Discount Plasma Television :: Is it worth it?

The discount plasma television is available, but should you buy it? That is an important question. Unfortunately, some poor
plasma TVs came out on the market at a time when plasma was still developing. The end result was some common misconceptions on the plasma technology.

Misconceptions of Plasma TVs?

While I've heard customers asking about the lifespan of plasma televisions, most people are basing this on vague
information. How long should the electronics and panel last? In some cases, some retailers have told consumers that plasma monitors will only last a couple of years. How long will a plasma last? This mostly depends on your daily hourly usage. Most plasma TVs will last twelve to fifty-five years. Most plasma manufacturers state longevity or half-life of 50,000 hours of usage.

Panasonic: States in new specifications that their new plasma TVs and monitors are good to 60,000 to half life.
Sony: Also now states 60,000 hours to half life in their newest models.
Samsung: Lists 60,000 hours.
Pioneer: States 60,000 hours of use in their new 2005 models.
Sharp LCD panels: States 60,000 hour life.

Another misconception is that the gas plasma inside the plasma TV can be refilled or replaced when it burns out. There is no way to do this.

So what is the difference between an ED plasma and HD plasma? In short, the ED or Extended Definition scans in its’ native resolution less than HD or High Definition. Although the ED panel doesn’t scan full HD signals, it can receive them and
will down convert to approximately 500 lines progressive (or DVD quality).

Plasma Monitor Screen Size: Most people begin shopping for a plasma television with a screen size in mind. To choose the
right screen size for your room, measure how far you'll be sitting from it in inches, and multiply that number by 0.4. This
gives you the approximate ideal diagonal screen size. The screen sizes below are measured diagonally.

Contrast Ratio: The color variation between the blackest blacks and whitest whites - the higher the better!

Resolution: Resolution is usually quoted in two numbers, such as "853 x 480," where the first number refers to the number
of pixels from side to side across the screen, and the second number refers to the number of pixels vertically from top to
bottom. HDTV would be 1024 x 1024 or 1365 x 768 and above.

Here are some quality plasma TVs you should consider:

Hitachi CMP420V1 42" --- 853 x 480
Hitachi CMP420V2 42" --- 853 x 480
Hitachi CMP4212 42" --- 1024 x 768
Hitachi CMP4211 42" --- 1024 x 768
Hitachi 55HDM71 55" --- 1366 x 768

JVC PD-42X795 42" 3000:1 1280 x 768
JVC PD-50X795 50" 3000:1 1366 x 768

LG MU-42PM11 42" 5000:1 853 x 480
LG RU-42PX10C 42" 5000:1 853 x 480
LG MU-42PM12X 42" 5000:1 1280 x 768
LG DU-42PX12XC 42" 5000:1 1280 x 768
LG MU-50PM10 50" 5000:1 1280 x 768
LG DU-50PX10C 50" 5000:1 1366 x 768
LG MU-60PZ95V 60" 1000:1 1366 x 768

NEC 42VP5 42" --- 853 x 480
NEC 42VM5 42" --- 853 x 480
NEC 42VR5 42" --- 853 x 480
NEC 42XM3 42" --- 1280 x 768
NEC 42XR3 42" --- 1280 x 768
NEC 50XM4 50" --- 1366 x 768
NEC 50XR4 50" --- 1366 x 768
NEC 61XM3 61" --- 1366 x 768
NEC 61XR3 61" --- 1366 x 768
NEC 84VP4 84" --- 1706 x 960

Panasonic TH-37PWD8UK 37" 4000:1 853 x 480
Panasonic TH-37PHD8UK 37" 3000:1 1024 x 720
Panasonic TH-37PX50U 37" 3000:1 1280 x 768
Panasonic TH-42PWD8UK 42" 4000:1 853 x 480
Panasonic TH-42PD50U 42" 4000:1 853 x 480
Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK 42" 3000:1 1280 x 768
Panasonic TH-42PX50U 42" 3000:1 1280 x 768
Panasonic TH-42PX500U 42" 3000:1 1280 x 768
Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK 50" 3000:1 1366 x 768
Panasonic TH-50PX50U 50" 3000:1 1366 x 768
Panasonic TH-50PX500U 50" 3000:1 1366 x 768
Panasonic TH-65PHD7UY 65" 3000:1 1366 x 768

Philips 42PF9936D 42" 3000:1 853 x 480
Philips 42PF9956 42" 1000:1 1024 x 768
Philips 42PF9976 42" 3000:1 1280 x 768
Philips 42PF9966 42" 3000:1 1280 x 768
Philips 50PF9956 50" 1000:1 1024 x 1024
Philips 50PF9966 50" 1000:1 1024 x 1024

Pioneer PDP-424MV 42" 1000:1 853 x 480
Pioneer PDP-434CMX 43" 1100:1 1280 x 768
Pioneer PDP-4350HD 43" --- 1280 x 768
Pioneer PDP-504CMX 50" 1100:1 1024 x 1024
Pioneer PDP-5050HD 50" --- 1024 x 1024
Pioneer PDP-614MX 61" 1100:1 1366 x 768

Samsung HP-R4252 42" 10000:1 1280 x 768
Samsung HP-R5052 50" 10000:1 1366 x 768
Samsung HP-P5581 55" 1000:1 1366 x 768

Sony FWD-42PV1 42" 10000:1 853 x 480
Sony KE-42M1 42" --- 853 x 480
Sony PFM-42X1 42" 3000:1 1280 x 768
Sony KDE-42XS955 42" --- 1024 x 768
Sony FWD-50PX1 50" 3000:1 1024 x 1024
Sony KDE-50XS955 50" --- 1366 x 768

Toshiba 42DPC85 42" --- 853 x 480
Toshiba 42HPX95 42" --- 1280 x 720

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