http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...004%20P&EdpNo=

Anyone ever check this out? It looks nifty on websites and such.

Plus, they claim it's HD in the specs: "High Definition Compatibility
Yes (720p/1080i)"

Does this mean it just needs an HD receiver or is it more deceiving than that? Is this monitor any good at all?

I've had one.

It means it can accept high definition (720p & 1080i) signals from any HD source, such as a HD receiver. However, it can only output 852x480.

It's not one of the better 42" plasma panels around. The newer PDP-42B's do have better specs than the one from Tiger Direct.

NEW:

Contrast: 1200:1
Brightness: 1000 nits

TigerDirect:

Contrast: 600:1
Brightness: 570 nits

Even the new one is a below average panel. It's worth buying for less than $2k or so, otherwise there are better choices.

Since the resolution is only 852x480, this set is only EDTV. The HD Compatibility most likely means that it will accept a 720p/1080i signal but will convert it to display 480p. It does also mean you need an HDTV decoder to view HD material.

I thought that 600:1 contrast sounded very low for plasma.

No kidding. I just saw an ad on TV for a Panasonic (I think it was) with 3000:1. I was impressed they actually gave specs in a TV ad.

The latest 42" ED Panasonics are 4000:1 (manufacturer rating).

And the price is far, far higher for those. Hmmm... maybe going cheap doesn't pay.

It wasn't that long ago that the latest Panny was $2100 or so delivered (about a week or so now). The lowest I've seen the Planar for is $1900. That's only a 10% difference or so.

I've been wondering about that Dell deal. How often do 20% coupons pop up there? And what was that 10% ebay coupon all about? I missed that deal (not that I would necessarily have done it)

Once in awhile. 10-15% are more common. Times when there's a 20% and a 10% stackable with each other tend to be more rare, but it does happen.