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...first of all, I read (briefly) the tutorial a few threads down. I just wanted some help from people that actually HAVE them...O.K... I have the opportunity to buy a brand new Sony 42" (boxed) plasma for $1300. As long as the deal is legit... good, right? I can inspect before handing over money.
The tutorial said you must sit further away than a regular CRT - how far? I have a small livingroom at roughly 14x17. I would probably be sitting 11 or 12' away from the set. I would imaging this is enough, but I'm not sure.
And the dreaded "life expectancy" thing... I read the blues burn out first, but how bad is it? I mean, at average viewing, I'll get more than a week out of it, right? lol...
I'm hoping it'll squeeze in my wall unit where my current Sony 27" resides, but if this is a good deal, I'll rearrange a bit.
Thanx for any help/advice/info!
Follow Ups:
I've had one for about three years now, and have used it for about 8 hours / day every day. The picture seems as good as it did new:(note: these sets are delivered with the brightness turned way way way up so they look good in the retail showroom--you should go to the settings and tune your set back to "normal" values...better yet, hire a pro video tuner tech and have the set calibrated properly.)
I sit about 10 feet away. There really isn't a problem with sitting closer--it all depends on the quality of the signal: anything less than a 480p signal and you will begin to see things fall apart if you sit too close.
The picture is excellent with a digital feed, outstanding with 480p DVD, and freakin' mind-blowing with an HD signal! 42" Plasma EDTV sets with an HD signal look every bit as good as 42"/43" HD Plasma sets (720p or higher). It's only when you go larger that you really need a good scaler and more pixels.
I stood in front of two identical 42" Panasonic Plasma screens in a high-end video showroom, watching the same signal (HD network satelite feed) for about 20 minutes, then it occured to me: "why do they have two of the same sets on display???...then I read the tag: one set was 480p, and the other was 768p....I could not tell the difference, though the HD set was nearly twice as expensive.
VHS signals are upscaled but still look pretty weak--mostly because the screen is so big--any (standard) VHS source looks pretty weak on such a large screen--regardless of the screen format. As a result, most regular TV shows (which since the 80's were recorded on pro VHS tape) look pretty crappy. The older shows, like the origional Star Trek, look great (they were recorded on film). How's that for irony: "The Next Generation" looks like crap, and Captian Kirk looks state-of-the-art!
Analog signals (like cable or antenna feed) vary widely. I dumped my cable shortly after getting the plasma because the signal was so horrible and the service quit (for several hours) every time there was a thunderstorm. Had lots of interference bleeding into the cable signal too: especially emergency band and "hot" CB signals.For best picture I recommend a satelite dish, and for the ultimate (and entirely free) picture get a set-top, off-the-air, digital receiver (you can get them on ebay for ~$80 to `$800 bucks...the Sony SAT- HD100, HD200, or HD300 are the best).
With the set-top digital receiver you can get free high definition signals that will blow your freakin' mind. These sets are being discontinued because of conflicts with advertizer licesencing contracts made with BIG MEDIA. Soon all you will be able to get is TIVO or their clones and you won't be able to "skip" channels or commercials, so don't wait too long: the "crap-free" receivers are getting hard to find. For the most freedom from comercials try to find the Sony SAT HD100 (you can delete all the unwanted signals--like Home Shopping Network or the God Needs More Money channel from the program menu, a feature no other set has--not even the later model Sony receivers).
Best plasma experience so far: watching the Olympics with a free, off-the-air, digital high-definition (1080i) signal. Awesome.
Is it a current model? Is there a warranty? I'm no expert on the subject but I've been told that the latest generation of plasma screens supposedly have some refinements in both HDTV and EDTV models.As a point of reference, if this is a 42" EDTV set, you can find many new ones for just at $2000 w/o shopping mail order. February Home Theater magazine did a review of 3 'budget' Plasma sets and all of them were $3000 according to the reviews. But in fact, most of them sell for right around $2200 at retail outlets.
Mine is a 'budget' 42" LG brand EDTV plasma that I'm very pleased with. It handles DVD's just fine and when attached to my HDTV tuner the picture is crisp and sharp - better than any DVD I own even though you would think that an EDTV screen won't handle HDTV very well. They do.
I sit about 10-feet away and have no issues.
As for life expectancy on early sets were usually said to be about 20,000 hours. I believe that number has just about tripled with recent plasma sets. If you do the math, 20,000 is still a good 7 years if you watch it nearly 8 hours/day. And my understanding is that they don't just burn out, they go to about 1/2 brightness at the rated number of hours.
I use mine a couple hours a night and a little more on weekends. I wouldn't recommend using it as a 24/7 family "TV" set.
Accuphase DP65V cdp or Denon DVD-5900 Universal
PS Audio PCA-2 Pre - Krell KSA50S - Tannoy D500 spkrs
...current model, "EDTV", not HD. That's my next question if you're still reading...How is the pic if I only have regular (analog?) cable? Our condos have regular cable built into the maintenance fee, no IO or HDTV.
I just went into "Best Buy" to look at a similar model... not bad!
Thanks again...
petew made some great comments on EDTV vs HDTV 42" plasma screens. I couldn't see any significant difference in picture quality between the 42" ED vs. HD sets at 8 to 12 feet away - or not enough difference in quality to warrant HD prices being about twice that of ED.As for picture quality with plain ole analog cable... it's OK. I have analog cable and it's still very enjoyable but you get very spoiled watching DVD's on the 16:9 screen or over the air HDTV which is just incredible. The other slight annoyance is watching a typical 4:3 broadcast on the 16:9 screen. All plasma 16:9 sets have tricks for making the 4:3 broadcasts look a little more acceptable on the 16:9 screen to minimize the 'stretching' effect. If you watch 4:3 broadcasts on the 16:9 screen w/o any 'tricks' to compensate, everything looks stretched horizontally. People look wider than they are. Everything looks wider. You can also watch at native 4:3 if you don't mind blank vertical bars on each side of your 16:9 screen.
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