Any suggestions for a Plasma T.V.

[Lynn CC]

We are trying to find the best quality plasma HDTV.
It's not everyday we buy something like this, so we want to make sure it's a good one! I thought someone may have some suggestions.

 

[olena]

We didn't buy one. We've heard too many stories about the black bars on the sides burning into the screen from watching non-HDTV too much. We've also heard this complaint from big screen rear-projection HDTV owners.

Our next tv will be a front projection TV for those reasons.

Try consumer reports online for impartial advice.

www.hometheaterforum.com is a GREAT place for this kind of question. Those folks are very wise about all of this technology.

Happy shopping and enjoy HDTV. It's awesome!

 

[Lynn CC]

Thanks
I never heard of problems with them, the salespeople make them sound so great. I'll go check out that site!

 

[olena]

Salespeople will make them sound great. That's their job. That's a big chunk of money and a hefty commission, too. The Home theater forums are experienced with this kind of stuff. There are many early-adopters there. I wanted a plasma TV til I heard about the problems. We then decided to wait for these kinds of problems to be worked out or fixed by the manufacturer. We may one day buy one.

This is such a chunk of money, so please inform yourself. And keep in mind that salespeople are just doing their jobs and you may not get the whole story from them.

 

[RitaZ.]

I agree with Heather, get as much impartial info as possible. Don't rely on salesmen for that.

We looked at them recently and I couldn't believe the prices. Incidentally, I was talking to my optometrist about them and he said that the plasma tvs have a limited lifespan. I know that all televisions do, obviously, but apparently theirs is shorter. He said something about LCD televisions being better quality and that he is waiting for them to come down in price. I don't know if he is an expert on the subject, but it sounded like he has done some homework.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[wdisneelvr]

funny you should ask this question. I was just in Best Buy today asking about plasma tv's.

We mostly talked about price, and then what it actually costs to get a plasma screen set-up and all the things you need to do this. The extra's were alot of $$$$. Just like when any new piece of technology comes out, you have to purchase these items seperately at a big price.

For example, remember when we bought a printer for our pc's years ago, you had to buy the $30 printer cable, or when you bought a new digital camera, the scandisk is extra etc. Of course even movie cameras come with all those "extras" now.

If you have the bucks, then go for it. Do some major research on epinions.com or bizrate.com, check out pricegrabber.com too.

Good luck in search, let us know how you come out

 

[Dan Murphy]

Way too costly and new for us for now. Waiting for some time yet on that one. Large screen will suffice for now.

 

[dizneenut]

We would love to have a plasma, but are waiting for the prices to come down.
My mom just bought an LCD Sony last week and the picture is GORGEOUS!!

 

[Micca]

Lynn I have been shopping and studying too. One thing I read was that there is something like a 30,000 hour life before the plasma reaches its half way point(the picture then becmes less bright). That's a long time, but when you are spending $$$$$$ it is something to consider. Also, my understanding that the reproduction of blacks is important in accurate picture reproduction, and that plasma is limited as to what it can do. They do put out a gorgeous picture, and are too cool aesthetically, but choose carefully. There are some great (much cheaper) options out there.

 

[Lynn CC]

DH and DS really want one, so after a lot of research and shopping around and talking to people they ordered a 50" Pioneer plasma TV....I got the 4 year replacement plan with it (for an extra $1000. I think it will be money well spent in this case because I don't think anyone fixes plasma TV's here on the Cape.
I'm sure we will all enjoy it!

 

[ToyStory Fan]

I agree to get as much impartial information as you can, but I don't know if I would recommend Consumer Reports...they are impartial, but I don't know if I would consider them experts...they represtent the "general" population, so for right now, I don't know how much of the "general" population is going out and buying Plasma TV's...I just don't think CR is there with the expertise on that and other things....(you are all probably looking for an example so I'll give you one)
example - Recently I was looking for a lawn tractor (ride-on mower), CR rates the John Deere models sold at Home Depot as a best buy and really pushing the JD name/value...they made no mention whatsoever that these are not "real" John Deere tractors, they are re-badged Sabre mowers and not sold by stand alone JD dealers.

The hometheaterforum is a great place to get valuable info, also www.hometheatermag.com or www.soundandvision.com . These guys live and breathe this stuff. I'm not trying to bash CR because I think they provide good impartial advice, but I just question their technical levels of expertise on certain things.

I have heard of pixel problems on all brands and models of Plasma TV's, and I have also heard that the Gateway 42" while a seemingly good price is a little limited on inputs and more frequently the subject of bad pixels. On a positve note, my friend has a Sony 60" Grand Wega that is just incredible to watch on HDTV broadcasts.

THe nice thing about the plasma tv is that you don't need an entertainment center, but one thing I like is that it also gives you the flexibility to build a false wall and create a "built-in" set up for all of your other Home Theater components.

Good luck in your research.

 

[Micca]

Very cool Despite my caveats, I think you'll really enjoy this monitor. If it has a DVI input, get a DVD player with a DVI output to really get the most from your investment.

Have fun

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Originally posted by Micca
Very cool Despite my caveats, I think you'll really enjoy this monitor. If it has a DVI input, get a DVD player with a DVI output to really get the most from your investment.

Have fun

All DVI does is pass along the encryption/serial copyright management technology through the TV, the best picture quality will be achieved (in order) via COMPONENT Video cables, then S-Video and finally the standard composite video.

 

[debster812]

I was going to chime in with my .02c, since I work in the A/V industry, but ToyStoryFan has pretty much said what I was going to say.

The folks at Sound and Vision are aces!! I really like their mag, and we get a subscription to every one of our new salespeople that we hire, as part of their training package.

Good Luck, some of the new plasmas are just AWESOME!!! (we have one in the break room, hee hee).

 

[Micca]

ToyStoryFan I must be mistaken. I thought the DVI output was the only way to get a signal from DVD to monitor without making a digital-to-analogue conversion. Why does anyone care about passing the serial management if there is no quality improvement?
I've been studying this and thought I had a handle on it. Now I'm very

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Micca,

you are not mistaken, but the visual benefit from using DVI is not the selling point. The nice thing for consumers about DVI is it also carries the audio signal...for most people this is a tremendous convenience (i.e. only 1 cable to buy), for the industry it can pass the encryption technology.

DVI originally started out from Intel as a way to hook PC's up to digital monitors, but then a consumer electronics version came out and they added the copy protection. While it is true that it passes a digital (uncompressed) signal, you will still be limited buy the bandwidth restrictions of the TV and the internal software, or if you hook up through a home theater receiver by the bandwidth of that. As a result the DVI signal is also too large for recording (which is what the industry wants - copyright protection)

Component video transmits the picture in it's 3 natural components in seperate 75ohm cables.

Personally, I like the additional shielding provided by the component video and seperate audio cables...maybe this is more my opinion than fact, but I can't buy into the theory that a singal DVI cable which consists of about 25 individual pins/wires has the same through-put and quality as a set of individual cables for audio and video that are better insulated and offer less resistance and contact area.