EDTV/HDTV - Which to go for?

frrser

Hi guys,
Me & 2 of my friends are planning to go for a Plasma TV. We have done some research & find some good reviews on the following models:

Sony FWD42PV1B 42" Plasma EDTV
http://www.dealstudio.com/viewtopic.php?t=37445&ru=290

852 x 480 Max Resolution
10000:1 Contrast Ratio
500nit(s) Brightness

Panasonic TH42PX80U 42" Plasma HDTV
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=205247

720p resolution
15,000:1 contrast ratio
3 HDMI inputs
480Hz sub field drive

Wanted to know your thoughts about these two. Also if it is worth the money we are spending for it. or if there are any difference Between EDTV and HDTV.

RoboChocobo

Go with the HDTV. EDTV's are on the way out.

MichaelLC

There's a whole sticky TV thread in Moe's, but yes, go with the 720p. You will notice a difference, certainly at 42".

You may want to shop around and see if you can find a 1080p. I personally wouldn't bother with a 1080i, though unless the majority usage will be TV.

OremLK

Out of those, the second one, but I would suggest getting an offbrand 1080p LCD before a 720p name brand plasma. In particular, I've never been very fond of Panasonic's picture quality (although Samsung is good).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889022068

LondonBridge

I own a 42in Panasonic EDTV and HD looks great on it. With 42in screens you won't notice a difference between 480p and 720p when watching from normal viewing distance. You only see the differences on larger screens, 50in and up. If you get the EDTV you won't feel as compelled to buy a Blu-Ray DVD player and can still enjoy all your other DVDs. Plus the money you save with the EDTV can be spent on a nice receiver.

Bottom line: if you want HDTV then go 50in or larger.

AresProphet

I thought 42" was about the point where 720p started to look noticeably better? I know 1080p needs like a 60" screen at optimal viewing distance to notice the change, but the jump from 480p to 720 doesn't need a projector-size screen.

Fake edit: according to this a 42" screen at about 10 to 12 feet will look noticeably better than 480p. For a 1080p screen, you'd need to be about five feet away, or get a 54"+ screen at 10 feet.

truck-a-sauras

avsforum.com has enough information on this topic to make your head spin. Given you are looking at buying either of those two in the $750 - 1000 price range I'd do some more searching around as you can get more bang for your buck than those choices. You can certainly get a HDTV for that price and I wouldn't even bother with EDTV.

Hlubocky

Here are some related questions that need thinking about:

Are you splitting the cost?
When you move out, who gets to keep it?
Will you force the one that wants to keep it to pay in everyone else's share (minus depreciation)?
What if nobody wants to pay it off, then who keeps it?

I might sound like kind of a downer, but you should think these things out ahead of time since I have had to deal with a similar situation, and it can cause a bit of a headache.

senor_x

Under no circumstances should you buy anything EDTV, especially if it costs $800. Unless you never plan on using it for HD material.

Improvolone

I would be warry of sharing the cost of such a wanted item with anyone. Who gets it in the end?

OremLK

LondonBridge wrote: »

I own a 42in Panasonic EDTV and HD looks great on it. With 42in screens you won't notice a difference between 480p and 720p when watching from normal viewing distance. You only see the differences on larger screens, 50in and up. If you get the EDTV you won't feel as compelled to buy a Blu-Ray DVD player and can still enjoy all your other DVDs. Plus the money you save with the EDTV can be spent on a nice receiver.

Bottom line: if you want HDTV then go 50in or larger.

AresProphet wrote: »

I thought 42" was about the point where 720p started to look noticeably better? I know 1080p needs like a 60" screen at optimal viewing distance to notice the change, but the jump from 480p to 720 doesn't need a projector-size screen.

Fake edit: according to this a 42" screen at about 10 to 12 feet will look noticeably better than 480p. For a 1080p screen, you'd need to be about five feet away, or get a 54"+ screen at 10 feet.

Do you guys actually buy this Best Buy salesman crap? They're just trying to sell you bigger TVs.

It's actually quite easy to tell differences in screen resolution even 6' away from 19" computer monitor.

Even on an HDTV as small as 27", HD picture looks much, much better than SD.

narv107

For the same price point as the Plasma ($1099US) I managed to snag a LG 1080p 42" LCD two weeks ago.

frrser

there are any difference Between EDTV and HDTV? I just know Sony is a good brand for TV, and that price seems a good deal

EggyToast

Uh yeah, resolution. EDTV is a "nothing" format that isn't HD. Everything recognizes it as 480p, or "regular DVD resolution," and for the price, you might as well spend a little more on something that's HD.

AresProphet

OremLK wrote: »

Do you guys actually buy this Best Buy salesman crap? They're just trying to sell you bigger TVs.

Oh. I wasn't aware I had a job. When will I be getting my paycheck?

It's actually quite easy to tell differences in screen resolution even 6' away from 19" computer monitor.

Even on an HDTV as small as 27", HD picture looks much, much better than SD.

Well, yeah. SDTV is also 480i, and the jump to 720p (which is HDTV) is simply huge. And monitor displays/resolutions are optimized for sub-5' viewing ranges. Broadcast/cable/satellite TV is optimized for longer viewing distances, and as such you'll be less likely to notice a decreased resolution when watching TV as opposed to looking at a PC monitor.

The jump from 480p to 720p isn't as big, and if you are concerned with getting the most out of your picture you should be aware of how far you sit away from your TV.

Most people don't sit five feet away from their TVs when watching, so 1080p is only really important on 50"+ screens. 720p is fine for screens down to about 40", and if you buy one smaller than that you can get away with 480p just fine and not notice the decrease in resolution.

Which is exactly the opposite of trying to sell someone a bigger TV, isn't it?

With that said, you'll typically be able to get a 720p-capable TV with a respectable screen size for a decent price these days. The only real reason to get one that's EDTV (480p only) is if you're looking to spend as little mnoey as humanly possible. And frankly I'd rather get a 32" HDTV than a 40" EDTV at a comparable price.

Deusfaux

EDTV is a silly standard that never became standard

It's standard definition - but at a 16:9 aspect - so you get the 853x480. Same vertical resolution as standard (4:3) aspect SD tvs.

It allows you to watch anamorphic dvds at their full resolution, and that's about it.

Balefuego

LondonBridge wrote: »

I own a 42in Panasonic EDTV and HD looks great on it. With 42in screens you won't notice a difference between 480p and 720p when watching from normal viewing distance. You only see the differences on larger screens, 50in and up. If you get the EDTV you won't feel as compelled to buy a Blu-Ray DVD player and can still enjoy all your other DVDs. Plus the money you save with the EDTV can be spent on a nice receiver.

Bottom line: if you want HDTV then go 50in or larger.

Thats not really true, it's very difficult to tell the difference between 720p or 1080i vs 1080p on a screen smaller than 50inches, but the difference between 480p and 720p is easily noticeable.

edit: not to mention that 480p is not a standard resolution for anything besides regular DVDs. Blu-Ray is 1080p and high def broadcasts are usually 720p or 1080i.

Deusfaux

STOP, you're hurting my brain.

you can't make statements like that without saying how close the person is to the screen

I have a 30" monitor and I can tell the difference between 720, 1080 and 1600p on it, because I sit less than a metre from it