High Def on 720 Plasmas

jeffc · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.

Archived from group: alt>home-theater>misc

AZ Nomad · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 165

On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:36:39 -0500, jeffc wrote:
>Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
>picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.

Why don't you look at some? If you can't see the difference then it
doesn't matter.

MrSanRamon · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

On Jan 28, 8:36 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
> Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
> picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.

Depends on the size of the screen and the distance from it.

Look here:

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

Robert

mykey · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 58

On Jan 28, 8:36 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
> Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
> picture in High Def?

way behind

Brad Darnell · Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 3

IF the picture is less than 50" then you probably wont be able to tell the
difference.
Brad
"jeffc" wrote in message $0$30216$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
> Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
> picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.
>

rdclark · Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 14

On Jan 28, 11:36 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
> Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
> picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.

Aside from the viewing distance issue, which does matter (although I
think the chart linked in another post overstates the case; in my
experience higher resolutions can be distinguished at least half again
as far as the chart would suggest), there's the question of black
rendition.

"Crispness" isn't just about resolution, it's about contrast ratio. In
some situations it's more about contrast ratio. A carefully calibrated
720p plasma can often look "crisper" than any LCD in a darkened room,
because more detail is visible within dark areas that are washed out
on an LCD, and because the better contrast makes everything look
sharper.

But this is a vague generalization. Most inexpensive plasma displays
are compromised in some serious way, just as most inexpensive LCDs are
compromised in some other serious way.

You have to look at the TV, calibrated properly, in a room much like
your own, to make a useful judgement.of it's PQ. Or read reviews you
trust, if you can find any.

I ended up with a 1080p LCD because it was more flexible and could be
easily configured to use as a gaming monitor, as a cable-TV-in-a-
bright-room TV, or as a panel for serious film viewing in a darkened
room. Although in the latter context I sometimes wish for a plasma
because you can't... completely... eliminate... the damned...
backlight!

Art · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 62

All I can say is our 58" 720p plasma from Panasonic looks a lot better than
the LCD's I see in the stores and was cheaper too.

"Brad Darnell" wrote in message @comcast.com...
> IF the picture is less than 50" then you probably wont be able to tell the
> difference.
> Brad
> "jeffc" wrote in message
> $0$30216$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>> Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
>> picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.
>>
>
>

Ric Seyler · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 16

jeffc wrote:

>Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
>picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.
>
>
>
>
Many Plasmas are now 1080p.. FWIW

--
Ric Seyler
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1080me.com · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

On Jan 28, 11:36 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
> Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
> picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.

Viewing distance is certainly a big part of the "720" vs. 1080 HDTV
decision. I 2nd the Calton Bale link. If you are considering a
"720" (actually 1366 x 768 or 1024 x 768 resolution typically) flat
screen, I assume you are in the market for a 42"-50" screen (since
most manufacturers finally got in line with 1920 x 1080 resolution as
screens over 50" became mass produced.) If you view a 50" HDTV from 9'
or more, 20/20 vision wouldn't discern as any difference between a 720
& 1080 image (all else being equal).

"All else being equal" is the hitch. Regardless of specs (often
exaggerated) & the opinion of others (often biased), the picture
quality is subjective...which means it's up to your eyes. One critical
challenge for all digital TV's is display of black levels. I recommend
you bring a copy of The Matrix to demo on the TV's you are
considering. The bar scene where Trinity meets Neo is particularly
challenging because it is so dark, shadowy, not to mention her jet-
black leather catsuit. Older plasmas would be riddled with "creeping
moss" since it lacked the proper amount of shades of gray to resolve
the image properly. Thankfully 10-bit digital video processing has
gone a long way in solving this issue. Panasonic & Pioneer "720"
plasmas have received many glowing reviews.

So you can save some money by going with a 720 display; but on the
other hand, you say you're in the market for Blu-Ray which seems to
have won the high def player battle and outputs 1080p in all its
glory...so it would be a shame not to spend a bit extra if you have it
to get a display whose resolution matches the source.

Good Luck,
Jeff
www.1080me.com

AZ Nomad · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 165

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:22:13 -0600, Ric Seyler wrote:
>jeffc wrote:

>>Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
>>picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>Many Plasmas are now 1080p.. FWIW

For about a grand more on a 50" set. The question, is "Is it worth it?"
I'd wait 6 months and then buy a 1080. The cost difference will be less
or maybe even zero.

AZ Nomad · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 165

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:40:31 -0600, Ric Seyler wrote:
>This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>--------------040900090708050909050600
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>AZ Nomad wrote:

>>On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:22:13 -0600, Ric Seyler wrote:
>>
>>
>>>jeffc wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>>Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
>>>>picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>Many Plasmas are now 1080p.. FWIW
>>>
>>>
>>
>>For about a grand more on a 50" set. The question, is "Is it worth it?"
>>I'd wait 6 months and then buy a 1080. The cost difference will be less
>>or maybe even zero.
>>
>>
>Seeing how these sets will probably have to be in our living rooms for
>many years,
>I wouldn't want anything other than 1080p. And waiting isn't a bad
>thing, that is for sure.
>It will surely reap more bang for the buck.

>I'm not buying yet either. I'm waiting for a larger selection of
>receivers with the new HD audio CODECs.
>Preferably models from Rotel or Arcam. Displays are almost there for me
>at this time.

I bought a year ago and wasn't willing to wait so I went with a 50" 768
plasma. At the time, a 1080 set was $2000-$3000 more.

Oh well. By the time I replace the set w/ a 1080, they'll be under $1000. Smile

Gandalf · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 28

Ric Seyler wrote:

> Oh yea, your next time around will be much cheaper. Smile

209 lines to say you concur?

just f'n with ya.

-G

jeffc · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message @ip70-176-155-130.ph.ph.cox.net...
> On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:36:39 -0500, jeffc wrote:
>>Are the 720 plasmas much behind the 1080p LCDs when it comes to crisp
>>picture in High Def? I'm thinking of Blu Ray as well as HD cable TV.
>
>
> Why don't you look at some? If you can't see the difference then it
> doesn't matter.

There are lots of reasons this isn't very good advice. For one thing, it's
very difficult to compare apples to apples in any of the stores where I've
seen TVs on display. For another, doing a controlled comparison in my own
home is outrageously time consuming, inconvenient and expensive.

jeffc · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

"rdclark" wrote in message @s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...

>But this is a vague generalization. Most inexpensive plasma displays
>are compromised in some serious way, just as most inexpensive LCDs are
>compromised in some other serious way.

>You have to look at the TV, calibrated properly, in a room much like
>your own, to make a useful judgement.of it's PQ. Or read reviews you
>trust, if you can find any.

>I ended up with a 1080p LCD because it was more flexible and could be
>easily configured to use as a gaming monitor, as a cable-TV-in-a-
>bright-room TV, or as a panel for serious film viewing in a darkened
>room. Although in the latter context I sometimes wish for a plasma
>because you can't... completely... eliminate... the damned...
>backlight!

That's kind of what I was thinking. Thanks for the feedback.

jeffc · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message @ip70-176-155-130.ph.ph.cox.net...
>
> For about a grand more on a 50" set. The question, is "Is it worth it?"
> I'd wait 6 months and then buy a 1080. The cost difference will be less
> or maybe even zero.

Yeah, actually that's what I was thinking. It's just that you can pretty
much say this for any technology in the world, and if you're not careful you
can miss out on a lot of years of fun Smile