Video Asylum

Posted by Harmonia (A) on October 22, 2002 at 14:05:40

In Reply to: Plasma Screen TV posted by ronroseb on October 22, 2002 at 11:30:54:

...the plasma forum at avsforum.com has a wealth of information and a very helpful FAQ.

No HD display is perfect, they all have trade-offs and specific strengths and weaknesses. SD (standard definition such as cable, satellite etc.) varies a bit among various plama displays, with maybe the Panasonics having a slight edge in SD performance, but truth be told, *all* HD Tvs of every type of technology have some degree of difficulty with SD...especially noisy analog cable or over-compressed satellite or digital cable. Our old sets are simply too small and not resolving enough to reveal the crud. Just like a high end audio system, garbage in, garbage out, and the better the system, the more it shows. Cable signals and compressed satellite feedss vary widely by provider, and even from station to station. Premium channels and PPV can look very good. Others are poor, but watchable. But this will be the case with all HDTVs, not just plasmas.

The only really "good" SD I've seen with HD large screens is on the Pioneer Elite RPs and the much, much smaller Philips 34" direct views. Almost everything else has some flaws or noise somewhere. Take a poor to mediocre picture, blow it up bigger...you get the idea. Like other HDTVs, plasmas have internal line doublers to deal with SD, but not all doublers/scalers are created equal. Many videophiles get around this by sending everything through an upconverting set top box or by using an external video processor. If you have a decent cable feed through one of the better plasmas, and you're sitting more than 6' away from the screen, you may be just fine as is.

You will aslo see some variation in stated resolution, from "Enhanced Definition" (native 480p) to "High Definition" (720p) to ALIS 1024 x1024 screens. This is a subject all its own, but let me just say that the Panasonic 42" ED plasmas and the 43" Pioneers look very good indeed, and may even have an advantage displaying SD sources.

You will hear a lot of carping on this and other forums about poor black levels etc. with plasma displays. Because of the nature of the technology, no plasma will display as deep a black as a good CRT. But the relative blacks of the better panels produces a very pleasing picture these days, and your eyes quickly adjust to what is not there. IMO, plasmas have come a long, LONG way in the last two years. Prices have come down considerably, and most models (except Fujitsu) are available at deep discount on line. Other early issues with solarization, color banding etc. seem to have been reduced or solved with panels from the better manufacturers.

Be aware that there are few companies making their own glass, many plasma makers outsource their screens from NEC, Panasonic or Pioneer and rebadge or supply their own electronics.

The consensus seems to be that Panasonic (with highest contrast and black levels), Pioneer (excellent color, not quite as deep a blacks but better shadow detail, easy upgrades), Fujitsu (excellent but pricey) and NEC make the best and most reliable panels. All of the above look stunning displaying HD content, and excellent on DVDs. Perfect geometry forever, no convergence issues or hotspotting like rear projection, razor sharp text, native NTSC-PAL-SECAM. The 42" and 50" panels are the most popular right now. Connectivity, upgradablility, DVI-HDCP etc. will also influence your choice.

Most plasma screens are monitors, without tuners or speakers, but some makers do have integrated plasma TVs. The best buys can be found online for the commercial models, which do not have tuners or speakers. If you have a VCR ot TIVO and a surround system, this probably won't matter to you.

Plasmas aren't for everyone, but they can be great looking, especially on DVD and HD, and they are undeniably sexy - flat, thin, lightweight and wall mountable. Go to avsforum for research, then check 'em out and let your own eyes be the judge.