Question:
Always thought about getting one as a cheap alternative to plasma or projectors.
Whats the real thought though, is watching them a problem?
Any bad or good experiences appreciated!
I have had my tosh pw40 for about 3 years,i think its a great tv never had any problems with it at all.
It is a bit of a pain if it is oppisite big windows or french doors as its not the best picture when the sun light is on it.you can pick them up for about £1.000 to £1.400 now for a 40 incher which can't be bad.
Only my opion though.:thumbs:
I had the same thoughts as you before I got my 42" toshiba about 14 months ago, trouble is it's the negative comments that stick in your mind and places like dixons and comet etc don't do anything to dispel any of those reservations.
Get yourself down to a decent specialist dealer and get a demo. They do have viewing angle drawbacks but it's nowhere near a narrow angle as I had been left to believe.I just rearranged my room so that it's not viewed from the side whilst sitting. Don,t place it directly next to a window (common sense really). Don't sit too close, although at one point I had seating only 9 feet away and just raised the rear of the tv up a few millimeters so it was slightly angled down and it was perfect.
I had a decent 29" 4x3 set before this and was looking for the best 36" widescreen available but after lengthy searching could not find one that was consistently recommended. I even considered plasma too but couldn't justify the cost for one of the better ones.
Projector was not an option for everyday viewing.
After having this for just over a year the only way I would upgrade now would be to a 50" or 56" RP. Family and friends are well impressed too.
Like I said book up a demo somewhere, get them to feed in a good satelite/cable signal and take a few of your fav dvds to test and if they have set it up correctly, you will conclude as I did that plasma tv's for three times the price are only worth considering if you are really limited on space or have an unlimited amount of cash coming in. All imho of course!
More info can be found by searching on here or AVforums.
How often do the bulbs need replacing in these things?
Had my Tosh 42" for about 10 months. Can honeslty say its brilliant. Just take into consideration whats been said in the above posts and you will be well impressed.
When fed with a good signal (Sky, DVD etc) picture is fantastic. £'s per inch/quality, theres not much to beat them. I had some reservations before buying mine, but after several recomendations i took the plunge. Go for it.
Originally posted by Silent Thunder
How often do the bulbs need replacing in these things?
I think recommended life is about the same as a normal crt tube approx 10,000 hrs? Probably longer than you will own the set anyway.
Originally posted by Elickser
I think recommended life is about the same as a normal crt tube approx 10,000 hrs? Probably longer than you will own the set anyway.
I heard it could be as often as once a year :eek: Seem a viable option now :D
The only info I can find about people needing replacement bulbs are those that have bought these sets Ex-display from places like high street electrical stores where they have had the contrast and brightness up full blast for the previous year it has been on show. Do not buy RP from ex-display sales, ever. You will find that these sets (toshiba anyway)seem to be set at 100 per cent contrast as default from the factory, they set them up in shops and leave as is (cos it looks better they think under shop lighting), hence one year later burnt tubes, not a bargain.
Had my Sony KP41DS1 for 3 years now and like many people had serious reservations about getting an RPT.
I can honestly say that it's the best thing I ever did, would not go back to a CRT but would seriously consider getting a larger RPTV, something like a 44" or even a 50".
Jason
Originally posted by Silent Thunder
I heard it could be as often as once a year :eek: Seem a viable option now :D
well i have had mine 3yrs and the kids put it on about 9ish in morning & it usally on till 11ish at night so once a year is no true.
I was looking at this aswell and saw that www.kays.com have the SONY kp44dx2 with a free SONY nicam video and DVD player for £2k ..........however, if its you 1st order then they automatically give you a 20% discount. SO £1600 doesn't seem too bad!
Had my sony 41inch for 5 years now no problems with bulbs,picture quality is great.
paul
Silly question maybe, but why can't you play games on them? :confused:
Originally posted by Mr Chefs Salad
Silly question maybe, but why can't you play games on them? :confused:
You can play games on them.
Most video game instruction books have a warning in the inside cover saying 'dont use on rp tv's', which is rubbish.
The only thing you have to watch is leaving a static image on for a long time (eg: Channel logos, menu bars in video games etc..), as, over a long period of time, they can 'burn' into the screen.
Metroid Prime on my 43" rules! :D
I've had Toshiba's 'BIG BOY' 56" W/S Rear Projector for 18 months now and would not swap it for anything, (Well except a 61" LCD :D) Never had a problem with it in all those months. The viewing angle is brilliant, seeing as all the seating in the living room is at 90 degrees to the screen.
I looked at Sony's Grand Wega 50" Rp just before christmas, and whilst I must admit its more astetically (sic?) pleaseing the picture quality was no where near as good.
They have a new 57" with built in digital reciever.
Someone said you can't sit below "sitting level" (eg lie on the floor), is this the case?
Must admit if I lay on the floor infront of the TV and look up, the picture is VERY dark and seems to split into different areas of Red Green and Blue. But this is the only bad viewing position, and usually it's only the dogs that watch the TV from that position ;)
or how about if you're standing up and looking down on the screen? Not close to the screen though, say 10 feet away and standing up?
I know someone whos had a RPTV (TOSH) for 4 years and watches it heavily, and not had to change bulbs etc.
Side to Side viewing angels are good on most new RPTV's but they do tend to suffer from high/low angels...but its a 'Home Cinema' Screen....how many times do you lay on the floor at the cinema when you goto watch a movie ???:lol:
or how about standing on the ceiling, with your back to the set watching a reflection of the screen in a mirror? :nuts:
You can play games on them.
Great! :thumbs:
Originally posted by Silent Thunder
How often do the bulbs need replacing in these things? Be aware that there are two common types of RPTV: LCD and CRT.
The LCD versions shine a very bright light through a small LCD panel. The CRT versions package three small CRT tubes (R,G & B each typically 5-7" diagonal) into the base.
Both types of RPTV are essentially the same as corresponding front projectors (unsurprisingly) and have basically the same pros and cons (bulbs/ tubes may last longer in RPTVs because they can be less bright). FWIW, my take on LCD vs. CRT is:
- the LCD projector component is small and easy to package leading to smaller, sleeker sets,
- there's no chance of screen burn with LCD,
- LCD are totally immune to magnetic fields (although RPTVs are probably better than ordinary CRTs here as the tubes tend to be well away from the edge of the large cabinet),
- LCDs have no convergence issues (only one image source rather than three).
- an LCD bulb will burn out fairly quickly and is not exactly cheap to replace (CRT RPTV tubes should be good for the life of the set),
- LCDs tend to not to be able to show blacks (since the LCD panel cannot stop all of the light from passing through),
- LCDs tend to need active cooling for the high power bulb.
I've used a 43" CRT RPTV almost constantly for 3 years now with no major issues. I've played video games, I've left the same image on the screen for considerable times and I've watched the same logo'd TV channel all day long.
IME the main disadvantages of a CRT RPTV vs. a conventional CRT have proven to be:
- the RPTV gives a slightly less sharp picture (although given its size, that may be a little unfair),
- the contrast is noticeably worse.
There are a few minor niggles too:
- convergence needs periodic adjustment and is always a little out at the edges of the screen (generally fixable if you're brave enough to get into the engineering menu),
- brightness decreases sharply when viewed off-axis (esp. vertically),
- on its stand, the TV absolutely dominates a smallish (15'x11') living room.
I guess the question is, 'if I were spending the money now, would I buy another?' The answer is a qualified yes: I love the sheer size of the picture but I' not so keen on the size and the contrast issues. If I watched mostly widescreen material - and could get one for a similar price - then I think I'd go for a 36" widescreen this time. Otherwise the RPTV wins (given that plasma is still way more expensive).
:clap: I can honestly say that Rptvs are FANTASTIC. I recently got the Tosh 56" tv and a dedicated Home cinema package. Its amazing just like the movies. NOW GO GET ONE. NOWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!:D
the only problem I'd add is that once you get a RPTV, you might end up wanting something bigger! I'm a RPTV owner - the Toshiba 43" 4:3 model (rather infamous round these parts!) and although I was blown away by the increase in size from my previous teev, it didn't take too long to consider something larger....
so, I'm now the proud owner of a front projector! The Panasonic PTAE100 (also rather infamous round here!). Now I have to get rid of my RPTV though...:(
Every one of these I've seen has had very noticable scan lines. I find these a bit of a distraction on NTSC and would guess that a R1 disc on a RPTV is pretty bad - or maybe not - can anyone confirm if this is the case - or have the TV's I've seen just been badly set up?
Had my Thomson 52" for about 2 years, use it lots for DVD's including R1 and I can honestly say I had zero problems.
Oh, and its ex display model!!
Tony :)
I have a toshiba 48" set and it has caused me nothing but trouble. It has died twice. First time was after 6 months or so and got it fixed from where I bought it. The last time it died I looked high and low and couldn't find anybody to repair it. The retailer I got it from said he couldnt repair and when I finally tracked down one company who could they took the set in may and returned it 4/5 months later after me phoning them a couple of times a week and contacting toshiba by phone , email to complain. If I had the chance I to change things I would never have bought the damn thing. I could have bought a decent TV with the amount it cost to repair last time and am just waiting for it to die again at which I'm going to throw the damn thing off a bridge.
Just make sure you get a lengthy guarantee IMO if you want a rear projection set . Even if you have to buy those extended warranties from currys or dixons . At least they will pick it up fix it and return it.
No problems with scanlines on my Tosh 43. Something like A Bugs Life R1, for instance, looks fantastic (esp. in 4:3). Perhaps it varies from person to person? Alternatively I guess it could be a CRT vs LCD thing...
I've had a Sony kps41" I would say if you are thinking of getting one as said before go to a decent hi fi tv shop and take your own equipment in to test picture quality if your mostly watching wide screen go for a wide screen set I know this sounds obvious but at the time I got mine I had a large collection of laser discs but watching wide screen images it can burn an image on the screen.If you are going to be watching it in near or total darkness pick a film with a dark sky and stars ie space films because some sets especially Sony set the stars streak to the right some thing to do with the cuircitry in the set not being up to scratch.Also some sets the light reflects from the back of the inside of the cabinets onto the screen.I would be more inclined to go for a crt rear projection from Toshiba .Also make sure you have a extended warranty its not as though can take it to you local repair shop in your car!I had problems with mine and Sony were crap and the dealer .Good job i had got out an extended warranty.:rolleyes:
Originally posted by Jason
Had my Sony KP41DS1 for 3 years now and like many people had serious reservations about getting an RPT.
I can honestly say that it's the best thing I ever did, would not go back to a CRT but would seriously consider getting a larger RPTV, something like a 44" or even a 50".
Jason
What he said
But im going for a projector next year £2000 range 1200 loomy things or more :)
I have Tosh DD 40" RPTV and it is very nice indeed, I thought I had made a mistake when I first got it but it grew on me and now I hug it every morning.
I have my GC and XBOX plugged into it and it is fine playing games.
Dave
I have a 47" WS Panasonic High-Def Rear Proj TV and love it. I admit that scan lines can be a little bit of a problem on larger projection TV's, but the high-def/prog scan makes the image superb. Unfortunetely I don't think you can get them with built in line-doublers in the UK :( RP is a very big thing here and I would say a good percentage of all TV's sold are RP and of them now most are HD/Prog Scan. I had reservations at first but they are a very good and cheap way to get a big TV.
I've had a Tosh W/S 40" RPTV here for a about 18 months now, my father and a friend were both so impressed they went and bought one each. I've never really noticed the scanlines on anamorphic material, though I have invested some time in trying to set it up properly :norty:
Whats the real thought though, is watching them a problem?
Any bad or good experiences appreciated!
Answers:
I have had my tosh pw40 for about 3 years,i think its a great tv never had any problems with it at all.
It is a bit of a pain if it is oppisite big windows or french doors as its not the best picture when the sun light is on it.you can pick them up for about £1.000 to £1.400 now for a 40 incher which can't be bad.
Only my opion though.:thumbs:
Answers:
I had the same thoughts as you before I got my 42" toshiba about 14 months ago, trouble is it's the negative comments that stick in your mind and places like dixons and comet etc don't do anything to dispel any of those reservations.
Get yourself down to a decent specialist dealer and get a demo. They do have viewing angle drawbacks but it's nowhere near a narrow angle as I had been left to believe.I just rearranged my room so that it's not viewed from the side whilst sitting. Don,t place it directly next to a window (common sense really). Don't sit too close, although at one point I had seating only 9 feet away and just raised the rear of the tv up a few millimeters so it was slightly angled down and it was perfect.
I had a decent 29" 4x3 set before this and was looking for the best 36" widescreen available but after lengthy searching could not find one that was consistently recommended. I even considered plasma too but couldn't justify the cost for one of the better ones.
Projector was not an option for everyday viewing.
After having this for just over a year the only way I would upgrade now would be to a 50" or 56" RP. Family and friends are well impressed too.
Like I said book up a demo somewhere, get them to feed in a good satelite/cable signal and take a few of your fav dvds to test and if they have set it up correctly, you will conclude as I did that plasma tv's for three times the price are only worth considering if you are really limited on space or have an unlimited amount of cash coming in. All imho of course!
More info can be found by searching on here or AVforums.
Answers:
How often do the bulbs need replacing in these things?
Answers:
Had my Tosh 42" for about 10 months. Can honeslty say its brilliant. Just take into consideration whats been said in the above posts and you will be well impressed.
When fed with a good signal (Sky, DVD etc) picture is fantastic. £'s per inch/quality, theres not much to beat them. I had some reservations before buying mine, but after several recomendations i took the plunge. Go for it.
Answers:
Originally posted by Silent Thunder
How often do the bulbs need replacing in these things?
I think recommended life is about the same as a normal crt tube approx 10,000 hrs? Probably longer than you will own the set anyway.
Answers:
Originally posted by Elickser
I think recommended life is about the same as a normal crt tube approx 10,000 hrs? Probably longer than you will own the set anyway.
I heard it could be as often as once a year :eek: Seem a viable option now :D
Answers:
The only info I can find about people needing replacement bulbs are those that have bought these sets Ex-display from places like high street electrical stores where they have had the contrast and brightness up full blast for the previous year it has been on show. Do not buy RP from ex-display sales, ever. You will find that these sets (toshiba anyway)seem to be set at 100 per cent contrast as default from the factory, they set them up in shops and leave as is (cos it looks better they think under shop lighting), hence one year later burnt tubes, not a bargain.
Answers:
Had my Sony KP41DS1 for 3 years now and like many people had serious reservations about getting an RPT.
I can honestly say that it's the best thing I ever did, would not go back to a CRT but would seriously consider getting a larger RPTV, something like a 44" or even a 50".
Jason
Answers:
Originally posted by Silent Thunder
I heard it could be as often as once a year :eek: Seem a viable option now :D
well i have had mine 3yrs and the kids put it on about 9ish in morning & it usally on till 11ish at night so once a year is no true.
Answers:
I was looking at this aswell and saw that www.kays.com have the SONY kp44dx2 with a free SONY nicam video and DVD player for £2k ..........however, if its you 1st order then they automatically give you a 20% discount. SO £1600 doesn't seem too bad!
Answers:
Had my sony 41inch for 5 years now no problems with bulbs,picture quality is great.
paul
Answers:
Silly question maybe, but why can't you play games on them? :confused:
Answers:
Originally posted by Mr Chefs Salad
Silly question maybe, but why can't you play games on them? :confused:
You can play games on them.
Most video game instruction books have a warning in the inside cover saying 'dont use on rp tv's', which is rubbish.
The only thing you have to watch is leaving a static image on for a long time (eg: Channel logos, menu bars in video games etc..), as, over a long period of time, they can 'burn' into the screen.
Metroid Prime on my 43" rules! :D
Answers:
I've had Toshiba's 'BIG BOY' 56" W/S Rear Projector for 18 months now and would not swap it for anything, (Well except a 61" LCD :D) Never had a problem with it in all those months. The viewing angle is brilliant, seeing as all the seating in the living room is at 90 degrees to the screen.
I looked at Sony's Grand Wega 50" Rp just before christmas, and whilst I must admit its more astetically (sic?) pleaseing the picture quality was no where near as good.
They have a new 57" with built in digital reciever.
Answers:
Someone said you can't sit below "sitting level" (eg lie on the floor), is this the case?
Answers:
Must admit if I lay on the floor infront of the TV and look up, the picture is VERY dark and seems to split into different areas of Red Green and Blue. But this is the only bad viewing position, and usually it's only the dogs that watch the TV from that position ;)
Answers:
or how about if you're standing up and looking down on the screen? Not close to the screen though, say 10 feet away and standing up?
Answers:
I know someone whos had a RPTV (TOSH) for 4 years and watches it heavily, and not had to change bulbs etc.
Side to Side viewing angels are good on most new RPTV's but they do tend to suffer from high/low angels...but its a 'Home Cinema' Screen....how many times do you lay on the floor at the cinema when you goto watch a movie ???:lol:
Answers:
or how about standing on the ceiling, with your back to the set watching a reflection of the screen in a mirror? :nuts:
You can play games on them.
Great! :thumbs:
Answers:
Originally posted by Silent Thunder
How often do the bulbs need replacing in these things? Be aware that there are two common types of RPTV: LCD and CRT.
The LCD versions shine a very bright light through a small LCD panel. The CRT versions package three small CRT tubes (R,G & B each typically 5-7" diagonal) into the base.
Both types of RPTV are essentially the same as corresponding front projectors (unsurprisingly) and have basically the same pros and cons (bulbs/ tubes may last longer in RPTVs because they can be less bright). FWIW, my take on LCD vs. CRT is:
- the LCD projector component is small and easy to package leading to smaller, sleeker sets,
- there's no chance of screen burn with LCD,
- LCD are totally immune to magnetic fields (although RPTVs are probably better than ordinary CRTs here as the tubes tend to be well away from the edge of the large cabinet),
- LCDs have no convergence issues (only one image source rather than three).
- an LCD bulb will burn out fairly quickly and is not exactly cheap to replace (CRT RPTV tubes should be good for the life of the set),
- LCDs tend to not to be able to show blacks (since the LCD panel cannot stop all of the light from passing through),
- LCDs tend to need active cooling for the high power bulb.
I've used a 43" CRT RPTV almost constantly for 3 years now with no major issues. I've played video games, I've left the same image on the screen for considerable times and I've watched the same logo'd TV channel all day long.
IME the main disadvantages of a CRT RPTV vs. a conventional CRT have proven to be:
- the RPTV gives a slightly less sharp picture (although given its size, that may be a little unfair),
- the contrast is noticeably worse.
There are a few minor niggles too:
- convergence needs periodic adjustment and is always a little out at the edges of the screen (generally fixable if you're brave enough to get into the engineering menu),
- brightness decreases sharply when viewed off-axis (esp. vertically),
- on its stand, the TV absolutely dominates a smallish (15'x11') living room.
I guess the question is, 'if I were spending the money now, would I buy another?' The answer is a qualified yes: I love the sheer size of the picture but I' not so keen on the size and the contrast issues. If I watched mostly widescreen material - and could get one for a similar price - then I think I'd go for a 36" widescreen this time. Otherwise the RPTV wins (given that plasma is still way more expensive).
Answers:
:clap: I can honestly say that Rptvs are FANTASTIC. I recently got the Tosh 56" tv and a dedicated Home cinema package. Its amazing just like the movies. NOW GO GET ONE. NOWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!:D
Answers:
the only problem I'd add is that once you get a RPTV, you might end up wanting something bigger! I'm a RPTV owner - the Toshiba 43" 4:3 model (rather infamous round these parts!) and although I was blown away by the increase in size from my previous teev, it didn't take too long to consider something larger....
so, I'm now the proud owner of a front projector! The Panasonic PTAE100 (also rather infamous round here!). Now I have to get rid of my RPTV though...:(
Answers:
Every one of these I've seen has had very noticable scan lines. I find these a bit of a distraction on NTSC and would guess that a R1 disc on a RPTV is pretty bad - or maybe not - can anyone confirm if this is the case - or have the TV's I've seen just been badly set up?
Answers:
Had my Thomson 52" for about 2 years, use it lots for DVD's including R1 and I can honestly say I had zero problems.
Oh, and its ex display model!!
Tony :)
Answers:
I have a toshiba 48" set and it has caused me nothing but trouble. It has died twice. First time was after 6 months or so and got it fixed from where I bought it. The last time it died I looked high and low and couldn't find anybody to repair it. The retailer I got it from said he couldnt repair and when I finally tracked down one company who could they took the set in may and returned it 4/5 months later after me phoning them a couple of times a week and contacting toshiba by phone , email to complain. If I had the chance I to change things I would never have bought the damn thing. I could have bought a decent TV with the amount it cost to repair last time and am just waiting for it to die again at which I'm going to throw the damn thing off a bridge.
Just make sure you get a lengthy guarantee IMO if you want a rear projection set . Even if you have to buy those extended warranties from currys or dixons . At least they will pick it up fix it and return it.
Answers:
No problems with scanlines on my Tosh 43. Something like A Bugs Life R1, for instance, looks fantastic (esp. in 4:3). Perhaps it varies from person to person? Alternatively I guess it could be a CRT vs LCD thing...
Answers:
I've had a Sony kps41" I would say if you are thinking of getting one as said before go to a decent hi fi tv shop and take your own equipment in to test picture quality if your mostly watching wide screen go for a wide screen set I know this sounds obvious but at the time I got mine I had a large collection of laser discs but watching wide screen images it can burn an image on the screen.If you are going to be watching it in near or total darkness pick a film with a dark sky and stars ie space films because some sets especially Sony set the stars streak to the right some thing to do with the cuircitry in the set not being up to scratch.Also some sets the light reflects from the back of the inside of the cabinets onto the screen.I would be more inclined to go for a crt rear projection from Toshiba .Also make sure you have a extended warranty its not as though can take it to you local repair shop in your car!I had problems with mine and Sony were crap and the dealer .Good job i had got out an extended warranty.:rolleyes:
Answers:
Originally posted by Jason
Had my Sony KP41DS1 for 3 years now and like many people had serious reservations about getting an RPT.
I can honestly say that it's the best thing I ever did, would not go back to a CRT but would seriously consider getting a larger RPTV, something like a 44" or even a 50".
Jason
What he said
But im going for a projector next year £2000 range 1200 loomy things or more :)
Answers:
I have Tosh DD 40" RPTV and it is very nice indeed, I thought I had made a mistake when I first got it but it grew on me and now I hug it every morning.
I have my GC and XBOX plugged into it and it is fine playing games.
Dave
Answers:
I have a 47" WS Panasonic High-Def Rear Proj TV and love it. I admit that scan lines can be a little bit of a problem on larger projection TV's, but the high-def/prog scan makes the image superb. Unfortunetely I don't think you can get them with built in line-doublers in the UK :( RP is a very big thing here and I would say a good percentage of all TV's sold are RP and of them now most are HD/Prog Scan. I had reservations at first but they are a very good and cheap way to get a big TV.
Answers:
I've had a Tosh W/S 40" RPTV here for a about 18 months now, my father and a friend were both so impressed they went and bought one each. I've never really noticed the scanlines on anamorphic material, though I have invested some time in trying to set it up properly :norty:
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