Someone fill me in on Plasma Screens (1 Viewer)

[ScottATL]

Well, for Xmas, my wife bought me the "Band of Brothers" DVD set and instantly I thought, I need surround sound, so $2500 later I'm all smiles. Then I decided that I should run my cables and speaker wire through the walls and through the crawl space, so $120 and an entire Saturday spent moving things and running wire, and everything is now perfect. Well, the very next day, we decide to sell our house and move closer to work (Isnt' that how it goes? Get your house just the way you want things, then move).

Well, the house we found has a perfect entertainment room in the basement, but we'll be letting a friend stay with us for a while, and the living room is not set up nice for any kind of a TV, unless it is small and on a stand. The only option we really have is hanging a plasma screen on the wall and going that way. The more I think about it, the more it interests me (Other then the high price tag) I think I can swing $5k, but that's about it. What kind of specs should I be looking for and the minimum resoulution.

I would like to get a 42 inch screen and I've been comparing two Panasonics.

Model Number: TH42PWD5UY
Manufacturer : Panasonic
List Price: $5995
Lowest Price: $3779
Screen Size: 42"
Resolution: 853X480
Contrast Rate: 3000:1
Aspect Ratio: 16:9

and

Model Number: TH42PHD5UY
Manufacturer : Panasonic
List Price: $7995
Lowest Price: $5549
Screen Size: 42"
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Contrast Rate: 3000:1
Aspect Ratio: 16:9

How much is the $1800 buying me with the second one? The first one is rated as the most popular Plasma Screen sold, but I am guessing the lower cost has a lot to do with that. The second one was rated as the 3rd most popular.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

AFAIK, it's basically HD vs non-HD. The less expensive one will give you a very good display for 480p content like progressive scan DVD (and anything below in PQ) while the more expensive one will give you a good display for HD content though 1080i will still get downconverted. Black level is still not that good w/ these displays, ie. black looks dark grey.

If you have the $$$ to upgrade very often AND don't need the HD part yet, then maybe the cheaper one is the way to go, especially since the HD one only does 1024x768. Display technology for HD viewing is still advancing very quickly right now, so it's probably not worthwhile paying the extra $$$ unless you really need it now. You can save the $$$ toward a display more suitable for the dedicated entertainment room later--maybe a good FP system w/ then advanced technology.

Just my $.02.

_Man_

PS: I forgot to mention that if you're gonna spend the extra $$$ on the HD-capable plasma, make sure it comes w/ DVI/HDCP input or you might seriously regret it.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Forgive me but somehow I think US$8K is a little much. Maybe plasma technology will come down in time. I am assuming this will be your primary display. For that money, you may want to keep your options open. Whatever you do, do your research and demo firsthand the contenders.

Now my thinking is that US$8K could get a very worthy front projection setup, screen, and also a RPTV as well. For instance, you could get something like.....

- Infocus X1
- Sanyo Z1
- Sony HS10
- Panasonic L300U

... all of which will be under $3K. You could kick in a screen or build your own and still have tonnes of money for a nice Rear Projection HDTV so you could enjoy the best of both worlds and both worlds would be HDef capable.

Imagine a 100" 16x9 front projection setup for your movie watching and the other RPTV set for all of your normal TV watching.

 

[Mike Matheson]

Scott,

For roughly the price you have listed there on the TH42PHD5UY you could probably find the Pioneer 503CMX. That'd give you an outstanding 50" display with HD resolution.

Just something to consider.

Mike

 

[Yumbo]

I love my Panasonic 50" plasma. worth the $10,000 I paid for it.

and we don't even get HD, lol.

I don't even watch my 36" direct view anymore which only cost $2,500, because it looks terrible!

the blacks are brilliant. no scan lines.
used with RP-82.

 

[ScottATL]

Thanks for the replies. I think that made up my mind to go with the lower priced item.

Neil - As I mentioned in the first post, space is really the isssue. The house we are moving into is professionally painted and decorated and we'd be making it look "ghetto" if we put our current setup in the living room. In fact, I think we are going to move the entertainment center with the 36" TV into our master bedroom. Once my friend leaves us, whenever that is, I'll be converting the downstairs into the primary entertainment room with a large widescreen or a projector. Until then, it's a plasma screen for the living room. Plasma direct has it for under $3800, which isn't too bad at all. I think it would make an awesome touch to a house. The extra $2k probably isn't worth it since it eventually won't be my primary entertainment room.

Model Number: TH42PWD5UY
Manufacturer : Panasonic
List Price: $5995
Lowest Price: $3779

 

[Haris Ellahi]

Panasonic!

We have the Panasonic TH-42PW5 and love it!