Buying a Flat Panel Display (LCD/Plasma/LED etc)

[VSG12777]

Ok so those other things being the same on both the plasmas (like V-Real Pro, contrast ratio etc), would the picture be the same on both ? Say, if we're sitting about 10 feet from the display ?

[kb100]

Originally Posted by VSG12777

Ok so those other things being the same on both the plasmas (like V-Real Pro, contrast ratio etc), would the picture be the same on both ? Say, if we're sitting about 10 feet from the display ?

On a 50" screen, all other things being the same, there will be absolutely NO difference from 10 feet away! Your eyes will not be able to perceive ANY difference.

[VSG12777]

kb100,

Another big doubt of mine has been clarified by you !! Hmm - so I guess it doesn't make sense to ever buy a full HD display, especially since we'd never sit closer than 10 feet from the plasma. 12 feet distance was really good, as I had tested at a Samsung showroom here. The couch in that plasma room was exactly 13-14 feet from the plasma (50 inch full HD), so deducting the depth of the couch, it may have been around 10-11 feet. Still, I thought the distance was perfect. But, since it's anyway over 10 feet, not worth paying so much extra for the full HD if we wouldn't be able to spot the difference when playing a blu ray disc.

Great. So my 50 inch would also be a HD ready unit. At least I can save some dough

[donzerus]

The 42PV80D is now available for Rs.55,900 in exchange of a 29" CRT TV. Possibly a price drop in the near future ?

[VSG12777]

Donzerus

Like I said earlier in this thread, this is just an eyewash by Panasonic. The same 42PV80 is available standalone for 56k from Devi International, Bangalore. If the payment is made, Niranjan from Devi International can organise delivery straight to your door from Panasonic Chennai. So why trade in your 29 inch CRT and still pay 56k ??!!

You can push it off with one of the 2nd hand TV/electronics buy-sell guys and get the 42PV80 for 56k. You would probably end up paying something like 52-53k finally

Warm regards,
Venkat

[madbullram]

found an informative article, thought would post the link:
FAQ - What You Need To Do To Your New HDTV - Digital Forum

[kb100]

Ram

The link does not seem to be working - getting a 'Forbidden' message.

[madbullram]

Originally Posted by kb100

Ram

The link does not seem to be working - getting a 'Forbidden' message.

It works for me, anyway posting it for others read.

Source: Digitalhome.ca

Updated 2008.11.11

What you need to do to your new HDTV:

Here are some hints to get your HDTV in tip-top shape, to get the best possible picture, and to see the movies and shows as the directors intended.

Some people think that proper optimization is only required for CRT-based RPTVs, but don't confuse optimization and convergence. All TVs can benefit from a proper optimization since none of them come from the manufacturer properly set up.

Background:

1. There are specific standards on how to set up a TV so that it looks exactly like it should (like the studios and directors intended). It is obvious when you look at a number of TVs displayed in a store that none of them meet this standard - all the TVs look different - colours vary, etc.

2. Your HDTV, as set up by the manufacturer, may not even be close to this reference standard. This is because they set up TVs to look good in brightly-lit stores and to attract your attention. Those settings make the TV much too bright and the colours much too vivid for use at home. We call this "Torch Mode".

3. This "torch mode" can even cause premature failure of your HDTV because the contrast, brightness, colour, etc are all set so high that they can harm/tax your TV. These settings need to be changed.

4. See the following article on optimizing your Home Theatre:

Digital Home Canada - Why you should optimize your Home Theatre


How To:

4. There are several setup DVDs available that can assist you in setting up your new HDTV by yourself. The main three are:

AVIA (Ovation)
Digital Video Essentials (DVE)
Sound and Vision Home Theater Tune Up (co-developed by Ovation and S&V)

The latter two are the least expensive and have everything you need to set up your HDTV. AVIA has some test patterns that the others do not, intended for the technophiles and professionals. These DVDs are available on-line or from your local electronics stores. You may be able to borrow them from the library, or rent them from Blockbuster. Make sure that the 3 filters are in tha AVIA box and the one, blue filter is in the S&V box.


Optimization and setup service available in and around the GTA - see the link below::

http://digitalhomecanada.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=40306


Some people believe they can simply use the settings from someone else. This is simply not true. Here's why (This is explained again in the videos below):

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...73&postcount=2


For people who wish further explanation on why to optimize and how to optimize, please see the following links which have two excellent 5 minute videos discussing the basics.

Calibration explained

Calibration in detail



5. If you are not technically inclined, you can hire someone, like an ISF technician, to set up your HDTV. He will do even more than is possible with the setup disk. The cost may be around $3-500.

Here's a link to; ISF Technicians

What an ISF Technician Does

6. If you are going to attempt the optimization yourself, I'd suggest you watch the setup DVD first to get an idea of what needs to be done and then use the DVD later, or on another evening to do the actual setup. You can do this setup as soon as you get the TV home. The TV will change a little over time, so minor touchups may be in order once in a while.

7. Before you attempt the optimization, you need to turn off all of the automatic settings on your TV, as these typically make the picture worse rather than better. They also hinder the process, so you need to turn them off and leave them off. (For example turn off Auto-Colour, Black Level, Perfect Picture, SVM, etc). Most HDTVs also have a "colour temperature" setting. The warmest colour setting is always the closest to the NTSC standard. You must choose the temperature setting FIRST, and then optimize, since this setting will affect the tint, colour, etc.

If your DVD player has a "black expansion" or similar, you should typically turn it on.

8. When doing your optimization, do it on the custom, user, preference picture mode, or if those aren't available, use movie or cinema (usually the last one in the list of picture modes). Many HDTVs today will remember the settings for each input, so if you optimize only one input, you'll need to copy the settings over to other used inputs, otherwise they'll still be on the default settings.

It's best to do the optimization under low light conditions (at night or in a darkened room). If you watch the TV under bright light, perhaps do a second optimization on a different picture mode so that you can switch back and forth if desired.

When you initially get your TV, and are not ready to optimize yet, chose a mode other than the default Vivid/Dynamic mode. Once you're redy to optimize, then choose the mode recommended above, if that wasn't the mode you picked.


What about the other inputs on the TV and the other devices connected?

See: Calibration on different inputs - Digital Forum


Summary:

Once you have done all of this, your HDTV will look as it was intended, will last longer and also will provide you with the best possible picture. At first you may not "like" the settings, because they will look "different" from what you have been used to. Give it at least a week and then you will never go back to watching a set in "torch mode" again.

Sometimes the settings may not be exactly to your liking, even after a week. Feel free to tweak the settings a bit by eye. Not all TV channels provide excellent quality images, so you can increase or decrease colour, contrast, brightness or sharpness a few percent either way, so that the set looks good to you. This can be a bit of a compromise between the various channels. For example some channels may look too "red or green" while others look "washed out".

Another good FAQ on the subject:

http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/how2adj.html

[madbullram]

I had gone to Best Buy for thanks giving sale hoping to buy a Monster HDMI cable at low price. Unfortunately, none of them were on sale. So thought I would check with the customer service and I caught hold of a Geek Squad (their tech squad) guy. It so happened he is a ISF certified calibration guy and does HD calibration for customers as a professional service (ya this is popular in the US). So was telling him about my predicament with the Monster vs unbranded one and he gave good amount of gyan. I thought I will share with folks here so we can make an informed decision. The crux of what he said.

1. When it comes to Digital output, the signal either passes or doesnt pass. There is no concept of weak or strong signal unlike the analog ones. So in digital (read HDMI) the quality of the cable doesnt really make a difference (provided they dont have lose contact or something or a snap in the middle)

2. Branded cable is no way superior to unbranded but good quality cable until and unless the cable length is more than 52 feet in length. This is were the usage of nitrogen gas-injected dielectric. high-velocity, silver-coated center conductors, quad-layer shielding and 24K gold contacts make a 10% difference.

3. As long as buy a good manufacturers cable (read lifetime warranty) you can be rest assured that the signal will be all the same.

4. Ensure the cable confirms to HDMI 1.3a standards, and are well sheidled (minimum 3 layers), come with gold plated ferrite cones . Again these are not ensure any interference and also for long lasting purpose.

To check the HDMI specs: HDMI :: Resources :: FAQ

So the summary, save some money from Monster etc and buy a regular MX or known brand HDMI cable for your plasma. I went ahead and bought a US local branded lifetime warranty HDMI cable which was certified for HDMI 1.3 a with 28AWG - Ferrite Cores (Gold Plated Connectors) @ 11$ for Myself and VSG1277.

Summary of the HDMI cable spec:

Connector Type: HDMI male to HDMI male
Connector Finish: Gold
Length: 6ft
Gauge: 28AWG
# of conductors: 19
Conductor Plating: Tin
Shielding level: Triple
Shielding type: EMI
Ferrite Cores: Yes 7/8" thick and 1 1/2 " long. One on each side of the cable.
HDMI connector head measures 3/4" thick by 1 3/4' long.
Net Jacket: No
Built-in Equalizer: No
Supported Resolutions: 480i to 1080p
Bandwidth: up to 340 Mhz (this helps to ensure speeds upto 10.2 Gbps)
HDMI Certified: Yes
HDMI Spec: 1.3a (Deep colour, lip sync,)
Category 2 Certified: Yes
HDCP Compliant: Yes
CEC Compliant: Yes
ROHS Compliant: Yes
1.3 Device Compatible: Yes
Supports DVD Audio: Yes
Supports SACD: Yes
Supports TrueHD & DTS-HD: Yes (totally uses blue-rays ability)


UL Specs

UL File #: E119932
UL Style #: 20276
CL2 (In-Wall): No
VW-1: Yes
Voltage Rating: 30V
Temperature Rating: 80° C


Your views and experience pls

[kshastry]

Hi, can anyone shed some light on the "Seconds" when it comes to TVs? Whether it would be good decision to buy seconds?

I was advised by one of my friends to look into the seconds options as they will be much cheaper with some cosmetics defects, which are often not noticeable, and still carry warranty.

Is this true? Has anybody bought a LCD/Plasma TV in a seconds sale?

[kpbhatt]

Small update from my side -- my Dad saw the posts and i walked him through the Pana and LG plasma as well as Samsung LCD brochures( couldnt go for demo since i was bedridden for 4 days) - he is keen on me investing my hard earned money into either a Pana or a Hitachi -- and not Samsung or LG. ( Samsung is a distant third choice) Will have to wait for a month or two since i just invested in a HP Laptop this month.

[nemo]

I got my PV80 wall mounted this last Saturday, the installation was quick and was pretty nicely done.

Couple of guys called and turned up promptly after lunch and they took about half an hour to complete the job. I had booked an appointment earlier by calling up the service centre. They used the special nuts that came with the wall bracket and not a regular screw as somebody had mentioned earlier.

[shuvc]

Can someone please post a snap of the PV80/PV8 stand?
What are the dimensions of the footprint of the stand? I need this to plan out the top of my HT cabinet.

[ego4evr]

Hi All

Wil be getting my PV80 in few days time some last minute glitches has delayed the buy, was wondering if a laptop can be connected to the pana , is it advisble to connect laptop to plasma.....if yes for how long can use it .... will it lead to any kind of damage to the TV ... ......

[nemo]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Can someone please post a snap of the PV80/PV8 stand?
What are the dimensions of the footprint of the stand? I need this to plan out the top of my HT cabinet.

VIERA TH-42PV80H | Plasma TV | Digital AV | Panasonic India -- look under the general section for dimensions

Originally Posted by ego4evr

Hi All

Wil be getting my PV80 in few days time some last minute glitches has delayed the buy, was wondering if a laptop can be connected to the pana , is it advisble to connect laptop to plasma.....if yes for how long can use it .... will it lead to any kind of damage to the TV ... ......

You can connect through the VGA cable, avoid exposure to static images for extended period of time and you should be alright.