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Am new to this technology in terms of what to look for or what to critically analyzein regard to those parameters that should be considered before making a decision to purchase. Is there some web site or any other location that would provide information regarding specifications, what is good, bad, etc., reviews for the latest plasma screens.Also, every time I see a plasma screen displayed, it is NOT showing a TV signal, but something from some other source, DVD, etc. Of course with this type of input, the pictures usually looks great. How do these screens fare when displaying broadcast or cable/satellite programming? Please advise. My current original Proton first generation 31 inch CRT TV set is about on its last leg and I need to replace it soon.
Thanks, Ron
Follow Ups:
there's a ton of information and data posted on this website, but beware as there may be a business relationship with one of the web sellers of the gear...that being said, it gives you a deep pond to fish. spend a few hours checking all the buttons and you will likely learn more than any retail salesperson you'll ever meet at the audio/video stores.i bought a 42 Panny a while back and it still blows my mind...and the price has dropped by a third since i bought it!
thing is, you have to get yourself a good source and a decoder...
for me, the best souce is the free digital sginals broadcast by the networks and your local PBS station--and you can pick them up with a simple bowtie UHF antenna hooked to your decoder/receiver if you live close enough, otherwise you might have to put a $30 (Sears or Radio Shack might have one) Magnavox array with a corner reflector (yagi) in the attic and run a coax down to the set.
to see what kind of antenna you need and where to aim it, check this site:
"http://www.antennaweb.org"
if you enter your address they will give you a map showing all the analog and digtal TV towers within a hundred miles of your house, what stations they carry, what direction they are and how far, and even tell you what size/power antenna you need.
but if you get a plasma screen you'll still need a receiver/decoder...
i've been very happy with the Sony HD100. it does everything.
the high definition signal (1080i) from the terrestrial broadcasts is by far the best TV image you can get (and it's free!), followed by the satellite dish signals. cable is the worst and the most un-relyable, and there's no reason for that monolopy to do anything about it...because like high-end auido, the masses can't tell high-end video from an Etch-a-Sketch.
an outboard processor/scaler might be the ticket to make your plasma equal to the viewscreen on the Starship Enterprise...
don't even worry if you decide to save a few bucks by not getting a fully HD capable display...the 480p screens will re-scale a 1080i signal and give you a picture that will stun you stupid...and you won't see this in stores either...i don't know what those guys are doing wrong but they can't demo a plasma to save their skins.
...i almost bought a Runco processor (you gotta be sick to think you can improve on a 42 Panny)...but then there's more cables and another darn power cord and another space on the shelf...hell, the way the technology's going, a year from now we'll all be watching on "picture walls" like Arnold had in "Total Recall"
yea the plasma hanging on the wall with nothing under it is so cool it looks good unplugged! you gotta hide your wires between the studs behind the screen--so it looks like art! it is art--a technological tour-de-force. people will come in and stare at it like it's Elvis...don't even turn it on, just let them get used to the idea that a TV doesn't need a big farkin' box that fills the entire room with ugly...
take back your space, man.
just do it.
now beam me up Scotty!
Ron,I own a Panasonic 42" plasma. It's the SD (standard definition) version, but there is also a new HD (high definition version) available.
Harmonia certainly got it right; once you start enlarging NTSC images beyond it's capabilities, things get dicey (I believe when the NTSC format was originally created long ago, they were counting on 19" TVs being the largest imaginable display).
Most of the NTSC images I've seen on any large screen display have been pretty crappy. The standard broadcast material I view on my 42" Panasonic ranges from cruddy to fabulous.
That said, I switched from an excellent 27" CRT, which displayed one of the sharpest NTSC pictures I've seen, and yetI absolutely prefer watching NTSC on my plasma. This is because plasmas bring some special qualities to the experience - a natural way with light and color, and a wonderfully dimensional image - that I find absent in CRTs. Even a slightly noisey, soft NTSC signal still looks more realistic than on a CRT, like I'm peering through a window into the scene. This may be getting esoteric, but I agree with many other plasma owners that the good plasmas present images that look more natural than CRTs, more relaxing and believable to the eye. After living with a plasma I find CRTs have an annoying "electric" glow to the image. As well, the picture of a fixed pixel device like a plasma is still, calm as opposed to the less precise beam from the Cathode ray. When I switch to CRTs, often I'm concious of the image constantly jiggling (just watch text), as well as the image flickering gets on my nerves. Not only that, I'm glad to be rid of that damned raster scan high-pitched tone emmited by CRT TVs (some people, like me, are sensitive to that squeal - I can walk into any room and know if there is a TV on with the sound turned off).
At this point, even for NTSC, there ain't no goin' back to CRT for me.
For what it's worth...
Rich H
...the plasma forum at avsforum.com has a wealth of information and a very helpful FAQ.No HD display is perfect, they all have trade-offs and specific strengths and weaknesses. SD (standard definition such as cable, satellite etc.) varies a bit among various plama displays, with maybe the Panasonics having a slight edge in SD performance, but truth be told, *all* HD Tvs of every type of technology have some degree of difficulty with SD...especially noisy analog cable or over-compressed satellite or digital cable. Our old sets are simply too small and not resolving enough to reveal the crud. Just like a high end audio system, garbage in, garbage out, and the better the system, the more it shows. Cable signals and compressed satellite feedss vary widely by provider, and even from station to station. Premium channels and PPV can look very good. Others are poor, but watchable. But this will be the case with all HDTVs, not just plasmas.
The only really "good" SD I've seen with HD large screens is on the Pioneer Elite RPs and the much, much smaller Philips 34" direct views. Almost everything else has some flaws or noise somewhere. Take a poor to mediocre picture, blow it up bigger...you get the idea. Like other HDTVs, plasmas have internal line doublers to deal with SD, but not all doublers/scalers are created equal. Many videophiles get around this by sending everything through an upconverting set top box or by using an external video processor. If you have a decent cable feed through one of the better plasmas, and you're sitting more than 6' away from the screen, you may be just fine as is.
You will aslo see some variation in stated resolution, from "Enhanced Definition" (native 480p) to "High Definition" (720p) to ALIS 1024 x1024 screens. This is a subject all its own, but let me just say that the Panasonic 42" ED plasmas and the 43" Pioneers look very good indeed, and may even have an advantage displaying SD sources.
You will hear a lot of carping on this and other forums about poor black levels etc. with plasma displays. Because of the nature of the technology, no plasma will display as deep a black as a good CRT. But the relative blacks of the better panels produces a very pleasing picture these days, and your eyes quickly adjust to what is not there. IMO, plasmas have come a long, LONG way in the last two years. Prices have come down considerably, and most models (except Fujitsu) are available at deep discount on line. Other early issues with solarization, color banding etc. seem to have been reduced or solved with panels from the better manufacturers.
Be aware that there are few companies making their own glass, many plasma makers outsource their screens from NEC, Panasonic or Pioneer and rebadge or supply their own electronics.
The consensus seems to be that Panasonic (with highest contrast and black levels), Pioneer (excellent color, not quite as deep a blacks but better shadow detail, easy upgrades), Fujitsu (excellent but pricey) and NEC make the best and most reliable panels. All of the above look stunning displaying HD content, and excellent on DVDs. Perfect geometry forever, no convergence issues or hotspotting like rear projection, razor sharp text, native NTSC-PAL-SECAM. The 42" and 50" panels are the most popular right now. Connectivity, upgradablility, DVI-HDCP etc. will also influence your choice.
Most plasma screens are monitors, without tuners or speakers, but some makers do have integrated plasma TVs. The best buys can be found online for the commercial models, which do not have tuners or speakers. If you have a VCR ot TIVO and a surround system, this probably won't matter to you.
Plasmas aren't for everyone, but they can be great looking, especially on DVD and HD, and they are undeniably sexy - flat, thin, lightweight and wall mountable. Go to avsforum for research, then check 'em out and let your own eyes be the judge.
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