DLP rear projector recommendation please

I have had a Samsung HLN507W for about 6 months, so far so good. I really like the picture on it, and the colors are very adjustable.

Negatives-

1) it has a bulb that needs replacement every few years ~$250

2) I've noticed it occasionally has difficulty with picture when you first turn it on. The sound goes on immediately, and then the picture takes about 10 seconds to come in normally. About one in four or five times that you turn it on, no picture has come in after 30 seconds, and the set turns itself off and then back on. It hasn't had to do this twice so far.

Other than that I'm very happy with the set.

There is a relatively definitive guide to DLPs at http://www.digiupdate.com, which includes an in depth discussion of the new chipsets used in various models, known defects, etc. You should def. view one under decent conditions before buying tho', b/c some percentage of people report seeing something called "rainbow" effect that detracts from video quality. Not everyone sees it tho'.

I own two Samsung DLP RPTVs. One is a slightly older HLN617W that is the display in my HT. The other is the newer HLP5063 in my bedroom. I like both very very much, have had no trouble with either, and can recommend Samsung highly.

I did a lot of comparisons in making the decision to go with the HLN617W. The HLP5063 purchase was not based on comparisons as I was fully satisfied with Samsung, and had been tracking the design improvements at avs forum.

One comment is I believe the digiupdate page was the one that Arun Gupta ran, but unfortunately Arun was killed riding his bike and the page is no longer up to date. I second the recommendation to go to avs forum to get the latest information.

Just as no technology is perfect; e.g., some see rainbows although I never have, I expect no one brand is perfect, so you need to weigh the pros and cons of each. Samsung was the only game in town when I was doing my comparisons (primarily Samsung DLP to Sony GWIII), so I cannot comment on other DLP brands.

If DVD viewing is a priority, then one thing I would look for is the ability to accept a 720p feed via either DVI or HDMI, and the ability to display that without any intervening processing, so you can take advantage of an upconverting DVD player. The Samsungs can do this. RCA has/had a model that could not. It downconverted to 480i/480p and then rescaled to the native DLP resolution of 720p - needless extra processing.

I would appreciate feedback on any comparisons you do between different brands of DLP RPTV.

Thanks
Bruce

Very sad to hear about Arun; his guide and tracking of the Samsung models was truly amazing.

I like the Sim RPTV, but it is quite expensive. At a far more reasonable price, the RPTVs from Optoma look pretty good.

I am not a fan of the Samsung sets. Even when the sets are suppose to be calibrated, the colors look odd and artificial.

I saw the JVC LCOS set at CES. The colors are decent and the picture is very detailed, smooth and natural looking. The weak point is black level and shadow detail, which is not up to what DLP sets can do.

I understand that LG or some other company has announced a 55" backlit LCD set. If they have licked the problem that LCD sets have with motion artifacts (slow response of the set to rapid changes in the image), it could be a top contender. I like the color palette of LCD sets and black levels are getting better and better.

I expect to see at CEDIA the ultra thin DLP RPTVs that several manufacturers have been touting. I wonder what picture quality compromises had to be made to make a 55" set only 5-7" in depth.