So this year I finally took the plunge and upgraded to HDTV. I really didn't have much choice. My 3-year old spit juice into the front control panel of our old TV, so you couldn't change the channel or input. (I thought those things only happened in commercials!) My wife thinks I told him to do it so I could get a new TV. That's not true of course, but I was thrilled at the news of his misdeeds. What guy doesn't need any excuse he can get away with to upgrade the home entertainment system? (Note: several of my coworkers are now also planning TV sabotage with their young'uns - I think I've started something.)
I went with plasma technology for a few reasons:
1. Viewing angle - I just don't like the inconsistent lighting with rear-projection.
2. Quality for the price - LCD still just looks harsh to me. I know it's the technology that's taking over, but the current plasmas look fantastic.
3. Size & weight - two people can easily lift a 50' plasma, unlike the 32" CRT I was replacing, which nearly requires a crane to lift.
I went with the Panasonic TH-50PX6U, available at Costco for under $2k. The buying experience was paradoxically exciting and mundane. Costco had a stack of the Panasonics on the floor the same way they have 8 lb boxes of Chex cereal or 4-packs of all-season tents in bulk available. Just throw it on the palette, pull up to the checkout counter, and as you roll it out to the car enjoy those Siamese twins of post-consumption emotions - environmental guilt and unapologetic Christmas morning glee!
I then went and paid for my grossly overpriced HDMI cable at Radio Shack and had the HDTV up and running just 3 minutes before kickoff for the Superbowl. The Superbowl is, of course, where HDTV shines. Broadcasters and cable operators practically use it as a technology driver every year to set the benchmark for the HDTV experience. The picture was superb. You could see people, grass, everything. Jawed were dropped. Eyes were popped. Yadda yadda.
XBox 360 looks great so far as well. Halo 2 is beautiful. Media Center photos look incredible. I've yet to play around with 1080i vs 720p, or visualizations, but there's time for that yet.
I went with plasma technology for a few reasons:
1. Viewing angle - I just don't like the inconsistent lighting with rear-projection.
2. Quality for the price - LCD still just looks harsh to me. I know it's the technology that's taking over, but the current plasmas look fantastic.
3. Size & weight - two people can easily lift a 50' plasma, unlike the 32" CRT I was replacing, which nearly requires a crane to lift.
I went with the Panasonic TH-50PX6U, available at Costco for under $2k. The buying experience was paradoxically exciting and mundane. Costco had a stack of the Panasonics on the floor the same way they have 8 lb boxes of Chex cereal or 4-packs of all-season tents in bulk available. Just throw it on the palette, pull up to the checkout counter, and as you roll it out to the car enjoy those Siamese twins of post-consumption emotions - environmental guilt and unapologetic Christmas morning glee!
I then went and paid for my grossly overpriced HDMI cable at Radio Shack and had the HDTV up and running just 3 minutes before kickoff for the Superbowl. The Superbowl is, of course, where HDTV shines. Broadcasters and cable operators practically use it as a technology driver every year to set the benchmark for the HDTV experience. The picture was superb. You could see people, grass, everything. Jawed were dropped. Eyes were popped. Yadda yadda.
XBox 360 looks great so far as well. Halo 2 is beautiful. Media Center photos look incredible. I've yet to play around with 1080i vs 720p, or visualizations, but there's time for that yet.
Tags: HDTV