Damn We Want a New HDTV

Almost Pulled the Trigger on a 67-incher. Again.
About two weeks ago we were in the mood for a new TV. We sort of started joking about it, then next thing I know we’re in Sears looking around at TV’s, and shopping via amazon for good deals on things. Well on Amazon, we found this new 67” LED-powered DLP Projection TV from Samsung that got really good reviews. So off we trekked back to Sears today to take a look-see (we had seen before that our local Sears happened to have the 61” version on the show floor).

We just sort of wanted to make sure that it still looked good. It’s definitely the biggest set that Sears has on their floor, and we just wanted to make absolutely sure before we spent that kind of dime, you know?

And it’s a terribly good thing we went back. We got there and looked, and looked, and accidentally saw…. The Samsung LN-52A650 about two TV’s down. This TV is a bit smaller than we want – it’s actually the same 52” that we currently have – but… I almost can’t describe it. I did say almost, so hey, here’s the thing(s):

This TV had a depth to it that I have not seen anywhere else. The blacks… One of the sorer spots of LCDs has always been that they have typically poor black reproduction; it’s more like “dark grey.” but this set was not like that. Blacks were black, and the screen was so ‘deep’ that thus, all the colors seemed so much punchier than any other set (even after I fiddled with the settings), and made the Rear-Projection model look like complete ass. Seriously, ass. Hairy ass.

Anyway, it was so good that we just ended up looking at it the whole time. It seemed 3-dimensional, it looked like you could reach inside the screen and pick things up. I did not try this, but yes, I was tempted.

And now, we can’t pull the trigger on the RPTV. We just can’t. We want a Large Samsung LCD. We want that Series 6 set we saw (but in a larger size), or maybe a Series 7, 58” set (though we’d still like bigger, and cheaper). So we’ll just have to wait, I guess. Wait until the Samsung LCDs get to 60+ inches, and within an affordable range.

And wait we shall.



The Things you Learn about HD when you go to buy a TV
There’s three basic competing technologies right now: Plasma, LCD, and Rear-Projection. RP is what we have now, Plasma’s the Old Dog, and LCD’s the never-quitter. Each has strengths and weaknesses, so it’s not as simple as “This is better than That” and to get the best you just pay more, it’s just not that simple (apparently).

For instance: Plasmas I guess generally have deeper, more detailed blacks, and not suffer from motion blur as older LCDs were prone to. However, their whites are not as bright as LCD sets (though better than RPTVs).

LCDs tend to have washed-out blacks as compared to Plasmas, but their whites are second-to-none. However, they also tend to suffer from motion blur. All this, however, was before the recent Samsung Series 6, 7, and above panels with their “Ultra Clear Panel” that brings out the vivid blacks about on par w/ the top-of-the-line Plasmas, and their skimpy 4ms response times & 120hz refresh rates which all but obliterate motion blur, as well. To me, this makes them “The Buy,” as their typical weaknesses have almost been erased, and yet they retain their typical strengths.

Where do the RPTVs fit into this? Well, they’re the “bang for the buck” sets. You can’t get a bigger picture for anywhere as low a price as the RPTVs offer. I mean, the 67” set we looked at, the current top of the line, is still 3x cheaper than the 58” Samsung LCD. Yikes. But there’s just no real strengths other than price. The picture’s not as bright, the colors aren’t as good, and the viewing angles tend to suck, as well.

So yeah, we’re going to wait. We figure (mostly me, I guess) that in another year, Samsung will have these series sets in the sizes we want (65”+), and hopefully the prices will come down. All this, and while we the let the techs sort themselves out, it should only get better. What am I looking forward to, then? Well, another year & a half with our current set, and then hopefully a Series 6 or Series 7 65” LCD.

Peace.