Ask Engadget: What's the best home theater display out there?

We're a bit short on reader-submitted questions on Ask Engadget this week -- speaking of, send your questions to ask at engadget dawt com and you've got a good shot at getting it some air time -- but it's alright 'cause we've got a question of our own:

A buddy of ours is setting up a home theater, and has decided to really go all out. Unfortunately for him, there's no clear choice between display technology. DLP claims this, plasma claims that, LCD claims another, and there's always some dang projector floating around promising the bliss of unlimited screen size. So, assuming price is no object -- in the sense that he's willing to really invest here, not that he just likes flinging his money around -- and our buddy is looking for the best possible quality in his 42-inch+ display that will be situated in a moderately sized, fairly glare-free living room, what would you pick for him?

Hopefully that's enough to go on, but if not you can always resort to calling the DLP kids cheapskates and making fun of the LCD fans' refresh rates.

[DickHardknocks @ Oct 18th 2007 6:50PM]

The absolute best Home Theater System in the entire world is the one that will be released 2 months after you buy and set one up.

[rzlmlchm009 @ Oct 18th 2007 6:59PM]

According to Steve Jobs, in order to have the best home theater display out there, you must buy a new one each year.

[Paul @ Oct 18th 2007 7:23PM]

I think the key thing is to never ever ever buy DLP...unless you want to sit dead on in front of it. The only advantage is cost. Plasma is increasing it's brightness half life, which is great, but be sure to check the specs that the one that you're getting is up to snuff in that regard. To my understanding, contrast ratios are still subjective when it comes to what exactly they measure, as there is no standard. Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out.

I bought a 42" LG LCD with 1080i. After all I'd read it had the best reviews and looked the best in store. Great price and all that junk. Also, I was told that 1080p isn't needed for anything 42" and under, as the difference isn't noticeable. I'd definitely pay attention to the refresh rate though, as that plays a part in the clarity of any motion on the screen. Also wanna pay attention to the weight, sure most flat panels are relatively light compared to their tube counterparts, but they're still rather large and ungainly, especially if you're carrying it solo.

Inputs aren't as important if you have a decent receiver, if not, more hdmi will allow you to keep your tv longer, although you can always put a splitter in the line. I personally have a Harman Kardon AVR-247, and got it at a great price from their ebay store. It has 2 HDMI's in, one out, and upscales most analog signals to 720p via the hdmi connection. Plus it looks spiffy and was under $300.

Best of luck, and as some already said, the best one will come out a few months later, for cheaper, with more features, it's inevitable.

[Kevman @ Oct 18th 2007 8:13PM]

"Best bet is to walk the wall at Best Buy and see which one's brightness/darkness stands out."

No, no, no, no, NO. That is NOT the best bet. It's not even a good bet. C'mon man! Do we really need to go over this again? The sets at Best Buy/Circuit City etc are not a true representation of the display's abilities. Many factors contribute to this: store lighting, bad settings(contrast through the roof!), certain brands pushed over others, etc.

Your best bet is to head on over to avsforum and read. A lot.

[Paul @ Oct 18th 2007 9:55PM]

Yeah, most are located in darker areas, and you can check the contrast settings to verify which ones are tweaked are not. More often than not, I've found them not to be tweaked. But it gives you a good starting point of which ones look the best, both picture quality-wise and aesthetically. Then from there, you can go onto any number of review websites and get some real world opinions, include that with a thorough review of the specs to ensure that the performance is up to snuff and you're good to go.

[AJ @ Oct 19th 2007 12:08AM]

@DickHardknocks:

Yours is the truest statement I've read all year.

[CSB @ Oct 19th 2007 2:44PM]

I have a 50 inch Pioneer Elite that I chose after months of research and love it. I also do like the products from LG, Samsung, Mitsubishi, and Hitachi. Please stay away from the no-name brands. You really need to look at this as a system. Source, processor, cables, display, surroundings, etc. You can have a great display and a poor source and be unhappy, and vice versa, it needs to be a balance. Regardless of the display you purchase, in order to get the most out of it it will need to be calibrated. The default settings are made to make the display stand out on the store shelf. Use the DVD "Video Essentials" which you can get from Best Buy, Circuit City, Amazon, etc to calibrate both the video and audio of the system. I have a 10 year old 35" Mitsubishi that many people have asked if it was high-def. Also realize that there are various HDMI versions for the connection to the display. The standard for HDMI has been evolving and is not final (currently V1.3a is available but 1.3b is being tested). There has been compatibility issues between products that support different versions. As far as receivers go, the list I would pick from includes Marantz, Dennon, Integra, Rotel, Onkyo, Outlaw Audio, and NAD. These manufacturers provide products that are good value. As far as speakers go I like Paradigm, PSB, B&W, and Definitive Technology. Research sources include AVguide.com and hometheatermag.com. Avoid the big box stores and find a smaller store that knows the industry and the products. The small stores can be very competitive with big box prices.

[Dave Zatz @ Oct 18th 2007 6:52PM]

I recently bought the 42" 720p Panasonic plasma for $1200 and love it. Turns out Consumer Reports agrees and rates it the #1 plasma at that size. The top two LCDs we both Samsung, the first being 1080.

[Grant @ Oct 18th 2007 7:04PM]

a 42" plasma for 1200?
wow, thats a steal.

If it's this guy: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8254774&type=product&id=1169512771844

You managed to get it even cheaper than the sale price, how'd you manage?

[Canadian Bacon @ Oct 18th 2007 7:39PM]

Besides never buying that kind of shit from best buy?

Here's the exact same display for 1090 with free shipping and no tax from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-42PX75U-720p-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B000O321IW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2552796-9179231?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1192750658&sr=8-1

Unless you need something immediately I don't know why anyone buys big ticket items from Best Buy/CC, etc.

[will clifton @ Oct 18th 2007 7:57PM]

everyone knows you're supposed to report and pay taxes on your online (out of state) purchases at the end of the year, right?

right???

(does anyone really do that?)

[Dave Zatz @ Oct 18th 2007 7:58PM]

Actually that Best Buy model is the 75U. I got the slightly higher-end 77U (anti-glare coating). It was on sale for $1299 at Circuit City but I mentioned their service plans seemed significantly more expensive than Best Buy so they knocked $70 off. It was also for sale at Sears for $1200 that same week. As Canadian Bacon mentioned, you can find good deals online too.

[Roberto @ Oct 19th 2007 1:35AM]

you've got to check out the 50" panasonic 720p 75u at sears. on sale for 1599 and 250 off when you use a sears card. Plus an employee discount, I walked out of the store with this tv for 1315 including tax.

[seoultrain @ Oct 20th 2007 4:41AM]

wow all you guys are getting ripped. If you're willing to set up directv (which is totally worth it), circuit city (or best buy) will give you $300 off an hdtv. plus a rebate for the receiver for the satellite. all told, I paid $800+tax for the Samsung 42" 720p plasma. Preferred it to the Panasonic, as it has a better contrast and more inputs (VGA, which i needed, and an extra HDMI).

Not to say I got the best deal possible. Black Friday's coming up and I'm sure people will find a lot of steals. Everyone thinks they got a good deal, but seriously, do your research (slickdeals/fatwallet).

[Warren @ Oct 18th 2007 6:53PM]

56" Samsung DLP - get yourself a nice Onkyo reciever with HDMI inputs and Sony speakers. Bust out a PS3 for the games...er...blu-ray - and a 360 for the games and HD-DVD.

Oh - invest in a nice universal remote.

[Bastiaan @ Oct 18th 2007 7:40PM]

Mind you, most Onkyo receivers i touched, actually _had_ a universal remote with it.
Even does xbox ^_^

[James Campos @ Oct 18th 2007 6:59PM]

Any pioneer ELITE plasma will do. For your surround sound system, stop going to big box stores and try to find yourself a specialty store. They probably have the knowledge that you need and can put together a system where the speakers aren't using paper drivers (Bose). They won't kill the wallet either.

[Bryan Jackson @ Oct 18th 2007 9:07PM]

Actually, many highly regarded speakers use paper drivers. I personally have ScanSpeak 15W drivers in my speakers which are quite nice. There are also many nice metal cones, however they usually have worse breakup nodes between 2-8khz which is pretty noticeable unless well controlled.

All of the major speaker houses use paper drivers, albeit not the incredibly terrible cheap Bose kind.

[RyanTV @ Oct 18th 2007 6:59PM]

one of the new D series 1080p Sharp ones. They are super thin and sexy :)

[ccox @ Oct 18th 2007 7:00PM]

Display wise... I'd go projections with a Mitsubishi HC5000. AV Receiver, one of the new Denon's... if you have the $$$$'s.

[rtc11 @ Oct 18th 2007 7:00PM]

Pioneer elite pro-150fd. 60"
Pioneer elite pro-110fd. 50"

http://www.hometheatermag.com/plasmadisplays/907kuro/

"Greatest flat panel ever.
Forgive my dipping into hyperbole for the caption, but there really wasn't another way to go. It's not just the fact that the PRO-110FD creates a beautiful image. It's that the image it creates is such a step above every other flat panel on the market that it is not even comparable. There's that hyperbole again. I'll stop and let the performance speak for itself. "

end of thread.

[rtc11 @ Oct 18th 2007 7:12PM]

Also take a look at http://www.ultimateavmag.com/

and follow the links to the other websites that review equipment.

[Andrew @ Oct 18th 2007 7:01PM]

The Runco XP-103DHD For Video.
Bryston SP2 Preamp
Bryston 14B SST Amplifiers
and PMC BB5 Speakers.

or are we talking all out, but not really?

[e-Man @ Oct 18th 2007 7:04PM]

Naw... get one of the newfangled LED backlit LCDs, the ones that change brightness based on the scene. I reccomend harmon kardon for the reciever... be sure the get one that can process 8-channel uncompressed PCM audio and hook it up to a PS3. Oh, and be sure to visit AVSforum.com :-)

[EngadgetFanBoi @ Oct 18th 2007 7:07PM]

Best Plasma I've ever seen
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/kuro/product/details/0,,2076_310069729_477134674,00.html

Best LCD I've ever seen
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/ModelLanding/0,1058,1812,00.html

I personally like the Pioneer's added luminance and its deeper black levels, but the sharp is definitely on par. If he will be playing games or is at all energy-conscious, I would ultimately recommend the Sharp LCD.

[Alex Tramiel @ Oct 18th 2007 7:14PM]

Westinghouse 47" LCD HDTV, The best 1080p set for the price. At 1500 dollars it is an amazing deal from Best Buy! http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8346685&st=westinghouse+47&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1175902657231

Sure you could get a better LCD for 1000 dollars more, but this TV is freaking amazing. Also if you want to go all out get out the lovesac sactionals.
http://www.lovesac.com/shopping/view.php?cat=630

All right I hope westinghouse and lovesac give me commission... I also second avsforum.com, amazing website!

[David Clark @ Oct 18th 2007 7:17PM]

I agree with the Westinghouse!! For the money, nothing else comes close. I have a Vista Pc and a Mac Mini both going to it and switch back and forth. Both look amazing espcially Media Center and Front Row (I _love_ Media Center)

[Macdaddy @ Oct 18th 2007 7:19PM]

I would say he 71 series samsung LCD's have the best picture out there (and on average $300-$400 cheaper than sony). If the glossy screen doesn't do it for ya then check out the 69 series with matte finish.

69 dudes!

[Matthew @ Oct 19th 2007 2:35PM]

I second the 71 series, I have the 52" version, its nice!

[Eleclipper @ Oct 18th 2007 7:20PM]

the best is the fujitso for ~$15,000, but absolutely the best ok priced plasma is the Pioneer Elite 150FD, I got it and it is absolutely stunning, check out avsforum.com, for more info

[lakessler @ Oct 18th 2007 7:20PM]

Some parameters would be helpful. I'd go for a front projector in a heartbeat. I have one of the new Epson 1080p projectors and it is fantastic. If you control ambient light they have the best pic out there bar none and it is scalable. You can make the pic huge if you'd like (which makes haveing a 78" picture afforable). It also can be hidden in your living room or on your ceiling so it does not dominate a room like a plasma or LCD does (Certainly do not go for a rear projection DLP, if you go box, get a Plasma). Also you can get an electric screen that retracts so its like you don't even have a TV in the room when you're not watching it.

As for audio there is a world of possibilities out there. Whatever you do DO NOT GET SONY SPEAKERS. I'm a fan of Onkyo's high end compnenets they make under the "Integra" brand name. The processors they use are excellent, and they look nice. But I'd go Lexicon if I had the $....

As for speakers, go English. B&W or KEF depending on your taste in mid range and high end frequencies.

[bombastinator @ Oct 18th 2007 7:28PM]

If price
really really is no object there are in fact projectors that match
the numbers of higher end plasmas and provide gigantic 200+ inches of
viewing size. They are ungodly expensive though. Well out of the
range of normal consumer stuff.A uick google found me this one but
I'm sure there are
more.http://tomcullen.wordpress.com/2007/08/29/projectiondesign-debuts-first-3-chip-1080p-dlp%c2%ae-m80-projector/

With that kind of size one can pull cute tricks like painting one entire wall edge to edge with movie screen paint and adjusting the size of the viewing area to exactly match the size of the wall. The wow factor is really huge on this kind of setup. Plus when you turn it off it's gone.

[bombastinator @ Oct 18th 2007 7:41PM]

Annother st up is the one I use if you happen to have a large bay windo in the room. Ive got a big 3 panel bay window with an effective 137" screen size. I bought a motorized metalized screen to fit over the window, and behind the box for the full length curtains.
The silver is nice because it needs to be really opaque. My window is south facing and If I want o watch he thing in the early afternoon I still have to also close slatted blinds set inside the casement though.

I haven't got motors for the curtains in, mostly because it's pointless without motors for the slatted blinds as well, but If I did you could just hit 2 buttons for a great "open the curtain" movie effect that covers the window as a handy side effect.

[Twitchy @ Oct 18th 2007 7:20PM]

Buy a movie theatre and squeeze it into your basement.

[timatl @ Oct 18th 2007 7:22PM]

DLP for screen larger 55"

[AV Addict @ Oct 18th 2007 7:27PM]

For a panel display, you can't beat the new Pioneer Elite 1080P Kuro's...a few people have listed the model numbers. If you want to go with a dedicated home theater room and use a projector, you can't beat high-end Runco DLP projectors which are capable of showing true cinema aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. Audio is more subjective, and there are many many more choices out there with which you can't go wrong, but I personally have B&W speakers driven by Rotel electronics.

[drew mcmahon @ Oct 18th 2007 7:29PM]

I have an 720p optima hd70 wide screen projector The image is 92' across and looks just as good as any 720p plasma or LCD that i have seen. Its got hdmi/component inputs and its not noisy. + it is less expensive than most hd tvs. The only downside is that you need a dark are to view. But lucky me i have a great basement with a full bar and a kegorater. The worst part was putting in a crapload of wireing for the sounds system. Its worth it to get 92 inches of hd goodness. I have wet dreams of getting an optima hd80:1080p,1200 lumens, 10,000 to one contrast, dark chip II. Once you get an hd widescreen projector you will never settle for anything less.

[Mazzani @ Oct 18th 2007 7:30PM]

Currently, Costco seems to have the best deal right now. A 50" Panasonic plasma, the TH-50PC77U (like the TH-50PX77U but only Costco sells it) for $1550 after a $300 instant rebate. I own it, I love it.

[Ang @ Oct 18th 2007 7:30PM]

BEST LCD to date - The Professional NEC MULTEOS 40 or 46. The level of control and tweaking that you can do on this panel is simply amazing. Skin tones and all other colours look natural not like a b grade movie.
Expensive though, about double the price compared to other same size panels.

[eagles4life @ Oct 18th 2007 7:32PM]

Sony Bravia LCD. the picture and speakers are great

[Tyson @ Oct 18th 2007 7:34PM]

Ok. I don't know what the heck Westinghouse is even doing on this page. But with that being said The Sharp XVZ20000 front projector unit provides an excellent picture, with scalability for size, and it's not completely ridiculously priced. Of course you will need a nice Da-Light screen to complement this. (Preferably this would be a motorized in ceiling screen along with a scissor drop for the projo.) As far as audio goes I like Integra Research's seperates The RDC7.1 is not only a scalable card based processor for easy upgrading, it also has an apogee clock system which is the same system used in major recording studios on $100k plus sound boards. The Amplifier would have to be the RDA7.1 to complement the proc. 7 linear mono-block amps all on balanced xlr connectors. Since they really don't have a "high end" blue ray or hd-dvd player out take your pick as the formats are up in the air anyway. Then speakers. I say Definitive Technology all around 7.1 channels of bipolar action. Oh and don't forget a supercube powered sub with two long throw 14" active woofers and 4 14" infrasonic radiators. Oh and don't forget to spend ton on good cables and an amx or crestron system to control it all.

[CraigJ @ Oct 18th 2007 7:34PM]

Samsung HL-T6189S 61" 1080p LED Engine Widescreen DLP HDTV, PIP, HDMI, VGA, USB, Bluetooth

[Rick @ Oct 18th 2007 7:35PM]

Always amused when LCOS is left out of the discussion.

[thecatt @ Oct 19th 2007 7:53AM]

LCOS is absolutely the best picture available. In particular, the Sonys (SXRD) cannot be beat. I've spent a long time researching this, and come to the conclusion that a Sony LCOS would be the best machine, but I can't do it due to the depth/size of the machines. (I'm looking for something in the 60" range). Incredible viewing angles, no mirror issues, no screen door, no motion blue, just great picture.

[Greg M @ Oct 24th 2007 1:22PM]

I have one of the first LCoS displays from JVC almost 3 years ago. 52" with excellent resolution, amazing brightness. The newer models have added contrast adjustment through the use of a dynamic iris control. LCoS devices definitely outshine any current plasma, LCD or DLP displays.

[Billy @ Oct 18th 2007 7:42PM]

I got a 46" Sharp Aquos (1920x1080) at Costco on sale for $2000 and it looks insane especially when I playback Transformers on my Toshiba HD DVD player at 1080P. It has the fastest refresh rate(4ms) on that market that I know of. Unfortunately I think Costco stop carrying this model.

[Robb @ Oct 18th 2007 7:53PM]

At the normal consumer level, it looks like the samsung 71 series is the best bang for the buck. You get the new features like 120Hz, some of the best black levels ever seen on an LCD and contrast ratios through the roof.

[cromag9 @ Oct 18th 2007 8:06PM]

You gotta be careful just looking at specs, you need to see the sets side by side to make a choice:
The sammys look good on paper, but the sharp aquos (92 series) blows it a way in motion processing.

[seoultrain @ Oct 20th 2007 5:16AM]

I haven't seen the 92 series aquos, but I can't imagine it beating the samsung 71's (in terms of motion processing). I thought the 120Hz thing was a gimmick when I first heard about it, but I saw the television in person hooked up to a blu-ray player, and it is ridiculous. If anything, I'd say the motion processing is too good. The movie playing was Pirates of the Caribbean, and it didn't look like a movie, more like you were watching it being filmed in the studio. Things like camera movements were incredibly defined, which made stunt scenes look completely staged. Because of this, it was a little too real for me, and took away a lot of the movie-ness, for lack of a better word. But it was impressive, nonetheless.

[Ryguy @ Oct 21st 2007 11:19AM]

You DO NOT need to see the sets side by side... this is the easiest way to make a horrible decision. TV's in retail stores are not properly calibrated, and moreover, stores often want you to buy certain brands, so they will purposely position these TVs in a favorable location.

Go to AVSForum or HomeTheaterSpot and do your research. That's what you need.