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In Reply to: Incredible amount of disinformation on this board regarding plasmas. posted by Tom §. on September 27, 2002 at 06:08:35:
Did I say plasmas have poor pictures? I was merely pointing out things that I have noticed in current models that a prospective purchaser should consider. Overall, I prefer the picture of plasmas over direct view sets and all RPTVs with 7" CRTs.The burn-in problem I saw on a Fujitsu 5002 which had been adjusted using a Video Essentials DVD. The stuck pixel on a current model 50" Panasonic, dead pixels on a Dream Vision 50". A friend had a different 50" Dream Vision that died and had to be replaced because of problems with overheating. The generous extended warranty was offered for a 50" Pioneer Elite. I don't know if statistically speaking, plasmas are unreliable, but these are personal observations that did not inspire confidence.
I don't know how you "verified" in every instance that motion artifacts were the problem with the source. In any event, I don't have access to perfect sources, I have to live with what is available, and I see all of these problems. I like the overall color achievable with plasmas, but I see posterization problems in dark scenes. I guess you are lucky if you don't notice them. I agree that the pixel issue is really a matter of what you compare plasmas to -- DLP pictures have a greater percentage of fill so pixel structure is less evident and CRT pixel structure is often less apparent because the image has less resolution.
Whether these problems when balanced against the undeniable virtues of plasmas (great edge to edge detail, perfect geometry, high brightness level, vivid and solid looking images with high quality sources, etc.) make plasmas the best choice is entirely subjective. I suggest that a prospective purchaser take along an "acid test" DVD that exposes plasmas weak spot which is dark scenes with lots of detail. The sci-fi mystery thriller "Dark City" would be a good choice.
As for the non-picture issues, I've notice the heat in a small room when a friend installed a plasma; this was not a problem with the 53" direct view it replaced. Since that 50" plasma drew something like 800 watts, vs. something like 350 for the direct view, the additional power consumption had to be either in the form of additional light output (the plasma may put out a bit more light) or heat.
I apologize for giving the impression that plasmas have poor picture quality. That is not the case. I think they are currently at the very top of the pile, but they are far from perfect. I was merely pointing out the weaknesses I notice; the strengths should be obvious at first glance.
Follow Ups:
***I think they are currently at the very top of the pile***How can anything that can't do black and is severely limited in screen size be at the top of any pile? Or did you mean poop?
***How can anything that can't do black and is severely limited in screen size be at the top of any pile? Or did you mean poop?***Because 1: size ain't everything and 2: Newer plasmas CAN do excellent black levels (those based on the Panasonic glass especially). Yes the CRT can still pull out the last iota of detail in low black levels. But, of course, CRTs have compromises too don't they? Please show me a CRT-based display (including your projector) that displays perfect focus/geometry/convergence and lack of blooming - and a totally still, utterly "jiggle-free" image. Oh, that's impossible for CRT displays? I see...how can you live with such flaws :-)
It seems that we're essentially in agreement on most points. At first read your post seemed like another jab at plasma based on problems with early production models.Yeah, the 50" plasmas do have quite a bit of power dissipation. I think I was limiting my perspective to 42" models where power dissipation ratings are almost half that of 50" models.
As for verifying the artifacts in the source material: I just took the DVD over to the DVD-ROM drive in my comp and looked at the same scene using the 18" LCD and 15" CRT monitors I have.
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