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DLP / LCD Rear Projection Reliability?

WM826

WM826

Well-Known Member
Do they all have serious reliability issues? It seems every time I find a set I would consider buying (used on CL) and do the research (often time on Amazon.com) there's a bunch of positive reviews but the negative really make me think twice. Bulb issues, optical block problems (Sony KDF..), not true 720 or 1080P on some sets, rainbow effects (dlp only). Is it worth it for me to even look at these types of tv? They seem to be more trouble than they're worth even though you can get a few year old 50-60" for sometimes as low as $600 and whether picture quality is outstanding or not, reliability is just not there.

What do ya'll think? Should I look at only flat screen tv's? I have considered buying an older rear projection floor tv like a Pioneer Elite but they're so heavy and hard to transport and in my opinion having the speakers underneath are a waste of space because obviously I don't need them. I'd rather have a stand underneath to put components on. So it's kind of unlikely I will go that route.
 
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For what it's worth,none of the digital RP sets looked natural to me.There's something about the picture they produce that made me what to run away.On top of that,whenever you you a bulb for your light source, the fact that they will need replacing and at their high costs puts the nail in the coffin.

As a Pioneer Elite CRT (and Elite Plasma) owner,I can state without reservation that they are the top dog in picture quality for RPs,hands down.If your priority is picture quality then they are the best choice.It gives the Kuro plasma set a run for it's money.
 
The only Pioneer floor tv I have been eyeing is the 58" Elite PRO 610. It's advertised locally for $500. I don't know about this model, but every RP floor tv I've seen in thrift stores has a very dark picture. Is this because the store is so bright or if this normal for this type of tv, or for the cheaper sets?

Is this model similar to your CRT? I can only afford to spend about $450-$500 so if not dlp/lcd RP, it's plasma or a large floor model crt. The plasmas usually are not so cheap but often time say "o/bo". I have seen a 42" Panasonic Viera new for around $575 at a few online stores. The large floor tv's are significantly cheaper though. My biggest problem I guess if I found one I really liked is not so much floor space but getting the thing home. I don't have a truck and almost no one I know has one nearby so unless I can give the seller some dough to help me out and they agree, I'm out of luck.
 
I do like the fact that if someone broke in and wanted to steal our tv & audio components, it's not easily happening with a large RP. We keep our shades open all day and I'm sometimes nervous I will come home to a break-in and walk inside to no stereo. Our current 32" Trinitron is at no risk of being stolen (175 lbs) but a plasma or lcd I can very easily see and they resale a lot better than the crt's do these days also.
 
WM826 said:
The only Pioneer floor tv I have been eyeing is the 58" Elite PRO 610. It's advertised locally for $500. I don't know about this model, but every RP floor tv I've seen in thrift stores has a very dark picture. Is this because the store is so bright or if this normal for this type of tv, or for the cheaper sets?

Is this model similar to your CRT? I can only afford to spend about $450-$500 so if not dlp/lcd RP, it's plasma or a large floor model crt. The plasmas usually are not so cheap but often time say "o/bo". I have seen a 42" Panasonic Viera new for around $575 at a few online stores. The large floor tv's are significantly cheaper though. My biggest problem I guess if I found one I really liked is not so much floor space but getting the thing home. I don't have a truck and almost no one I know has one nearby so unless I can give the seller some dough to help me out and they agree, I'm out of luck.
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The PRO 610 was the 58" model in 2001. This is a crt set (3 guns).My set is the PRO 520 (53") made in '02. The difference between those 2 years' sets is minor, but one feature the x20 sets had over the x10 was the ability to change the size of the image over the component inputs. On the x10 models, it would only display the image as FULL.On sets after that year,you could change the image to other choices if you desired.

The 58" set is a pretty good size screen.You'd need to be sitting back about 10-12 feet from the set.

$500 might seem a bit high for this set. Keep in mind that they were damn near $6000 in '01.
 
I don't know about the Pioneer but when I moved my Sony it knocked the color out of alignment. It cost almost $200 to have someone come out to adjust. If the projector bulbs go you are looking at another $200 plus labor. I would hold out and get a new LED. The price keeps coming down and in the long run you will be way ahead.
 
The reason I didn't mention LCD flat screens (well, RP LCD too) as an option is I don't like the motion artifacts which (to my eyes) are still present on the newer tv's. And I'm trying to get at least a 40" and the LCD's of that size or larger are usually too expensive.

I sit probably 10-12 feet away. Though my brother usually sits or lies to the side which is closer so the picture may not look as great to him. He's been saying a 37" would be fine but I have seen this size at his friends home and it didn't look large enough for our space. I have Hpm-100's and need (want!) something BIG between them. The current Trinitron fits the bill okay, but we could do a lot wider and still have room to breathe. I think having a big/ger tv would better match our audio system, especially for movie watching.

I have already considered going the projector route but I just don't think it's going to work for us for several reasons.
 
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Duane, which model Pioneer plasma do you have?

I am researching the Panasonic Viera tv's now. They seem to be a great value. As I mentioned earlier there's a 42" Panasonic model TC-P42x1 for around $5-600 that seems pretty decent. I like some of the newer features that the older RPTV's won't have like hdmi, cable card slots, etc.

The only real downside I can think of is the possibility of burn-in (think xbox 360) and some say they get so hot they act as space heaters. But other than that and compared to the troublesome newer RPTV's they seem to have the best value and quality.
 
I have a 50" Sony rear-projection LCD (KF-50WE610)...had it for six years.

Not one single problem.

I know that the life span of the bulb is supposed to be 5 years, but it's still going strong. Had an ISF calibration shortly after buying the set...haven't touched it since. I keep waiting for the set to give up the ghost to have a reason to replace it, but it's still going strong. At the time, there was no thin LCD in a 50" size....plasma was CRAZY expensive...didn't want to deal with the "dither" issue with DLP...

I've gotten my money's worth.
 
That is good to hear but I guess you are very lucky to have had it last so long. I checked that model number on Amazon and many folks (at least a good number of the 45 reviews) were not so fortunate. I know the picture quality on the Sony's is usually very good but I'm not sure it's worth the risk, even used.
 
I've got a Samsung DLP LED model. Love the picture and I've seen a few used on CL recently - last years models for a decent price...
 
WM826 said:
I do like the fact that if someone broke in and wanted to steal our tv & audio components, it's not easily happening with a large RP. We keep our shades open all day and I'm sometimes nervous I will come home to a break-in and walk inside to no stereo. Our current 32" Trinitron is at no risk of being stolen (175 lbs) but a plasma or lcd I can very easily see and they resale a lot better than the crt's do these days also.
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They wont steal it cause you neghbor has a new modern wall mount they think is better lol
BTW I have a XBR WEGA 34" and it isnt going anywhere either, but if they go to my theater my projector weighs less than 20lbs, hope they dont look up lol..............my speakers are 310lbs each, amps are all over 50lbs so I dont worry much about that either....................much lol
 
WM826 said:
Duane, which model Pioneer plasma do you have?

I am researching the Panasonic Viera tv's now. They seem to be a great value. As I mentioned earlier there's a 42" Panasonic model TC-P42x1 for around $5-600 that seems pretty decent. I like some of the newer features that the older RPTV's won't have like hdmi, cable card slots, etc.

The only real downside I can think of is the possibility of burn-in (think xbox 360) and some say they get so hot they act as space heaters. But other than that and compared to the troublesome newer RPTV's they seem to have the best value and quality.
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The one I own is the PRO-111FD 50" model.Unfortunately,Pioneer is no longer making them.That's the reason I bought it.I took the plunge because it was the last of the line and the price dropped about $1700.

A long time friend of mine purchased a Panasonic after he saw the Pioneer because he could not stand to look at his older Panasonic.I forget which model, but it's the current top feeder and he states that it looks about as good as the Pioneer.It's my understanding that a few of the Pioneer engineers that developed the KURO sets went over to Panasonic.

They do put off heat and yes, they are subject to burn in,just as a crt based set would if you leave static images.I cannot see any sign of burn in on mine.
 
I've got a 50" 720p Magnavox DLP that had prolly 4000hrs. on the bulb, died last week, ordered new one yesterday for $125. Also have 2 DLP projectors, picture looks great on all of them. I do find the projectors to be ALOT less reliable in general though.
 
I just picked up a Samsung 50" DLP dumped on the side of the road, plugged it in and works but has hundreds of white and black dots. The DLP Chip is bad and this is a common problem. I ordered the replacement chip ($170). Everything else works great. Cannot wait to put this thing back together.
It is only 3 years old.
 
I found a 52" LCD rear projection Panasonic (720p) at GW for $800 a few years ago. it was cheap entertainment for me to go in, look at the price & laugh over the ridiculous price. They are way overpriced there, often setting out 'greyware' (Target rejects, returns & damaged items) and marking the price up a few bucks from the target price tag that they often forget to remove... D'OH! Anyway, I quit laughing when I walked in one day and it was reduced to $99. After another $85 for a bulb (all that was wrong with it) Its now sitting in my family room. Picture quality & color is pretty good. Its not as bright as our plasma tv but better than our cheap-o lcd we have in our bedroom.

I'd say if you're looking at DLP, make sure its a 3 element DLP rather than a single element. The single element DLP's are prone to rainbowing. The 3 element aren't. I have a DLP projector that's bad about that.
 
I have a 56" Samsung DLP with LED and absolutely love it. Much better black level and color saturation than my old Samsung DLP with a regular bulb.
 
Why would someone buy a tv that they know they have to stick money back into in the future? Now I don't know if this is the case with the led dlp's but the prices are so cheap on the lcd's and plasma's now why would you buy anything else?

As far as burn-in on plasma's your not going to have a problem unless you leave a menu screen on the tv for more than a day at a time. I fell asleep watching a movie one night with my Panasonic plasma playing a blue-ray movie. It was on for several hours and had no problem with any burn in. That's just a scare tactic for people that own other kinds of tv's to make you think plasma's are inferior.

My panasonic plasma get's no hotter than any lcd tv I have ever seen either. The differences in power usage between different tv's these days are minimal.

I would stay away from older rear projection tv's unless you know for sure you can set the convergence yourself. I had a Toshiba 57" and was very happy with it. I sold it to a friend when I upgraded to my plasma. If you can't access this in the menu stay far far away as you will spend just as much as the tv is worth to have a repairman adjust it for you.
 
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