No Reverse 3:2 Pulldown in Panasonic Plasma!

HarpSingh · 08-15-2005, 10:37 AM

Just found out that the 42PX500U does not have reverse 3:2 pulldown. Tried to search this topic here and found a little bit.

Based on what I read, if you are watching datastreams that are 480p, 720p, or 1080i, the 3:2 reverse pulldown is unnecessary, as the provider (or the DVD player) has already done the 3/2 for you.

Does it make a difference in watching of regular broadcast channels from digital cable or satellite which is usually either 480i or 480p?

Thanks.

John S · 08-15-2005, 10:42 AM

480p and above have already done this so no real need to have it on the display.

Now Svideo sources like Laserdisc still do benefit greatly from 3:2 pulldown.

It is not the worst thing in the world, simple line doubling is still pretty darn impressive with only the occasional jaggy to deal with from it.

Michael TLV · 08-15-2005, 11:40 AM

Greetings

Although one might ask the question ... if a $40 DVD player can do 3:2 ... why can't a TV?

I'd figure that it can ... just not listed in the literature ... because it isn't a big deal item anymore.

Just feed it a 480i signal and watch some material like the opening of ST-insurrection to see if the roof tops are all jaggie ... that's it.

Regards

Jerome Grate · 08-15-2005, 12:02 PM

If it's a big deal for you and it looks terrible, then maybe video processor like a used Iscan-Pro might be a cheap and quick fix. I have one so I can feed S-Video through component and have scaled to 480p and I love the picture from S-VHS and Satellite broadcast. Picked one up for about 120.00 and I thought it was money well spent. If the difference is slight and you can live with it, then let it go.

Michael TLV · 08-15-2005, 12:25 PM

Greetings

It should be noted that 3:2 isn't going to improve anything that isn't film based. It will do nothing for sports programming.

The biggest benefits would be for film based TV series or movies.

It won't save any programming and make it watchable. There is usually so much wrong with the source TV signal that it just can't do enough to salvage an image. Think of it as taking a 30% image up to 35% if that ... marginally less crappy ... but still crappy all the same.

Regards

**HTF Ads**

HarpSingh · 08-15-2005, 12:49 PM

I understand that the only place I might see a benefit is with movies (24 fps) and that is what I was trying to figure out if it was important with the "crappy" 480i signal. You are probably right in that the its not going to make a meaningful difference.

This is my first "big screen" HD (42px500), and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised with the picture quality on "crappy" SD signal. My expectations were must have been really low; I was expecting an almost unwatchable, noisy, blocky and soft picture. And this was the reason I did not want to go higher than a 42", given my viewing distance. But now, having had this for 4 days and being "awe"-ed by the SD quality, I am considering swapping for the 50".

Michael TLV · 08-15-2005, 01:26 PM

Greetings

SD rarely gets to the point of being unwatchable. I watch it routinely on my 102" screen with the DLP projector. It is what it is ... still better than VHS. Makes perfect sense to me why it looks like that ... complaining about it won't help.

Regards

HarpSingh · 08-15-2005, 01:35 PM

Going back to the 3:2 discussion, I watched Saving Private Ryan on this TV last night, playing the DVD on a Samsung 850 upscaling to 1080i via HDMI. During the action scenes, I did not see any interlacing but that is probably the Progressive Samsung. I'll try connecting my older non-progressive Hitachi via component and see if I notice any jagged interlacing in motion scenes.

What I did notice in SPRyan was "judder" in high contrast areas motion scenes (which is, I think, "seeing the seperate images" one after another that make up the motion). But then, my eyes can see flicker even on a computer screen - I can tell if my screen has a refresh rate of less than 85. In fact, I sometimes see "judder" even in cinema halls (at 24 fps?), again at high contrast motion edges, such as a dark building moving into view over a bright sky.

Another question: I was told (by a salesman), that unless I spend at least $500 on an upscaling DVD player, it might be better for me to just go for a regular progressive-scan DVD player, and let the 42PX500 do the upscaling. How is the scaler on this plasma? I was thinking of buying the Panasonic S97, but should I just go for a cheapy DVD player instead?

Michael TLV · 08-15-2005, 02:21 PM

Greetings

$500 or more for upscaling DVD ...? I don't think so. YOu can get very good upscaling performance from a $250 Panasonic or even the $200 LG units.

Easiest to tell which does a better job on test patterns.

Regards

Luis Gabriel Gerena · 08-16-2005, 07:51 AM

How about the OPPO?