Which Sony DRC ? 1250/100/Prog ?

[wanchaiman]

Hi Guys:

I want to buy a new TV and have three choices but which technology is best for watching broahdcast TV and DVD's?

I live in Hong Kong and most model reviews dont have this info.

Set 1 : DRC-1250 plus DRC-100 (no progressive input) (ES Series)

Set 2 : DRC-1250 plus DRC-progressive (progressive input) (DR Series)

Set 3 : DRC-1250 plus DRC Progressive Plus DRC-100 & HDTV & Fine Pitch CRT (HS Series)

The 1st two are similar in price, but the 3rd one is 25% more so I would like to economise if I dont need to have all the bells and whistles.

Your comments, suggestion and feedback would be most welcome.

Merry Christmas,

Ian

[YellowCows]

In the UK, we don't have progressive input-enabled DRC sets just yet, however, as far as I can tell:

A) Option 1, as you know, is the basic 'vanilla' DRC set - this is a fine TV set, but no longer has the last word in terms of picture quality. It only accepts interlaced signals from DVD (or any other source for that matter), and while these can be very good, I wouldn't advise you going for it, if you have the option of going progressive (especially since Multi-region PAL/NTSC progressive DVD players are becoming so widely available); so, don't get this model if you can afford the others;

B) Here's where it gets difficult, because Option 2 will give you a progressive-capable set, with all the DRC bells and whistles, but it won't be HDTV-compatible. Now, I don't know whether HDTV broadcasts are available in Hong Kong, like they are in the US and Japan, but even if they're not available yet, an HDTV set will (by necessity) have a finer pitch, or more densely-packed pixels, meaning that it is capable of displaying greater detail levels than SDTV sets (Standard Definition TV sets). This is why you have to decide if you really need the HDTV-compatibility or not. So;

C) Option C is, obviously, the whole kit and kaboodle - all the features, plus HDTV. This is the option I would go for, personally, if I could afford it, because the higher the screen resolution, the better the picture IMHO. Also, this set would be more future-proof than the others, as it is HDTV-ready from the outset, and you would not have to get a new set once HDTV broadcasting becomes the norm. Furthermore, HDTV-capable sets usually have a set of HD-component inputs (these are not the same as regular component inputs, as they are capable of 1080i/720p - a high-definition interlaced or progressive signal, whereas regular component inputs can generally (e.g. for NTSC) cope with a 480i/480p signal - in other words a standard definition signal), which is useful for future HD-DVD formats). If all you want is a DRC-capable set than can take a progressive signal from a DVD, and not much more, then go for option 2. If, however, you want the best TV of the bunch, and you want it cope with HD signals, option 3 is your best bet.

My advice is, before you decide how much you want to spend, find a retailer that has both of the latter two sets, take some of your favourite DVDs with you, and ask for an audition of both the sets, using th same DVD player, and the same scenes from your discs. This will give you the best idea of which 'picture' you like. Don't let the salesman entice you into paying more unless you're sure you're getting something extra for the extra money. Remember, a progressive picture isn't necessarily 100% better than a 'regular' interlaced picture, but it is the best way to watch a DVD movie IMO (especially in NTSC, as it eliminates the scan lines, and avoids the 'cropping' that most TV's perform on an interlaced picture). Of course, if you don't have a progressive scan-capable DVD player, and you aren't planning to get one anytime soon, then that won't really matter anyway.

Best of Luck

Moory

[evans]

Moory

Which 32 inch widescreen tv gives the best picture for around 1300 pounds. in your opinion and which tv do you have since you seem extremely knowledgable about this type of technology.

thanks evans

[lynx]

Originally posted by evans
which tv do you have since you seem extremely knowledgable about this type of technology.

He has a 36ZD26 - and it doesn't do widescreen NTSC
Here

[wanchaiman]

Dear Moory,

Many thanks indeed Your answer helps me a lot.

The HDTV compatible one is about 300 UK pounds more but may be worth it.

HDTV is unlikely to be in HK for many years : we still dont have digital or widescreen broadcasts here!

HD-DVD is very appealing though, and you are right about the mutliple progressive inputs.

I will take your advice and get the two sets next to each other and compare in the Sony Pro Centre here.

Merry Christmas

Ian

[YellowCows]

Cheers Ian,

I'm glad my answer made some sense! Merry X-mas and a Happy New Telly to you too!

Lynx- CHEEKY , but true!

Evans - It depends whether you're looking for a digital set, or an analogue-only one. If you want to receive the (lacklustre) Freeview channels, I'd go for a Sony 'DX' model (such as the 32DX66 or DX100), or a Toshiba 32ZT26 - these two brands have the best integrated digital tuners (and EPG's) out there, IMHO.

If you're gunning for an analogue set (e.g. if you already have a set-top box, Sky, or cable, and/or don't need nor want a DVB telly), then check my post on this thread Sony KV32FQ80 .

Always shop around thoroughly online, in magazines and on the high-street before you buy - some sets advertised at £1700 can be bought for £1300 or less!

Finally, thanks for the complement, but I'm far from being an expert on this stuff, as my own plea for help (so thoughtfully posted by lynx, above) will attest. I just find this stuff interesting, that's all. A lot of people have recommended things to me in the past, that I just didn't like, so take my advice with a pinch of salt, and let your own eyes be your guide.

All the best,

Moory

[wanchaiman]

Hi Guys

Still can't decide what to buy... ever had that problem? !!

Can someone explain the pros and cons on 100mhz tellies? Reading the posts here, it seems some people would actually prefer 50Mhz sets.... Why? I though 100Mhz was the best?

I sort of settled on the HS29M90 - made in Japan, HDTV, Fine pitch, DRC1250, DRC-100 and DRC-Progressive and but found it gets really bad reviews here :

http://www.review33.com/review/revie...ony_kv-hs29m90

The second one on the list, DR29M93, has DRC-1250, DRC-Progressive but has no 100mz refresh rate, and still gets worse reviews than the older model ES29M90 which has DRC-1250 and DRC-100...

Problems... I dont want to buy old technology but I want the best picture. I guess there is no perfect TV out there ...

Help me please!

Ian

[YellowCows]

Ian,

The 'Hz' figure refers to the 'refresh rate' of the TV, or how many times the screen 'draws' the lines onscreen. Tradionally, TV's (at least PAL ones) - update the images onscreen at 50Hz, or 50 times a second. At this rate, the images are refreshed fast enough to fool the human eye into seeing a contiuous moving image, but not fast enough to eradicate TV 'flicker' [light pulses caused by the repeated flashing of the image onto the screen] - which the eye still detects. 100Hz basically doubles the refresh rate, to 100 times a second, to combat the flicker problem, as it is fast enough that the eye cannot make out the 'flashing'.

Hence, 100Hz technology doesn't actually improve picture fidelity, it just makes TV viewing 'easier' on the eye. 100hz tubes are not all the same, though, as some manufacturers' versions of 100hz processing introduce a whole range of undesirable effects from combing and moire, to smearing and 'blocking' (e.g. Panasonic is the king of bad 100hz).

This is the reason why some people prefer 50Hz tubes. They don't have the extra picture stabilisers that go with 100hz modes, so the picture is more 'pure' and natural-looking, albeit more flickery (again, Panasonic 50hz sets are as much 'liked' as their 100hz ones are disliked!).

Sony 100Hz sets, though, are excellent, IMO. They introduce little to no side effects to the picture - it's just more eye-friendly. I don't know why the TVs you mention got such bad reviews. As these are Asia-Pacific models, I can't really comment on them or their performance, but I would definitely recommend you look at the alternatives from Philips, especially. Have a look at the Pixel Plus (Philips' equivalent to Sony DRC) models - the Asian versions have Progressive Scan, HDTV-compatibility, Fine Pitch CRT's, and many other features. Here's a link to the product page of the 34" version - http://www.consumer.philips.com/glob...d=34PT9420_57R

I noticed that you were looking at 4:3 TVs. The majority of people in the world still have 4:3 TV's, but as you will read from this forum, few people would recommend that for viewing DVD's. Isn't it time you consider a widescreen TV? If your budget allows, give it a thought..


Cheers

Moory

[wanchaiman]

Thanks Moory for a great explanation.

Its very hard to get to grips with all this new technology so I am really glad I found this forum.

I have been ogling the Philips widesceen models, but have been a Sony die hard for decades now so have avoided it. The outlook and design of the Philips are great but I was unsure about the pixel plus technology versus the Sony DRC

I couldnt find the model you mentioned, but what do you think about this one : PHILIPS 32PW9527. It won this years EISA award so it must be quite good... It has 100hz, pixel plus and dolby amp inside.... Very tempting I must say.

[wanchaiman]

Just found millions (well, a lot)of negative posts on the PHILIPS 32PW9527 so it looks like I am back to Sony...

Shame It seems nothing is prefect these days...but it has to be better than my 25"er!

[wanchaiman]

Dear All,

Finally settled on the Sony DR29. Decision was made after auditioning the Pixel Plus, Sony HS and DR as advised (with an av-ophile friend as mentor).

Results :

Pixel Plus - Overprocessed & looks unreal. Would have to turn off most of the enhancements...

Sony HS series (Fine pitch CRT): nice picture but no noticeable difference in resolution over regular tube at this screen size (29")with component dvd in, but noticeable processing of edges.

The DR series has progressive input, and DRC-1250 & DRC-Progressive and was the best of the lot performance wise.

It really looks great on the stand as well