Anyone here got one? I bought this model a few days ago and while DVD quality is good, TV programs (from a satellite TV service provider called "Astro" back home here in Malaysia) can range from quite abysmal to decent but never "really good". I was told that TV program quality is dependent on my reception from the satellite. Is that right? Anyone from Malaysia reading this? I'm getting an Astro signal strength of 64/100, which a technician said should be at least 70/100 for good Astro quality on plasmas.
Plasma TVs
- Thread starter Reverend
- Start date
Definitely signal strength can play a large role in the PQ of a TV.
Another big factor is simply the quality of the scaler.
Before I bought my plasma (an NEC) I researched quite a bit to make sure the both HD and SD sources had decent PQ.
Also it was important the stretch modes do a very good job.
But I'm thinking that it's your signal that is the cause of your PQ issues because Panasonic PDs have good scalers and PQ with both HD and SD sources - at least usually.
Another big factor is simply the quality of the scaler.
Before I bought my plasma (an NEC) I researched quite a bit to make sure the both HD and SD sources had decent PQ.
Also it was important the stretch modes do a very good job.
But I'm thinking that it's your signal that is the cause of your PQ issues because Panasonic PDs have good scalers and PQ with both HD and SD sources - at least usually.
Yeap , I've got a 42" Hitachi plasma and it's very dependant on the quality of the input signal - high quality off-air sources such as DVD through component, computer through VGA or DVI are all great but SKY digital (the UK equivalent satellite system) is very channel dependant.
The high bit-rate channels like the movies and other flagship channels are fine but some of the sports and lesser channels like the music channels suffer from blockiness and/or banding quite badly.
Take some time and make sure you set it up properly as this can make a hell of a difference in reducing unwanted effects like those I mentioned above.
Also don't know if any ones mentioned it to you but to get best results and longest life out of it you should run it with lower than normal contrast/brightness for the first 100-200 hours of use.
I found this forum helpful when I was buying my screen and for info on problems and setting it up - http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=82
The high bit-rate channels like the movies and other flagship channels are fine but some of the sports and lesser channels like the music channels suffer from blockiness and/or banding quite badly.
Take some time and make sure you set it up properly as this can make a hell of a difference in reducing unwanted effects like those I mentioned above.
Also don't know if any ones mentioned it to you but to get best results and longest life out of it you should run it with lower than normal contrast/brightness for the first 100-200 hours of use.
I found this forum helpful when I was buying my screen and for info on problems and setting it up - http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=82
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wow kipper, you just beat me to posting about my life
I too live in UK, have a 18 month old Hitatchi 42CP3000 (i *think*). I watch 90% of everything though a DSUB cable from my HTPC. Yes im a US TV fanatic, I *cant wait* for TV to show here. (i guess you know what thats a euphamisim for...). BTW I do wait for films.
Anyway, through NTL, channels like E4, Sky1/Mix and Channel5 (!), are all crystal clear. BBC can be fairly bad, and ITV is middling. NTL is cable, so signal strength isnt really a concern. Its the OTHER end of the line you should worry about. In order to save money, tv companies will reduce the bandwidth of their channels, which degrades the quality. This isnt a problem on smaller screens as you cant see the flaws, but big digital panels tend to suffer.
Messing with the constrast/brightness/sharpness can help. You might not get quite so vibrant colours, but the image problems are noticably less.
One good thing to note: it would seem that TV companies are realising more people are getting bigger TVs. Le Tour de France on ITV2 this year was a marked improvement over last year. Not crystal quality, but definitely not the blocky POS from last year.
And for DVDs and *real* HD rips, its awesome!
I too live in UK, have a 18 month old Hitatchi 42CP3000 (i *think*). I watch 90% of everything though a DSUB cable from my HTPC. Yes im a US TV fanatic, I *cant wait* for TV to show here. (i guess you know what thats a euphamisim for...). BTW I do wait for films.
Anyway, through NTL, channels like E4, Sky1/Mix and Channel5 (!), are all crystal clear. BBC can be fairly bad, and ITV is middling. NTL is cable, so signal strength isnt really a concern. Its the OTHER end of the line you should worry about. In order to save money, tv companies will reduce the bandwidth of their channels, which degrades the quality. This isnt a problem on smaller screens as you cant see the flaws, but big digital panels tend to suffer.
Messing with the constrast/brightness/sharpness can help. You might not get quite so vibrant colours, but the image problems are noticably less.
One good thing to note: it would seem that TV companies are realising more people are getting bigger TVs. Le Tour de France on ITV2 this year was a marked improvement over last year. Not crystal quality, but definitely not the blocky POS from last year.
And for DVDs and *real* HD rips, its awesome!
Hi rev, Astro definitely cuts back on its transmission signal strength/quality, as evident by the loss of service every time rain falls in the Klang Valley. I've also noticed pretty bad compression artifacts, especially on the re-transmitted terrestrial TV channels (RTM1,2 TV3, etc.). This might be amplified further by the scaler on your new TV. 64% is pretty low, are there any hills or high-rises in the line-of-sight from your receiver dish?
Mize said:
Both have their + and -.
LCD has higher resolution for increased detail (but resolution is but one factor in determining PQ.) They generally lack Plasma's punch for color and contrast (though newer ones are getting better for sure). Also the cost is higher.
Plasmas DO have risk for burn-in but it's hardly an issue if you're careful during the first 100 hours. The half brightness for PDPs are generally 30K hours with some hitting 60K. Again, hardly an issue for most people.
LCD that use LED lighting show tremendous promise (See Sony Qualia models for example) but have issues of increased cost, increased power consumption and hence heat. Till they move to duty cycled/strobed/pulse width modulated, I personally won't be interested.
Yep, we've got a 42" Fujitsu Plasma. While it's a few years old now and is only SD, it still has a very nice picture, particularly for DVD playback using component cables, and any of the consoles. The only downside is it has a whole line of dead pixels, waiting for my father to install a new panel.
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