Videophiles...I need your assistance - Page 2

rayxi · #11 01-30-2006, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khitch1

rayxi: So what dollar range will provide me with perfection for my situation?

Since it's an open plan family room and not a dedicated HT room you won't be able to achieve 'perfection'. I'd recommend you stick close to you $5K budget for that very reason.

A $15K plasma is not going to look good in that room when you have light beaming in from the kitchen, dining room and foyer. The light output of a plasma just isn't up to it. The situation for a projector setup is even worse. It might be Ok at night but I'm assuming the you'll be watching the TV during the day as well.

LCD direct view has good light output but they'll blow your budget in any size appropriate for your room. I wouldn't go smaller than 55" in that room. So that leaves RPTV's. There are many good choices within your budget so go with a brand name you are comfortable with and read the professional reviews. Whether it's LCD, DLP or LCOS the quality is all in the execution not the particular technology, expecially in that price range.

Don't be put off or impressed by how it looks in the store. TV's are rarely calibrated when put on display, store lighting is usually flourescent and signal quality is questionable since they might be splitting it across multiple TV's. That's not how it will look in your house.

Sponsored Links

pseto · #12 01-30-2006, 04:35 PM

$5K for a TV ain't too bad. You can definitely get a good plasma, not sure if thats enough for a Pioneer Elite though. I think Sony and Panasonic make excellent LCDs & plasmas. You can also get a really good HD projector; I think you'll have about $1k left over which you can then use it on a screen. Although I saw a friend that had no screen, but a border on his wall where he used a special type of paint that reflects the HD picture perfectly. Not sure what its called, but it was very nice.

LeMansX5 · #13 01-30-2006, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khitch1

LeMansX5: The builder does have the option of allowing us to place certain outlets so if I got 55" I should be okay? Got any pics of your setup?

I mounted mine right above the outlet with the power outlet behind the bottom quarter of TV. Its not too high and not too low for my kid to stare right on. I will try to post pic later.

ncx · #14 01-30-2006, 04:55 PM

I agree with pseto, $5k for just the TV will buy a lot of TV. You can get the Pro Elite 50" for $5k from an authorized dealer, and it is the display that gets the highest marks from the pros. In 11 months when you house is built I am sure you can spend less. The 61" will be $1300 over budget. You will find in your search that they are the consumer displays that all others are measured against. The Panasonic plasmas look excellent as well and will save $600-800 or even more if you go with a commercial model (no speakers, no stand, a few less features). Pio's commercial models will save some $$ too.

Wall mounting is a terrific idea and really opens a room up. It won't cost you much at all to prewire for inwall speakers to complement your plasma. Its an easy DIY when the house is not sheetrocked yet. Plasmas and LCDs give you viewing angles that you can really benefit from in open floor plans. I have a very well lit room and the plasma is stunning from any angle, day or night, even from the 2nd floor walkway. LCD would be a fair choice too but not in the bigger sizes... not for wall mount. RPTV would be my 3rd choice of those three (after all, you said you are after wall mount.. skip RPTV).

Can you tell I like plasmas? Having all three of these technologies in my house right now, I bet you can guess which one is watched all the time and which ones are sadly collecting dust.

JCL · #15 01-30-2006, 05:06 PM

Well, you wanted opinions, so you will get a lot of different ones.

I would skip the wall mount. IMO, the room layout doesn't work for it. You have windows to deal with (reflections) and the fireplace is sited such that if you arrange the seating for the wall mount you won't be including the fireplace.

Part of my rationale is that I don't like looking up at a TV, I want it straight ahead from a seated position. Wall mounts often end up with it too high, from my limited experience.

A second point is that we all build our dream homes, but then we don't often stay in them for a lifetime. Have a TV that is easier to move.

I would have a floor-mounted rear-projector, DLP or SXRD, 50" to 60", at a slight angle in the top left corner of the family room (study wall and outside wall). Ensure you have sufficient connection points there, and possible run a conduit for speakers to be elsewhere. I would consider a built-in wall unit along the study wall, to hold all the components. A cable duct from there to the floor-mounted TV would be helpful.

I understand the rationale of a wall mount if the wall is in exactly the right place, or it is a small apartment and floor space is at a premium. Neither seems to apply here.

I have the SXRD and highly recommend it, but there are very good DLPs as well. I wouldn't go for plasma myself in this case, since the prime advantage of minimal thickness of the panel wouldn't be a consideration for a floor mounted unit.

Just my $0.02

Chris F. · #16 01-30-2006, 06:52 PM

I have to agree with the guys....looking up at a TV is going to hurt your neck after awhile I would think. Not only that, but it is not the optimal viewing position. I might advise you put the set on the wall against the kitchen or against the other wall in your diagram.

Having said that, how far back do you think you will be from the TV? Where are you going to position the couch? Screen size will vary depending upon how far back you are going to be.

If you can plop your TV on a stand, your options open up widely. If you are stuck on putting it on the wall, then your choice is LCD or Plasma. Plasma has the edge in picture quality IMHO. Hitachi has a 55" unit that is now on sale from a factory direct website for $4400, shipping and tax included. If you want a refurb, you can save a grand or so.

For the 'best' plasma, Panasonic, Fujitsu and Pioneer are all tops. Hitachi uses Panasonic glass, as I believe Fujitsu does too.

It all depends on how willing you are to place the set on the wall or stand. There is a really nice Sony (MD has one) but it can't be placed on the wall. It has higher resolution than the Plasmas currently on the market.

motordavid · #17 01-30-2006, 08:38 PM

Khitch;
JCL's post, above, took the words outta my mouth...

With that kind of "room volume", eg the open two story fam room, I feel a flat panel screen hung on that wall, will look a bit odd. There are some fineazz TV holding units or, smaller...a TV credenza to rest tv on and, pack components in.

I'm a very happy Sony,NoBaloney 60" SXRD new user and it's only 20" wide, inc. space from wall. Not humping them, though; hellsbells, the TV prod line will be progressed, probably much cheaper and expanded, 10-11 months from now. I wouldn't even "look" at this point, imo.

Time's on your side price, quality improvements and tech-wise. And, no matter what you buy then, it will be cheaper 2 months later and the next new "technology" will be announced a month later. "Perfect" is not gonna happen.

If you wanna get confused and depressed, peruse AVS Forum for awhile;
every fooking brand gets hammered by the hard core, nit picking, egomainiac eagle eyes, there.

GL,md

LeMansX5 · #18 01-30-2006, 09:54 PM

khitch1, I have a big family room and have several windows so lot of natural light. In the pic below(I have the expanded fam-room) I have the flat-panel on the study-wall. Never had a problem of looking up or neck hurting as the room is big enough. The problem of looking up is there when you have not so big room. In my setup we can see the TV all the way from kitchen. The sound is good with in-ceiling and in-wall speakers surround sound. As ncx mentioned go for the Pioneer Elite.

JV · #19 01-30-2006, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motordavid

Khitch;
JCL's post, above, took the words outta my mouth...

With that kind of "room volume", eg the open two story fam room, I feel a flat panel screen hung on that wall, will look a bit odd. There are some fineazz TV holding units or, smaller...a TV credenza to rest tv on and, pack components in.

I'm a very happy Sony,NoBaloney 60" SXRD new user and it's only 20" wide, inc. space from wall.

md just reminded me of something- the stands for those big plasmas/lcd's and SXRD's are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. That's actually part of the reason we traded down from the 50" SXRD to the 40" Bravia LCD- the only stands the future mrs. thought were decent as furniture were $1500 and up. Factor that part into your budget, and don't forget the wall mount will not be cheap either if you decide to stick your flat panel on the wall.

If you want to price the stands and entertainment walls, etc. I found a pretty good site:
http://www.standsandmounts.com

Some of the big dawg makers of those pieces:

http://www.sanus.com
http://www.salamanderfurniture.com
http://www.bdiusa.com
http://www.jsp-industries.com/Pages/introhomethea.html

LeMansX5 · #20 01-30-2006, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JV

md just reminded me of something- the stands for those big plasmas/lcd's and SXRD's are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. That's actually part of the reason we traded down from the 50" SXRD to the 40" Bravia LCD- the only stands the future mrs. thought were decent as furniture were $1500 and up. Factor that part into your budget, and don't forget the wall mount will not be cheap either if you decide to stick your flat panel on the wall.

If you want to price the stands and entertainment walls, etc. I found a pretty good site:
http://www.standsandmounts.com

Some of the big dawg makers of those pieces:

http://www.sanus.com
http://www.salamanderfurniture.com
http://www.bdiusa.com

I got the Sanus mount for $100 from www.buy.com

Sponsored Links