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Plasma TVs and Diary of a two-channel man....(plus questions)

24.112.129.62

Posted by Rich H on April 25, 2001 at 00:32:36

Hi folks,

For your perusal, a quick diary of someone on the way to being converted....

Some background:

I'm a two channel stereo guy, not a home theater guy. I love listening to music at home, but for movies I much prefer viewing going to the theaters for the scale and the social event of it all.
I have a hard time sitting still at home to watch a video.
However, I recently bought a DVD player and I've been stunned at the picture/sound quality. I frankly didn't think there would be that much difference from my excellent VCR. After buying some of my favorite movies, I've noticed that the richness of the DVD picture allows me to luxuriate in the image, much as I do in the cinema. This is new, and quite welcome. Unfortunately, many letter boxed DVDs appear pretty small on my 27 inch TV, which of course has got me re-investigating the TV market (I've always kept an eye on it, just in case).

Why I haven't upgraded from my seven-year-old Panasonic TV:

I've remained unimpressed with the "advances" in picture quality since I bought my Panasonic. Mine's a direct view 27", superb quality. Every time I check out TV's in the local home theater stores they dissapoint me. Mostly, I see bigger screens showing bigger picture artifacts - the lines being more visible, more artifacts around image edges. Why buy a bigger screen if it only makes the picture look worse? (27 inch to 31 inch seemed to be the point of no return, after which artifacts arise, or the technology becomes cumbersome or intrusive to the experience - rear projection screens, ugh!). Plasma screens have always sucked. Crappy, smeary, low-contrast picture to my eyes - all the price just to make the screen flat.

UNTIL... I noticed a plasma screen when in NYC recently. Damn it looked good. Are things changing?

Then last week I saw the Panasonic TV42T3 Plasma (if I remember correctly). Absolutely friggin' amazing. A Plasma tv that was not worse than a direct view, but one that struck me as significantly better than any direct view I've seen. No lines, artifacts, incredible detail and a richness of color that I've never encountered.
It's the very first TV I've lusted after - the first one that would seem to offer a significantly richer experience than my own set.
I don't know that I will actually get around to buying one of those expensive beasts, but...

What should I look out for in Plasma TVs? Any particular problems?

Can anyone recommend a great direct-view I should check out, just in case?

Can someone post the names of newsgroups that discuss buying TVs?
Any other advice?

Thanks for any wisdom you choose to send my way.

Rich H.

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