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Luxury Performance Sedans

10007 messages,  Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 7:40 AM

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What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

#2302 of 10007 jjacura by lexusguy May 20, 2005 (9:20 pm)
More than a few friends have asked me the same question. Unfortunately there's no easy answer. HDTV is very slowly improving, but there still isnt much out there. InHD, HDNet, and DiscoveryHD Theater are 100% HD channels, but most Cable and Sat providers either cant or wont offer all three. I also have HD HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime. When the movies on these channels are recent and they do a good job with the upconversion, the results are stunning, and blow DVD away (even when upconverted to 1080i by my Hitachi). However, if the movies are older or the HD conversion job is mediocre, it doesnt look all that much better than regular digital cable. I think it will be either BlueRay or HD-DVD that steps in and saves the day to finally start driving HDTV sales in large scale. The broadcast industry is just moving much to slowly.   As to buy an HDTV or not, I think what I would ask is how large your screen is now, and is your TV about to kick the bucket, or will it survive a few more years? Also, if you watch a lot of DVD movies, it may be worth it just for the widescreen aspect ratio. I wouldn't buy an HDTV today JUST for the HD. Also, if you still watch a lot of traditional analog cable, the results may be painful on a digital HD set. In my experience they just arent able to handle such low res garbage well. HDTVs DO improve digital cable and DVD though...just dont expect it to match HD level, even if its upconverted to the same 1080i (or 720p for digitals).   As for me, my current set is a Hitachi CRT rear projection HD set that I bought in 2003. Even though CRT rear-pros are on their way out, I went that way for a few reasons. In 2003, digital LCD or DLP based rear projection sets cost twice as much for the same screen size, and in terms of visual quality they couldn't come within a country mile of CRT. The Hitachi replaced an analog tube, so its 24" of depth wasnt a problem. It does weigh about 250lbs, but it sits on the floor and has wheels so it isnt hard to move around. The only annoying thing about moving it is that the guns have to be re-converged manually. (So called automatic convergience is worthless).   Prices of DLP and LCD rear-pro sets have come down, (and they've been joined by relative new comer LCOS), but prices of CRT sets are down as well. A 50" CRT rear pro now costs around $1400, vs. maybe $2500 for an LCD or DLP. CRT is still the best looking form of rear projection available, but DLP sets from Samsung, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba continue to edge closer.   LCDs from Sony and Hitachi have also improved, and Hitachi's new "Cineform" series of LCD rear-projections have easily the most attractive cabinets on the market. However, LCD still has two major problems. 1. Black level - when in a totally dark room, black objects on an LCD screen will be a washed out gray. 2. The "screen door effect" - LCD technology requires much bigger gaps between pixels than DLP or LCOS, and these gaps are noticable (like looking through a screen door), especially on the larger sets.   The one big proponent for LCOS in consumer digital rear pro's is JVC. Their sets have gotten very mixed reviews. LCOS has proven to be very difficult to manufacture, and thus you have a much greater chance of a DOA set from JVC than from LCD or DLP, so I would stay away from them.   The advantages that all three digital rear projection formats have across the board is that they are much cheaper than plasma or LCD flat panels, they weigh half as much and are half as deep as CRT rear projections, and unlike Plasma and CRT, there are no phosphors to "burn in". You can view SDTV in 4:3 with black bars, view digital photos, or use them as computer monitors all without any worry of damaging the screen. The major disadvantage - bulb life. They need new bulbs every 6,000 - 8,000 hours of power on time. The bulbs are user replacable, but they are $150-300 a pop.   Finally, if you decide you just MUST have a hang on the wall TV, I would suggest that you go with plasma, and specifically a Panasonic plasma. Panasonic has worked some sort of magic to get their plasmas to display fairly deep blacks, which pretty much all the rest I've seen, except for the $15K+ ones, cant match. LCD flat panels will improve, and may eventually overtake Plasma, but for now they cost WAY too much money, and they cant match Plasma on picture quality. Plasma's biggest problems, burn-in and lifespan, have pretty much been fixed. I still wouldnt leave a movie on pause for 24 hours, but accidental damage from things like news tickers are no longer a problem. Plasmas are now said to last for as long as 80,000 hours, so you wont have to worry about having a very expensive paper weight in 4 to 5 years.   The best buy in a HD plasma set right this minute is Panasonic's 50" TH-50PX50U, which retails at $4999, which is actually a very reasonable price. (Its also available in 42" also HD, not ED for just $3500.   Panasonic TH-50PX50U   As for digital rear pros, I would suggest taking a look at the 50" Samsung HLR5067 ($2800)   Samsung HLR5067   Or, Toshiba's 52" 52HMX94 ($3000)   Toshiba 52HMX94   Replies to this message: warthog (May 21, 2005 1:53 am) victord1 (May 21, 2005 6:22 am) pat (May 21, 2005 8:12 am) jjacura (May 23, 2005 5:05 am) and 1 more... ksoman (May 23, 2005 8:15 am)
#2303 of 10007 Plasma? by bartalk3 May 20, 2005 (9:30 pm)
Plasma fades over time, no? Or deteriorates in some other way, as I recall. I thought plasma was on the way out vs. LCD. What gives?
#2304 of 10007 bartalk3 by lexusguy May 20, 2005 (9:48 pm)
Plasma has a "half-life" of sorts, where it be at half of its original brightness, and then eventually it will no longer work at all. This half-life has been extended from 4 years or so for the early sets to 10 years or more for the current models. Digital rear pros can beat that, but you'll have to spend thousands of dollars on bulb replacements.
#2305 of 10007 Re: jjacura [lexusguy] by warthog May 21, 2005 (1:53 am)
Replying to: lexusguy (May 20, 2005 9:20 pm) I live in a warm climate. Would you recommend a RWD or AWD plasma set? And what about a manual vs. auto remote control box?
#2306 of 10007 warthog by lexusguy May 21, 2005 (3:26 am)
Har har. Last I checked, drivable TVs are still a ways off.
#2307 of 10007 RWD in Snow by tom43 May 21, 2005 (5:09 am)
I am considering a RWD the deal is much, much better. I am going to purchase today. I live in Pittsburgh and any feedback on how it might handle in the winter would help. Thanks Replies to this message: cmybimmergo (May 21, 2005 6:06 am)
#2308 of 10007 Re: RWD in Snow [tom43] by cmybimmergo May 21, 2005 (6:06 am)
Replying to: tom43 (May 21, 2005 5:09 am) If you wish to drive in all conditions, you'll want a good set of snow tires (the experts recommend dedicated rims, too). I have A/S on mine, but I also have a FWD that I can use on the three or so days a year I don't want to take out the bimmer (I live in the DC area).
#2309 of 10007 Re: jjacura [lexusguy] by victord1 May 21, 2005 (6:22 am)
Replying to: lexusguy (May 20, 2005 9:20 pm) Wow, you're the man. Impressive breakdown of HDTV options. When Sony came out with their first HDTV CRT Projection w/ built-in HD decoder (XBR series), I demo'd it and grabbed one of the first few units that got to the store. That was 3-4 years ago. To do that TV justice, 6 months later I upgraded my hometheater gear from a cheapo Kenwood system to the Def-Tech 3000 system (BP3000TL, CLR3000, BPVX/P). My next step is to move from a receiver to separate components. That will take considerable planning (and mojo).   In term of picture quality, I haven't seen any of the newer flat-screen sets (LCD, LCos, Plasma) that can match my Sony yet. As you had mentioned, the culprits in those newer sets (among others) are black level and refresh rate. However for coventional viewings, their superior brightness, wider view angle and less space-demanding are hard to beat. In fact, I've been thinking of getting an LCD set to hang in my dinningroom.   As for the Def-Tech sound: excellent surround-sound productions (movies and music) and one of the bests stereo sounds. Personally, I prefer the B&W 801 Matrix for 2-channel listening. Last month a local dealer had a special 50% discount on those babies (B&W). At a retail of $16,000 they're appalling, but at $8000 they were quite tempting.   Anyways, my apology to the Host for straying. Let's get back to LPS discussion. Replies to this message: pat (May 21, 2005 8:12 am) jjacura (May 23, 2005 5:05 am) marleybarr (May 23, 2005 7:33 am)
#2310 of 10007 Re: jjacura [victord1] by pat HOST May 21, 2005 (8:12 am)
Replying to: victord1 (May 21, 2005 6:22 am) Let's get back to LPS discussion.   Yup, that would be a good thing... Replies to this message: jjacura (May 23, 2005 5:05 am) marleybarr (May 23, 2005 7:33 am)
#2311 of 10007 victord1 by lexusguy May 21, 2005 (7:34 pm)
As crazy as it sounds, LCD, DLP, LCOS, Plasma, and LCD flat panel wont be the end of it. There are at least two more types of digital light processors on the horizon. As if there wasnt enough to keep track of already.   What A\V receiver do you use now? I ask because before moving to power amps and a SSP, you may want to look at flagship receivers such as Denon's AVR-5805 or Onkyo's TX-NR1000. They sound just as good as most entry level seperates, and being receivers are on the absolute cutting edge of HT technologies such as offering multiple FireWire ports and HDMI switching, things that SSPs wont have for at least another year or so. The Onkyo is particularly impressive because its modular architecture allows nearly all of its components and ports to be upgraded like a computer, making it *almost* future-proof. If you really want to step up from what a receiver can offer though, I would highly recommend Anthem "Statement" or Parasound "Halo" series.   My apologies pat, HT is my other favorite subject besides cars, and I really cant help myself sometimes.   tom43, with a set of Blizzaks, you should be fine.

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