Originally posted by: Apex
Originally posted by: Chudilo
I have seen it in person last night. It's decent, however because of the 1024x768 native resolution , it's more suitable for a computer display. Native HD TV MUST have a 16:9 pixel ratio. What that means to you is it is not as sharp as a real HDTV. However it is muuuch better then any EDTV I've seen to date.
If you can spare 2 grand to be the coolest on your block for the next 2 years... go ahead. this is finally a more reasonably priced plasma display. However be aware of all the problems currently plaguing Plazmas.
1. Burn in : if the TV is on the same channel all the time ..like CNN (the logo will burn into the display .. meaning theere will be a discoloration at the spot where the logo normally is.
2. Estimated functioning time is about 20.000 hours which works out to be about 2 years of normal use.. At which time .. if it will indeed die at that moment..you will need to replace the plazma panel (the most expensive component) or have to purchase a new TV
Also if you do get it . make sure you get warranty and make sure the plazma panel is covered by the warranty.
They also have a real SONY HDTV set for 5999. but that's no hot deal.
This set is 16:9 native. It's 1024 x 768 with pixels that are physically 4:3, thus, a 16:9 native display.
1. Burn in: Burn in stil exists, but it's WAY overblown. As long as you're willing to spend 15 minutes calibrating the set when you get it, it should be reasonably burn in resistant.
2. Estimated functioning time is NOWHERE NEAR 20k hours, which in turn is NOWHERE NEAR 2 years.
Two years has a total of 730 days, which is a total of 17,520 hours. That means, even if the usable lifespan was 20k hours, you'd need to watch for more than 27 hours PER DAY.
Plasmas have a service life measured in what they call half life: the time it takes to reach 1/2 brightness. A plasma such as this, with 1000 cd/m2 brightness rating, even at 500 cd/m2 would still be several times as bright as the brightest tube CRT's. Furthermore, the shortest halflife of any modern plasma is 30,000 hours. Many these days are 60,000 hours.
If you have absolutely no life, and watch a full 12 hours of TV a day, 7 days a week, every single week of the year, year after year, AND this plasma only has the inferior 30,000 halflife, it will reach half brightness in 6.8 years. That means, in 6.8 years, this plasma will still be roughly 3-4x as bright as a tube TV, and about as bright as your typical new LCD or plasma display (most of which are 350 to 600 cd/m2 brand new). If this plasma has a 60k hour halflife, even watching 12 hours a day, it would take 13.7 years to reach 1/2 brightness.