ChristianR

iTrader: (1)

what is the best plasma screen out at the moment? i would like to wall mountable one if possible, I have seen the new sony ones, they look rather nice in 42", as no sep box for tuner.

ChristianR

iTrader: (1)

and any place that sells on line for thebest price?

the one i was talking about:
KZ-42TS1

Features:

Integrated speaker and tuner consumer plasma

42in Plasma Screen (107cm)
Built-in TV Tuner
Real Digital System
100Hz like 'Flicker Free' picture
Built-in Stereo Sound
Table-Top stand supplied
Orbiting screensaver function
5 x AV Inputs (2 x RGB)
2 x Scart
1 x S-Video
1 x RCA
Audio Out, Subwoofer Out
PC input compatible (Component)
Multi-Remote
Teletext
Smart Link
Smart / Zoom / 4:3 / Wide / 14:9 mode
Auto Start-up & Programme Sorting
Timer Functions

ChristianR

iTrader: (1)

is it a good one though? any better plasma for that price range?

SiDHEaD

if you want Sony then your about stuck with a few models.

imho Sony isnt essential, as long as you don't get some dodgy make that no-ones heard of hehe.

The pictures on that site are of last years models, but the specs are correct i think.

ChristianR

iTrader: (1)

which would you recommend ?

SiDHEaD

i'm just passing on info as my workmate is looking at them. I dont know which to suggest.

chuckster

I'm looking at these too..
the Sony doesn't seem to be too highly regarded - though it is dumb user friendly with connections like a regular TV (scarts etc)
The Panasonic TH42PWD is winning all the awards for a £5k 42" screen in the press at the moment - and can be had for under £4k.
Have a look at www.ivojo.co.uk and www.tmfsolutions.co.uk with regards to decent suppliers - I'm getting alot of info from
http://www.avforums.com/
Also looking at the AV magazines.
Good luck
C

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

There's only one way to choose between different screens IMHO, and that's to find a dealer with a good selection and choose with your own eyes.

Having done that, though, there's plenty of other places to actually buy them

Try: http://www.nexnix.co.uk/ or http://www.kingmaker.co.uk/ - they both seem to have a good selection of plasmas.

TopBanana

If you want the very best picture, look for a plasma screen with an SDI input. You'll have to buy an SDI-equipped DVD player or have yours modified to provide SDI output. You'll end up with all-digital signal path and a fantastic picture

chris100

nearly all plasma screens are made by the same company (fujitsu) and screens are seperated into three grades - pioneers and sony would take middle grade screens and as far as i know the only appliance to use the high grade screens are badged as Fujitsu or Nakamichi - panasonic dont use fujitsu screens. as for SDI - you can NOT see a digital picture (all it would be is lots of 1's and 0's) and has to be converted to an analoge picture at some stage, with SDI it is converted later than other connections

jsh

Firstly the best Plasma set available at the moment is the Panasonic, whether it be the 37, 42 or the 50. They have the best picture quality of any of them with fantastic black level and very high resolution.

There are lots of units around, and by all means have a look at some but they will only be as good as the set up and to be fair you will not see one at its best in most shops. I have spent a lot of time setting up many Plasma sets and as I say the panasonis is the best.

As far as SDI is concerned then forget it. It will not be a recognised standard and there is only one company offering a mod to their own plasma and other DVD players and it is ridiculously expensive. It also has bandwidth limitations.

If any digital connection is going to succeed then it will be DVI and you can already see this on many of the new generation Plasma sets including Fujitsu and it is also an option on the Panasonic. There is only one DVD available on the market that has a DVI output and it is the best DVD player on the market but it does sell for £4100.00 so it should be good. There should be many more units to follow over the next year.

DVI is a much better format than SDI as it has a much higher bandwidth and has a more consistent connection as far as impedance is concerned.

I hope that this helps and if you need any more info then just ask.

Thanks

jsh

Dr Hu

In this months What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision - Richer Sounds are flogging LG Electronics 42" plasmas for £2995 - no cooling fan, latest model (they say).

I was tempted - but can find no reviews? This is a CHEAP plasma!

DavidBrown

Regarding the Richer sounds screen, the resolution is: 852 (H) x 480 (V) pixels (VGA)

This isn't very good by todays standards.

Dr Hu

Thanks DB - what does a 'modern' plasma make these days...XGA?

I guessed there was reason they were cheap - you don't get owt for nowt these days!:P

How would the resolution affect TV pictures though - I take it VGA would appear more grainy than SVGA?

mccltd

I have the Pioneer 50" Plasma and it's superb.
Lovely reproduction and not bad on SKy channels either.
Got mine from Musical Images and cost me about 4 months ago £8500.
Walked out with it (Sorry Struggled) aswell, keep them instock, but tae a big car.
Had my STI7 and wouldn't fit, even if I took all the seats out the box is huge.

DavidBrown

I paid £7500 for my Pioneer 503HDE just before Xmas from LEConcepts (www.leconcepts.com)

They've reduced this down to £6999 (prices include VAT)

I'm not knocking 852 x 480 screens, but don't be fooled that they're the "latest model" as in most advanced. XGA is where I would aim.

DavidBrown

Here's all you need to know about buying a plasma, and details stuff about resolutions:

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv.html

SiDHEaD

try www.techtronics.com

They are about £1k cheaper for the 42" and you get 2 years interest free credit through Sony credit. Says it comes with free stand too.

Andy

[Edit to make clickable]


[Edited by SiDHEaD - 8/11/2002 2:40:18 PM]

DavidBrown

Well, best isn't the cheapest.

The Pioneer 50" 503HDE are rather good.

Many earlier 42" screens use fans to cool them which can get irritating.

Look for a screen with good contrast ratio (say 900:1)

Earlier screens have a shorted lifespan, whereas modern screens will run for about 8yrs (24hrs a day) before losing half their brightness.

Some Plasmas are glorified monitors, requiring display cards blah blah. What you need is one designed for home cinema with a separate receiver box with appropriate inputs.

Expect to pay ~£6000 for a decent 50" screen.

You pays your money you takes your pick.



[Edited by DavidBrown - 8/12/2002 9:18:31 AM]