I really lusted after a nice DLP (despite all their issues they can still look AWESOME), but today's crop of panels are kicking some serious ass in quality and reliability while improving price-to-size ratio. I want a nice Panny 50" plasma so bad :(

[dephinistr8]

Question:
How long, on average, do you all really keep your TV's? I bought my Mitsubishi DLP from the Big Screen Store, and they threw in a 5 year warranty with unlimited bulb replacement over those 5 years.

However my point is this, I've never owned a TV longer than 5 or 6 years. The bulbs for this model (65833) are about 175 bucks, but I won't ever have to buy one.

As far as I can tell, the PQ is top notch (although I may just be giddy that I have it).
It would also seem that for the price, the projections are still the way to go for a really big screen.

[Fireman32]

I van not complain about my DLP. I've had it for 3+ years now and not a single issue.

[steveinaz]

No one has ever told me that because I really don't :eek: Really. Never.


That is FUNNY. I almost posted a number of times that you look like a young Alley Sheedy--too funny. Now I'm confirmed.

[wingnut4772]

I actually wish they were still making nice CRT displays. Those are the best.

[steveinaz]

My Samsung (HL-S series) has been working well. But I'm beginning to wonder if I should get an extended warranty..hmmm

[bobman1235]

I actually wish they were still making nice CRT displays. Those are the best.

You've obviously nevre had to move one.

My mom bought a 36" CRT HDTV back 3 years ago or so, and my brother and I recently moved it for her. Holy crap. It weighs (literally) almost 300 pounds. And of course has sharp plastic corners on the base. F me.

Meanwhile my 42" DLP I can lift and move by myself with no problem. Yay technology.:)

[wingnut4772]

You've obviously nevre had to move one.

My mom bought a 36" CRT HDTV back 3 years ago or so, and my brother and I recently moved it for her. Holy crap. It weighs (literally) almost 300 pounds. And of course has sharp plastic corners on the base. F me.

Meanwhile my 42" DLP I can lift and move by myself with no problem. Yay technology.:)

I have moved many. Even a 50" RP CRT.:eek: It's worth it.

[MacLeod]

The Rear Projection sets (the vast majority of which are DLP) are a maintenance nightmare because those bulbs will never have a consistently long life. Way too much heat concentrated in such a small area. Plus it often depends on a moving part (fan) to keep things from frying. The excess heat can also have an effect on the image chip. Not to mention what would happen if that small projector in the big box gets dislodged during transport...Those RP TVs must be beating the hell out of CC and BB on those warranty plans they offer, which is traditionally where they expect to make the most money. Anything that screws with their margins there is going to be enemy #1 for corporate headquarters.

What about the LED sets Samsung is coming out with. Arent those supposed to take care of the bulb replacing issue and they dont use a color wheel either. That right there would seem like it takes care of the 2 biggest issues with DLP's. Replacing the bulb and reliability problems that are generally due to the color wheel effing up.

Plus, isnt lasers going to be used in some future sets?

[Monster Jam]

I have moved many. Even a 50" RP CRT.:eek: It's worth it.

LOL I watched the CC guys carry my 300lb beast (57" RP CRT HDTV) up stairs and around a corner, all the while holding it higher than the handrails. Hated it for them. But the joke is on me. When I buy a new TV, I'm the one on the hook to get it out of there. Open up the balcany doors and "look out below!!!!"

The picture is great on it. Its a hassle to continually calibrate (convergence) the set though. If I had the cashe, I'd ditch it in a heartbeat. The sad truth is I would have a hard time giving it away for free (my parents, still using a 15 year old Analog RP TV said no to it).

[huggies]

Anybody want a 40 inch Mitsu CRT? You pick it up....... it's only 400 lbs. Phoenix area.... So glad I got my plasma, just have to figure out what to do with this behemoth.....

[rainman31]

Anybody want a 40 inch Mitsu CRT? You pick it up....... it's only 400 lbs. Phoenix area.... So glad I got my plasma, just have to figure out what to do with this behemoth.....

Sure I'll bring over my forklift ;)