For Your Viewing Pleasure: The HULK screen shots on a Plasma...:-) (1 Viewer)

[Rich H]

Folks,

I'm a fellow AV/Home Theater buff and I really enjoy every video display type, finding things to love about everything from CRT Projection (that's an easy one!) RPTVs of all stripe, a good Direct View set etc. I even, gasp, like certain qualities of the not-ready-for-prime-time LCD flat-screen displays.

That said, I went with a Panasonic ED ("Enhanced Definition") Plasma because it fit my needs and I fell in love with the image quality. Now, I would love a nice Front Projection set-up, and I also admire a good RPTV for certain qualities as well. But while my display can't compete for theatrical size, one of the compensatory pleasures I've found from owning a plasma is how uncannily "real" the image can look. I'm very often struck by the sensation of observing not a projected image, but flesh-and-blood actors peering out from behind the frame. For all the glories of a great Front/Rear Projection-based system - and there are many - I don't get from them the same hair-raising, reach-in-and-touch it palpability as from the best plasmas. No doubt *some* of this is due to the different nature of the technology - a projected vs a light emitted image.

I've had some fun trying to capture some of that feeling by taking screen shots of DVDs playing on my plasma...sort of a virtual plasma tour for those "on the fence" about these displays.

Here are screen shots I took of The Hulk playing on my plasma. While some funky things do happen in screen shots (especially contrast and color-wise), I think these shots convey some of the qualities I'm talking about. Some of these images are quite large, so if you are using Internet Explorer I suggest pressing "F11" on your keyboard to open up more browser real estate. Also, make sure after you've clicked on the first thumbnail image that it has enlarged to "Original" size (image size options are along bottom of a fully displayed image). Once you select original size once, all following images will blow up to the correct size.

Also, remember this is like pressing your nose against the display. To approximate what I see at home, you might move your head back to around 3 or 3 1/2 feet away from your monitor.

Hear ya go:

THE HULK SCREEN SHOTS on a plasma

Rich H

 

[Rich H]

Hmmm,

Lotsa views, but no feedback.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?.....

 

[Gary Mays]

Wow! Those screens shots look great! What size
is your set?

 

[Rich H]

Gary,

It's a 42" Panasonic plasma. It's an ED model, not Hi-Def. But I find that this display actually looks better with DVDs than many Hi-Def models, in terms of clarity and smoothness.

 

[DaveGTP]

I eyed up your pics when you posted on AVSforum too Rich - nice.

Provided tax refund/tuition refund etc all come in OK, I will be picking up my 42PWD6UY. After all, I've been eyeing the panny ED for like 2 years!

 

[MichaelOD]

those are fantastic screenshots!

what program are you using to take those?

 

[Rich H]

DaveGTP,

You WILL love the thing when you get it. I researched my purchase for over a year - very intensively - and it paid off.

MichaelOD,

I'm not sure what you are asking when you say "what program" did I use to take the shots. I simply snapped the shots with my digital camera. Well, it wasn't that simple, since finding the right distance from the screen and getting a proper exposure was initially a bit trying. After that I just transferred the shots to my computer and cropped the images. The pictures were taken with the lights out, so the black framing around the screen shots is actually the dark bezel of the plasma frame, which registers as black in the shots.

I'm glad you enjoyed them.

 

[Peter Loan]

Those are some awesome pics! What's the model number of your Panasonic plasma? Also, what DVD player are you using with the set? I don't understand your explanation about the black borders around your pictures. If it's the actual bezel, how is the same black border around your shots of the Fifth Element, which is in 2.35:1?

 

[Rich H]

Peter,

I have the Panasonic THPWD-4UY plasma. It's a little over 1 1/2 years old. It's the commercial model. The latest version is the "6UY" here:

Panasonic 6UY Plasma

The consumer model you'll see in the stores costs a little more (it has add-ons):

TH42PA20U/P

Sorry about the confusion re borders of screen shots. Everything beyond the images on my plasma registered as pitch black in the screen shots. For all movies I cropped around the image, leaving some of that black. So for those films that filled the 16:9 plasma frame, those black borders are the darkened frame. For 2:35:1 movies I cropped closer, so the black on the sides is the bezel, and on top it's part of the "black letter-box bars." Either way, anything beyond the image registers as black and becomes a black frame.

I use the Panasonic RP-91 DVD player. For the Hulk shots I was actually using a Denon 3800 DVD player on loan.

 

[Mort Corey]

Nice pics Rich...see that you even got the color model plasma. Just wanted to also say thanks for your steaming rat tips for adjustments. I used them first, compared the results to Avia, DVE and Home Theater Tuneup and they were all so close (within one or two clicks up or down) that I just left things alone. Buying the disks wasn't necessary at all, but a fun learning experience none the less.

Mort

 

[Rich H]

Mort,

Glad things worked out for you. The "rat" method is more about developing your eye, almost like learning photography, so you really become familiar with the constituents of picture quality. It's easier to comprehend how each picture control directly affects the realism of an image when viewing that image, vs being told what to do via test patterns.

But shhhhh. Not too loud about the steaming rat thing...there's many a pro calibrator hereabouts....

 

[Anthony Connor]

Screenshots look awesome very jealous.

 

[Dave H]

Rich, those do look quite good. Have you gotten your display ISF'd? It will only look better if you haven't.

 

[Rich H]

Dave,

Yes I did have my display ISF'd. However, I generally prefer my own calibration settings, as I feel the image appears more believable. But that's another subject altogether...

 

[David.O]

Rich, the shots were awesome - blew me away. Makes me wonder why the hell I have been considering 55" DLP and CRT jobs.

I intend to use your screen shots as a means to "sell" my wife on a plasma. A little outside of the "toy budget" in terms of cost but I'm sure I can start bringing my lunch to work for a while. A small price to pay !

Ignore the email I sent you re: your TV model. It was answered in this thread.

Thanks again for the comments on this thread and the "new gen displays" thread.