Help with upconverting DVD player???

[FB]

Originally Posted by fvbounty

Good morning FB, the guy I got my sammy from showed me a plasma that was only three months old in the showroom, and it was already faded, he also said he wouldn't buy one either, but everyone has there on opinion....

well after 1 month my dad's still looks as good as day 1. i will be watching it on saturday when i go home

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by fvbounty

I got a Proview from Costco for $999, I never heard of it either, but it was right next to a Sony, Sharp, Panosonic (those where between $1500 and $1700 ) and the Proview had just a good of picture than any of the others, and with Costco's return policy (if you never happy with the product just bring it back), I figured I'd give it a try and I've been very happy. It has all the hook ups on the back the only thing is the remote there is no code for it, I could not program it to my Comcast HD cable box!....These where all 32"

I've been looking at that one at Costco. But, I've decided to wait until I can get a 36+ in. LCD for <1000 USD. Then, I'll make the jump.

[+ve psi]

Glad to hear you like the player fvbounty, I really do think it's the best value for any DVD player.
The difference between 720p and 1080i is noticable on my tv (55" Sony LCD RP), they say that if it's a film with lots of motion 720 is better but if it's mostly still then you can notice a crisper picture with 1080.
I can't wait to watch my first Canucks game in HD (November 30). Should be better than at the pubs!
Anyways, congrats on your excellent purchase

[JaGWiRE_abx]

I forgot what my uncle told me, but he did an in-depth explanation of why plasmas are bad and how the power in them is different. More a less they burn out after a while.

[+ve psi]

Every type of tv whether it's plasma, LCD, LCD RP, DLP RP, Front Projection, or tube all have some sort of problem associated with the technology. There is one important point to understand:

There is no perfect solution. The problems with Plasma are no greater or less than the problems with LCD or DLP or LCD RP. All a consumer can do is learn about each technology and choose the lesser of all the evils as is pertains to them. I chose LCD RP knowing full well that the black level performace was not as good as others but to me this was a small trade-off for all the positives for the TV. My second choice was a Panasonic 42" plasma, but it was just too small and the price doesn't justify the size.

Anyways, spend some time at the AVS Forum and you'll see that everyone complains about all the technologies and the only ppl that are happy are the ppl that knew what they were buying and why they bought it.

Well....that's the end of my little rant I love AV stuff !

[JaGWiRE_abx]

Originally Posted by +ve psi

Every type of tv whether it's plasma, LCD, LCD RP, DLP RP, Front Projection, or tube all have some sort of problem associated with the technology. There is one important point to understand:

There is no perfect solution. The problems with Plasma are no greater or less than the problems with LCD or DLP or LCD RP. All a consumer can do is learn about each technology and choose the lesser of all the evils as is pertains to them. I chose LCD RP knowing full well that the black level performace was not as good as others but to me this was a small trade-off for all the positives for the TV. My second choice was a Panasonic 42" plasma, but it was just too small and the price doesn't justify the size.

Anyways, spend some time at the AVS Forum and you'll see that everyone complains about all the technologies and the only ppl that are happy are the ppl that knew what they were buying and why they bought it.

Well....that's the end of my little rant I love AV stuff !

I can't argue with you there. If your the end consumer who has not that much money, I would think plasma could be the worst choice though.

The blacks are messed up on all lcd's regardless, but I am sure many people have gotten used to it. BTW, isn't LCD projection different from those regular 32 inch lcd's?

[FB]

Originally Posted by JaGWiRE

I can't argue with you there. If your the end consumer who has not that much money, I would think plasma could be the worst choice though.

The blacks are messed up on all lcd's regardless, but I am sure many people have gotten used to it. BTW, isn't LCD projection different from those regular 32 inch lcd's?

how can you base that statement????

the Plasma my dad just purchased looks awesome. i have watch 3 movies on it and i plan to watch another this weekend.

He was debating between Plasma and DLP and he went with the plasma because he wants to wall mount it, and the only decent DLP was at bestbuy and he refuses to buy anything there.

[JaGWiRE_abx]

FB, if the stereotype says that it dies over time, how can you judge it after having it one month? I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I've personally seen the worn out Plasmas and they look terrible.


As for blacks, I know a guy who still believes to this day that all lcd's have messed up blacks, and I have trouble arguing with him on that.

[FB]

Originally Posted by JaGWiRE

FB, if the stereotype says that it dies over time, how can you judge it after having it one month? I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I've personally seen the worn out Plasmas and they look terrible.


As for blacks, I know a guy who still believes to this day that all lcd's have messed up blacks, and I have trouble arguing with him on that.

you can go by stereotypes, there are stereotypes for everything, doesn't mean they are right, 99.9% of the time they never are.

[+ve psi]

It's fact that previous generations of plasmas where extremely prone to burn-in however, it's also a fact that the last 2 generations of plasmas are almost impossible to burn. Burn in aside, brightness is also much less of an issue with the last 2 generations. I forget the exact numbers but based on the half-life of the gas in plasma displays if a person were to watch the tv 4 hrs a day it would be 10 yrs before the display was half as bright as it was new. You would probably replace your plasma before you noticed it dimming, especially with prices dropping the way they are.

[JaGWiRE_abx]

A quickie on google :
Plasma TVs

At the heart of the plasma TV are chemical compounds called phosphors. In a plasma TV, each pixel is made up of three phosphors – one red, one blue, and one green. These phosphors emit light when struck by beams of electrons. The intensity of the electron beam determines the amount of light emitted. It is the phosphors themselves that create the light your see on a plasma screen.

LCD TVs

LCD TVs use millions of crystals, which are suspended in a liquid that is sandwiched between transparent panels. Behind this liquid crystal sandwich is bright florescent light. The crystals are instructed to either let the light pass or not. Color filters are used to determine color.

Using filters would probably help not losing color on your television. Phosphors referes to phosphorecent light from my understanding, which is similair to fluorescent lights.

[FB]

Originally Posted by +ve psi

It's fact that previous generations of plasmas where extremely prone to burn-in however, it's also a fact that the last 2 generations of plasmas are almost impossible to burn. Burn in aside, brightness is also much less of an issue with the last 2 generations. I forget the exact numbers but based on the half-life of the gas in plasma displays if a person were to watch the tv 4 hrs a day it would be 10 yrs before the display was half as bright as it was new. You would probably replace your plasma before you noticed it dimming, especially with prices dropping the way they are.

yup, and my family watches it maybe 2 hours a day

i heard about problems with older ones as well, but nothing with the newest and best

[epicbard]

Originally Posted by JaGWiRE

A quickie on google :

he hee

i can do that too:

Originally Posted by http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/plasmatv-lifespan.html

There has been much discussion recently about the life expectancy of plasma monitor/TVs. It is an interesting topic with many misconceptions and story variations. The following is what I can advise on the topic:
Misconception #1: Many retailers seem to be telling consumers that plasma monitors will only last a couple of years - which is false as you will see below.
Misconception #2: The gas plasma inside the plasma TV can be refilled or replaced when it burns out. This is false.
Misconception #3: Plasmas dont last long. Many plasma manufacturers are now listing 60,000 hours as the life span to half life - matching the life span listed by top LCD manufaturers.
So how long will a plasma last? The long and short of it is that it depends upon your daily hourly usage as well as how you use the monitor. 12 to 55 years is my new short answer.
One practical example I will cite here is the Panasonic Tau units being used by In Motion Pictures at major airports around the country. These plasma monitors have been in use now for 5 -1/2 years. The business In Motion Pictures displays images on them from 6AM until 10PM daily (16 hours). Many of these plasma TVs still look great. They never fail to catch my eye as I pass by in one airport or another to see if they are still in use. If they have lost some of their brightness level its hard to tell. These plasma displays have been used already for almost 30,000 hours and have plenty of life left. Already this use equates to 18 years for an owner that watches 3 hours of video or computer content per day.
And this is the old model!
Manufacturers figures for longevity are closely guarded but I have added some here for your review:
Panasonic: States in new specifications that their new plasma TVs and monitors are good to 60,000 to half life.
Sony: Also now states 60,000 hours to half life in their newest models.
Samsung: Lists 60,000 hours.
Pioneer: States 60,000 hours of use in their new 2005 models.
Sharp LCD panels: States 60,000 hour life.
For consumer use these numbers should be comforting. Plasma Displays are now about equivalent in longevity to LCDs, which typically state 60,000 hours or so life. Consider that these figures are a great amount more than old CRTs, which regularly post life span to half brightness at 25,000 hours. Let's put these hours in perspective. The average U.S. household watches 4 to 6 hours of television per day. Staggering. Taking a mean time manufacturer stated longevity of 50,000 hours of usage, times our average 5 hours per day we come up with over 27 years of usage.

Now, there are varying degrees of phosphor ignition along the way (the same way a CRT fades). Dissipation begins the moment you turn the set on. After 1000 hours of usage a plasma monitor should measure around 96% brightness, which is barely noticeable to the naked eye. At 15,000 to 20,000 hours the monitor should measure around 80% brightness or to say it differently, 80% of the original phosphors (gases) are being ignited.
There are steps you can take to ensure longer and better life from your plasma display panel:
1) Never leave static images on the unit. Phosphors have also become more resilient to burn in issues on plasma, but still its better to be safe. Do not leave a static image on the plasma screen for more than 7-10 minutes. This can cause a ghosting effect which will "wash" out by use. Watch the unit in full widescreen format as much as possible to avoid differentiation between the side bands of the unit. While this does not actually decrease the longevity of the phosphors it does cause an annoyance to have to play a gray static image to "erase" the burn in.
2) Use Brightness and Contrast levels that are necessary for viewing - not excessive. In a brightly lit room you may need to use more contrast and brightness, which will decrease the life of the unit. However, there are memory setting adjustments available on most recent plasma monitors that allow the user to choose a memory setting to suit viewing needs. At night, or in a lower light room use lower contrast levels and extend the life. Do not use your plasma display on 100% contrast (often disguised as the picture option). In rooms with normal lighting you should not need to use the contrast setting on more than 60% of contrast.
NOTE: Plasma manufacturers routinely ship plasma TVs with the contrast (picture) setting tweaked to 80 to 100% of contrast. Therefore, you will need to make this necessary adjustment yourself.
3) Keep the monitor/TV in a well-ventilated area. The unit will not have to work as hard to cool itself.
4) Turn the unit off when not in use.
5) Keep the unit out of reach of small children.
6) Do not mount the unit face down from the ceiling. (Philips are you listening?)
How do the manufacturers know how to calculate the figures since plasma monitors have not been out long? The manufacturer facilities in Japan test plasma panels at 100% white image light and measure down from that point with meter readings. It takes hours to find that 50% mark - between 40,000 and 60,000 hours. What a job that would be… - to watch the white light.

[FB]

Originally Posted by epicbard

he hee

i can do that too:

lots of good info there and at the AVS forums

[fvbounty]

Well it looks like we had a really good debate on plasma versus LCD while I was away eating to much turkey, Well it looks like plasma have improved and lcd's are still good so I guess a guy couldn't go wrong with either one....How all I have to do is catch about 2000lbs of salmon and I could buy one!!!!!