DLP Rear Projection HDTV ???

I am considering buying the used Marantz VP8000. But I can find the dealer in my area so I can take a view on the picture quality. Anyone has seen or own one? Can I have some comments.

I just saw the MIT DLP rear Proj TV this last week and was blown away at how "smooth" the picture was. It really looked like film. There were no lines, but very small squares that became invisible 5 feet away. They were selling it for $12K, I think. I guess I'll have to wait.

I have had some extended viewing at a friends outrageous home theatre with a front project Runco DLP and 120" screen. My opinion is that the brightness, sharpness and natural detail are unsurpassed, but the vividness of the color is not quite as good as the CRT based projectors. I think this will hold true for RPTV. Also, I believe that you have to replace the DLP chip after about 2000 hours of use ... it is finite. Choice ... my opinion, for very large displays, say 60" and over, DLP is the way to go ( if you can tolerate the $$$)... smaller, the best HDTV CRT's that are properly calibrated could have it beat on good signal sources. Better value. I think ultimately that DLP will be the way to go and CRTs will become obsolete.

I just saw a Seleco DLP projector for $9000 and it was very impressive. model 200

The only thing to worry about is the reliability of the new technology. I believe, so far, it's just Texas Instrument who is building the DLP chip. If you ever get to see the chip, it is truly amazing. The chip has a mirror surface of approximately one square inch. The mirror surface is made up of over one million mirrors (can't help thinking of Dr. Evil everytime I say "one million .....). The DLP certainly has its advantages over the CRT right now and when the technology matures. I would just worry about its reliability for if I spend over $10,000 on a TV, I don't want the tech over my house every couple of months. Also, make sure you look at both HD and other sources such as Direct TV, DVD or cable on both the DLP and CRT before committing to it for it is a big purchase. Hope you are not more confused by this.

DLP IS sharper since there is no convergence to set! The brightness & contrast ratio can also be superior. The only major draw back besides price is the blackness level. If you can get over missing a "few" gray scales, DLP is the way to go especially since it can be driven directly with a digital signal via firewire "1394". I believe that the 1394 interface will find its way into the next generation of big screen tvs sometime before the end of the year (My prediction).

The current issue of SGHT has a review of the latest Panasonic version of the same technology. Their price is $12,000, so it's not exactly cheap either. The assessment was, "Very nice, but not as nice as a good CRT-based display, especially because it doesn't get as black". I've never seen one, so by definition don't have an opinion. In any case, you might want to check out that review to see how it compares with your experience. In any case, it's definitely another instance of the technology you mention and a sign that it's spreading (with the inevitable price drops). -Kirk