Toshiba Widescreen Projection TV

[IronOxide]

My manager at work has a TV that he wants to sell for $500. It's 5 years old (he can't remember the model number right now), but he knows that it's 1080i. It's a 57" screen. But it's not DLP. I'm trying to figure out if it is a good deal, and if I would use it. I don't have any hd inputs, but I would kind of like to use it as my main computer monitor. Would that work very well? Since it's a hi-def tv, it should be able to handle decent computer resolutions right? Also, I know the technical difference between 1080i and 1080p, but can a human eye really tell the difference? Thanks!

 

[BassBomb]

It wont be a CRT. CRT's never hit 57".

It will likely be a projection or LCD projection

 

[IronOxide]

you're right, it's a projection

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: IronOxide
you're right, it's a projection

To answer your OP now, It will look very bad for using as a computer monitor and desktop

Human eye can tell a big difference 1080P is MUCH better. In my opinion 720P is better than 1080i

 

[MrBojangels]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
It wont be a CRT. CRT's never hit 57".

It will likely be a projection or LCD projection

wow.....just wow

Ever hear of CRT projection? I guess you guys call these plain "projections"

What is worse is they still make them and advertise the name, yet you don't know they exist
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=148043

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: IronOxide
you're right, it's a projection

To answer your OP now, It will look very bad for using as a computer monitor and desktop

Human eye can tell a big difference 1080P is MUCH better. In my opinion 720P is better than 1080i

How do you know it's going to look "very bad"?

 

[MrBojangels]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: IronOxide
you're right, it's a projection

To answer your OP now, It will look very bad for using as a computer monitor and desktop

Human eye can tell a big difference 1080P is MUCH better. In my opinion 720P is better than 1080i

How do you know it's going to look "very bad"?

It won't work unless he gets professional ISF calibration/focusing/convergence, even then it still won't be easy to read text at it's native resolution.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: MrBojangels

Originally posted by: BassBomb
It wont be a CRT. CRT's never hit 57".

It will likely be a projection or LCD projection

wow.....just wow

Ever hear of CRT projection? I guess you guys call these plain "projections"

What is worse is they still make them and advertise the name, yet you don't know they exist
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=148043

Yeah, I don't understand the categories some people have for displays.

Direct View CRT
Direct View LCD
Plasma
CRT rear projection
LCD rear projection
LCoS rear projection
DLP rear projection
CRT projector
LCD projector
LCoS projector
DLP projector

are all common

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: MrBojangels

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: IronOxide
you're right, it's a projection

To answer your OP now, It will look very bad for using as a computer monitor and desktop

Human eye can tell a big difference 1080P is MUCH better. In my opinion 720P is better than 1080i

How do you know it's going to look "very bad"?

It won't work unless he gets professional ISF calibration/focusing/convergence, even then it still won't be easy to read text at it's native resolution.

Yeah, it would depend on what he would use it for. It may be calibrated already, and he may be able to feed it a decent 1080i signal from his computer though.

If it does a good job with different resolutions like 540p or 720p, it might look decent as well. I just find it hard to accept a blanket statement like "it will look very bad" without more information.

 

[IronOxide]

I have a pny 7900gs video card. I haven't ever done anything with hd, so I don't know what is needed. What kind of card do you need to output in hd? Thanks again!

 

[IronOxide]

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: IronOxide
you're right, it's a projection

To answer your OP now, It will look very bad for using as a computer monitor and desktop

Human eye can tell a big difference 1080P is MUCH better. In my opinion 720P is better than 1080i

Is that really true? I have a friend who works for TI and develops new dlp technology and he said that he didn't expect much of a difference from 1080i and 1080p. At a decent viewing distance the pixels will be so small that you won't be able to distinguish between lines. Right?

and does $500 seem like a pretty good price?

 

[IronOxide]

anybody else have an opinion this morning?

 

[CalvinHobbes]

You can find CRT based RPTV's for under $1000 now. There's not many left anymore but they are out there. If you're really interested in this type of TV, I would spend a few extra bills and get one of the newer model CRT RPTV's. Unless you're familiar with this type of TV, you should be careful when buying a used model.

If you buy new:
Look for an integrated ATSC tuner for over the air HD. If you have cable then you may be able to get some unencrypted HD channels. See if has a dedicated VGA connector for a PC. It should also have DVI or HDMI which can be used for a PC on some models.


As far as your question about using it with a PC. Take a PC over and hook it up the TV. See how it looks to you.

For more info on TV's and Home Theaters: http://www.avsforum.com

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: IronOxide
anybody else have an opinion this morning?

I have the 57" version of the Hitachi linked above. I tried it as a HTPC using a 7600GT and due to overscan issues, I was forced to a custom res. I really wasn't happy about it, I'm going to have a pro come in and tweak it, as I'm leary about opening it and playing with gun adjustment myself. I did do some tweaking based on the AVSforum guide, but for what I paid, another $400 or so would still leave me under 2k invested for a nice set.

For Xbox360, upscan DVD, HD-PVR, HDTV, I love it. There is just a touch of overscan with the 360, but not enough to be an issue, just a nitpick. With the PC, I hated the scroll feature so I picked a custom res of 17?? x 9?? don't remember the exact res. but text was very small despite the large screen realestate. At slightly below 720P res, due to overscan, everything looked great, but not even being able to play a 720P trailer without resizing sucked. Wasn't impressed with how HL2 cinematic looked on it either, though I was stoked it used the cutoms res.. 360 games look fantastic at either 720p or 1080i though. I tried component and DVI-to-HDMI too.

For me, streaming content from my PC + what the 360 can do on its own, has proved the best solution for me with this set. I wouldn't pay $500 for a set that old though. I've seen that spankin' new 51" linked for $800 with-in the last couple months, and you can add on warranty service if desired. Also 51" is still a big screen, and you avoid potentially throwing money away, since most repairs on that old one, if you don't have to wait 6 months for them to find a part, are likely to be expensive.

 

[Hadsus]

I own a 53 inch rear projection CRT based HDTV (Pioneer Elite).

Age is not as important as how many hours those guns have been put to use. If it's on every day for many hours you can expect some brightness reduction and perhaps a shift of the color balance (mine has gone slightly green as I've read others do also). So, yes calibration might be needed. After all that time there is a good chance the mirrors and guns need to be cleaned for dust. Which means removing the front screen which can be tricky. I had no problem doing it myself but if your not careful you can damage the screen(s).

1080i vs. 720p. I like 1080i better. Way too much is made of 1080p. For regular prime time TV stuff it is irrelevant. My Pioneer Elite doesn't do 720p so when it sees a broadcast in that format it upconverts and unfortunately doesn't look too good.