Anyone here game on a plasma tv?

[dukmahsik]

not sure if this is the correct sub forum, but anyone here game on an hdtv plasma? im looking to get a 42in plasma tv or maybe a lcd but lcds are way expensive at the same plasma size right now. yes i've checked avsforum but want to see people's first hand experience on here.

pls tell:

-make/model
-size
-resolution
-costs
-any issues with burn in/etc

TIA

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Not that I'm on expert, but I've been looking at TVs too, and it seems that many plasmas are only 800*something in resolution. Make sure you check out detailed specs, and remember that manufacturers will promote it as HD capable even if can only accept the signal but has to downscale it for display.
Unfortunately, here in central europe, it's pretty hard to get anything HD capable other than LCDs, but it seems that there are some capable and not too expensive models out there like Samsung and Sony screens. A friend of my pal has just bought a 40 inch samsung for something like $3500, and it seems that 32 inch versions are about half of that. They both support 720p.

 

[Andy]

Yes I game on a Fujitsu Plasma, 42" SDTV.

It has a nice picture but it is not High Definition, I cannot remember the model number exactly it is something like PSD-4XXX (where X = a certain number). Being a SDTV the maximum resolution is 640x480, good for current gen consoles, probably not so good for next gen consoles (except maybe revolution).

 

[Nick Laslett]

I've been gaming on a Plasma TV since October 2001.

Make: Panasonic
Model: TH-42PWD4
Size: 42"
Resolution: 640 x 480
Cost: Too much

This was Panasonic's 4th Generation plasma. They are just about to bring out the 8th generation model.

When I was looking at Plasmas it was between Panasonic and Pioneer. I don't think things have changed that much.

I am very happy with my panel. No issues with burn-in (run with low contrast for the first 100 hrs) For the screen size the plasma gives a good picture, with good blacks and vibrant colours.

The internal scaler is average at best. I feed it with mostly 480p material, which looks superb. All three current gen consoles output excellent component 480p images.

Interlaced RGB is very hard to take after playing in 480p.

 

[MrWibble]

I primarily use a Panasonic 6th generation 50" screen.

I'd concur with everything Nick just said - the only thing I'd add is that my screen is the slightly higher res of 1366x768 and so isn't quite right for 480 nor 720. That's just something I've accepted while I wait for 1080p screens to turn up and get cheaper.

Having said that it's pretty good with either 480 or 720 content. I actually feed mine through an external scaler which helps the quality a lot, especially from a digital source. The scaling artefacts are not particularly visible from a sensible viewing distance.

There is slight lag due to the amount of processing in the chain, but it's never been an issue for me.

They are not the best possible screen for gaming (I'd consider that to be a CRT to be honest) but depending on other factors might be the best all round choice. I'm happy...

My other screen is a Samsung LCD that I won from Microsoft - same resolution, about half the size, but currently untested with consoles...

 

[dukmahsik]

I primarily use a Panasonic 6th generation 50" screen.

I'd concur with everything Nick just said - the only thing I'd add is that my screen is the slightly higher res of 1366x768 and so isn't quite right for 480 nor 720. That's just something I've accepted while I wait for 1080p screens to turn up and get cheaper.

Having said that it's pretty good with either 480 or 720 content. I actually feed mine through an external scaler which helps the quality a lot, especially from a digital source. The scaling artefacts are not particularly visible from a sensible viewing distance.

There is slight lag due to the amount of processing in the chain, but it's never been an issue for me.

They are not the best possible screen for gaming (I'd consider that to be a CRT to be honest) but depending on other factors might be the best all round choice. I'm happy...

My other screen is a Samsung LCD that I won from Microsoft - same resolution, about half the size, but currently untested with consoles...

awesome info guys, thanks a lot. panny and pioneer do seem to be the best at plasmas

 

[Ty]

awesome info guys, thanks a lot. panny and pioneer do seem to be the best at plasmas

Actually from what I gather, the best PQ PDPs still come from Fujitsu. Panasonics are wonderful value though for their PQ.

This is what I've gathered from AVS forums.

 

[dukmahsik]

Actually from what I gather, the best PQ PDPs still come from Fujitsu. Panasonics are wonderful value though for their PQ.

This is what I've gathered from AVS forums.

is that right? are fujitsu plasmas ultra high end? i've read that panny and pioneer are best in the 3.5k dollar range

 

[Ty]

is that right? are fujitsu plasmas ultra high end? i've read that panny and pioneer are best in the 3.5k dollar range

Yes, Fujitsus are quite a bit more expensive than the Panny/Pio counter part.

Oh, and one thing I try to caution. There is no such thing as "best". You have to find what works best for you.

For instance:

What is your viewing distance?
What is your budget?
How much light control do you have in your viewing environment?
--Do you prefer to watch TV in the dark? Or is your normal viewing condition somewhat or brightly lit?

Panasonics are VERY good for deep blacks (for PDPs that is). This is good when watching it in dark conditions so blacks don't look washed out or gray. But they are known for neutral color tones, which is good if you want that.

Other panels have more of a vibrant color to them, which is good in bright conditions. But if you watch TV in bright conditions, you don't need your blacks to be as deep as you would if the room were dark.

 

[Snyder]

Question to all the plasma gamers:

What about burn-in? Any problems? (I'm especially thinking about HUDs)

 

[Guden Oden]

Actually from what I gather, the best PQ PDPs still come from Fujitsu.

I've no reason to doubt what you say (they don't seem to sell fujitsu over here), but the 50 inch Pioneer plasmas I saw at a large HiFi chain store this summer was the most awesome I've ever witnessed. The picture was simply better than words can describe. And they looked just beautiful too with highly glossy black flat frames around the screen and nothing else. Pure simplicity and elegance.

Of course, they cost an arm and a leg as well, heh... Still, if I'd had the money to spend I'd probably considered it worth it.

 

[DarkRage]

Hitachi 42PD5200.

Panel is manufactured by Fujitsu.
Resolution is 1024x1024. Quite a good conversion when it receives a 720P signal from the PC. Far from a perfect match, 1280x720 converted to 1024x1024 loses pixels in the horizontal comp. 1920x1080 would provide a better picture, but it is interlaced. Quite a good deinterlacing, but interlaced modes are not really good for gaming. I haven't noticed any lag, by the way.

No special problems with burn-ins. Huds are there after a while with the same game, but they don't last more than a couple of minutes with a different picture (normal TV broadcasts, for example).

Pioneer is the best for colours. Panasonic for contrast (black levels). Hitachi for the performance/cost ratio -at least in May 2004 when it was bought-. I don't know if there is a new generation since then.

 

[Ty]

I've no reason to doubt what you say (they don't seem to sell fujitsu over here), but the 50 inch Pioneer plasmas I saw at a large HiFi chain store this summer was the most awesome I've ever witnessed. The picture was simply better than words can describe. And they looked just beautiful too with highly glossy black flat frames around the screen and nothing else. Pure simplicity and elegance.

Of course, they cost an arm and a leg as well, heh... Still, if I'd had the money to spend I'd probably considered it worth it.

The glossy finish means it was the Elite line I believe.

Pioneers DO have wonderful colors (extremely vibrant if you like that sort of thing, others prefer more neutralish tones). Blacks tend to be towards a greenish hue though.

 

[Guden Oden]

Pioneers DO have wonderful colors (extremely vibrant if you like that sort of thing, others prefer more neutralish tones).

Was the most amazing thing ever. Stated contrast was 8000:1 too, that's ten times my LCD TV's contrast and it's supposed to have a very good screen from that regard. Even if the label lied and it's only 5000:1, it's still crazy.

Blacks tend to be towards a greenish hue though.

I guess that was watched with the same kind of eyes as the ears that think you need $500 speaker cables to get good sound quality. Simply put, I didn't notice anything like that...

Only thing that makes me a little wary of plasmas are the stated life expectancies of these panels, 60.000 hours or thereabouts isn't THAT much (particulary not if the panel costs $6000 - that's ten cents an hour in running cost excluding electricity! ), and what does the image look like towards the end of that time period - dark and dull?

 

[kyleb]

-make/model : Panasonic th-42pwd7-uy
-size : 42"
-resolution : 852x480 native, supports signals at least up to 2048x1536@60hz (maybe more but that is as high as my videocards go)
-costs : $2200 is what I paid a little less than a year ago, you can get the newer model for less than 2/3 that now or the 1024x768 version for what I paid.
-any issues with burn in/etc : not in the slightest

Question to all the plasma gamers:

What about burn-in? Any problems? (I'm especially thinking about HUDs)

Nah, I have gone though countless hours of Halo2 as well as plenty of other games both on Xbox on PC and never have had even the slightest image retention, let alone any burn-in. That even includes leaving the thing on overnight on my desktop on accident once, I'm sure if I left it on one static image long enough it would burn-in, but it seems like it would take a conscious effort or extreme stupidity to do it.

 

[Andy]

Actually from what I gather, the best PQ PDPs still come from Fujitsu. Panasonics are wonderful value though for their PQ.

This is what I've gathered from AVS forums.

I concur with this statement. Fujitsu initially bought the technology from CSIRO, and then perfected the technology with some help from Hitachi. They then licensed the technology to all the major electronics companies who were interested, and hence were several steps ahead of their competitors for many years, until the competitors started manufacturing their own panels.

However if I remember correctly in recent times (around a year) Fujitsu sold their Plasma facilitation plants to Hitachi.

 

[Ty]

Was the most amazing thing ever. Stated contrast was 8000:1 too, that's ten times my LCD TV's contrast and it's supposed to have a very good screen from that regard. Even if the label lied and it's only 5000:1, it's still crazy.

Yea..well...as I'm sure you're well aware of, CR is not a good spec to go on since there are different ways to measure it.

I guess that was watched with the same kind of eyes as the ears that think you need $500 speaker cables to get good sound quality. Simply put, I didn't notice anything like that...

Heh, I think you'd notice it were your surrounding dark (i.e. in a light controlled environment). That's when blacks don't appear as black as you'd wish (bar-ing black crush). But when you have some ambient light (or a back lighting solution) then it's not as noticeable.

Only thing that makes me a little wary of plasmas are the stated life expectancies of these panels, 60.000 hours or thereabouts isn't THAT much (particulary not if the panel costs $6000 - that's ten cents an hour in running cost excluding electricity! ), and what does the image look like towards the end of that time period - dark and dull?

Haha, I never thought about looking at the cost per hour of half life. Of course will you keep a TV that long? 15Hours on a day = 4K days. For the most part the brightness decreasing is linear though.

I concur with this statement. Fujitsu initially bought the technology from CSIRO, and then perfected the technology with some help from Hitachi. They then licensed the technology to all the major electronics companies who were interested, and hence were several steps ahead of their competitors for many years, until the competitors started manufacturing their own panels.

I think it's also their AVM technology (maybe that's what you were referring to) but I can't remember who Fujitsu sold off their PDPs to. They were still showing off something new recently but I don't know what is going to come of it.