PokS2k

We need to buy a new TV. We have a nice sized room (26X22) but it is sort of sectioned off and we use 2/3 rds for the family room. We looked at 50" projection tv's but the footprint is big and I don't want such a large piece in the room.

I am considering a 42" Plasma tv, but don't know much about them. If anyone has one and has an opinion I would appreciate the feedback.

Thanks

NYYellows2k

Talk to darkcrow and see what he thinks about them since he sells them he should know. I heard they fade out after a few years and you cant see the picture anymore then you need to get some type of service on it to recharge the thing.

josh

pjkwong

Well i know there is two types of them for sure.
Ones with high res. and the other types a little lower
like 1024x768
high is 1280x1024

and cost about $70 an inch.
I heard gateway had a sale where they sell the 42's for $2999.

turbo_pwr

http://www.plasma-products.com/guide.html

karlk

I work for a company that creates high end video conferencing systems and we always use Plasma's in our systems. We have been using them since they first became available (Fujitsu, Pioneer, and NEC 42s and 50s) so we've learned quite a bit about there reliability. We have had about 30% of the screens that have been installed for several years fail, usually the power supply goes bad and they just wont turn on anymore or they start to intermittently turn themselves off. Its not very expensive to get them repaired and most are still under warranty, but it is a pain in the ass considering their size. The other problem we have is burn-in, if you leave a still image on them for even 24 hours or so they can be permanently damaged. We have had a couple screens left on over the weekend with "color bars", and now there are ghost images of color bars on them all the time. Alot of the newer models have built in circuitry and screen savers to prevent this from happening. As far as fading over time, we have had to replace a few in rooms that have 4 screens side by side and the new ones are a little bit brighter, but only if you know to look for it.

Another thing to watch out for is that the screen that looks best with a Component or VGA input is not necessarily the same screen that looks best with an S-video input, and vice versa. Be sure to look at the picture using the same input type that you intend to use at home. The scaling circuitry is the biggest difference between the different makes and models.

Despite these problems I would get one if I could afford it, the coolness factor more than makes up for the shortcomings and the fact that you can display your PC on them is totally cool.

Good Luck

2Ting

Yup...bottom line is if you can afford one get one. You MUST get digital cable in order to utilize the tv to the max. If not youre wasting money.

karlk

I have to disagree with 2Ting, don't be fooled by the marketing hype of digital cable. In most areas (including my Time Warner Digital Cable) the quality is actually lower than that of good old fashion analog cable. The only benefit of digital cable the way it is currently implemented is that they can offer more channels and more pay per view movies. They actually start with the same signal that analog cable customers get, then compress it using MPEG2 (the same compression as most digital satellite systems) which is a "lossy" compression system. You can notice the compression as pixelation during motion or when the shot quickly goes from light to dark or dark to light. The best output on my Time Warner digital cable box is still only an S-video output, the same as most analog cable box outputs.

To truly take advantage of a Plasma screen you would need an HDTV receiver with a component output. As far I know HDTV is only available over the standard airwaves, and then only a few channels are available. I wouldn't call a Plasma a waste of money with only an S-Video signal though, Its still cool as hell, just not as good as it could be.

2Ting

Karlk hmmm I didnt know that. My buddy who worked at Best Buy tried to push my to get digital cable when I got my Sony Wega 32". Thats what he told me...then again....he may have just been trying to sell me more stuff....good tip on digital cable.

HDTV is something I do agree on getting if you have plasma.

pcloadletter

Have you considered a projector? I just bought a Sanyo plv-z1 for $1500. It has a 16:9 LCD, 700 lumens, and 800:1 contrast ratio. It is HDTV ready, but DSS, DVDs, and PS2 look fine. Since it is LCD, I don't have to worry about burn in and rainbows. The only problem is that the picture can get faded by ambient light. Read up on it and other displays at www.avsforum.com

PokS2k

I want to thank everyone for their input. I have decided to wait awhile for the technology to improve. I am not a big tv person and will probably buy a 30"+ analog set for now and later on replace it with a Plasma or LCD set.