OT - Plasma TV question

Yes, and many projectors don't do well with normal ambient light levels
during the daytime. And the projectors that do handle this well, tend
to eat those $200 light bulbs are a high rate. Unless this will be in
an area that Jay can keep a little dark, I'd shy away from a projector.
They simply generate the light levels required for daytime use in a
room with unshaded windows.

Well, this is inside a windowless meeting room -- so keeping light out
is a simple matter.

Do the projection TVs need a special screen, or can you just project
the picture on a painted white wall?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Personally, I'd lean toward LCD unless I really needed the size offered
by plasma.


They don't seem to get much bigger than this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....1102655 91243

A 37-inch by Westinghouse (WESTINGHOUSE? What museum did they drag
*that* name brand out of?) seems to be as big as Best Buy handles.

I was hoping for at least 42 inch, but the LCD price is sure good,
though.

They get a lot bigger than that.

http://www.i4u.com/article1082.html
http://www.i4u.com/article2217.html

However, the prices get a lot bigger also!

Matt

Jay Honeck wrote:

Yes, and many projectors don't do well with normal ambient light levels
during the daytime. And the projectors that do handle this well, tend
to eat those $200 light bulbs are a high rate. Unless this will be in
an area that Jay can keep a little dark, I'd shy away from a projector.
They simply generate the light levels required for daytime use in a
room with unshaded windows.


Well, this is inside a windowless meeting room -- so keeping light out
is a simple matter.

Sounds ideal.


Do the projection TVs need a special screen, or can you just project
the picture on a painted white wall?

They don't need a special screen, but everyone I know will strongly
suggest one. The screen really makes the display work well and they
aren't cheap either and come in a variety of colors, gain values, etc.

There are three options with a projector:

1. Use a plain white wall. This is a very poor option.

2. Use a special paint made for projectors. This is a mediocre option.

3. Use a special screen made for projectors. This is by far the best
option, but also by far the most costly. A decent screen will start at
close to a grand.

However, many reviews I've seen say if you are going to scrimp, scrimp
on the projector and not the screen. A good screen will last 20 years.
The projector will be obsolete in 3. And each dollar spent on the
screen will return much more viewing quality than an additional dollar
spent on the projector.


Matt

Peter Duniho wrote:


One big downside to plasma is the issue of burn-in. They are getting
better, but you can still wind up with latent images of an image that stays
on the screen for extended periods of time. This might be a TV channel
logo, a ticker from CNN, computer graphics, or whatever. Another downside
is that the lifetime of the display itself is somewhat limited, as it fades
over time. Plasma displays are also VERY heavy, consume a lot of power, and
generate a lot of heat. They do look VERY nice though.



I bought a 42" plasma January 2005. I was concerned about burn in and
how long it would last. The life of the TV is supposed to be 40,000
hours before it gets to half brightness. Well, run the numbers. That's
5000 days at 8 hours a day. I've never kept my primary TV that long.
As for burn in it isn't a problem. We've got lots of hours with Fox
News on the TV with the scroll running on the bottom. Just not a
factor. Plasma is not heavy. Our 42" TV weighs about 75 pounds, less
than any similar sized CRT TV and a lot easier to carry. As for power
my 42" uses 350 watts which is quite a bit, a lot of heat comes of a
plasma. As for picture, no question a plasma is better. I also have an
LCD flat screen HD TV, the plasma makes it look silly. If you consider
a projector make sure you check on the cost of repalcement bulbs. I see
some of them can be over $200, plus not all projectors are capable of
HD. You'll need to spen at least $1000 to get a halfway decent
projector picture plus the disadvantage of having to have a dark room.

Newps wrote:



Peter Duniho wrote:


One big downside to plasma is the issue of burn-in. They are getting
better, but you can still wind up with latent images of an image that
stays on the screen for extended periods of time. This might be a TV
channel logo, a ticker from CNN, computer graphics, or whatever.
Another downside is that the lifetime of the display itself is
somewhat limited, as it fades over time. Plasma displays are also
VERY heavy, consume a lot of power, and generate a lot of heat. They
do look VERY nice though.



I bought a 42" plasma January 2005. I was concerned about burn in and
how long it would last. The life of the TV is supposed to be 40,000
hours before it gets to half brightness. Well, run the numbers. That's
5000 days at 8 hours a day. I've never kept my primary TV that long. As
for burn in it isn't a problem. We've got lots of hours with Fox News
on the TV with the scroll running on the bottom. Just not a factor.
Plasma is not heavy. Our 42" TV weighs about 75 pounds, less than any
similar sized CRT TV and a lot easier to carry. As for power my 42"
uses 350 watts which is quite a bit, a lot of heat comes of a plasma.
As for picture, no question a plasma is better. I also have an LCD flat
screen HD TV, the plasma makes it look silly. If you consider a
projector make sure you check on the cost of repalcement bulbs. I see
some of them can be over $200, plus not all projectors are capable of
HD. You'll need to spen at least $1000 to get a halfway decent
projector picture plus the disadvantage of having to have a dark room.

Burn in takes about two years to set in on the newer sets. I'm not
surprised that you haven't seen anything in only 13 months. By 4-5
years it will be very noticeable if you watch certain channels too much.
For folks that watch a variety of standard TV shows, then it likely
won't be a big problem.

Matt

Sorry I can't answer the questions for you, but I like your idea a
whole lot. We always attend movie night at our daughters' school even
if we already saw the movies several times. Hooking it up to FS would
be awesome, I suppose. Here's a link to a full size controls for sale
on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/helic...QQcmdZViewItem

or http://makeashorterlink.com/?C25F514BC

It is for a helicopter though.

The Monk

Jay Honeck wrote:
I'm considering installing a big-screen plasma (or LCD) TV in our
meeting room at the inn, for use during presentations, etc.

An alternative (and, to me, more important) use of this equipment would
be as "God's Own Flight Simulator" for visiting pilots and their
families to use. I think it would be way cool to have a wall-sized
flight simulator display available for our guests, and it would be a
great way to hook kids of all ages on aviation in general. (Most of
our guests are not pilots, despite the aviation theme...)

It would also be cool to have "movie nights" at the inn, showing
classic aviation movies. 'Top Gun' on a 60 inch plasma TV would be a
great draw!

Sadly, I haven't kept up with this technology, and I notice there are
several competing systems. Also, I'm starting to see the long-awaited
convergence between computers and TV, with Dell offering flat panel
"displays" that look just like TVs.

Is anyone on the 'group an expert with this stuff? Anyone already
own one? Can anyone recommend (or steer me clear from) any brands?
Are all plasma TVs usable as computer monitors, too?

Thanks!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

You've already got some good info, but one thing that has not been
mentioned is that like VMC, not all HDTV is created equal. HD just
means "better than standard definition" (525 lines). There are several
HD standards, the best have 1080 lines, and are called 1080i (interlaced
30 fps video) or 1080 24p (progressive scan 24 frames per second, used
for films). Some stations broadcast 720i, and some sets only have that
number of dots, which degrades the better signals. And some sets are
called "HD" but really just interpolate standard signals.

Be sure you get a set that can display all formats in their native
resolution - don't waste money on a set that's only capable of 720i.

Also, please =please= don't stretch a 4x3 image to fit the entire
screen. Everyone looks fat and squishy, and it just looks funny.
Display it with vertical bars on the sides, in its natural 4x3 format,
and save the wide screen display for real wide screen material.

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

I picked up an InFocus 4805 at Costco (a bit more than 1 AMU)
and it came with a 6 ft. screen "window shade" type. Mounted it on
the ceiling, works fine.

My friends went with the screen material (there are a number
of suppliers, check google) and created frame to mount the material,
then mounted that on a wall. This definitely eliminated any
ripple or waves. On the other hand, I haven't noticed any on
my window shade version, either.

In article ,
Blanche wrote:

Best of all, it's a box the size of a large phone book, lightweight,
and I can carry it to meetings if I need it. Otherwise I keep it
mounted in the frame I built on the ceiling.

Jay, if you go this route, make sure you lock it down, even though
it is mounted to the ceiling, and 'out of reach'.

We had two projectors walk off at work, and they were mounted high
enough that even standing on the conference tables, you couldn't
reach them. Since the newer projectors are so small, they are
really easy to hide on the way out.

John
--
John Clear - http://www.clear-prop.org/

On 25 Feb 2006 14:42:38 -0800, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

I'm considering installing a big-screen plasma (or LCD) TV in our
meeting room at the inn, for use during presentations, etc.

An alternative (and, to me, more important) use of this equipment would
be as "God's Own Flight Simulator" for visiting pilots and their
families to use. I think it would be way cool to have a wall-sized
flight simulator display available for our guests, and it would be a
great way to hook kids of all ages on aviation in general. (Most of
our guests are not pilots, despite the aviation theme...)

It would also be cool to have "movie nights" at the inn, showing
classic aviation movies. 'Top Gun' on a 60 inch plasma TV would be a
great draw!

Plasma or LCD are getting quite nice.

Sadly, I haven't kept up with this technology, and I notice there are
several competing systems. Also, I'm starting to see the long-awaited
convergence between computers and TV, with Dell offering flat panel
"displays" that look just like TVs.

Starting? This monitor is only a 17" LCD, but being truly rectangular
it's close to the area of a 19" CRT. They are now available much
larger although not as large as the plasma displays. I've been using
it for over 3 years. This computer and the one before it had S-video
out along with advanced sound. It has also had the ability to work
much like TVIO since before TVIO came out. They will also write to
single and dual layer DVDs which are a lot nicer than tapes, but not
re-recordable. The do make disks capable of that but none I've seen
were trustworthy. The only thing it lacks there is the on screen
menu. The video card on the computer in the shop also works with
digital TV and both have tuner capability. (Look up RADEON
all-in-wonder video cards along with tuners)
BTW I've had at least one computer up and running with a tuner, video
capture, and NTSC out for between 4 and 5 years.

OTOH those computers and their setup was probably not something the
average TV viewer would want to tackle. :-))

Both plasma and LCD have their own advantages. The plasma may be a
tad brighter but they are making great strides with LCDs including
very wide viewing angles. Plasma displays do age, but unless you are
like us and it sets on the weather channel for 12 to 14 hours a day
they should last a very long time. OTOH LCD displays may lose
brilliance, but you only have to replace a little bulb.

However, when the Plasma display gets dirty you get out the Windex
(tm) and have at it. LCD screens are sensitive and can be damaged
easily. Then some plasma displays generate a *lot* of RF noise which
might be noticed in a nearby aviation receiver. If you go with plasma
see if you can find a "try before you buy.". I've seen thin plastic
sheets used to cover LCD displays that don't even show when looking at
the picture when properly applied, but I don't know how large you can
get them.

Is anyone on the 'group an expert with this stuff? Anyone already

I'm no expert on the things but I do follow them a bit.

own one? Can anyone recommend (or steer me clear from) any brands?
Are all plasma TVs usable as computer monitors, too?

Here it's one of those "check it out in the store". Many, if not most
have both NTSC and S-video inputs along with digital and some don't.

I'm looking to get about a 27" flat screen LCD for the shop with at
least 1280 X 1024 resolution (preferably 1600 by what ever). In this
case the computer can serve as the TV set. I'm cramped for space and
I'd put the monitor on a swing arm. Currently have one of those hernia
developing, hemroid (sp?) busting, 19" CRTs that is always in the way.
It's big and it's *heavy* and it's always in the way. Did I mention
it's always in the way?


Now for the big couch, refrigerator, small stove...sigh no running
water out there, but it does have heat in the winter and air
conditioning in the summer.

Good Luck,

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Thanks!