- 1,446
- MustangXS
- MustangXS
If you were to buy a TV right now, I would recommend either the JVC 720p LCOS line or the Sony 60" A2000. I'm gonna buy another TV in about a year, maybe year and a half. Planning on at least 70".
Who is buying a HiDef TV this year for gaming
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Solid Lifters
In Memoriam
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MustangSVT
I wouldn't even consider owning a 720p set at this time. 1080p is THE WAY TO GO. Especially if you plan to own a PS3.
This set is fast becoming known as a "GAMERS HDTV SET" because of the fantastic job it does with the XBox360. Did you see that pic?
The Sony KDL-46X2000 is very close the the KDL-46XBR2/3 but they are not the same. The XBR has better engine and processing upgrades like Bravia Engine Pro and DRC 2.5 over 2.0. There's also one more HDMI input. But, you're right, these two are basically the same set.
If I could wait, and I can't, I'd get the new LED backlight Bravia's coming out in 2007. For now, I've given up on SED sets. Things aren't going well. The sets aren't performing like they need to, quality and dependability are at issue and there are legal troubles.
The new Sony Bravia line coming out in 2007 will have a new feature called Triluminos and a LED based backlight compared to the current fluorescent backlight. Sony basically used the Qualia 005 as a testing ground for the new technology and I guess things went well. This line of HDTV set will finally take advantage of HDMI 1.3 inputs and will support xvYCC color space. Expect to see them mid-late 2007. I also expect to see Cell chips in these to equip more features than the current Bravia Pro XBR models. In fact, the set I'm getting has no POP or PIP! That's outrageous, but what can I do? This set greatly appeals to me.
Of course, there are drawbacks with the new LED backlight technology. Though colors are improved, black and gray scales aren't that great. Plus, the LED runs HOT and uses a lot more power than fluorescent backlights.
EDIT: I found the article on my PC about the new LED LCD sets from Sony if you're interested...
If you ask anyone who cares about the look of their HDTV or graphics workstation display, they'll tell you the same thing: LCDs don't reproduce color very well. But over the next few years, that situation may change, thanks to improved backlighting using LED technology.
Don't make your purchasing plans just yet, however. Sony plans to ship the first line of LED-backlit TVs, dubbed Qualia 005, in November, but--as is the case with many other emerging technologies--only in Japan. Currently the company has no plans for a U.S. release.
And these televisions won't be cheap. The 46-inch model will cost 1,102,500 yen (about $10,000); the 40-incher will cost 840,000 yen (about $7600).
Sony designed its LED technology, called Triluminos, with the help of Lumiled Lighting. The latter company, which calls its LED backlighting technology Luxeon, will supply Sony with the LEDs. Lumiled has a similar relationship with NEC, which is also working on LED-backlit LCD monitors.
Behind the Screens
"Most people don't realize that LCDs are limited in the color spectrum because of the lights behind them," says IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell. If you improve the backlight, you improve the color, he says.
Conventional flat-panel LCDs use cold cathode fluorescent lamps for backlighting. The colors of light that a CCFL emits span the range of the visible spectrum, and a person looking at the backlight sees this mixture of frequencies as white light.
Each pixel has three tiny filters, one red, one green, and one blue; adjusting the amount of light through those filters yields mixtures of various quantities of red, green, and blue light. Because of the way the human eye works, different mixtures of those primary colors are all it takes for a person to perceive all the different colors across the visible spectrum.
Instead of a CCFL, Luxeon and Triluminos technologies use an array of red, green, and blue LEDs; again, humans perceive the mix of these lights as white. But when, for instance, the green and blue are filtered out of a pixel, you get the pure, saturated red of a red LED (unlike with the "white" light source of the CCFL, which permits a range of red frequencies through the filter). And these purer primary colors yield better-looking mixtures, as well.
According to Lumiled, the results are dramatic. Sony's new TVs are supposed to deliver a color gamut equivalent to 105 percent of the NTSC color space. By comparison, most LCDs manage only 65 to 75 percent, and even CRT monitors generally provide around 80 percent.
IDC's O'Donnell is enthusiastic about the new approach. "I think it's a great technology.... Color purists still don't want to go with LCD monitors because of [the displays' color] limitations. Well, guess what? Now they can."
Taking Control
In addition to better colors, LED backlighting gives you more control, allowing you to fine-tune the colors on your set. And according to Mark Pugh, Lumiled vice president, Sony's new TVs will even be self-correcting.
"We have a sensor that detects red, green, and blue" and will maintain your color settings, "even though LEDs vary over time," he says.
The technology has other advantages, too. According to both Pugh and IDC's O'Donnell, LEDs pose less potential hazard to the environment than CCFLs because they don't contain mercury. They also have a longer lifetime and are less prone to breaking. On the other hand, they use more power, which is why you probably won't see them in notebooks any time soon.
In fact, unless you're reasonably affluent, you probably won't see them in your living room soon, either. O'Donnell predicts, "In the near future, [they won't be] common because they'll be too expensive. But in two or three years, they'll be common." They are, he adds, "clearly the way to go."
- 7,965
Most likely I will be purchasing a 42" + 1080p compatible TV within the next few months, to handle the insane graphics from the upcoming consoles. 
- 2,061
^^^ You could always get a 50" from Sony, the A2000 series. IMO it's the best purchase for the money as far as picture quality and resolution, colors are great, and it's unrivaled for it's price and it's response time.
- 2,061
I'm pretty sure there isn't an XBR3, only XBR and XBR2.
And I'm not really a fan of the LCD TV's, while they are brighter (only by a small margin at that) they do not produce the quality level of contrast between brights, darks, and midrange colors. Not to mention the blacks are no where near the level of "dark" that current SXRD's from Sony yield (and other DLP / LCD / LCoS TV's for that matter).
Solid Lifters
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There are definitely XBR3s. There will be a 40, 46 and 52 inch model available soon.
The only difference is the $300 higher price, piano black bezel, black remote and pride of owning a better looking set than XBR2 owners.
Not with the XBR2/3s. It's a whole new ball game.
Black levels are stunning. Excellent contrast and brightness. Vibrant colors and beautiful reds. This set just stunned me.
But, like ALL LCDs, it still has some blur, but it ain't much and it doesn't happen often.
The only gripes I have are, lack of features (POP/PIP, channel surf PIP, etc.), DRC2.5 doesn't work well with some 480i sources and 480i with DRC off look just as bad.
Other than that, this set is absolutely fantastic. HD is so unbelievable.
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Just came across this thread while researching another member's post history.
Excellent recommendations Solid Lifters. 👍
Over the years I have seen a few demos of SED by Canon and more recently by Toshiba, as well as Kodak's OLED technology, and have been astonished by the incredible PQ.
I had high hopes for Kodak's OLED technology, but do to the relatively short lifetime of its organic matter used in combination with the layered polymeric compounds, OLED has been limited to micro screens, like cameras and cell phones. However they have been working on a new phosphorescent replacement compound (PHOLED) with is expected to have a lifetime of ~20,000 hours, or about five times greater than standard OLED screens.
A similar display technology called PLED, Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes is bein developed which will not require a vacuum, and will allow the for inexpensive flexible applications.
SED is perhaps the most impressive new display technology, and is the only current technology that comes close to offering a no compromise PQ display technology. Something that both the industry and fellow HT enthusiasts have been waiting for a VERY long time!
Canon has been trying to figure out a way to mass produce SED since 1999, and clearly is having a great deal of problems with their production and yield rates. Toshiba was brought on board a couple years ago, and yet they continue to delay production. Now it apears we wont see any consumer SED products until 2008. 👎
This is a real travesty, as working prototypes have been around now for over five years!
I also agree that it is worth keeping a close eye on LED. I am particularly impressed by the use of LEDs with DLP chips, as these prototypes have shown to have all the advantages that DLP has to offer without most of the disadvantages, like the color wheel. Using LED in replace of lamps also adds several key advantages, like better color acuity, longer lifespan, no decrease in luminance over the lifetime of the product, less heat production, etc.
As far as current digital displays, my highest recommendations are for Sony's 1920x1080 SXRD (LCoS) RPTVs, and Samsungs 1920x1080 DLP RPTVs. Even the 60" & 65" models can be bough new for ~$3,000 and look absolutely incredible. Samsung's in particular are amazing due to their proprietary prisms that have absolutely eliminated any noticeable pixel grid, unlike all the other competing DLP manufacturers using the same DLP chips. Of course the SXRD models have always had no noticeable pixel grid, and have superior color acuity (as long as you get three good panels... which has been a problem)
I certainly would never recommend ANY plasma, as they have too many problems/disadvantages, like their exaggerated pixel gaps, poor grayscale tracking, poor color acuity (especially green), highly reflective screens, high power consumption/heat, and more.
My top pick for front projection though is Sony's amazing Ruby 1920x1080 SXRD projector. It is less than one third the cost of their reference quality QUALIA 004 from just a couple years ago, and yet completely outperforms it in every way possible!
For those on a tighter budget, it's hard to bat Panasonic's amazing AE900 1280x720 LCD projector, which can now be bought for just over $1,000.
However... my ultimate recommendation is to wait!
The reason for this is that HDMI 1.3 has finally been released, and is a huge improvement over all previous versions of HDMI including the most recent, 1.2a.
Unfortunately, the change from 1.2a to 1.3 is not just a software change, but uses an entirely new chip design, so to take advantage of all that HDMI 1.3 has to offer, you'll need to have products equipped with support for 1.3.
For more details, I started a thread on HDMI 1.3 in GTP’s PS3 forum:
Excellent recommendations Solid Lifters. 👍
Over the years I have seen a few demos of SED by Canon and more recently by Toshiba, as well as Kodak's OLED technology, and have been astonished by the incredible PQ.
I had high hopes for Kodak's OLED technology, but do to the relatively short lifetime of its organic matter used in combination with the layered polymeric compounds, OLED has been limited to micro screens, like cameras and cell phones. However they have been working on a new phosphorescent replacement compound (PHOLED) with is expected to have a lifetime of ~20,000 hours, or about five times greater than standard OLED screens.
A similar display technology called PLED, Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes is bein developed which will not require a vacuum, and will allow the for inexpensive flexible applications.
SED is perhaps the most impressive new display technology, and is the only current technology that comes close to offering a no compromise PQ display technology. Something that both the industry and fellow HT enthusiasts have been waiting for a VERY long time!
Canon has been trying to figure out a way to mass produce SED since 1999, and clearly is having a great deal of problems with their production and yield rates. Toshiba was brought on board a couple years ago, and yet they continue to delay production. Now it apears we wont see any consumer SED products until 2008. 👎
This is a real travesty, as working prototypes have been around now for over five years!
I also agree that it is worth keeping a close eye on LED. I am particularly impressed by the use of LEDs with DLP chips, as these prototypes have shown to have all the advantages that DLP has to offer without most of the disadvantages, like the color wheel. Using LED in replace of lamps also adds several key advantages, like better color acuity, longer lifespan, no decrease in luminance over the lifetime of the product, less heat production, etc.
As far as current digital displays, my highest recommendations are for Sony's 1920x1080 SXRD (LCoS) RPTVs, and Samsungs 1920x1080 DLP RPTVs. Even the 60" & 65" models can be bough new for ~$3,000 and look absolutely incredible. Samsung's in particular are amazing due to their proprietary prisms that have absolutely eliminated any noticeable pixel grid, unlike all the other competing DLP manufacturers using the same DLP chips. Of course the SXRD models have always had no noticeable pixel grid, and have superior color acuity (as long as you get three good panels... which has been a problem)
I certainly would never recommend ANY plasma, as they have too many problems/disadvantages, like their exaggerated pixel gaps, poor grayscale tracking, poor color acuity (especially green), highly reflective screens, high power consumption/heat, and more.
My top pick for front projection though is Sony's amazing Ruby 1920x1080 SXRD projector. It is less than one third the cost of their reference quality QUALIA 004 from just a couple years ago, and yet completely outperforms it in every way possible!
For those on a tighter budget, it's hard to bat Panasonic's amazing AE900 1280x720 LCD projector, which can now be bought for just over $1,000.
However... my ultimate recommendation is to wait!
The reason for this is that HDMI 1.3 has finally been released, and is a huge improvement over all previous versions of HDMI including the most recent, 1.2a.
Unfortunately, the change from 1.2a to 1.3 is not just a software change, but uses an entirely new chip design, so to take advantage of all that HDMI 1.3 has to offer, you'll need to have products equipped with support for 1.3.
For more details, I started a thread on HDMI 1.3 in GTP’s PS3 forum:
- 1,044
- GTP_KARTRACER
- why waste the money
Just picked up mine 2 days ago.It's a 26" widescreen RCA scenium.Makes a huge difference in the picture.💡 👍
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