Projector HDTV Reviews
US $95.75
Mitsubishi HC4900 1080P Projector HDTV
Advantages and Disadvantages of Plasma TV
Plasma televisions are becoming more and more popular in American households because of their amazing picture quality. Most people who are looking for a serious home theater start looking at plasma HDTV's. Compared to LCD TV's, they have much richer colors and the black and dark colors are much blacker. There are several advantages and disadvantages of owning plasma television. Learn the pro's and con's before you head out to the store.
Advantage #1 - Picture Quality
The main reasons people choose plasma over LCD, rear projection and front projectors is the picture quality. Because of the plasma technology, the colors displayed by plasma TV's are superior to those of any other kind of television. Many people think that when the color black is displayed on their TV that it is actually black. However, most TV's can't actually display blacks. They are just dark shades of gray. Plasma TV's produce very black blacks because of the plasma technology.
Advantage #2 - Screen Size
Plasma TV's start in the 42 inch and higher range. If you are looking for a large TV, there are plenty of plasma options. LCD screens range from cell phone screens clear up to 65 inch televisions but a large plasma TV is typically a better buy than a LCD TV. If you are buying a plasma TV 50 inches or great, make sure you get a HDTV with 1080p resolution. 1080p is the highest possible resolution and if you are viewing a large screen TV, you will actually see the difference between 1080p and 720p. If it is a smaller TV, the difference is hardly noticeable and not worth the extra money.
Disadvantage #1 - Cost
Plasma TV's are typically the most expensive televisions on the market. They used be nearly double or triple the price of similar LCD HDTV's. The prices are slowly dropping due to advances in technology but you will usually pay more for a plasma TV than the same size in a LCD or rear projection television. Plasma TV's also cost more to run because they require more power and electricity. It isn't a major difference but over the course of a year, you might pay an extra couple hundred dollars in electricity bills.
Disadvantage #2 - Screen Size
Because plasma's aren't usually available in less than 42 inch screen size, you can't get a smaller TV if you are limited to a certain size. Most flat panel owners are looking in the 30 and 40 inch range and you will find your options are somewhat limited if you are looking for a plasma television. If you are buying a smaller screen, you don't have to have 1080p resolution. Many new TV's come with 1080p but if you have the choice, a 720p might save you some money and you won't even notice the difference.
About the Author
Art Gib is a freelance writer for YouReviewElectronics.com, a website featuring the latest Panasonic TV reviews.
Help me find a Home Theater Projector for me!!???
I want to watch my HDTV and play DVDs, Xbox 360, Wii, and normal TV on the projector, as well as hook up surround sound. I have no idea what all this 480i,1080p blah blah mess is so can someone tell me if that all really matters and which projector is right for me? I was looking at this Dell:
http://reviews.cnet.com/home-theater-projectors/dell-2400mp-projector/4505-7858_7-31878925.html?tag=prod.txt.5
But I was not sure if it was for Home theater or for presentations...I also looked at the Infocus IN models like the IN1, IN74, ETC...
http://www.infocus.com/Segments/Entertainment/Home%20Entertainment.aspx
I want to spend under $1,000...please help!
Forget the Dell.
Buying a projector is at least as complicated as buying and HDTV, so before you buy do some reading. I've provided links to two good review sites. They tend to complement each other in terms of observations/focus so it's worth looking at both. The first link also includes a link to a "projector caclulator" that allows you to determine the range of mounting distances to get certain screen sizes (and acceptable brightness) from a particular projector... very useful.
You want to use a projector for all your A/V needs, so consider a couple few issues.
- projectors use expensive lamps ($300-$500/each) that need to be replaced every 2-4000 hr (depending on projector and how used)
- you need a dim/dark room to get the best picture (projectors, unless they are very bright, get washed out by bright lights/windows).
- you need a screen. While this can be as simple as a white wall, for best results you need a dedicated screen. This can be a DIY painted screen (~$100) or as complex as a multi-thousand dollar motorized sreen/masking system.
- Projectors fall into basically two classes (based on use) and three categories (based on resolution):
By Use:
1) Business -- tend to be portable, bright, low contrast, may be 4:3 aspect ratio, poorer video processing, may have fan noise, and
2) home theatre projectors -- tend to be less portable, lower brightness, high contrast, Usually 16:9 aspect, good video processing, quieter
By resolution:
1) 480p (~$500) - SDTV/DVD resolution, best used on screens up to 80-90" maximum,
2) 720p (~$900 and up) - HDTV level resolution, can look good on 100"+ screens
3) 1080p (~$2000 and up) - Analogous to 1080p HDTV. Best picture.
On the basis of your intended use and budget, I'd suggest focussing on 720p HT projectors.
See the listing for "highly rated" HT projectors at the third link ... they are organized by resolution, so you should come down to the 720p (1280x768 or 1280x720) models.
I hope this helps.
