42 Inch Plasma Questions

Davis · 04-27-2005, 08:56 PM

I'm interested in a set for the bedroom. 42 inches and EDTV should meet my needs, based on my budget.

It needs to be easy to use and have built-in audio. Ambient light isn't an issue. Sources will be Time Warner digital cable (via Scientific Atlanta HD/DVR box) and occassional DVD's.

The Panasonic TH42PD50U looks like it fits the bill, I've heard good things about Panasonic plasma's in general. Here are the questions:

1. Any issues relating to this model, should I be considering different models?

2. Any other brands I should consider?

3. Here's the best price I've found.

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Is this a good vendor and good price? I would be happy to buy locally, but CC want $2400 plus tax for this model. I would also be happy to give my business to a vendor who supports this forum.

4. If I switch between a high def and standard def channel on the cable box, will the TV recognize and adjust internally, or do I need to change a setting on the tv?

5. Do I run one set of inputs from the cable box to the tv or do I need a separate set of cables for hd and sd?

Thanks, in advance, for any replies.

Kevin C Brown · 04-28-2005, 02:43 AM

Davis- I am also looking at this display. It's only been available for a few weeks. I'm hoping that it has incrementally better performance than the older 25 series. (It's cheaper too!)

To be honest, that price seems a little too good to be true. I've seen it for $2300 locally at Frys.

Let us know if that's where you end up getting it from, and how things work out. Oh, you could at least check NY state's BBB for info about them.

That really is a great price!

Davis · 04-28-2005, 08:14 AM

Thanks for the reply Kevin. I think I found that vendor by Googling the model number... no reference at all on the vendor.

My questions 4 and 5 are due to the fact that my older HD Loewe has separate inputs for hd and sd, and requires that I change my input selection when going from one to the other.

John S · 04-28-2005, 08:28 AM

Hmm.. Most HD cable boxes allow you to set what res you want to view SD in as well as HD. I would not think this an issue. Maybe a newer cable box is in order? I have not encountered one yet, that actually dropped back to like svideo for SD. I did encounter one that dropped to 480i though, the owner called the cable company and got a newer box promptly, the new box still dropped back to 480p though, which was acceptable for the display on the component inputs.

I'm not sure how DVI/HDMI handles the change though. So how does an HD Cable box hooked up via DVI/HDMI handle the change from SD to HD and back as you change the channel?

Davis · 04-28-2005, 09:16 AM

My question wasn't very clear. The cable box is new. The question really relates to my television.

My current tv requires seperate input cables for sd and hd signals.

Can I use one set of cables for both sd and hd on the Panasonic TH42PD50U? If only one set of cables is needed, will the tv automatically recognize the input and process properly?

If two sets are needed, will the tv recognize which input is being used, or do I need to change the input selection on the tv?

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John S · 04-28-2005, 09:26 AM

Most all displays still have separate inputs for HD/ED (Component and/or DVI/HDMI) -vs- SD (Svideo and/or Composite)

All modern HD cable boxes I have encountered offer for 480p (ED) output for SD channels, so virtually any display can recieve all video over the same connection.

Maybe I am still confused as to what your asking...

You SD sources will still come in over an SD connection. But you SD Cable becomes an ED source.

Davis · 04-28-2005, 10:55 AM

Maybe I can make this clearer by breaking the question down further:

1. Do I need one set of cables or two sets of cables (one for sd and one for hd) going between the cable box and the television?

If the answer to this is one set of cables, then I assume that the tv will automatically know how to process the input signal. If the answer to this question is two, then I have another question:

2. When switching from a sd to a hd channel, do I need change the input selection on the television?

Davis · 04-28-2005, 11:04 AM

The first post is edited to remove the link to the vendor with the absurdly low price. Further research has turned up lots of negative feedback on them.

I called plasmadoc for a quote since they're a sponsor on this forum, but they may only carry commercial models. It looks like the reputable low-cost etailers are around $2200 plus shipping.

John S · 04-28-2005, 11:16 AM

Your display is not what really makes the difference here, it is the cable box. And yes, your display should be able to recieve both HD and SD material from the HD Cable Box over the same Component Connection. I am not sure how it works with DVI/HDMI though.

But I am hooking up friends right and left for HD these days and all modern HD Cable boxes seem to work basically the same way. Most of them, I have had to tell to output SD in 480p though through the setup menus.

Mort Corey · 04-28-2005, 01:43 PM

I have the Motorola version of your cable box and run a single DVI cable for SD and HD programming......it works the same way with component cables but the DVI gave me a slightly better picture. My display hesitates a tad when going between the two but that's it. Going from SD to SD or HD to HD is seemless. The input remains the same on the TV for either.

Mort