Anyone want a 52" RCA Paperweight?

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09-06-2006, 07:31 PM
Titus

Anyone want a 52" RCA Paperweight?

Well, after 5 years of faithful service, my 52" RCA big screen took a dump. I search of the internet on troubleshooting it only return a handful of people who spent hundreds trying to have it repaired only to have it die again within weeks, so I think it is time to replace it.

I really don't care for the BEST picture, as it sees mostly cartoons... I suspect anything I buy today will look better than my 5 year old set and should keep us happy. 52" seemed to be a good size for us to... I would consider going up to a 56" but nothing much bigger than that. I'm thinking I would like to spend < $1200. Questions:

1) Set suggestions?

2) Where to buy?

3) Any specific features recommended?

4) Any brands to avoid?

5) Anyone want a 52" RCA paperweight?
09-06-2006, 07:32 PM
Majik

Listen to Sammm, his TV looks great.
09-06-2006, 07:40 PM
Treibenschnell

D L P.
09-06-2006, 07:46 PM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Treibenschnell

D L P.

Looks like Circuit City has a 50" RCA DLP on sale for $1299, but then I need to get a stand too.
09-06-2006, 07:57 PM
channelmaniac

I wish I had room in the shop... I'd take it off your hands and fix it just to have one in my workshop. I need to sell some arcade games first.

RJ
09-06-2006, 08:01 PM
onething

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Looks like Circuit City has a 50" RCA DLP on sale for $1299, but then I need to get a stand too.

720 is old school go for the 1080 ::Banana:: It's only ::2Dollar:
and your money at that
09-06-2006, 08:05 PM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by onething

720 is old school go for the 1080 ::Banana:: It's only ::2Dollar:
and your money at that

Well, I could go CRT Projection for less money and get 1080. Is DLP 720 better than 1080 CRT? This one is $400 less AND I don't need a stand. Hmmm. Do I really need DLP for cartoon duty?
09-06-2006, 08:06 PM
Radio-Active

I have a friend that works on TV's for a living. He told me to shy away from DLP. Reason, $400 bulb replacement after about a year.
09-06-2006, 08:11 PM
POS Racing

Would I sound pointy if I said to do a Search??? ::Batman::
09-06-2006, 08:14 PM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS Racing

Would I sound pointy if I said to do a Search??? ::Batman::

Been there, done that... The other threads were for people willing to spend more. I am looking TCB.
09-06-2006, 08:20 PM
POS Racing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Been there, done that... The other threads were for people willing to spend more. I am looking TCB.

Why not go old school for around $800.00, Spongebob may not notice. ;)
09-06-2006, 08:25 PM
Dave04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radio-Active

I have a friend that works on TV's for a living. He told me to shy away from DLP. Reason, $400 bulb replacement after about a year.

Bull Sh$T.... if your friend is paying/charging $400 for a bulb he's an idiot/criminal...

Most of the DLP's are taking a bulb that can be easily found online for ~$150-200 and are user replacible. And they only need it about every 4 year with normal home viewing.
09-06-2006, 08:31 PM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS Racing

Why not go old school for around $800.00, Spongebob may not notice. ;)

Thats what I'm thinking. It is the same size and brand as the old one, plus adds widscreen and HD (in case I ever decide to upgrade my satellite service). I'm trying to think of a way I can justify spending more but it is hard knowing I have little interest in adding HD service, I am lucky if I watch one of my DVDs a month, and my eyes are pretty bad. I have always put a high value on audio quality while paying little attention to the picture.
09-06-2006, 08:32 PM
Radio-Active

His cost 6 months ago, when I last talked to him about it, was 275 for the bulb from RCA. He has been getting about 5 a week from Aarons in Sherman. I dont know how much his shop rate is.

Edit: On second thought, that price was probably last year. I don't go to his shop as often as I used to.
09-06-2006, 08:36 PM
Radio-Active

BTW I have seen many brand new sets from RCA come in to his shop that weren't working out if the box. Most of his repairs are warrenty work.
09-06-2006, 09:06 PM
Dave04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radio-Active

BTW I have seen many brand new sets from RCA come in to his shop that weren't working out if the box. Most of his repairs are warrenty work.

That could explain a lot... DON'T BUY RCA... Samsung and Mitsubishi are my favorites...

Also you said a lot of his business was from Aarons... that also explains a lot... people renting TV's aren't likely to let them have their cool down like they need... it can really shorten a bulb's life.
09-06-2006, 09:48 PM
sammm

SONY rear-projection LCD. I got the 50" earlier this year. Great TV! Zero regrets.

I got a TCB deal from the guy on the board who work(ed) for Best Buy. I think the 'normal' price is down to what I paid now. I'm sure you could score it cheaper off the internet. Once you see a sporting event in HD you can't go back.
09-06-2006, 10:01 PM
Sharpie

5 years for the life of a tv. That's just sad. Our first tv (before I was born) lasted more than 20 years. My little Sanyo 25" is going on at least 7 or 8. Sad that so many things are disposible these days. :( :confused:
09-07-2006, 06:55 AM
pliablemoose

Yeah, don't buy an RCA.

RCA was bought out by Thompson (French company) & they use the brand name to market in the US.

They have the highest repair rate in the industry.
09-07-2006, 08:00 AM
Billy Blaze

I bought a 52in Toshiba DLP last year and I love it.
The guy at Best Buy tried to tell me the same thing, that the bulbs cost 300.
He also said the Toshibas have the brightest burning bulbs of all the sets out at that time.
I only use mine for movies,...its sort of funny when people come over and see a 2200. tv with a coax/Coke can antena
09-07-2006, 08:34 AM
Treibenschnell

Just to set the record straight... if you're paying that much for a bulb, someone is ripping you off.
09-07-2006, 08:44 AM
tailchaser

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Been there, done that... The other threads were for people willing to spend more. I am looking TCB.

It's possible to get what "the other threads" discussed for the price you mentioned... The Internets are an amazing thing! Swing by the house and check out my rear projection. Or Bean's. Or Sammm's. Good times!
09-07-2006, 09:20 AM
pliablemoose

If you're really into cheap, swing by the Salvation Army for now & scrounge up a deal an the dayafter Thanksgiving.

They're talking about some killer LCD deals
09-07-2006, 11:51 AM
altiain

No complaints with my new Samsung 40" 1080p LCD... but it was just a touch more than $1200. :wink:
09-07-2006, 11:59 AM
pliablemoose

I was looking at DLP's last night @ Costco, damn, they look good.

I have a 61" Sony CRT RPTV now. Am looking to possibly upgrade during the Christmas sales.
09-07-2006, 05:17 PM
Titus
So does anyone have any opinions on JVC's D-ILA technology? Here is the propaganda they provide about it:

D-ILA technology delivers a superior high-contrast, flicker-free 720p progressive-scan image that's brighter, more vivid and more seamlessly natural than those produced by DLP, LCD or competing LCOS displays. The specific advantages of JVC's approach are many:
- Unlike single-chip DLP projection systems, the 3-chip (1280 x 720) D-ILA light engine employed in these new TVs processes each color component of the signal independently and combines them simultaneously on-screen. Unlike the DLP process, this approach requires no color-wheel modulation, and thus avoids the notorious "rainbow effect" that plagues many DLP TVs.
- The tightly-packed pixel structure of the D-ILA device eliminates the "screen-door effect" (pixel separation) that becomes evident when viewing LCD and plasma displays at close range. This allows HD-ILA TVs to project a seamless, natural image that bypasses the typical harshness of video and more closely approximates the look of film projection.
- A true analog gray scale provides outstanding gradations of black, reproducing subtle shading detail that's demonstrably superior to that provided by LCD projection systems.
- Vertically aligned liquid crystals, specially engineered for the D-ILA device, achieve a lightning-fast 16ms response time. This enables the display to generate moving images that are virtually free of the smearing and other motion artifacts common with other fixed-pixel technologies.
- And D-ILA technology (like all LCOS systems) is impervious to the picture burn-in and display-longevity issues associated with even the highest-end plasma displays. These TVs even feature a user-replaceable bulb.
09-07-2006, 05:19 PM
Titus

And what about Factory refurbished DLPs? Good deal, or stay away?
09-07-2006, 05:47 PM
Dave04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

So does anyone have any opinions on JVC's D-ILA technology? Here is the propaganda they provide about it:

Basically, from what I understand of the 3-chip systems (there ARE 3-chip DLP systems out there, but are still quite $$$. All of the DLP cinema systems in the movie theaters are 3-chip systems) can provide more different color varieties.

A single chip system with a 3 color wheel generates something like 16 million colors, adding extra colors to the wheel can increase this somewhat. The 3-chip systems on the other hand, can generate something like 35 TRILLION colors.

If you don't mind the DLP™ commercial, goto http://www.dlp.com and select "Launch the demo" under the blue "What is DLP Technology" frame.
09-07-2006, 05:56 PM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave04

If you don't mind the DLP™ commercial, goto http://www.dlp.com and select "Launch the demo" under the blue "What is DLP Technology" frame.

Very cool... thanks! Any thoughts on the refurbished units? I'm seeing some good prices on refurbished Samsungs.
09-07-2006, 06:03 PM
sammm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Very cool... thanks! Any thoughts on the refurbished units? I'm seeing some good prices on refurbished Samsungs.

How much would you save going refurbished? FWIW, I got the extended warranty when I bought mine. 1 bulb replacement would practically make it pay for itself. ::2Cents::
09-07-2006, 06:34 PM
Dave04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Very cool... thanks! Any thoughts on the refurbished units? I'm seeing some good prices on refurbished Samsungs.

Not sure really.... knowing how they are made, there really isn't all that much that can go wrong with them, so a refurb shouldn't be a huge risk. You basically have the bulb, DLP, and the color wheel assembly.
09-07-2006, 07:12 PM
pliablemoose

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammm

How much would you save going refurbished? FWIW, I got the extended warranty when I bought mine. 1 bulb replacement would practically make it pay for itself. ::2Cents::

But Treibenschnell says they're nearly free :cat:

They have come down a lot...
09-07-2006, 07:17 PM
Treibenschnell

Quote:

Originally Posted by pliablemoose

But Treibenschnell says they're nearly free :cat:

As a person that works in the television industry (as in broadcast, not physically building the damned things) I get a great deal on bulbs. That's not to say, say, if TC asked, I couldn't get him a cut rate deal on a bulb.

So yes, for me, they're nearly free. :D
09-07-2006, 09:40 PM
Titus

Well the deals on refurbished TVs were not as good as they looked once I figured in the shipping, so I went new. Amazon will be delivering the Samsung HL-S4666W 46" Widescreen DLP® HDTV with 720p Resolution and the matching stand some time in the next week or 2 for $1386.12.
09-08-2006, 07:19 AM
Titus

This old RCA will be going to the curb soon if nobody wants it. Anyone?
09-09-2006, 05:23 PM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Well the deals on refurbished TVs were not as good as they looked once I figured in the shipping, so I went new. Amazon will be delivering the Samsung HL-S4666W 46" Widescreen DLP® HDTV with 720p Resolution and the matching stand some time in the next week or 2 for $1386.12.

Make that $1,344. I had paid an extra $42 for the quicker shipping, which they charged for but was not reflected by the delivery date provided by the shipper. I sent Amazon a nasty email and they refunded the extra shipping fee. I would have preferred the quicker shipping, but oh well. :rolleyes:
09-09-2006, 05:38 PM
black roadster

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Make that $1,344. I had paid an extra $42 for the quicker shipping, which they charged for but was not reflected by the delivery date provided by the shipper. I sent Amazon a nasty email and they refunded the extra shipping fee. I would have preferred the quicker shipping, but oh well. :rolleyes:

http://www.forumspile.com/You-Are-Aw...he_Office).gif
09-10-2006, 05:34 PM
chuckerants

Titus, if you want a great "warranty", buy a TV from Costco. Since they are not an "Authorized Reseller" of any of the brands they sell, they offer a lifetime warranty.

Go to AVSforums.com and you'll read about many people taking advantage of this warranty years after they bought the TV.

If you buy a TV elsewhere, be sure to use your Visa or Mastercard as they usually extend a manufacters warranty to double - 1 year man. warranty = 2 year warranty. You just need to save the warranty statement, your CC statement and the repair bill.

This is how after 1 1/2 years of owning a $500 (after MIR) Toshiba laptop, I was able to get reimbursed $400 to have the laptop repaired. The warranty was 1 year.
09-10-2006, 05:35 PM
chuckerants

Oh, and I bought a Samsung 56" 720P DLP for $1987.xx delivered to the house from Amazon last year. I think I just saw the same TV on Amazon for $1400.

As for 1080P HDTV, yes it does look better than a 720P HDTV. But, as of now there are no sources of 1080P programming. Unless you're willing to spend $1000 on a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player.