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Thinking of replacing our aging 27" CRT with a 42" plasma monitor. Looking at the Panasonic TH-42PWD7UY. It's a no-frills industrial display with no built-in tuner (which is fine) and somewhat limited inputs, but it's supposed to have the best picture in its class, which is what I care most about. It's also EDTV (not HDTV), but this isn't an issue with me, either, as there appears to be little quality difference between the two formats on screens smaller than 50" (
reference). Unfortunately, it's also last year's model and I can't find one locally to check out, but I hope to pick one online after the holidays, when (presumably) I should be able to find a better deal on 2005 models...
Anyone here familiar with this display or with plasma TV's in general? Any opinions/experiences welcome.
Thanks.
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1) for AV information, go to avsforums.com. it's the 2+2 of TV's. don't trust what 1 guy says on CNET; who knows who is paying his bills.
you'll see that there IS a big difference between EDTV and HDTV. of course, factors such as viewing distance are most important.
finally, that article is correct in saying that the resolution of 42 inch "HDTV" plasmas are not "true HD", and for this reason, I wouldn't buy a 42 inch HD plasma.
what I would buy would depend on my budget and needs. if I needed to hang the thing on a wall, I would get a bigger plasma or HD LCD. if not, I would buy a Sammy DLP.