gambitt Posted November 18, 2008 Posted November 18, 2008 Hi all, I started thinking about a media centre pc television for the lounge room some time ago. Recently, the media centre PC has been completed (it is an evolutionary process). I have 2TB devoted to tv shows , and another 2TB devoted to movies (most of the movies are encoded to 1400MB (1.36GB). I started looking at LCDs, as I wanted to be able to browse web pages, as well as watching docos, tv shows, and movies. I thought lcd technology was advanced enough that pictures would look equal as those on plasmas. I soon found this isn't the case. And while I wish to get a blu-ray drive or burner in the near future, I have a lot of dvds and good quality divxs. With this is mind, and the viewing distance of 2-5 metres for lounge room viewing, I am now perplexed as to what I get. After being impressed by the plasmas, I remembered the plasma burn-in. And so I thought that while a plasma represented good value for image, there is the burn-in to consider, especially if myself, my partner, ot visitors forget to turn the tv off. I also thought that if I was getting a tv of slightly less display dimensions, such as the Panasonic TH-42PX8A, there would be less pixels to upscale to. So I would appreciate any feed back knowledge/opinions/experience. As an extrra piece of information, I was offered the Panasonic TH-42PX8A at a price of $1190 with 2 years extra warranty (bringing the total to 3) from JB HiFi in Preston. I like this technology, and it suits my current budget. I could wait until backlight technology improves, but would love to get something that suits our needs now. Ideally 32-42 inch televisions are best I feel for our needs. So, over to you...
Owen Posted November 18, 2008 Posted November 18, 2008 (edited) Use a screen saver on the PC set to 15 minutes, just as you would with a CRT monitor and forget about burn in. Also keep the contrast setting moderate for viewing comfort and burn in provetion. Fixed now Edited November 18, 2008 by Owen
dlpnut1503560389 Posted November 18, 2008 Posted November 18, 2008 They are charging $250 an hour for there labor, what f*#%!ing rip off. Still Sony are doing the right thing and your are getting a good result for a very acceptable cost. Makes you wonder why Priory is having so much trouble, it’s the service agent for sure. LOL, wrong thread Owen, keep this one for the archives. LOL
gambitt Posted November 18, 2008 Author Posted November 18, 2008 Use a screen saver on the PC set to 15 minutes, just as you would with a CRT monitor and forget about burn in.Also keep the contrast setting moderate for viewing comfort and burn in provetion. Fixed now Hi Owen, thanks for that. I did think of using a screen saver, but was worried that several of these have patterns that stay relatively centred, and therefore could cause burn-in around that central area. Have you or anyone used this method? I would also be interested to see if anyone has been using such a televison for internet browsing. Cheers all :-)
birdie1011503560221 Posted November 18, 2008 Posted November 18, 2008 Hi Owen, thanks for that. I did think of using a screen saver, but was worried that several of these have patterns that stay relatively centred, and therefore could cause burn-in around that central area. Have you or anyone used this method? I would also be interested to see if anyone has been using such a televison for internet browsing.Cheers all :-) I have been using a HTPC with an LG plasma for well over 2 years now and image burn in has never been a problem. With plasmas, you might see some image retention for a minute or two but it fades quickly. The technology has come a long way since burn in was a problem and now I would consider it to be a non-issue. And if my 2.5 year old LG plasma doesn't have a problem, I couldn't think that a new one would. Luke
Mr.Bitey Posted November 18, 2008 Posted November 18, 2008 Screen savers dont have to have a pattern :-) I just use a black screen Cheers, Bitey
gambitt Posted November 19, 2008 Author Posted November 19, 2008 Hey all, sorry to be a pain again, but was reading up on the Panasonic TX-37LXD80A, and wondering (before going to check this out tomorrow), what people thought of this as an alternative? Cheers :-)
birdie1011503560221 Posted November 19, 2008 Posted November 19, 2008 Even at the shortest viewing distance you quoted in your original post of 2 metres, a 37 inch tv is way too small in my opinion. At 5 metres it would be like a postage stamp. Bigger is 99.9% always better. Luke
pgdownload Posted November 20, 2008 Posted November 20, 2008 Hey all, sorry to be a pain again, but was reading up on the Panasonic TX-37LXD80A, and wondering (before going to check this out tomorrow), what people thought of this as an alternative?There's a couple of direct threads on this model (also search on the 800 and 850 models for comments). They do seem to be getting pretty good reviews. I checked this out the other day in person and have to say I thought it had one of the better PQ displays (esp for the price). As mentioned at 5 metres 37" is possibly a bit small but at 2 metres I'd say its fine. Anyway you can check that out yourself in store. Regards Peter Gillespie
gambitt Posted November 20, 2008 Author Posted November 20, 2008 Hey all. I ended up buying the Panasonic TX-37LXD80A from Dick Smith Power House in Preston for $930, with an extra 2 years warranty (so a total of 3 years now), and a 1.5 metre HDMI cable. I have to say that I am very happy with the purchase, and even my divx collection looks good on this television. Set up was simple, and I think that for those who don't need a really big televison, this is an excellent and reasonably priced television. Media files such as H264 and divx encoded at various different sizes looks good, as done standard definition television. Thanks again to everyone for their feedback, and to this forum. What an excllent resource! Cheers, and I'm off to veg in from of the new televison ;-)
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