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DLP or LCD, which is better?


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Old 07-12-2005, 10:39
BeLGaRaTh
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As per topic title, I am completely bewildered by all the different formats going around at the moment. Im in the market for a new TV and am a bit confused about DLP and LCD screens. I am primarily looking for a samsung (which has been recommendedby a few people), but note that they do both DLP and LCD models.

I am after something that will offer great picture quality both for watching TV and DVD, also for gaming with my x360. So can anyone explain the differences between the two formats? I don't want to end up buying a lemon

The two that I'm looking at are as follows

DLP

and

LCD


Thanks for any help.
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Old 07-12-2005, 10:47
Vashta Nerada
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I saw a sagem 45"GDTV DLP tv as a TSV on QVC recently the picture quality looked awesome, i didnt know sagem made tv's it was £12,000 & it even upconverted the picture quality of your dvd player to HD. It sold out in no time.
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Old 07-12-2005, 12:01
Starkicker
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Erm, how could you tell what the picture quality looked like if you were watching QVC? Apart from the fact that no one is broadcasting in HD yet, even if they were it could only ever look as good as the TV you were watching on could display.
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Old 07-12-2005, 12:08
Dino
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Originally Posted by robcole2004
It even upconverted the picture quality of your dvd player to HD.
Sounds like sales b*llocks to me - if your DVD player is just outputting PAL, the TV will just display PAL. It might be scaled up to fit the screen, but that's hardly converting the picture to HD.
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Old 07-12-2005, 12:16
Iceblue
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Originally Posted by BeLGaRaTh
As per topic title, I am completely bewildered by all the different formats going around at the moment. Im in the market for a new TV and am a bit confused about DLP and LCD screens. I am primarily looking for a samsung (which has been recommendedby a few people), but note that they do both DLP and LCD models.

I am after something that will offer great picture quality both for watching TV and DVD, also for gaming with my x360. So can anyone explain the differences between the two formats? I don't want to end up buying a lemon

The two that I'm looking at are as follows

DLP

and

LCD


Thanks for any help.


DLP is a rear projection TV and has a very poor viewing angle!

LCD is a flat panel and has a much better viewing angle!

I'd go for the LCD any day....in fact I did. I have a Tosh 37" LCD


IB
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Old 07-12-2005, 12:18
Dino
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Originally Posted by Iceblue
DLP is a rear projection TV and has a very poor viewing angle!

LCD is a flat panel and has a much better viewing angle!

I'd go for the LCD any day....in fact I did. I have a Tosh 37" LCD


IB
You can also get LCD back projection systems.
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Old 07-12-2005, 12:50
Iceblue
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Originally Posted by Dino
You can also get LCD back projection systems.


So true....




IB
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Old 07-12-2005, 13:14
Dino
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DLP is essentially mechanical.

DLP uses micro-mirrors on a chip where each mirror = 1 pixel. The mirrors can be switched to an ON or OFF position, in the ON position they reflect light from the light source, in the OFF position they don't. By switching the mirrors very quickly between the ON and OFF positions, you can get shades of grey.

I would imagine the cheaper commercial DLP systems would use a single DLP chip. The light output from the DLP in that case goes through a colour wheel with Red, Green and Blue filters on it. The wheel is spun at high speed and the DLP shows the pixels for Red, Green and Blue as the corresponding filter spins in front of the DLP beam.

You can also get three-chip DLP systems; each chip is then responsible for one colour component. I think they generally use a prism to split the white light from the source into RGB then each chip reflects one component. It may also be done using coloured filters, like the single chip system. Three-chip systems give better picture quality.

LCD's on the other hand are essentially solid-state.

A bright light is masked by an LCD screen and a polarized panel. By setting the LCD pixel on (the LCD panel is polarised at 90 degrees to the fixed polarised filter), black can be achieved, off (the LCD pixel is aligned to the polarised filter) gives white. Switching is done using current and a transistor (one per pixel, I think).

Grey-scale is achieved by flicking the pixel on or off very quickly. Colour is achieved by having a colour filter over the pixels with a fine grid of RBGB pixels over it; each square block of 2x2 pixels then corresponds to a physical pixel where RGB can be controlled by blocking / allowing light through.

I would personally consider:

1) How individual screens implement these technologies, so just buy a TV because of it's video quality rather than getting caught up about the technology, rather than DLP because it's a "new technology".
2) Reliability of DLP over LCD, esp. considering it's essentially mechanical.

I would personally go for LCD, but that is not based upon imperical evidence.
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Old 07-12-2005, 18:47
Bobdk
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I have a Sony 3LCD 60" rear projection TV. You can buy the 50" one at Comet in the UK. The viewing angle is very good, picture quality brilliant, HDTV ready, connectivity excellent and at £1400 is value for money. Watching the 60" is like being at the cinema. I would expect similar from the 50", after all, what is 10"?
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