Plasma Stretch Mode Questions (1 Viewer)

[RussellTodd]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which plasma TV’s has the best stretch modes? I’m moving to a new house with built in cabinets in the wall. The cost to alter the cabinets so that my current TV will fit is about what decent plasma would cost. I currently have an HDTV (Sony KV-36HS420) which is 4:3, because most of what I watch is 4:3 and comes thru as an analog signal (lower 70 channels). However, I do get 5 or so HD channels and several digital channels. What I would like to know is how a plasma TV will handle a 4:3 analog signal as far as quality. Are there any brands that do a superior job of stretching the picture so as not to distort the image and handle an analog signal reasonably well? My current sony does a pretty good job of handling the analog’s so they don’t look too grainy. However, it’s a CRT tube even though its HD capable which is great for handling multiple type signals(HD, digital & analog) but the tradeoff is the size, its too big to fit in the current cabinets. Is there a plasma out there that will handle all of these different type signals reasonably well and stretch modes without picture quality issues?

Thanks

 

[Mort Corey]

The stretch modes are different for each manufacturer....some do it better than others. I hate the short fat people mode on 4:3 programming and prefer not to use the side bars on my display. The mode that works best for me takes the 4:3 picture and blows it up to fill the screen. The drawback is that it cuts a little off the top and bottom of the broadcast picture. I take that and move the picture down the screen as I prefer seeing the information at the top more than the bottom.....plus, as a bonus, it gets rid of the annoying channel logos and/or ticker tapes at the bottom.

Best, of course, is HD broadcasts. Then things are as they should be.

Mort