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Recommendations for a 50" (or Larger) Display?
An anonymous reader asks: "What display device should I get for a conference room? It can't be a front projection and it should be >= 50" and somewhat slim. If I go plasma, it seems like the burn-in problem could be serious if the unit is used as a monitor -- I don't want to look at either a 'Start' or 'KDE' button until the end of time. LCDs don't impress me since I can only get them in sizes of 45" or less. What about DLP? They make noise, but will it drown out a person trying to make a presentation to a room of 10-20 people? Overall, am I really stuck with a max vertical resolution of 768? Are rear projection LCD's or DLP's slim enough to not dominate a room?"
First off, all of these technologies are being implemented in rear-projection, so there is some extra space in terms of thickness between the screen and back edge of the sets. But, all three of them are still thin compared to CRT solutions and, if "money is no object" (we'll just pretend it isn't) there are 1080p (1920x1080) sets available in the 50-70" range. One possible snag is that you'll want to make sure that these 1920x1080 sets will actually take such a signal - several of them will only up-convert signals to 1080p. Of course, in the case of a 1080i signal it will still look darn good since it's a simple line-doubling issue. Looking at a slightly older technology, there is rear-projection LCD. Sony offers 1080p HDTVs of this ilk.
None of these items will be as sleek as a direct-view plasma or LCD, but none of them will approach the room-dominating size of an old-school CRT RPTV either. They also won't be inexpensive, though compared to direct-view plasma and LCD units in similar sizes (BTW- Sharp actually does sell LCDs in the 50+" range) they'll be at least competitive and often much cheaper.
Finally, "burn-in" isn't an issue with any of these technologies, though each can have its quirks (for example, some people are sensitive to the DLP "rainbow" effect, though supposedly it has been minimized in the latest 1080p sets).
Rear projection DLP is pretty good, and is less expensive than its alternatives. Whether or not it's appropriate for your requirements is up to you.
I just went to Samsung's site and selected the first rear projection DLP monitor that was over 50". I got this. Whether or not it's too deep is up to you. Samsung is claiming 16.3" deep in their specifications. Some are thinner than others though. As far as noise goes, manufacturers seem to be listening to what their customers want and are competing to make quieter units. You may want to go to a showroom and hear what kind of noise these produce. Also, plug a laptop into a few to see what your presentations look like.
It has been estimated that about 5% of people experience what is known as the DLP Rainbow Effect, where some viewers can see flashes of color separation on the edges of high contrast edges. To minimize this, manufacturers are speeding up color wheels and adding more segments to effectively increase the color wheel speed. As DLP chips become cheaper, I believe that we will begin seeing 3-chip solutions enter the consumer market to completely eliminate the issue. In any case, the rainbow effect is something that you may want to keep in mind when you consider whether or not to use DLP.
-Turkey
another technology out there that you didn't mention was LCOS. it's similar to a DLP in size. sony is just about to release thier a2000 series which will sport 1080p resolution and 1080p inputs (thereby satisfying your request for more than 768 vertical resolution). there are tons of input types, so you shouldn't have to worry about getting the video to it.
the 50" should be available in the next week or so. they have a 55 and 60 inch projected to launch in the near future. there are a few reviews available with a quick google search, but for the most part, people are waiting (and anxious) to see this new model.
It is both cheaper and more effective to get a pile of networked laptops, and have people look at their local copy. Other benefits include people being able to cut and paste, to participate and so on.
StoneCypher is Full of BS