82" LCD here, 97" LCD on the way

[AlecWest]

http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1060

[BJ_M]

be fun seeing people try to bring home a 8' lcd panel on their roof rack ..


to wide to even fit in a van


big sucker though

[AlecWest]

be fun seeing people try to bring home a 8' lcd panel on their roof rack ..

to wide to even fit in a van

big sucker though

One local store has already solved that problem. "Professional installation" is included in the price. In short, they won't just let you buy it and drive off. Probably a good idea, too. They're becoming so sophisticated now that it would take a professional to understand the proper set-up procedure.

[edDV]

Still need to catch up to this plasma

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/reviews/20050119/ces_TV.html

[AlecWest]

Still need to catch up to this plasma

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/reviews/20050119/ces_TV.html

Well, it's more a matter of "choice" than "catch-up." Note that the photo of that 102" plasma screen says it's made by Samsung ... the same people who announced the 82" LCD. The money for either set will go into the same deep pocket (grin).

[edDV]

Interesting thing about LCD, they need to tool a separate factory per screen size. So whatever size they make they need to produce in huge quantity to break even.

Logical LCD high volume screen sizes and resolutons would be something like

42" 720x480 (480p) EDTV
50" 720x480 (480p) EDTV
50" 1280x720 (720p)
65" 1280x720 (720p)
65" 1440x1080 (1080i)
8x" 1920x1080 (1080p) and up

[BJ_M]

THE SONY/ SAMSUNG joint venture plant is building everything from 17" - 102"

so it says on their website and annual report ...

this is spread out in about 4 huge buildings next to each other (so they say)

[edDV]

The propcess tooling is by screen size according to industry reports I've read. Each a huge investment.

Here are the steps
http://www.crystec.com/crylcde.htm
http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Sharp+invests+1.5+billion+in+LCD+TV+boom/2100-1047_3-5533629.html

Financing
http://www.wtec.org/loyola/dsply_jp/c3_s1.htm

[BJ_M]

yep -- a massive investment --

why sony teamed up with samsung (who were killing them)

i got the infrastructure info here http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/ar/2004/

[Duchess]

They need to get business whilst they still can because the new bioluminescent screens are coming up behind. With the ability to print the screens using inkjet technology they are going to undercut the price of both LCD and plasma screens in a big way.

It's estimated that they will be available in about 3 years time.

[proxyx99]

This is really fascinating how quickly technology moves forward these days... My friend has spent major buck almost 3 years ago on 65 inch Sony rear projection. Now it looks like crap (in comparison, quality and price) with no prospects to find a buyer...

[lumis]

yeah, now that digital has really hit the consumer electronics market.. it seems that there is always a new technology around the corner.. but i guess its time for everyone to experience the wrath that pc nerds have experienced for the longest time.. as soon as you buy a peripheral or system, its outdated before you even walk out of the store to you car with it.

going from standard definition to hdtv is quite a leap..
going from stereo sound to dts is quite a leap..

i know it can get better.. but how much better do we need it?

a big tv is always nice, but an 8 foot television? i guess its for people who drive an SUV land barge.

[BJ_M]

They need to get business whilst they still can because the new bioluminescent screens are coming up behind. With the ability to print the screens using inkjet technology they are going to undercut the price of both LCD and plasma screens in a big way.

It's estimated that they will be available in about 3 years time.

more like 6-10 years

the next biggest thing (this year) will be SED display technology. SED stands for Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display. It is a revolutionary flat-panel design, which combines the best aspects of LCD (easy-to-manage size and weight, and low power consumption), with the picture quality advantages of a top-notch tube (CRT) TV: excellent response time, natural color, and deep, rich blacks.
Production models (which should begin appearing in very limited numbers by the end of this year) will be in the 50"-55" range, with resolution of 1080p. SED contrast ratio is rated at a mind-boggling 8600:1. The technology is similar to having 2 million tiny picture tubes. An array of electron emitters (one for each pixel) creates images by firing electrons at the phosphor-coated screen.

[BJ_M]

also -> "Sony's SXRD™ (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) technology. SXRD is Sony's proprietary flavor of LCoS display technology, and with its high pixel density and smooth motion handling, Sony is already claiming "SXRD will be the Trinitron of the 21st century." It was difficult to pull our eyes away from the high-definition clip from "Spider-Man 2," being fed from a prototype Blu-ray disc player. Although the $13,000 Qualia will only be available in a few salon-like stores, Sony plans to deliver 50" and 60" SXRD-based models — under the Qualia or possibly the XBR® badge — by late summer or fall."

[edDV]

Not the time to buy a big screen now, I like my home theater corner with a 34" CRT for now. Just move the sofa closer. I'm hooked on CRT picture quality.

I predict some 42" EDTV LCD under $1000 by the end of the year and 42-50" 1280x720 HDTV just above $1,000 in two years. I think 46" 1280x720 will become the high volume best price point replacement for the current 27" standard TV. 46" is the most efficient production size in "generation 7" manufacturing plants.

see TV tab in
http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/html/ne/glass/glass.html

[proxyx99]

I guess your sofa trick makes perfect sense. These news make buying decision harder, falling prices and quality that quickly approaches optimal (as we know it).

[ViRaL1]

Is bigger really better? Resolutions are still limited. How good will even 1920x1080 look on an 8ft screen?

[edDV]

Is bigger really better? Resolutions are still limited. How good will even 1920x1080 look on an 8ft screen?

Pretty darn good. Currently you need to go to a trade show to see 1920x1080p displays. Soon they will appear in the high end home threater stores. They will need the future HD DVD players for full 1080p source.

[proxyx99]

Plus the viewing distance increases automaticaly... that will blur the pixelation (if any).

[guns1inger]

I haven't seen an LCD TV that looks sharp at any viewing distance, and can keep up with anything other than a news reader's head. I agree with edDv - I'm going to stick with my Loewe 72cm 16:9 switchable CRT until they can come up with a technology to match it. Plasma and LCD are not that technology. It doesn't matter how big it is if it doesn't satisfy

[proxyx99]

I didn't mean blurring to the degree that it loses picture as you seem to suggest , but hell, anything may happen...

[edDV]

Many people don't get it on screen size vs. optimal viewing distance. To get the advantages of HDTV you need to a) get close, or b) get big screen

http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancemetric.html

For a 42-50" 16x9 HDTV you should be sitting about 5-6 ft from the screen.

a 42" NTSC TV maxes at ~10-15 ft back

[proxyx99]

OK, just doing the "sofa trick"...

[edDV]

Sofa on wheels.
Put tape on floor for HDTV and NTSC viewing distance.

[BJ_M]

or paint a line (if unmarried)