HDTV or EDTV

[Holland]

Hi,

I went looking for a 42 plasma today with my girlfriend.
We both agree that the panny's give a good picture. But with the choice over HDTV or EDTV (a lot cheaper) it was a bit harder. I would like to go for a HDTV to be a bit more future prove (altrough with the SED TV's comming this is not really the case) but she (and I have to admit also me) couldn't really see any real difference between the EDTV and the HDTV from panny. I thoughed the HDTV looked a bit sharper but that could have been wishfull thinking. So my question, do people here see any difference between an 42 inch EDTV and the 42 inch HDTV? Both being fed a HDTV signal?
Would it also be smarter (esp with the money) to go for an EDTV now? Esp with most channels being in low def and dvd not outputting more then 480p. By the time blue ray disk is everywhere the SEDs will hopefully also be out and more affordable I can upgrade to the real deal.

Thanks for the input

[aud19]

Unfortunately nobody here can decide that for you

I tell you though, this is one of my pet peeves about plasma. The 42" "HD" Panny is I 1024x768, which IMO isn't really HD. HD is 1280x720 and up and the difference between 852x480 and 1024x768 isn't the step up it should be from ED to HD IMO. Not to mention the extra scaling any native plasma resolutions require to match 480p, 720p or 1080i which can introduce scaling artifacts :M

So if you absolutely must have a plasma.... buy what makes sense to you, the ED's are much cheaper and if you can't see the difference, (which is understandable) I'd say get the cheaper one. Especially if you're already planning on it being an "intermediate" display. Otherwise I'd look at other technologies

[Holland]

I agree with you that the resolution of plasma esp 42inch is not anything near HDTV, actually I only regard 1920x1024 (or close to that) as HDTV something that (as far as I know) only sony can do for now.
I know lCD's offer higher resolution but also more artifacts like gosting and esp big pixel block effects during fast movements. So thats why I would like to go for an plasma. Ofcourse I would prefer the sony or better and SED but these are money and aviable wise far off for me.

So I probably go for and EDTV, safe some money on it and spend that on some speakers. Also buying a good dvd player doesn't seem to be worth it with blue ray comming out in the near future. Does anyone know how the xbox360 scores as an dvd player????

[aud19]

Do you need a flat panel....? Lot's of options in RPTV's. CRT's will offer the best PQ for the lowest price at the expense of additional size. Then there's the new 1080p DLP's and Sony's SXRD that are both getting good reviews....? Also, you may be surprised how good the 1080p LCD plat panels from Sony or Sharp are, though they're not cheap...

[Holland]

Well I wouldn't mind a normal crt, since I also believe they give the best picture (esp with normal material) and best price. But the girlfriend want to have a flat panel. I also looked at some lcds but they tent (esp 42inch) to be more expensive. Also my main concern there is ghosting.

For the time being I think I will go with EDTV (hopefully some good black friday sale on the panny) and then when sed is there (or another good affordable technology with real HDTV) I will move the plasma to the bed room and but the upgrade in the home theater setup.

You can only spend money once!

[Andrew M Ward]

Also buying a good dvd player doesn't seem to be worth it with blue ray comming out in the near future.

Personal hover craft will be available soon to, so lets just take the bus between now and when their available....

The day we see a Blu-Ray machine and a substantial quantity of available disc titles, I’ll stop looking at DVD players. Until then (years) I'll keep maximizing a super cheap amazingly available format that can presently be scaled to HD...

Sorry but I really don't understand where the "Blu-Ray right around the corner" mentality is coming from?

Am I missing press releases?
Somebody fill me in (seriously)

I keep hearing about huge factory re-tooling expenses:

*and a myriad of integration issues
*and audio layering problems
*and ATAPI interface issues
*and steering Photo diode issues
*and ESM (Eight Sixteen Modulation) recalibration problems

And this is from the "positive" spin camp; I can only imagine the depth of the real issues. I don't care what people claim to have seen, until I see somebody put a disc (a Blu-Ray disc) in a tray and hit a play button on a Blu-Ray machine that has a serial number on it....

We've all seen Panasonic Blu-Ray machines working with mysterious hard drive devices playing very short clips...that ain't right around the corner in my book, that is basically vapor ware.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe Blu-Ray is the future, but I am compelled to argue that DVD has years of growth and consumer acceptance. Don't get me started on HD-DVD either! :lol:

[David G]

I had the exact same experience. Couldn't tell the difference between EDTV and HDTV in the store (actually if anything the ED looked better!). So I ended up buying the ED Panasonic 42" and have been very happy with it. Also keep in mind, DVDs are not high definition, and the EDTV has better contrast and uses quite a bit less power.
In 5 years or so it will become my 2nd TV when I upgrade to SED.

[Shane Martin]

In fact most people can't tell the difference between ED and HD plasmas at the 42" size. Go with the ED and save your money. On larger sizes it matters but with 42" it doesn't.

[Adz]

I had a similar experience and was a bit taken back. Fact is, probably on only a couple of Hi-Def channels (such as INHD or ESPN) standing side by side would you be able to see a difference on the 42 inch Plasmas. Makes a lot of sense to move the EDTV Plasma to the bedroom or other non-main HT room when it finally does make a stark noticeable difference.

[Holland]

About the blue ray, I thoughed (and heared) that they are already out in the far east, so I thoughed they should also be here in a year and then another year to get them at a normal price level, but then again how long will it take for the blue ray disc market. I picked this infor up on another forum in The Netherlands so Iam not sure how accurate this info is. I really hate the marketing strategies of big compangies were they milk out the old products as much as possible before launching the new one, even when the new one is already avaible for launch.

About the EDTV, I am happy to hear I am not loosing my mind or eyeside (only the annual decrease 8O ), I will probably go for an EDTV.

Thanks for the input

[Shane Martin]

I thoughed (and heared) that they are already out in the far east

Recordable yes but it won't playback any of the future Blue ray media coming. It's strictly a recordable format over there for now. Blu ray precords should come out next year.

If you want to see them just make sure you have an HDMI board or a plasma with that option.

[Holland]

Hi,

I managed to find a difference between HTDV and EDTV on a HD broadcast signal. On the EDTV the edges are more jagged. Iam not sure if I use the right term here. Letters and dark to light edges seems to me more curved and smooth on the HDTV. BUT this is with HDTV content. For the near future it seems I will be watching to normal content since cable is 99% normal content. And DVD is also not HTDV. So my question how will this play out on normal cable signal, will the HDTV also give more smoother edges or will it be as jagged as on the EDTV?
And is the cause of this edges caused by the lower resolution of the EDTV or by other reasons?
Sadly in all stored they only have HDTV demo's. So now way for me to compare the two different tv's with normal content.
O yes Iam looking at the panny ED and HDTV

[aud19]

Yes, what you're describing sounds like the sets lower resolution not being able to create as smooth of a picture as the sets with more pixels. As for whether you can tell the diference with SD material, only you can say The store should have a DVD player connected, take a couple of your favourite DVD's in and have a look. If the store isn't willing to help you on that, go elsewhere.

[Holland]

So I took the step and ordered the panny EDTV. I compared them in the shop side by side and from a viewing distance of about 8 feet I could only see that letters looked less edgy on the HDTV, which I don't really find a big deal. For the rest I couldn't tell the difference. From closer the difference was greater but not that big, not worth the $700 more for me. Also the panny HD is not even close to real HDTV resolution, so I will wait until thats out and spend the saved money on that.
Now I just hope I really don't see the difference between HD and ED

[Drewbert]

So I took the step and ordered the panny EDTV. I compared them in the shop side by side and from a viewing distance of about 8 feet I could only see that letters looked less edgy on the HDTV, which I don't really find a big deal. For the rest I couldn't tell the difference. From closer the difference was greater but not that big, not worth the $700 more for me. Also the panny HD is not even close to real HDTV resolution, so I will wait until thats out and spend the saved money on that.
Now I just hope I really don't see the difference between HD and ED

where did you buy it from?

[aud19]

So I took the step and ordered the panny EDTV. I compared them in the shop side by side and from a viewing distance of about 8 feet I could only see that letters looked less edgy on the HDTV, which I don't really find a big deal. For the rest I couldn't tell the difference. From closer the difference was greater but not that big, not worth the $700 more for me. Also the panny HD is not even close to real HDTV resolution, so I will wait until thats out and spend the saved money on that.
Now I just hope I really don't see the difference between HD and ED

Congrats :T It seems like you made the best decision Also if it makes you feel better, I believe the ED has better black levels too!! :banana:

[Holland]

I bought it via panny direct, so I got it at a slightely lower price than in the shops. Now hope the warranty is also good (altrough I hope i don't need it!!!).
The HDTV was relative more cheaper then the EDTV (bigger price drop compared to shops) but was still $700 more expensive. About 1/3 of the price, imo to much to go for the 'HD' version. I will go for the HD thing when real HD displays like the sed's come out.