The Plasma TV Blog

The S4273 is Samsung’s fully loaded 42 inch screen size entry in the Plasma market. It has Samsung’s exclusive FilterBright Plus and DNle Technology which gives one of the most brilliant and crystal clear pictures available anywhere in the field of large screen televisions. The 13 bit processing that is part of the DNle Technology allows the use of a staggering 549 billion different colors.

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The HP-S5053 has a 50 inch screen and a 16:9 screen aspect ratio, and this might very well be the ideal screen size to maximize the impact of the kind of picture that Plasma TV can product when receiving a High Definition signal. The use of a Digital Comb Filter, and Samsung’s exclusive DNle technology and FilterBright Plus can transform that signal into one of the most brilliantly colored and lifelike pictures of any television. The signal can be received through a wide variety of input and output ports with the main option being the 2 HDMI interface ports that allow easy one cable connection to your entire system. There is also a PC input port to allow reception of HD signals from every possible source.

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There are two things you notice rather quickly when you review the S6373 Plasma Television by Samsung. The first is the 63 inch screen size and the 16.9 aspect ratio. It is just really big, and very much a Home Theater experience. The second thing you notice is that they do not talk directly of their resolution. From the hints that they give it is fairly certain that it is capable of 480p and 720p progressive scan, and also most likely 1080i, but they do not come right out and say it.

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This is a very stylish monster with a 61 inch screen that uses Digital Light Processing, or DLP technology. This involves the use of a small chip with thousands of small mirrors that tilt individually directing light through a rotating color wheel to fire the pixels on the display screen. The native resolution is 1280 x 720 which supports 480p/720p progressive scan, and 1080i formats.

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This television uses Digital Light Processing technology developed by Texas Instruments to produce a High Definition picture that is remarkable in its distortion free quality. The native resolution is 1280 x 720 which supports 480p/720p/1090i digital formats. DLP televisions are rear projection units that use a small chip containing a large number of micro mirrors that tilt independently to direct light through a rapidly rotating color wheel to the display pixel.

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At first glance, it appears that the difference in the 56DLX25 and Panasonic’s other 56” screen DLP television, the 56DLX76, is a matter of styling. The DLX25 looks quite a bit different, and comes with an optional stand. The suggested price is around two hundred dollars lower, and the styling of the DLX25 is quite attractive and modern. There is actually something much more important involved. The DLX25 has a native resolution of 1280 x 720 and this allows 720p progressive scan and 1080i. While this is close to state of the art at the current time, the DLX76 model allows 1080 progressive scan, and is going to be more compatible with Blu-ray DVD players and some of the other newer High Definition technologies that are becoming available.

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This unit is a 61“ screen monster of a high tech television. It uses Texas Instruments trademarked DLP rear projection technology. There is always some concern in rear projection type televisions about loss of picture quality with larger screens. It is interesting to note that one measure of picture quality, the contrast ratio, drops a bit in this unit when compared to the 56” screen DLP also offered by Panasonic. The contrast ratio is still 12,500:1 which exceeds most Plasma and LCD units and produces a very crisp and lifelike picture display. This is helped by the resolution that is 1920 x 1080, and progressive scan that allows 1080p High Definition display that handles just about anything being produced today, and seems well positioned to handle even the next generation of display formats.

The DLP or Digital Light Processing technology uses a small chip containing over a million microscopic mirrors that tilt independently focusing light through a rapidly rotating color wheel to the pixel array. Panasonic adds a HD2+ Digital Micromirror Device and an 8 segment color wheel to further eliminate some of the earlier distortion problems of the DLP style picture displays. The result really has to be seen to be appreciated.

There is a full package of extras to compliment the picture reproduction. Connection is made simple via HDMI one cable connection ports although inputs and output to handle almost every type of connection need are also included. These include a full array of connector ports that can hook to your personal computer. There is also a SD card slot for displaying JPEG pictures on your DLP screen. The sound is matched to the picture with a special BBE High Definition Sound system that is also a trademarked exclusive feature of Panasonic, and a set of 30 watt surround sound speakers. The DLP needs a little more room in the back than its flat screened brothers, but still this unit has a depth of just a bit over 18 inches so finding a location in your home for it will not be a serious problem, but it is a good idea to locate it in front of a very comfortable chair because once you begin to view the kind of High Definition image that 1080 progressive scan resolution, high contrast pictures that produce, you are not going to want to ever turn it off.

If you wish to have your Home Theater setup anchored by a television that is out at the cutting edge of today’s high definition technology, this 56” screen DLP would make a good choice. It uses Texas Instrument DLP Technology which has a small chip containing over one million microscopic mirrors all moving and tilting individually behind a high speed rotating color wheel. This method known as DLP or Digital Light Processing is capable of producing some of the highest contrast ratios in any television display. This unit has a contrast ratio of 14,000:1. This incredible range from white to black allows amazing picture reproduction in both dark and brilliantly lighted scenes. The resolution is 1920 x 1080 and the unit is capable of progressive scan up to 1080p. This makes it the perfect match for Blu-ray DVD players.

The PT-56DLX76 has a full array of input and output connections including both rear and front ports. The main connection is provided by two all purpose HDMI connecting ports that allow simple one cable connection. There is also a full array of connections that allow connection to your personal computer. The High Definition picture is complimented by High Definition sound. The BBE High Definition Sound system is a trademarked bit of audio technology, and the surround sound speakers put out 30 watts and 16 ohms of total power.

There is also a vast number of high technology extras built into this television. Some examples include picture in picture from two sources and Panasonic’s standard V-Chip programming lockout that utilizes a four digit user generated code to lock out objectionable programming. There is also a 181 NTSC tuner. The weight is a bit more than Plasma or LCD units of similar size and it is not anywhere as flat with a 17” depth. Of course, this is still a vast improvement over the depth that would be needed for the Cathode Ray tube of an old style 56” screen television. It is interesting to note also that Panasonic almost seems to brag about the low power consumption figures on its Plasma and LCD mode televisions and includes a wattage figure on the spec sheets, but on this unit it states that it has “Energy Star Compliance.” You might expect this high tech, high definition, and fairly high priced television to cost a bit more to operate and that is an important consideration because once you see the brilliant picture with images that appear more real than even real life, you aren’t going to ever want to turn it off.

It is interesting that Panasonic refers to this model as a monitor. It is really a very advanced LCD television with a display capability of 480p/720p/1080i, and a resolution of 1280 x 768 giving a total pixel count of 983,040. These figures are a bit smaller than on the larger LCD models, and the advanced technology pixel controls are not included either. The response time has increased to 25ms which is almost three times as slow as the larger screen models. The contrast ratio is up to 800:1, and the viewing angle is still over 170 degrees. What this all means is that the 19LX50 is not going to be capable of the kind of distortion free kind of pictures that are typical of other Panasonic LCD Televisions. On the other hand, there are few televisions anywhere that are capable of that, and this small model still delivers a High Definition picture that is pretty impressive.

It also does not include the HDMI interface connection which means Panasonic does not visualize this unit as a part of a Home Theater system. Composite video, S-video, and all of the other standard inputs and outputs are there, however, and connection is not a problem. The Pedestal stand is included, and the V-Chip programming lockout is standard as well. Two 8 watt per channel surround sound speakers provide audio that matches up well with the units overall size.

Size is what this unit really has to offer. The flat screen monitor is less than six inches in depth, and weighs only 18.7 pounds. Is power consumption is rated at 66 watts. It is obvious that this is a unit that is designed to fit a certain niche. It is intended for use as a second television, or for a smaller area. It is still going to deliver a brilliant and lifelike High Definition experience wherever and for whatever purpose you use it.

The TC-26LE60 is a limited edition version of Panasonic’s 26 inch diagonal television. The major difference between this unit and the LX60 version are slightly smaller speakers. The LE60 has two 14 watt per channel speakers rather than the 20 watt ones on the LX. That is really about the only difference. There is the same 1366 x 768 resolution yielding a total pixel count of over a million, and the progressive scan capability at 480p/730p size gives the same rock solid picture. The high tech features like Active Light Control, and Active Contrast/Gamma Control system harness the color output of the pixels, and lead to amazing brilliant colors. The In Plane Switching control allows the picture to avoid distortion regardless of what your viewing angle. The unit claims a viewing angle of 178 degrees. The 8ms response time give the super fast refreshing rate that maximizes the experience of viewing fast action films and sporting events.

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