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1080p LCD projector
The Digital Bits has been right on the edge of the latest developments with the DVD format for ten years now. So it should be no surprise that we're in the thick of the high-definition format war either. But as active as we've been in debating the actual war itself, we've been slow to start reviewing a lot of titles in either Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD format. Part of the reason for this is that we want to familiarize ourselves with the quirks of each format. We've also been upgrading our video displays such that we're now able to fully appreciate all the benefits that 1080p video can offer.
Here at west coast offices of The Bits, I've been using a Panasonic PT-L500U LCD front projector for DVD reviews in recent years, but for HD I'd reverted back to our old Mitsubishi 65" rear projection HDTV.
Samsung Shows Off Tulip, Q Line of HDTVs Ahead of Cebit
Samsung just showed off three new HDTV models in London on the eve of CeBIT. The Tulip line of LCDs comes in 37-, 40-, 46- and 52-inch sizes and fully supports 1080p. They'll be the successor to the Bordeaux line that tore up the LCD charts last year. The Tulips all have three HDMI ports (two in the back, one on the side), while the three largest ones also feature a 15,000:1 contrast ratio and what Samsung calls MoviePlus technology. Hooray for the complete lack of explanation of what that does! There's also a 9-in-1 memory card reader. On the plasma front, Samsung's got the Q, available in 46- and 50-inch sizes. Same deal here: three HDMIs, MoviePlus, memory card reader and 15,000:1 contrast ratio. Hopefully we'll get better shots and U.S. release date and pricing info in the days to come.
LCD Vs Plasma in 2007
As long as we can remember people have debated; what is the best HDTV technology? Sure every technology has it downsides, but when we are talking about picture quality above all else, which is the best? In the past people would debate LCD vs Plasma which really left us scratching our head because at the time the smallest Plasma was 37" and the largest LCD was 32". Well those times are over and many LCDs and Plasmas are the same size -- well almost the same size, while Plasmas are 37", 42", 50" and 60" LCDs are 32", 40", 42", 46", 52" and a host of other sizes. There is little doubt that LCD has more sizes available and arguably more detail, it also costs more, but we aren't talking about size here, we're talking about picture quality. Plasmas have been able to boast better blacks and better colors than LCD, but in recent years LCD technology has made leaps and bounds in this area as well as the new 120Hz models, which begs the question do Plasmas still have better blacks and colors than LCDs? Sure they are susceptible to burn in and many are only 720p vs 1080p, but most ISF engineers agree that accurate colors and black are more important than resolution.
Dealzmodo: 37-inch 1080p Sharp AQUOS, $1430
Looking for a non-gargantuan, but still beautiful HDTV? Look no further. For a limited time, Buy.com has the Sharp AQUOS LC-37GP1U 37-inch 1080p LCD for $1,430, not including shipping. Shipping tacks on a hefty $136, but this is still a pretty good deal given that this HDTV generally pushes the $2,000 mark. In addition to the 1920x1080 resolution, this TV has a native 1700:1 contrast ratio, 6ms refresh rate, 176 degree viewing angle, integrated tuners and a ton of inputs, including 3 HDMI, 2 component and 1 DVI. –Travis Hudson Product Page [Via Dealhack] .
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