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Holy poo poo. I just opened up a Samsung LN-T4665F at work today, and it is gorgeous. Completely blew away everything else on the wall, including the 46XBR2 (although the XBR does look a lot larger due to the frame). It is very rare that we put up a new display and just sit there, completely mesmerized (last time that happened was when we first got the 50XBR1). Contrast was about plasma-level (unfortunately, so was glare, but I think it's a fair trade for black levels like that), but it has the bright, vivid colors of an LCD. And this was just the default, out-of-the-box settings on the lovely in-store feed. I would kill to see one of those properly set-up and running a better source. I swear, every time I walked past that thing, I did a double take. I think I'm smitten 
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Apr 3, 2007 02:51
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Okay, so I'm the most indecisive person on the face of this earth. My first question is: plasma or LCD? The more and more I look at it, the more I think that plasma is better because it's main problem is the possibility of burn-in at the beginning of its life. But compared to LCD (that faces dead pixels and weaker contrast), why would anyone want an LCD over a plasma? Second question: when determining depth and color quality, what factors other than Contrast Ratio should I look at? edit: And third question: I can't seem to find the answer to this already, so what is with these odd resolutions? Are they as good as a normal HDTV? For example, why do a lot of televisions have 768 pixels rather than 720? oscabat fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Apr 3, 2007 |
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Apr 3, 2007 06:16
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I got my Olevia 537H today and I'm very impressed, especially with its performance as a monitor for my HTPC. It came without any damage and looks better than I anticipated. It's not a gray like most pictures show it to be, it's a nice black. The picture is set up pretty well out of the box, but I had to adjust the brightness and contrast a bit. Blacks aren't as deep as they were on my CRT HD set, but colors are gorgeous and the lack of any distortion is great. The sharpness from the HTPC is impeccable. Loading up 720p content is awesome, and I've just been sitting looking at photos from the Slickr screensaver for a half hour or so. It makes me a bit dissapointed with the HD content from my cable provider - it seems a bit blurry compared to the same content on a 27" screen, but that's life. SDTV isn't great but it's as watchable as it ever was. I have one stuck pixel that's only noticable on an all-black screen, and no dead pixels as far as I can tell. All in all I'm extremely pleased with the set, and this is coming from a guy who still has a CRT monitor because he's so anal about his color gamut.
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Apr 3, 2007 06:45
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quote:But compared to LCD (that faces dead pixels and weaker contrast), why would anyone want an LCD over a plasma? 1) I couldn't get the Panasonic to look right in the store, even after playing with the settings. I know the store has retarded settings and Panasonics have a very good image quality reputation, but I don't feel right about buying something that doesn't look good to me. That is personal preference though, nothing more. 2) Plasmas suck a shitload of power. More than CRTs. 3) I use my LCD with a HTPC, so the native resolution is very nice for me. 4) LCDs are considerably lighter and less fragile (or so I've heard) quote:edit: And third question: I can't seem to find the answer to this already, so what is with these odd resolutions? Are they as good as a normal HDTV? For example, why do a lot of televisions have 768 pixels rather than 720? This has been answered here multiple times, even in the last page
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Apr 3, 2007 06:55
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ilikegrapejuice posted:Holy poo poo. I just opened up a Samsung LN-T4665F at work today, and it is gorgeous. Completely blew away everything else on the wall, including the 46XBR2 (although the XBR does look a lot larger due to the frame). It is very rare that we put up a new display and just sit there, completely mesmerized (last time that happened was when we first got the 50XBR1). Contrast was about plasma-level (unfortunately, so was glare, but I think it's a fair trade for black levels like that), but it has the bright, vivid colors of an LCD. And this was just the default, out-of-the-box settings on the lovely in-store feed. I would kill to see one of those properly set-up and running a better source. If samsung can do that now with fluorescent backlighting, think of what they can do a year from now with LED backlighting. I'm loving my LN-S4095D, it may not have the insane 15000:1 contrast ratio of the LN-T4665F (only 6000:1) but drat if it still isn't pretty. I'm a sucker for good black levels as well and that was one of my main hesitations with LCD, but I have to say I'm completely satisfied with this TV. About the ONLY issue I can see is some slightly uneven backlight issues on a completely black screen in a dark room. However, that vanishes the instant ANYTHING is displayed on the screen. Now I'm just trying to convince myself that I don't REALLY need the Oppo DV-981HD to play my DVDs. I mean, it can't be THAT much of a difference between my progressive scan JVC player, right? Like a disease this is.
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Apr 3, 2007 14:36
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I'm looking at the HDMI cables on monoprice.com and I'm wondering exactly what I should be looking for with these things. Is there a difference in quality between the various ones listed? I need a cable somewhere between 5-10ft I would imagine to go between a DirecTV HD receiver and a 42" LG Plasma. Which one is the best quality/value?
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Apr 3, 2007 15:32
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WhyteRyce posted:2) Plasmas suck a shitload of power. More than CRTs. No. Their power rating is the screen at full power displaying a completely white picture. A plasma never uses as much power as the specs say. My power bill's been lower ever since i replaced my LCD with a plasma, and i leave the plasma on a lot more.
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Apr 3, 2007 15:47
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.Nathan. posted:No. Their power rating is the screen at full power displaying a completely white picture. A plasma never uses as much power as the specs say. My power bill's been lower ever since i replaced my LCD with a plasma, and i leave the plasma on a lot more. Well, then I stand corrected
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Apr 3, 2007 16:58
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Iostcause posted:I'm looking at the HDMI cables on monoprice.com and I'm wondering exactly what I should be looking for with these things. Is there a difference in quality between the various ones listed? I need a cable somewhere between 5-10ft I would imagine to go between a DirecTV HD receiver and a 42" LG Plasma. Which one is the best quality/value? The cheapest one that reaches is what you want.
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Apr 3, 2007 22:39
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I pulled the trigger on a Samsung 4053hx today shipping from J&R. I'll write up a review tomorrow or the next day for anyone who is interested.
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Apr 4, 2007 00:52
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Just purchased a Olevia 32" Series 2 from Circuit City for $599. Was this a good buy and should I go ahead and get the upgraded warranty? I mean, are Olevia's known for blowing up within a year or anything?
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Apr 4, 2007 04:06
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JayKay posted:Just purchased a Olevia 32" Series 2 from Circuit City for $599. Was this a good buy and should I go ahead and get the upgraded warranty? Well since we have been discussing TVs here for pages, you could have, you know, checked before you bought. I just bought a 37" Olevia for $740 shipped, so... is a bigger set for probably $100 more than you paid, after tax, worth it? Depending on your set the 537H I got may also have a better scaler and have a tuner as well. Olevia is a budget brand, plain and simple. I got mine for the cost and convienence as a HTPC screen - not necessarily to be the most amazing screen ever.
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Apr 4, 2007 04:41
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ShaneB posted:Well since we have been discussing TVs here for pages, you could have, you know, checked before you bought. I just bought a 37" Olevia for $740 shipped, so... is a bigger set for probably $100 more than you paid, after tax, worth it? Depending on your set the 537H I got may also have a better scaler and have a tuner as well. Yeah, I'm aware it's a budget brand, which is why I'm wondering if I should get the CC extended warranty thingamajig. I just wanted to know if the backlights on these have a tendency to burn out more quickly or if they like to randomly catch fire.  I purchased this mostly as a entry level "welcome to HDTV" set. Anything is better than the 19" Toshiba RF jack only TV it replaced.
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Apr 4, 2007 05:08
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JayKay posted:Yeah, I'm aware it's a budget brand, which is why I'm wondering if I should get the CC extended warranty thingamajig. I just wanted to know if the backlights on these have a tendency to burn out more quickly or if they like to randomly catch fire. I'd still take it back and get the 537H for $740 shipped.
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Apr 4, 2007 06:03
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I've been reading this thread and my head's a spinning! Maybe you dudes can help me out. I'm looking to spend about $1000.00 max. I need a HD set. Either LCD or Plasma (that's another question I suppose) and I'm looking for something from the 32" to 37" category. I want to use this for watching movies on DVD and with a Wii and an Xbox 360. I'm not looking for top of the line, but I'd like to get a good HD picture. What brands are in my price range? What do you experts recommend? Also here is my DVD player http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16882105042&ATT=82-105-042&CMP=OTC-Froogle Do I need to buy a new DVD player in order to get a true HD picture. Seriously treat me like a child here, because I'm really having a hard time grasping all this stuff.
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Apr 4, 2007 07:12
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Undersold posted:I've been reading this thread and my head's a spinning! Maybe you dudes can help me out. We've seriously been talking about plenty of sets under $1,000 for pages, now.
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Apr 4, 2007 13:59
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ShaneB posted:We've seriously been talking about plenty of sets under $1,000 for pages, now. Hey like I said, I'm really having a hard time understanding jargon in here. Anyway fair enough, if you guys have been talking about sets under a $1000.00 I'll go back and look through to see what you recommend price-wise. I did also have a question about my current DVD player. My friend who just purchased an HP HDtv recently tells me I'm going to need a new DVD player that upconverts. One of the megathreads I found in a search seems to suggest that I shouldn't have to buy into that. Anyway here's my DVD player again. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...CMP=OTC-Froogle I really like this player and I don't want to have to get a new one that possibly has less features.
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Apr 4, 2007 16:12
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With the new Panasonic 42 plasma coming out soon, does any one know a good place to pick up the older model for a cheaper price? Or any stores that are known to try to get rid of last years plasma models with sales?
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Apr 4, 2007 16:14
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Undersold posted:Hey like I said, I'm really having a hard time understanding jargon in here. Anyway fair enough, if you guys have been talking about sets under a $1000.00 I'll go back and look through to see what you recommend price-wise. You won't find many plasma sets under $1,000, I don't believe. At that price range you are really going to be buying budget-brand LCD sets from Westinghouse, Vizio, Olevia, etc, and likely in the 720p resolution. It's probably in your best interests to examine things like number of connections, whether or not the set has a built-in tuner, etc, to see which will meet your needs best. Honestly I doubt there are significant screen quality differences between most of the sets in this price range. I just purchased an Olevia 537H for under $750. It met my needs, but is a budget set with all the limitations of one - clumsy input selection and contrast limitations being the most obvious.
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Apr 4, 2007 16:21
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BexGu posted:With the new Panasonic 42 plasma coming out soon, does any one know a good place to pick up the older model for a cheaper price? Or any stores that are known to try to get rid of last years plasma models with sales? I know amazon has been shredding prices like mad on 2006 model year TVs. I got my Samsung LCD for $800 off normal store prices. It looks like that holds true for Panasonic plasmas as well. http://tinyurl.com/257kvj
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Apr 4, 2007 16:22
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bull3964 posted:I know amazon has been shredding prices like mad on 2006 model year TVs. I got my Samsung LCD for $800 off normal store prices. For what it's worth, they're actually charging more than I paid at Circuit City three weeks ago for the 42px60u. The 600U for $1200 isn't that great of a deal either considering tax & shipping.
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Apr 4, 2007 17:55
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ail posted:For what it's worth, they're actually charging more than I paid at Circuit City three weeks ago for the 42px60u. The 600U for $1200 isn't that great of a deal either considering tax & shipping. Circuit City probably doesn't have 2006 models in stock anymore. I know people were getting my TV at CC for $1500 for awhile, but they have long since been out of stock at the stores (at least in my area.) Not everyone has to pay tax on Amazon purchases, I know I sure didn't. It seems though that none of these TVs are selling direct from amazon anymore. If they were, you could get free shipping. For what it's worth, my TV is $300 more expensive now from amazon than it was a week ago when I purchased it and that's not even taking into account the loss of free shipping. I'm thinking the great deals on 2006 models for all TVs are just about over since the few people that still have stock left have a reason for having stock left (i.e. they charge too much). Edit: It appears that the 42px60u is back in stock directly from Amazon right now which means free shipping. If I were buying that TV, Amazon would be price parity with CC since I would have to pay 7% sales tax at CC which brings it to within a $60ish price difference plus to get at home delivery from CC would cost that additional $60 (Amazon had white glove delivery on their TVs). bull3964 fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Apr 4, 2007 |
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Apr 4, 2007 18:51
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For those that are looking for sub 1000 tv's Sony runs a factory refurb store on their website. Right now they have a 32inch LCD (KLV-32U100M) for 899. http://tinyurl.com/2vhyxy There's no tuner, but it does have a VGA, HDMI and 2 Component inputs. Its not a bad budget tv at all.
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Apr 4, 2007 19:20
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If you're going to buy from the net, buy from Vanns.com. No sales tax (Montana-based company), free shipping, very competitive prices.
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Apr 4, 2007 19:21
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bull3964 posted:If samsung can do that now with fluorescent backlighting, think of what they can do a year from now with LED backlighting. LED Backlighting? Am I about to regret splashing 1200 on a current gen Samsung when this is around the corner?
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Apr 4, 2007 19:22
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Cart posted:LED Backlighting? Am I about to regret splashing 1200 on a current gen Samsung when this is around the corner? It's going to be pricey at first. I doubt there will be any models in the sub $2k range for well over a year so I wouldn't feel upset about buying a current gen model. They will be beautiful though. We're talking about 110% of the NTSC color spectrum (the one I just bought is 92%) and better black levels. They will be using an array of LEDS that actually adaptively dim in darker areas of the screen to minimize blacklight bleed-through. Hey, there's always something newer and better. You can't wait forever on a purchase.
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Apr 4, 2007 19:47
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Quick question that I didn't think deserved another thread... I wear glasses, and recently I've been noticing a "rainbow"-type effect on my Panasonic TH42PX60U plasma. I see yellow or blue colors at the edge of white images, especially if the white is in contrast with dark colors. (Sin City is an example.) It's especially bad if I turn my head suddenly, or if my eyes aren't looking directly at the screen. This only started becoming noticeable over the past few months... I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and if so, what they did about it. Edit: Separate question - ever since getting my plasma, my electricity bill has skyrocketed. Is there any downside to turning off the power strip at night or when I'm at school to save some money? LeonardSkinnered fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Apr 5, 2007 |
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Apr 4, 2007 23:53
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Ok so I've been inspired by all the panasonic talk in the thread. I found out that my circuit city carries this for $1199.99 http://tinyurl.com/y5jk7w Any thoughts fellas? Am I getting a good deal? Again I'm using this mainly for watching DVDs and Xbox 360...also the occasional show on the major networks in HD.
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Apr 5, 2007 00:33
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Undersold posted:Ok so I've been inspired by all the panasonic talk in the thread. I found out that my circuit city carries this for $1199.99 That's my TV! I love it. I'm by no means an expert, but it gets great reviews from alot of different sources. I think CNET called it one of the best "budget" plasmas. It's got great color and contrast, runs cool and quiet, and has plenty of hookups. Here are some reviews: http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_TH_42PX60U/4505-6482_7-31788615.html?tag=prod.txt.1 http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/panasonic-th42px60u-review.html
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Apr 5, 2007 00:44
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LeonardSkinnered posted:That's my TV! I love it. I'm by no means an expert, but it gets great reviews from alot of different sources. I think CNET called it one of the best "budget" plasmas. It's got great color and contrast, runs cool and quiet, and has plenty of hookups. Awesome your post and that review cements this. I'll let everyone know what she's like when I get her! Edit - Just got back from Circuit City. My beautiful new tv will be shipped out on 04/14. I can't wait! Undersold fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Apr 5, 2007 |
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Apr 5, 2007 00:49
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LeonardSkinnered posted:Quick question that I didn't think deserved another thread... Your best bet will be to do a model search at avsoforums. If there's a problem with a set, I guarantee they'll find and bitch about it. I know there are color issues with some Panasonic plasmas (do a title search for "purple snakes") but your specific problem isn't familiar.
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Apr 5, 2007 02:27
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Undersold: I too own that TV and am very pleased with it. My one complaint is the lack of a VGA port (the 600U model has one). A fantastic set for a great price.
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Apr 5, 2007 02:29
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ail posted:Your best bet will be to do a model search at avsoforums. If there's a problem with a set, I guarantee they'll find and bitch about it. I know there are color issues with some Panasonic plasmas (do a title search for "purple snakes") but your specific problem isn't familiar. Thanks, yeah I looked at their threads on purple snakes but that doesn't seem to be my issue. I suspect my problem is because of my glasses, but I figured other glasses-wearers might be in the same boat.
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Apr 5, 2007 04:41
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LeonardSkinnered posted:I wear glasses, and recently I've been noticing a "rainbow"-type effect on my Panasonic TH42PX60U plasma. I see yellow or blue colors at the edge of white images, especially if the white is in contrast with dark colors. (Sin City is an example.) It's especially bad if I turn my head suddenly, or if my eyes aren't looking directly at the screen. This only started becoming noticeable over the past few months... I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and if so, what they did about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prism_(optics)
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Apr 5, 2007 05:18
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EnergizerFellow posted:What you are seeing is a prism (glasses) separating out the wavelengths of light from a high-contrast situation. Due to human eyesight being more motion sensitive in the periphery and curvature of optical lenses, you will see the effects mentioned exactly as described, even in natural light situations. Personally see if all the time with things like backlit building columns. There is nothing you can do really... Thanks for the information  . Now that you mention it, I do see the same thing at the edge of lights, etc. drat... oh well, I'm glad it's not my TV.
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Apr 5, 2007 14:02
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I'm probably going to be buying a new panasonic PX75U soon. When I went in to talk to a salesman he was telling me about how Calgary has a lot of "dirty power" (voltage fluctuations, noise, spikes) which I've heard before. He then of course made his pitch that I'd need their handy $250 power bar. I basically just rolled my eyes and shoo'ed him away, but he did get me thinking. I wasn't planning on plugging my plasma straight into the wall, but do I really need to buy a power bar worth hundreds of dollars? Can I just get one with a decent surge protector or what do you guys recommend?
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Apr 5, 2007 18:43
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Misanthrope posted:I'm probably going to be buying a new panasonic PX75U soon. When I went in to talk to a salesman he was telling me about how Calgary has a lot of "dirty power" (voltage fluctuations, noise, spikes) which I've heard before. Get yourself an $80 UPS
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Apr 5, 2007 19:07
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Misanthrope posted:I wasn't planning on plugging my plasma straight into the wall, but do I really need to buy a power bar worth hundreds of dollars? Can I just get one with a decent surge protector or what do you guys recommend? I just plug mine into a basic surge protector. The only time i would recommend some sort of UPS/backup battery is for TVs that have bulbs. If the power suddenly goes out and the fans don't cool the bulb down properly, then the bulb's life can supposedly be shortened. Power outages aren't rare and TV companies know this. They wouldn't design a set that suddenly breaks whenever some power anomaly occurs. .Nathan. fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Apr 5, 2007 |
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Apr 5, 2007 23:38
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I got my TH-42PX600U for $1299 online. If you need a VGA port you should jump on that. I love it.
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Apr 6, 2007 05:38
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I'm new to HD so please bear with me. I have an older model HDTV that I'd like to be able to start watching HD movies and shows on. We have a Comcast cable box. I know our TV lacks an HDMI port. It does have composite and DVI. Should I hook up composite cables straight from the cable box to the TV, or do they need to do to the receiver first?
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Apr 6, 2007 08:38
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