Video Asylum

Posted by Joe Murphy Jr (A) on March 30, 2004 at 22:15:10

In Reply to: Panasonic Plasma TH-42PWD6UY posted by Ivanakutyurbalzoff on March 30, 2004 at 10:28:56:

That's an excellent price.

If you want to hang it on the wall, I would suggest the Sanus Systems VMPL (+/- 15 degrees tilt) or the VMPL2 (either 0 degrees or 5 degrees tilt). You can get the VMPL2 for about $129 delivered and the VMPL for about $25 more from etronics.net online.

The 6UY series is Panasonic's commercial/industial models. That means that the connections for the composite and RGB/component inputs will be BNC -- not RCA. You can either get RCA-to-BNC adapters or cables with RCA connections on one end and BNC connections on the other end.

The composite and S-video connections are on the same input board/card (Panasonic calls this a "blade"). You can either use the composite connection or the S-video connection -- not both. If the S-video connection is used, even if the source is off, you can't use the composite input. You need to choose which one you need the most. For your information, Panasonic's plasma displays incorporate one of the best comb filters in the business. In other words, using the composite input will not be a downgrade from S-video with this display.

If you are thinking about an HDTV tuner or a DVD player with a DVI or HDMI output, you will need to get one of the DVI-HDCP blades (TY-42TM6D). It allows for an all digital path from the source to the display (no analog-to-digital conversions).

The standard inputs that come supplied with the TH-42PWD6UY are: composite/S-video, RGB/component (YPbPr) and VGA (this is RGB, but there is a menu option to configure this to a YPbPr component -- giving you a second component input if you need one). Since the standard blade occupies two inputs, there will be a space unused which you can add another input. You don't have to keep the standard blade either: you can choose what types of inputs you really want and purchase accordingly.

I'd suggest you browse the Plasma and Flat Panel LCDs section at AVS Forum. You will find a great deal of information (tweaks, setup tips, how tos, etc) if you do a search on this model. Many members there own this model. Just go to www.avsforum.com and click on the Display Devices section of the menu.

Here's a link to Panasonic's commercial/industrial plasmas. There are a few pdfs to download if you're interested:

• http://www.panasonic.com/pbds/subcat/products/displays_monitors/f_th-42pwd6uy.html   (Open in New Window)