Posted on 08/15/2005 11:02:09 AM PDT by nypokerface
Me, I'm waiting for the new SED (Surface Electron emitter Displays) developed by Toshiba and Canon that should be hitting the stores by Christmas or maybe early 2006.
Brightest, highest contrast displays, high resolution with no side viewing issues.
This is a site that has a lot of info on flat screens.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=40
I've been shopping for over a year for a flat screen. Was at a Sears a couple of weekends ago and everyone there was going crazy over the 50" Panasonic plasma, great picture.
The one I was looking at was labeled "New" and not refurbished.
Hmmm, why am I reminded of the Simpsons bit where they wind up in the off-brand electronics store..."I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look, there's Magnetbox and Sorny!" ;)
I have a 27" diagonal CRT that displays letterbox format on a 22"X8 3/4" portion of my screen; what happened to the 16:9 ratio?
I'm beginning to think this a scheme designed by skinny bald guys with receding chins because I can't see any more of a face than the eyebrows to the dimple.
"No" to the first, and "Sorta" to the part in parenthesis. It depends upon how you treat them. Plasmas have an issue with "burn-in" where they gradually dim in areas where the picture does not change for more than about 15% of the viewing time. LCD screens don't have that problem - though they have their own problems such as stray locked-on pixels. The other major issue with plasmas is their power consumption - the aforementioned 42" TV can be up to around 600W. Other than that, they are beautiful, and quite bright.
I'm not an expert, but here's a link to a forum with lots of experts. Consensus is that they will lose half their brightness over 60,000 hours.
There has been much misinformation about the longevity of today’s plasma TVs. Like all other display devices, there are two parts to a television. The first is the internal electronics. Modern circuit designs are extremely reliable and all televisions, including plasma’s circuits, are designed to provide extremely long life. The second part is the section of the television that produces light.
In plasma, it is the phosphors within the glass panel. Phosphors are used to produce an image in standard picture tube (CRT) televisions as well, and in three-CRT rear projectors.
Television manufacturers base the projected life of all TVs on “half brightness,” meaning the time it takes for the display to create an image that’s only half as bright as when the TV was new. The three-CRT rear projector is generally rated at 15,000 hours until half-brightness. Direct-view CRTs are generally rated to 30,000 hours. Panasonic plasmas have a half brightness rating of 60,000 hours – four times the life of CRT rear projection. This equates to more than twenty-three years at seven hours a day viewing, around the average daily TV viewing time per U.S. household. With its inherent high brightness, a Panasonic plasma will likely retain its image quality for many years.
Say WHAT? I got my first one over 18 months ago for $2,300. These people must be shopping in the wrong places...
Was it a EDTV or true HD with at least 720p? A lot of these high end ones are starting to come out with 1080p and will be at a premium for awhile.
60" widescreen...only $3,800, eh? Hmmmm...
"Oh honeeeeey...can I--"
"NO!"
"Darn it."
Funny thing is, I wanted to go for the 50", but my wife talked me into getting the bigger one.
She wasn't able to convince me to go all out and get the 70", though.
I have noticed wide ranging color, clarity and brightness as well. My personal favorite TV brand is Mitsubishi. Seem to have the best compromise among the competing characteristics for my tastes.
True HD. 480p, 720p, 1080i.
Do you have the source set to 16 X 9 or 4 X 3? If the cabel box or DVD thinks the set is 4 X 3 That will happen
i dont think its moores law
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/Moores_Law.html
The AVS forum is the best site by far. I set up my projector and sound system off that site
True, but it is much closer in spirit too Moore's Law than Murphy's Law.
The underlying truth is that electronics becomes cheaper and higher performance on a fairly short cycle, that is to say: 'things get better', whereas Murphy says; 'things go wrong'...
I'm in the market for a flat panel this year but it's very frustrating. I feel like an idiot trying to read the forums and all the techy stuff.
Then when I visit the store to eyeball these things, the clerks, even at high end stores turn out to be bigger idiots than me.
It is better to ask forgiveness than permission.
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