Newbie HS Set Questions

[MooMooMooMoo]

I am a potential newbie to Hi Def. There's a 42" Panasonic Plasma at BB for $599 at the moment that seems to be highly regarded.

Question #1: I have a TON of FS dvd's. From doing some reading I'm a bit concerned If I go Plasma am I likely to see burn in from the pillar box & letter box bars?

Also, my only experience with high def was years ago in an audio store where the owner showed me a large screen hi-def set with both a high def cable signal & a standard cable signal. His point was to show me that a standard signal looked AWFUL on a high def set. In this particular demo, I agreed with him; the standard cable signal looked dreadful.

Question #2: I have a TON of collector's dvd's of old films, most of which look fine on a crt. Are they likely going to be unwatchable on a high def set?

Honestly, my main interest in high def is because of declining eyesight I need a larger set then my 32" crt. I would be perfectly happy with a larger crt which I could buy for next to nothing on Craig's list, but I don't have a truck to move it or strong friends to help me move both the new & old sets. A high def set would fit in my little car & I could likely lift it alone. It would also be nice to see the 2.33:1 ws films in a larger size; right now they're pretty worthless for me.

If I was to make a purchase, it would need to be as cheap as possible (under $700 including stand), & at least 40" WS, preferably 42 or larger.

I am 100% new to HD, all comments are welcome.

[tommy28]

I am a potential newbie to Hi Def. There's a 42" Panasonic Plasma at BB for $599 at the moment that seems to be highly regarded.

Question #1: I have a TON of FS dvd's. From doing some reading I'm a bit concerned If I go Plasma am I likely to see burn in from the pillar box & letter box bars?

Also, my only experience with high def was years ago in an audio store where the owner showed me a large screen hi-def set with both a high def cable signal & a standard cable signal. His point was to show me that a standard signal looked AWFUL on a high def set. In this particular demo, I agreed with him; the standard cable signal looked dreadful.

Question #2: I have a TON of collector's dvd's of old films, most of which look fine on a crt. Are they likely going to be unwatchable on a high def set?

Honestly, my main interest in high def is because of declining eyesight I need a larger set then my 32" crt. I would be perfectly happy with a larger crt which I could buy for next to nothing on Craig's list, but I don't have a truck to move it or strong friends to help me move both the new & old sets. A high def set would fit in my little car & I could likely lift it alone. It would also be nice to see the 2.33:1 ws films in a larger size; right now they're pretty worthless for me.

If I was to make a purchase, it would need to be as cheap as possible (under $700 including stand), & at least 40" WS, preferably 42 or larger.

I am 100% new to HD, all comments are welcome.



Wait a few months and grab a 50 at the holidays.

[Brian Shannon]

Burn in is not an issue

Standard cable will look bad

Old dvd's will look however they look dependent on the transfer. Get a BD player and upconvert them

[Spiky]

We like plasmas here, it's like an obsession. Bordering on psychosis, perhaps....but I digress. That's a pretty good price, esp for a BB.

And for putting it on the wall, regardless of technology, this usually works for price-conscious folks:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082801&p_id=5084&seq=1&format=2

DVD quality doesn't depend on the age of the movie, not completely. Ocean's 13 is one of the most horrible DVDs it has been my displeasure to view and that's what, 2 years old. For older movies, it depends on what shape the film was in, the physical film, and how much effort they put into the restoration.

Plasmas should be treated a bit carefully the first 100 hours or so, but after that you shouldn't have too much fear of burn in.

[JimRochester]

Any time you go with a larger screen the picture will not look as clear. Standard cable looks pretty bad on big screens but that's no reason not to upgrade. You shouldn't have to worry about burn in, however if you are playing a large amount of FF material you may want to stretch some to fill the screen just for peace of mind.

[Sdallnct]

I've been in CompUSA (now Tiger Direct) a couple of times. I keep seeing they have the 50" Panny Plasma (720p) for $750......that is a great price.

And while 42" is nice, there is a significant difference jumping to 50". Especially if you not watching 16:9 stuff.

[edclem]

There are some pretty sweet combo deals on Panasonic plasmas + Blu ray players at amazon right now.

See this thread: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-home-theater-gear/563426-yet-another-tv-reccomendation-thread.html

[MooMooMooMoo]

I have another related question.

Can anyone suggest a US store (Northwest) with good prices, & honest knowledgeable sales people?

I'm getting different stories everywhere I'm looking. As an example I went into Target today. They had some great prices. All the sets were running the same canned regular def (I THINK) commercial. of the sets I was looking at ($500-$700 lcd or Plasma) the Westinghouse LCD 42" had the best picture, & the Samsung 50" Plasma had the worst (text was hard to read). They also had Panasonic plasmas; the picture was better then the Samsung & worse then the Westinghouse (which I suspect had the brightness way boosted). That's so far from what I expected that I'm assuming it's all to do with how each set is dialed in.

So where can I find a store with good pricing that will have all there sets dialed in optimally & will listen to my needs & make valid recommendations?

[Sdallnct]

I have another related question.

Can anyone suggest a US store (Northwest) with good prices, & honest knowledgeable sales people?

I'm getting different stories everywhere I'm looking. As an example I went into Target today. They had some great prices. All the sets were running the same canned regular def (I THINK) commercial. of the sets I was looking at ($500-$700 lcd or Plasma) the Westinghouse LCD 42" had the best picture, & the Samsung 50" Plasma had the worst (text was hard to read). They also had Panasonic plasmas; the picture was better then the Samsung & worse then the Westinghouse (which I suspect had the brightness way boosted). That's so far from what I expected that I'm assuming it's all to do with how each set is dialed in.

So where can I find a store with good pricing that will have all there sets dialed in optimally & will listen to my needs & make valid recommendations?

Personally, I know of none.

Basically your asking for the advantages of a big box store (low cost) and the advantages of specialty retailer (excellent service). No one has figured out to provide both for what seems pretty obvious reasons.

Here in Dallas we have a couple of specialty stores. I go to one close by me to "calibrate" my eyes, as they have their stuff set up well (for the most part). I also go for ideas. I never waist a salespersons time as I have no intention of buying from them.

And even if you found such a place, you would still really be depending on one person or stores opinion which may be swayed by their own stock, what they make the most money on, what they have to much of, etc. Reasons that may or may not be important to you.

I've bought everyone of my displays and everyone of my audio pieces "blind". Based on reading and research. Most suggest the same.