Member Avatar for amaze122

To me, graphics are everything. I want a new monitor, 1). It has to be bigger than my present one, of 20", 2). It has to show even better (I have a 6 yr old Viewsonic Professional series P-810). It has to be either a CRT, or a plasma screen, and I want my movies that I have burned to my external hard drives (over 400 movies, 7 Seagate 400gb harddrives), to play at their absolute best. Since new monitors cost so much anyway, I figure I might as well get a plasma screen, jeez, you can get a 52" plasma screen from Sony, for only $2200!!
And from a set-top dvd player, the movies look absolutely 3-d! But nobody in town, not Microcenter, not Comp-Usa, nowhere in the Galleria, (I live in Houston, Tx) has a really good one hooked up to a computer, so that you can see the possibilities there. Only one store had a cheap Hitachi hooked up, and hell that cheap thing didn't even impress on a set-top dvd!? Anybody in here got any experience?

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Given ’s goals (bigger than a 20", best possible movie picture from an external library) the core decision is a tradeoff between movie performance and everyday desktop use. ’s Sanyo example shows how a plasma can look spectacular for DVDs and broadcast HD. , and are right to flag the common downsides for PC work: plasmas are optimized for full‑screen moving video, while fixed‑pixel displays (LCD) render text and desktop UI much more crisply and don’t suffer long‑term image retention the way plasmas historically could.

Practical points to check before buying: a TV’s physical size does not equal crispness—pixel density and the panel’s native resolution matter for readable text. Many TVs apply overscan and TV‑style scaling that will blur or crop a PC desktop unless the set has a true “PC/RGB” input and supports a 1:1 pixel mapping. Use a direct digital link (DVI/HDMI) or a labeled PC input when possible, force the graphics card to the display’s native progressive resolution, and test for input lag and deinterlacing artifacts.

If movies are the primary use, a large plasma or TV driven by an HTPC or a good set‑top player (progressive output, proper deinterlacing) will likely deliver the most pleasing picture. If daily computing is equally important, the least compromise is a two‑display approach: a dedicated high‑resolution LCD for work plus the big TV/plasma for movie nights. To reduce burn‑in risk on plasmas, lower brightness, use moving screen savers when idle, hide static UI elements, and enable any manufacturer anti‑burn features.

When shopping, insist on a live PC hookup (bring a laptop or sample images: text, icons, a still image and a full‑screen movie) and verify PC mode, overscan, sharpness, color, and responsiveness. Check return policy and warranty coverage for image retention before committing.

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Member Avatar for alc6379

I haven't used it on a computer, but my favorite Korean restaurant just bought a Sanyo 42" plasma. Don't know the model, but that thing looks awesome on DVD and on HD channels pulled from satellite.

Member Avatar for Thorick

It is really hard to get A plasma T.V so small because of the way the phospherous bubbles making the image have to sit. If it gets to small then the pixels start to show. That is probably the reason the Hitachi one didn't impress you. Also a plasmo screen will burn images into it if an image is present for to long. On a computer there are alot of unchanging images. What you want is a LCD. They are more expensive but they can come big. They don't burn images. And they are HDTV. All the Computer Stores will have these. If they don't then the Comp stores suck major.

Member Avatar for amaze122

You know I was really surprised to get so little response to this post that I made four months ago! I had thought that this was the type of topic a lot of people here would be interested in, and so get a lot of interaction, but I guess not... Anyway thanks for your response, your interest, and your excellent advice!

Member Avatar for Dani

Plasma screens aren't really the best as computer monitors. Firstly, because of the burn-in issue. Secondly, because you can get a higher resolution if you go LCD. Plasmas are better for TVs, but LCDs are better for PCs, IMHO.

Member Avatar for nizzy1115

I agree. However, most big lcd's are really meant for tv use so they have limited (1366x768) resolution or less, which is lower than my 17" lcd. Plasmas would be ideal if you had it hooked up to your computer and only used it for gaming or movies. If it is every day computer work, stick to lcd for the reasons people have stated above.

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