First off, thanks for the TV advice, guys; I really appreciate it. I’ll definitely get the wiring done during the building of the house. As for the TV itself, I hear the projectors are much better in dark rooms. (Any truth to that?) Another buddy suggested this TV. Any thoughts? I won’t be buying anything until April or May so hopefully the prices keep dropping. Anyway, again, thanks.
I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not sure what it is, but then I remembered that NCAA 06 is due early next month and I swear I think it’s actual anticipation pains. The older I get, the more rare these pains are. As some of you recall, my impressions of the game at E3 were rollercoaster-ish but I really am looking forward to playing the game. I think mostly because I feel NCAA 2005 was such a downer that it’s almost like it has been two years since I played NCAA, if that makes any sense. I’m scheduled to do a review for GameShark but I won’t be getting the game beforehand so I have to wait just like most of you guys, which is fine by me because I spend most of my time writing the Almanac. I have plenty to do. Still, nothing says college football like July 12th….
Speaking of the book, I stumbled upon a very cool lookoing World War II dogfighting game called Down in Flames. I even did an essay on it for the book. World War II dogfighting simulated via a card game interface. I’m a sucker for a neat idea.
The Blog for the Sports Gamer 
I have the 46″ version of that very same TV. It’s a terrific set. I’ve been very impressed with the picture quality to this point.
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Most projectors need a fairly dark room. Nicer (brighter) ones can tolerate more ambient light, where as more budgety ones like mine (InFocus SP4805) really need a dark room. (Like I said, don’t consider a projector unless you really want the theater experience at home moreso than something for general everyday viewing.)That TV you highlighted is supposed to be a good one so far as I know. And if your cable company supports CableCards then that’s probably a feature you’ll like, since it negates the need for a set-top box to receive digital cable. Of course, if you’re not buying until Q2 next year who knows how the landscape will change in terms of pricing and such.
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Is that the “R” model? I couldn’t find the model number on that page!I’m not sure what the “R” gets you over the “P” versions, but I think it is better.I’ve been looking for a big screen for about a year and a half. I was stone cold sold on the Samsungs six months ago. Now I am wavering between the Grand Wega and the Samsung. Or splurging and going XBR 60″. The Sony’s needs a $300 calibration job to look their best, but man that best is frickin’ awesome. And now Mitsubishi has a pretty kick ass line of DLP sets, too.A year and a half ago I projected (heh heh) that two years from then would be the right time to buy. At the 6 month point I knew I was right. At the 1 year point I had big-screen fever BAD…but saw that the old 2 year pick was still pretty good. Now that it’s six months away I’m thinking it was still a good time frame. I think when the current GrandWega and Samsung “R” series hit CostCo after the next models come out, it will time.Something about getting that $500 stand with the deal makes “last years model” pretty attractive.
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BTW, the projector for the true home theater setup the other guys were suggesting was based on you building your own house and being in the enviable position of being able to design a room just for that. No windows needed. 🙂
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Dont DLPs suffer from refresh lag that could hinder playing video games?
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Michael, my front projector is DLP-based and I had no trouble with Xbox games on it. Not sure if (or why) it would be different form a rear-projection system. Maybe it depends on the quality of the DLP unit, which can vary.
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The lag comes when you play an interlaced game and it has to upconvert. It is said that DDR is unplayable on the Samsungs because DDR is 480i only and the console gets ahead of the TV because the TV has to convert the 480i to 720p, and that takes a little smidgeon of time. Which you don’t have when your bustin’ moves.The next-gen consoles and games are mandated to support a miminum 720p signal so that should not be problem come November.
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Okay – not a TV comment, but Bill, the company that now offers “Down In Flames” — Battlefront — is one of my favorites. Their “Combat Mission” series (hope that makes it into the almanac) is to hardcore wargamers what OOTP is to hardcore sports gamers. Battlefront and SI Games are both top-notch in my book.
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Pete, funny you mention Battlefront, I did an essay on the company today.
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Wow, reviewing games must be more lucrative than I thought. ;)You now all this mention of DLP and nobody has said to look out for the rainbow effect. Or the noise from the color wheel.I think spending 4 grand for a TV is okay as long as you’ve considered the distinct probability that that TV will be antiquated in a few years, as opposed to the older TVs which used to last us 10 even 15 years.There are a lot of promising technologies on the horizon (next 5 years) but I also appreciate the desire to jump into the HDTV fray right now. Sports are the killer HDTV app. but movies should get better to in the next few years.
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wco I hear you but I think you can say that 5 years from now, too. Technology isn’t gonna stop. That, and yeah, I just want a nice TV dammit. As for the money, selling your house at the right time has its advantages. 🙂 Seriously, my wife and I look at the huge lot of land, the 2400 sq foot house the TV we are shopping for and ask, “Did we win the lottery without anyone telling us?” Of course keeping a steady savings is gonna be a tad more tricky after we do this. Actually, the move is mostly for Ashley to get her into a good school district without us having to pay for a private school. Columbus City schools are an emabarrassment.
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Just remember you need a stand with that TV. My DLP has a stand built in (of course you still need the add on stand to put components on). Anyhoo, September is clearance month for TVs — that’s the time to buy last year’s model for a great deal or some freebie thrown in (wait for HDirecTivo)…
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As far as the rainbow effect and noise from the color wheel – I don’t have problems with either.I have a Samsung HLP4663W. The wheel is as silent as could be. In fact, I can hear the hard drive in my HDPVR more than I can the color wheel. I literally have to stand right next to the TV to hear the color wheel. The rainbow effect seems to be an issue with some people, however I’ve had about 15 different people watching my TV at different times and I asked all of them if they see the rainbow effect. Not one of them did. I even explained what it was and they still said they didn’t see it. I’ve never seen the audio/video lag in video games, but have on regular TV at times. Probably once every 4-5 months I’ll change the channel and can tell the audio/video is off. I just change the channel again and it’s fine. I use a receiver and I’ve heard that causes A/V lag, but I just don’t see it 99% of the time.Sammy DLP’s are great sets. avsforum.com really helped me out, but beware that a lot of people seem to be fanboys of TV’s just like they are for consoles.
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