1080p 42" plasmas?

[Kyle]

I am at the end of my rope. I've been trying to hold out to see what SED prices are going to be like, but I realize that it is probably too far off for me to tough it out any longer.

I'm an apartment dweller and I'm looking for probably a 42" set, preferably plasma. I was on the fence about if I wanted a DLP set, or something non flatpanel, but based on where the technology is going right now, I think that there aren't as many disadvantages with current plasmas as there used to be.

I'm not looking to spend a fortune, but based on panny's site, it doesn't look like they are making 1080p capable plasmas yet. Is anyone? Are they prohibitively expensive?

I figure if I'm buying something now, I might as well go for 1080p as I'll probably be stuck with this set for a long time to come.

My current 32" jvc i'art has great PQ, but it isn't HD, it weighs a ton and I'm tired of it being 24" deep.

Anyone else in the same boat?

[ekkoville]

Kyle, I have been waiting for over a year now to see prices drop and they keep dropping. I haven't seen 1080P plasma's yet, but the rear proj. 1080P is fantastic with a matching price tag. It seems the more you wait, the more technology is improved. I personally love the plasma pic but I think it is worth looking at an LCD. The bigger the set, I think plasma is a better value, don't quote me there. Shane or Jason have some good opinions on the life of these sets too, which I think are better than some lead you to believe. If I were to buy today I would look at Panny, Sony, and Pioneer. Fujitsu if reall want top-notch.

[aud19]

If you absolutely must have 1080p today, you're looking at LCD, LCOS and DLP(sort of) RPTV's or pretty dang expensive FP's

IMO, (especially at 42" size) the difference between 720p and 1080p will not be noticeable unless you're sitting ~5'-8' from the set. Not to mention that as far as I know, none or very few of the current 1080p cabable displays will actually accept a 1080p input

1080p plasmas are still likely a year'ish away, will not be under 50" and will be fairly expensive still. I seem to remember seeing something about them having poorer black levels compared to their 720p brethren as well.... though don't qoute me on that. In other words, if you want a 42" plasma, 720p is whats available for a while yet

This is why I keep recommending CRT RPTV's first, DLP/LCD/LCOS RPTV's second and plasma's third for performance/dollar.

[Shane Martin]

Someone did a test where if you sat in front of an EDTV plasma and an HD plasma at 42" you wouldn't be able to tell the difference at around 8 feet back. Therefore Aud is correct about the extra resolution being a waste. And yes very few of them allow 1080P thru HDMI.

If you can fit the 50" SXRD Sony set in you room, you won't be sorry. It is the real deal.

[Kyle]

Great answers guys, thanks! I realized that there was little if any 1080p sources available today, and that i didn't _really_ need it, but I figured I'd do a little research and ask around so I can feel ok about buying something cheaper

I'm shooting for something on the small size as my new living room isn't that large, and even something as "shallow" as 16-18" deep tends to make a big difference in the size of the room.

Out of curiousity, what is the typical height for mounting such a display? I ask because I'd eyeball it, but I'm leaning towards having it slightly higher than I have my CRT currently as my kitten has discovered television and likes to paw at the screen

[Kyle]

Shane, that SXRD set does look very tempting. I live not too far from a qualia store, I wonder if they have them in store despite not being part of the qualia line.

I move into my new place next week, so I'll have to see how roomy it is when I get in there, as I have seen people everywhere giving the Sony great reviews.

[aud19]

+ or - a little from eye level should be fine To make sure, sit, crouch and stand in front of the display you plan to buy at approximately the same distance as you plan to sit from it. That should give you a good idea of how it will perform at those heights.

Those Sony SXRD's are supposed to be quite nice :yesnod: (Not cheap though.... )

[Shane Martin]

Shane, that SXRD set does look very tempting. I live not too far from a qualia store, I wonder if they have them in store despite not being part of the qualia line.

I bet the Sony store in Manhatten has it. I was there about a year ago. Full MSRP though

[Kyle]

This panasonic set looks pretty nice:
Panasonic TH-42PX50U

[aud19]

This panasonic set looks pretty nice:
Panasonic TH-42PX50U

It's "only" EDTV, not HDTV but have you compared an EDTV to HDTV from your approximate seating distance in store?

[Shane Martin]

It's "only" EDTV, not HDTV but have you compared an EDTV to HDTV from your approximate seating distance in store?

Aud,
That one is the HD version. 1024x768 resolution.

[aud19]

Well they might classify that as HD, I do not Though it looks like they don't have anything at or above 1280x720 until 50"...this is one of those reasons I still don't like plasmas :roll:

[ekkoville]

There are no dumb questions, just dumb people........so here goes. The Panny says 1024x768, which is 4:3 ratio. It's specs also say that it has a 16:9 aspect ratio, so how does it display widescreen material with only 4:3 ratio pixel counts? Doesn't sound right.

[aud19]

The pixels aren't square, they're horizontal rectangles allowing for a 16:9 image shape that requires extra processing/scaling to display appropriately. Why they don't just make them 1280x720 I'll never know.... At least with a 1280x720 display you know that a 720p signal will reguire NO scaling, with plasmas no matter what resolution input you give them, they have to scale it which can introduce scaling artifacts.

this is one of those reasons I still don't like plasmas

[mitch57]

Huh!? I don't get it.

In the previous post you say this:

Well they might classify that as HD, I do not Though it looks like they don't have anything at or above 1280x720 until 50"...this is one of those reasons I still don't like plasmas.

Then you say this:

The pixels aren't square, they're horizontal rectangles allowing for a 16:9 image shape that requires extra processing/scaling to display appropriately. Why they don't just make them 1280x720 I'll never know.... At least with a 1280x720 display you know that a 720p signal will reguire NO scaling, with plasmas no matter what resolution input you give them, they have to scale it which can introduce scaling artifacts.

I think what you are trying to say is that any TV/Monitor (Plasma, LCD, DLP, LCOS, etc.) that has a native resolution bellow 1280x720 is not ture HD. Is that what you mean? There are plasmas out there that have native resolutions above 1280x720. Mine is one of them.

Or are you saying that plasmas differ from other displays because they have to scale every signal that's input to them where as other types of displays don't have to do any scaling?

[aud19]

I am saying exactly both those things

[Taito]

Interesting that Panasonic have different model numbering conventions in different countries. The 42" plasma model numbers in Aus are TH-42PV500A for 1024x768 pixels. The TH-42PA50A has 852x480 pixels.

[ekkoville]

Thanks Jason.....another question: if the display is scaling the video, does it resize pixels to width or try and delete/add depending on what it needs? It can't really add more pixels, so how would it choose the portion of the signal to delete?

[aud19]

Complex processing and algorithms... I won't go in to it here as it's waaaay to complex and mind numbing but if you're interested in it try googling something like "video scaling" and/or contact your manufacture for details on how they specifically tackle the issue on their sets

[ekkoville]

As I figured......lots of different answers .

[Kyle]

Meh! So confusing! Ideally I want something I can wall mount so my cat won't destroy it, that looks good! What is so wrong with that?

[MarcoV]

Kyle...if you have the money...go for the 40" BRAVIA™ XBR® LCD Flat Panel HDTVKDL-V40XBR1. It's the largest flat panel currently made by Sony.

If you want larger, then you'll have to go plasma.

[Kyle]

Marco, thanks for the tip, that set looks nice. My friend has a 32" sony LCD that looks pretty good to me, I was concerned about the blacks being washed out but his is very sharp.

[aud19]

The '06 Sharp LCD's are pretty nice too. Have a look at both

[Kyle]

Just went and saw the 40" Bravia, at Bestbuy. It was next to some of the larger plasmas and some of the similarly priced LCDs. While I'm sure they all weren't calibrated, Discovery HD looked remarkably better on the Bravia compared to the 50" plasmas it was next to at the same viewing distance. The color and sharpness was a lot better to me but I can't say that I really evaluated it that closely, I just stood and watched for 10 minutes.

My boss has the 32" Bravia in his bedroom and he raves about it, he likes the picture much better than his 42" panny plasma in his living room.

I'm going to see if any of the more home-theater oriented stores around here will demo me one. The next question is probably, where do I get one? I don't particularly want to buy in NYC and pay the 8% sales tax, but I've heard so many horror stories about buying online..

[MarcoV]

Sony 40" Bravia, where do I get one? I don't particularly want to buy in NYC and pay the 8% sales tax, but I've heard so many horror stories about buying online..

Most online sellers will charge a tax if they do business with a particular state. I would recommend looking up a dealer in Delaware. No state tax and it would make for a nice day trip drive from New York...

[Kyle]

Well, after doing a fair amount of shopping and in store comparisons, I ordered the 40" Sony Bravia LCD. I found it online from a reputable dealer for $3000 shipped, so I took the plunge!

[kmak]

Cool, let us know how it performs for you! :T

[grit]

1080p isn't likely on a set with 1024x768 resolution. You need something larger than 42".

[Kyle]

I ended up getting the Bravia, and it's awesome! Totally love it

[peterS]

This is why I keep recommending CRT RPTV's first, DLP/LCD/LCOS RPTV's second and plasma's third for performance/dollar.

why?!

[aud19]

why?!

Because plasmas like 1080p and the moon landing are government conspiracies :

[eddiem67]

NEC 42" 42XR4 accepts 1080P and you get standard 3yr warranty

[aud19]

NEC 42" 42XR4 accepts 1080P and you get standard 3yr warranty

They're talking 1080p native resolution for the display