Adjustable Swivel Scanner Extension Speaker
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Introduction In six short sections, we’ll aid guide you towards making informed selections on buying the plasma TV you need for your home theater or living room, tradeshow application, business or syndication display, or executive and corporate boardroom. The divisions in this Buying Guide are arranged in an order and progress that we feel is most helpful in imparting key data towards a plasma TV purchase. First, we’ll take a look at the kind of surroundings in which you are setting up the plasma display. Next, we’ll see what kind of content you intend to watch on the TV and what sort of A/V gadgets you’ll be using to determine the plasma type for your needs. Then, we’ll check out primary plasma specs you must recognise with regards to and installation issues to pay attention to. Lastly, we’ll take a quick look at pricing and other cost issues that you may want to consider. Ready? Let’s begin. The Plasma TV Environment Calculating the Correct Distance Plasma monitors are measured diagonally throughout the screen, just like any other television set. You may specifically choose from the following sizes: 32″, 40″, 42″, 46″, 50″, 61″, or 63″. Bigger is not always better, and a sure distance must be maintained among the plasma TV and the observing area for optimal looking at experience. Sitting too far away diminishes the overall impact. Sitting too close, however, could also present it is own difficulties — as when you get started seeing the screen’s “structure”; i.e., the dots or pixels that make up the plasma display. The right distance depends on the size of your TV. - For 32″ to 37″ TVs, 6 to 10 feet from the screen is needed. - For 42″ to 46″ TVs, 10 to 14 feet from the screen is needed. - For 50″ TVs, 12 to 16 feet from the screen is needed. - For 60″ and more spectacular TVs, at least 15 feet of space from the screen is needed. In determining the suitable TV size for you, you must also consider the space required to install the unit itself. When recessing a plasma display unit, grant at least 3 inches of open space at the top of the unit and adequate ventilation space of at least 2 inches behind it as well. Remember, too, that most plasma displays do not have built-in speakers, so you’ll need to concede space sufficient to attach speakers. Viewing Angles: More on TV Placement Viewing angle is another element that affects the observing experience. Today’s plasma TVs offer looking at angles approaching (and at times exceeding) 170 degrees. This is much better than watching angles for LCD displays and rear-projection TVs, and the wide watching angles for plasma displays translates to a bright, clear picture for anybody in the room — no matter where they’re sitting. Room Lighting and the TV Picture Lighting is also important in the area where your plasma TV is set up. Plasma TVs in general do a fine occupation in rooms with regular indoor lighting, but optimal observing may not be possible in areas with too much direct sunlight. Thus, windows that let in direct sunlight ought to have without apparent effort adaptable blinds or curtains that may eliminate reflections off the screen. Light from a window behind the TV also makes it difficult for the eyes to adjust to the very luminance of the screen, and window treatments are commended in such cases. A little bit of controlled background lighting could also be helpful, as the background light gives the black portions of the picture a deeper, darker look. Altitude May Increase Noise Levels If you live in Denver, Santa Fe or other areas above 6,000 feet, be conscious that galore plasma displays may commence exhibiting operational noise. This is due to increased pressure on the gases contained in the glass substrate of the plasma, a phenomenon that makes the unit work harder to cool the display element. Check to see if the manufacturer has a greatest or most complete or best possible altitude rating if you are setting up the plasma in high-elevation areas. What You Can Watch on Your Plasma TV You may choose amongst HDTV (High Definition TV) and EDTV (Enhanced Definition TV) for your choice of plasma display. Which type you prefer depends on the kind of material you intend to watch on the plasma. EDTV is the perfective entry point into digital television, with a widescreen 16:9 aspect symmetry and an effigy solution that is 200% better than today’s analog televisions. On the other hand, HDTV has up to four times the solution and colors equated to EDTV, providing the extreme visual and sound experience. At present, only a fixed number of programs are broadcast in unfeigned high-definition format (all major networks broadcast HD counterparts to their regular analog-signal broadcasts). In fact, if you plan to use a plasma HDTV for regular TV programming, you may be astonished to find that regular TV programming may even appear somewhat worse, as the big screen exaggerates the flaws in usual TV programs. DVD images from most of the presently available DVD titles on the market today likewise do not fare as well on unfeigned HD plasmas. In fact, these DVD images appear better on EDTV plasma units, because the effigy solution of a widescreen DVD (nominally 740 x 480) more closely matches the actual solution (852 x 480) of the EDTV plasma display. Why bother with a High Definition TV at all, you may ask? Because HDTV, paired with a unfeigned High-Definition or high-quality source, may manufacture genuinely stunning images. With a progressive-scan DVD player paired with, say, any of the lately freed HD-DVD or forthcoming Blu-ray DVD titles (encoded in unfeigned HD format), your plasma HDTV may come to spectacular life and fetch out unrivaled effigy quality. And as more TV programming becomes available in High-Definition format with the looming of the FCC deadline for switching to all-digital broadcasting, plasma HDTV sets will have more TV content to show. One thing’s for sure: Your HDTV won’t be obsolete anytime in the next few years. Devices for your Plasma TV With today’s plasma TV models, almost all of them will have multiple inputs that concede connection of respective devices, with 32″ or larger screens having inputs for connecting six or more dissimilar A/V components. Which video elements do you have now, and which do you plan to add in the future? At the very least, you’ll in all probability want to connect your antenna or cable box, plus a DVD player and perchance a VCR. Other future prospects or potentials include a satellite TV receiver, video game system, or TiVo hard disk recorder. And if you use a camcorder, you will unquestionably want a set of front-panel A/V inputs on your new TV. The newer plasma TVs will include digital inputs such as HDMI or DVI, which may receive HDTV signals from your cable box or satellite (and even a heap of DVD players) in an all-digital format. Some plasma TVs also include a VGA or DVI PC input, which allows your plasma unit to pull double-duty as a PC monitor. Connection tip: If you route your video signals through your home theater receiver, you may connect even more video sources. Most home theater receivers provide Composite Video inputs and outputs to enable video switching, making it easy to choose from among your video sources. If yours does, you may be competent to connect your video elements to your receiver, which will then send the chosen video signal to your TV. Many receivers have S-Video connections as well, and numerous even include Component Video switching. Plasma TV Specifications When comparing plasma TV sets, it’s important to know what to look for to make sense of the specifications you’re staged with. Below is a quick rundown on the necessary specs that you need to weigh before making that all-important buy decision. Resolution: Resolution is a determining factor in selecting a plasma TV. Do you want HDTV or EDTV? HDTV, with a solution of at least 1024 x 720, is the uttermost visual and sound experience, but what is available for observing on HD is presently restricted to a few HD channels on cable, as well as the newly emergent — and inevitably few — DVD titles from the HD-DVD and Blu-ray DVD formats. On the other hand, most of the presently available DVDs actually play better when viewed on EDTV, because the effigy solution of a widescreen DVD (nominally 740 x 480) more closely matches the actual solution (852 x 480) of the EDTV plasma display. Choosing the type of plasma TV that you want, therefore, is a question that must be considered along with the type of content you oftentimes watch or will be observing on your plasma. Inputs: A plasma television must work with any existent video factor with frequent A/V, S-Video, or Component Video outputs. In addition, most plasma TVs have DVI or HDMI connections for use with high-definition sources. Some plasma TVs also have VGA input connections that grant them to be used as monitors for a PC. At the minimum, look for the following specifications on a plasma connection: DVI-I or DVI-D, Component, RCA or Composite, and S-Video. Take into considerateness your current factor set-up — such as your satellite system, cable box, DVD player, and external stereo elements — and see what kind of inputs or connectors they use. Tuner: Check your plasma to see if it is HD-ready or HD-integrated. An HD-ready plasma TV is fundamentally a monitor that needs an external tuner source before it may function as a TV. An HD-integrated panel has a tuner built into the set and is ready for use. If you receive your HDTV programming by way of cable or satellite rather of over-the-air, you may not need a tuner at all, as you will be using the set-top boxes provided by your cable/satellite service to receive HDTV programming. Check with your cable or satellite suppliers for more details. Some cable/satellite companies do away with set-top boxes and provide their subscribers with cable cards instead. Check with your cable/satellite provider if they provide cable cards and the cable-card type that they offer, and then check the specification on the plasma for cable card slots. Contrast Ratio: Contrast proportionality is the measurement that determines the variation amidst the whitest and darkest parts of the image. This is an primary specification, since plasma TVs with a low contrast symmetry will make dark images look muddy and gray while making light images look washed out. A good measure of contrast ratio is 1,000:1 or higher. Anything less than 1,000:1 — peculiarly on a set that is 42″ or larger — may not provide optimal watching experience. Brightness: Without sufficient brightness, your effigy will look muddy and soft — even in a dark room. Viewing distance, screen size, and ambient room light will also affect the need for more luminance capability. A luminance rating listed at 550 cd/m2 or higher is good, but don’t get bogged down with the technical number listed. Instead, make sure that the screen is bright sufficient for your needs as you conduct your own visual inspection. Panel Life: Look for a minimum of 60,000 hours of panel life in your plasma specifications. This is the rating on how long it would take before your panel has half the luminance equated to when it was new. A 60,000-hour spec translates to approximately 20 years of watching at 8 hours per day. (This approximation may vary, depending on the source and type of content, settings, environment, and use of your plasma TV.) Anti-burn-in/Pixel Shift: Burn-in refers to the remnants burned on to the screen after a static effigy has been left on the plasma for a long amount of time of time. To denigrate or prevent burn-in, determine if the plasma panel utilizes burn-in protection, such as power management settings, full-time picture or pixel shift (both vertical and horizontal) technologies, or automatic screensaver functions. Speakers: If you plan to use an external surround sound system, you won’t need audio speakers, but most plasma TV sets include speakers that rated anyplace from 7-12 Watts Pre-amp — which is much better than that of conventional TVs and sufficient for most viewing. Check your plasma’s specifications to see if it comes with speakers and if the speakers are removable. Universal Remote: A universal remote may take the place of having one remote, so that it controls all the respective elements of your TV system, such as the DVD player, audio, cable/satellite etc. If you plan on buying a universal remote, check to see if it’s supported by the plasma set of your choice to make sure the plasma accepts universal remote devices. Power Consumption: Power consumption for plasmas range from 240 watts to over 500 watts, If you’re concerned with how much energy a plasma set may use, check it is specifications to determine power consumption. Units tend to have higher wattage requisites as the screen increases. A good rule of thumb is to compare similar-sized units together; units with higher wattages tend to use inferior elements as a rule. Installation and Mounting Options There are basically two choices for installing a plasma TV: Displaying it on a table stand, cart, or likewise equivalent horizontal surface; or hanging the Plasma TV (on a wall or from a ceiling, using wall mount fixtures). One of the major gains of plasma TV is the flexibleness of mounting and installation choices that are available. However, because of the sheer size of the TV, mounting presents it is own sets of issues that need to be taken into account. For wall (or ceiling) mounting, you will need two persons (ideally), with at least one having sufficient experience to determine the strength of the wall, what is behind the wall, and the proper hardware to use; e.g., anchors, screws, etc. The last thing you need is to have your new Plasma TV fall off the wall and smash into bits because of improper wall mounting. Professional installation is highly commended in this case. Below are respective TV mounting choices you might consider: o Table Stands are usual for displaying plasma units. These units, however, are not one-size- fits-all appliances. Sometimes one is included with the TV itself; other times you have to buy the stand separately. Most consumer-oriented plasma TVs come with their own matching table stand, used whenever there is sufficient tabletop space to support the TV. These units are custom-made to manufacturers’ specifications, as each plasma display has it is own requirements on how the stand fits the plasma. The table stand allows for greatest or most complete or best possible flexibility, as not one thing is permanently affixed to the wall. (Add graphic) o Plasma TV Carts are quintessentially applied in business apps for trade shows and in-house presentations. Table carts are oftentimes applied in a courtroom setting or to mobilize up to the edge of a boardroom table for greatest or most complete or best possible visual presentation. The table cart may include a platform for placing a DVD player, laptop computer, or VCR. (Add graphic) o Flat Wall Mounts maximize the space-saving gains of plasma technology. This is in general the least pricey option, and it adds less than two inches to the total depth of the plasma unit. It is employed in home theaters, living rooms, or company boardrooms to achieve and maximally offset the sleek aspect that plasma displays are known for. (Add graphic) o Tilt Wall Mounts let you place your plasma TV above eye level, keeping the unit out of the way but permitting it to be readily viewable from anyplace in the room. A tilt wall mount specifically allows 15 to 20 degrees of tilt (depending on the brand of the wall mount). This option is often times employed to install plasma displays above fireplaces and in bedrooms, and is also used for overhead displays in syndication or industry (with or without an attached ceiling bracket). The tilt wall mount adds from 4 to 6 inches to the depth of the mounted display. (Add graphic) o Articulating Wall Mounts use swivel arms to render the plasma unit flush with the wall and out of the way when the unit is not in use. Pulled out, this mounting device allows you to turn the display 120 degrees to either side and as much as 10 degrees up or down. It adds amid 3 or 4 inches to the depth of the plasma mount (depending on the manufacturer of the wall mount), and is applied for greatest or most complete or best possible flexibleness in sports bars, library studies, and mercantile display operations. (Add graphic) o Ceiling Mounts enable you to mount your plasma TV where you want it in case a wall isn’t available. This option is in general coupled with a tilt mount, so that the display may be adjusted downward for requiring little effort viewing. Lengths of ceiling mount poles vary according to client needs, but general lengths are from 24 to 43 inches. Ceiling mounts are normally applied for airport displays, checkout counters, hospital rooms, and bedrooms. (Add graphic) Pricing and Other Costs Plasma TVs are expensive, but they do fall into a few distinct categories. Below is a rough guide to selling and online pricing for plasma units (current as of this writing, May 2006). - $1,000 to $1,500 buys you a plasma TV up to 42″ - $1,500 to $3,000 buys you a plasma TV up to 50″ - More than $3,000 buys you a plasma up to 65″ Also: - Under $1,500 buys you a refurbished EDTV plasma - Under $2,000 buys you an EDTV plasma - More than $2,000 buys you an HDTV plasma In addition to the cost of the plasma TV itself, you may want to factor in the price of accessories, such as cables, surge protectors, further and added audio equipment, furniture, and room treatments to arrive at a realistic cost outlay for your plasma TV purchase. Lastly, be conscious of “standard” charges that employ to your purchase: a sales tax when the TV is purchased at a brick-and-mortar establishment; shipping charges (especially if the TV is purchased online); and deliverance and/or set-up charges. Check and compare the manufacturer warranties for respective plasma TV brands; extended warranties are always extra. |
