Thu 22 Feb 2007
SED TV alternatives – what to buy now. Please comment.
Posted by SED TV Guy under SED TV[10] Comments
I’m looking for comments on SED TV alternatives. Realistically it may be up to a couple of years before the Canon SED TV is available at a price that anyone can stomach.
What is available today that can bridge the gap until SED television is here?
LCD has it’s drawbacks with picture quality and contrast and plasma sets do cost more and consume a lot of power. However, those are the two main choices right now.
Please recommend specific models, either from personal experience or just what your current dream TV is. I’ll post info and reviews on the top 10 models suggested on this page SED TV Alternatives. Thanks.
Technorati Tags: SED TV, Canon SED TV, SED television
February 23rd, 2007 at 11:57 am
Now… yet again… is the worst time to buy a TV. That is because we will see two technologies that will be out & competitively priced this year: the LED LCDs & 1080p Plasmas. Wait for them. Wait for them. If it happens they might be incredible! Maybe. I think so.
If someone had a gun to my head & forced me to buy a television today it would be DLP projection (front or rear). Projectors have been advancing in a great direction; cheaper, smaller, brighter, quieter, more resolution, more connections, less rainbow. It’s a shame the DLP rear projections are getting so unpopular, just like CRTs. The flat panels really have to step up if they keep eliminating the technologies that play video beautifully.
February 23rd, 2007 at 12:29 pm
I didn’t really answer the question. My favorite was the HP rear projection DLP TVs that they just took off the market. Also I like the Mitsubishi 720p DLP front screen projectors. I think right now it’s smart to get a 720p projector because the money you save not getting 1080 will allow you a much better 1080 projector in the not to distant future as that technology is moving very fast as the demand is huge. I guess I again didn’t answer the question.
I was really looking forward to an SED. They’re really blowing it, I would predict that other flat screens may figure out how to be as good as a SED, before SED even hits the stores.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:19 pm
If you absolutley have to buy today, I’d go with the Sony Bravia XBR3 lineup. By far the best picture quality on the market right now.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KDL40XBR3&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tv_flatpanel_32to40
If you can wait a few months (July), then the Samsung 81 series look very promising (contrast ratio 50:000 – 1, HDMI 1.3, etc)
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/01/07/samsung.lcd.with.led.light/
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Take the contrast ratios with a grain of salt : Many manufacturers are using an iris to artificially simulate better contrast ratios. A buddy of mine has a SONY XBR 60″ TV and the auto-iris is annoying at best, the picture is constantly surging bright and dim as if someone were trying to see how big of objects they could jam down their garbage disposal while you were watching TV.
If you absolutely need to buy something right now, get some speakers or a receiver as audio has more impact then visual anyway. Buying anything less then SED is just throwing your money away. Scan-Speak or Sea’s available as kits @ madisound.com (on the high-end.)
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Pioneer’s codename Plasma 2.0 witnessed recently at CES Las Vegas due on the market later this year has been quoted as being on par with SED. The Plasma technology used has been completely redeveloped from scratch and quotes impressive contrast ratios which even makes the blacks on current Pioneer flagship look positively grey.
However, as the current Pioneer model retails at £5000, the successor is also likely to be in this price bracket at launch.
A cheaper promising alternative may be Hitachi new range of 1080P Plasmas also due towards the end of this year, which also promises revolutionary technology, albeit at a much more affordable price.
When it comes to pound for pound quality, value and specification, historically Hitachi plasmas are hard to beat.
February 23rd, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Sony SXRD models based on LCOS technology look the best to me right now when I peruse the store. Much better viewing angles and screen uniformity than the Samsung DLP’s in my opinion.
They run cheaper than the XBR sets as well.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KDS50A2000&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tv_ProjectionTVs_RearProjection_42to51TVs
February 26th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
I recommend (and recently purchased) a 60 inch Sony SXRD rear projection TV as a stopgap until SED or equivalent technology become available on the market at a resonable price (looks to be 3 years now). They have an reasonably priced “low end KDS-xxA2000″ and slightly newer KDS-xxA2200 where xx is the screen size. The higher end XBR2 models have more HDMI inputs and beter internal upscaling, which you may or may not need based on your input devices. Some factors to consider:
If you require a true flat panel solution, the choices are clear: Plasma for brightly lit areas, LCD for dark rooms. Early issues with both models have been resolved, especially in high end models. Differences between major manufacturers are insignificant despite the passionate partisan postings on user websites. Make sure that you go with a 1080 solution – early reviews have indicated 1080i and 1080p are indiscernible to the human eye. These data are not fully reliable, as very few good 1080p sources exist.
If bigger screen size is better and you can stand 20-22 inches of depth, the Sony XBR and SXRD 1080p TVs have a demonstrably superior picture quality over plasma and LCD in the larger sizes (50 inches and greater). They can be set for bright or dark rooms, or even to compensate to changing conditions. Again beware – much of the negative opinion on any HDTV receiver is based on flawed inputs or poor upscaling components external to the display. The biggest drawback to the latest generation of RPTVs is viewing angle. If that’s important, you are back to plasma or LCD.
If resolution is the single most important feature, stick with CRTs. Sceen size will be limited and depth and weight of the unit will continue to be big factors.
February 28th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Great comments so far. Thanks for your input. I need a new TV sometime towards the end of this year and now have a few good choices to check out.
March 3rd, 2007 at 2:11 am
as far as pc monitors go i stick with crt monitors until lcd makers can make
superior quality screens that have no dead pixels, no ghosting ect.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
As Chris above mentioned LED based displays are coming. RPTVs (LCos/SXRD/D-ILA & DLP) and LCD will very soon be using LED backlighting instead of lamps and color wheels [DLP]. Some DLPs are already available and LCDs are close. Their color, black level and contrast ratios are said to as good as Plasma or very close [maybe even better!]. Some companies have also figured out how to increase the access/response times of LCDs to that equal to CRT. I’d also suggest waiting at least until the end of the year. Also, OLED (Organic Light-emitting Diode displays), PLED (Polymer Light-emitting Diodes) and LEP (Light-emitting Polymers) are said to be coming and will probably replace LCDs down the road. Maybe the solution is to get something relatively inexpensive for now like a 42″ or 50″ 720p Plasma until everything settles out. You can always use the Plasma (or whatever) in another room later.