I am considering buying a flat screen plasma display for business use
(in a cafe).  I am coinsidering a few models (see below).  Can you
please cross reference the features of each of the models below
(brightness/contrast/sharpness/# of inputs/consumer reviews/etc...
Which of the following models are the "best"?  In your research, are
there any models you would "avoid"?  Also, are any of the models "old
technology"?/do these models have the features of today's latest
plasma screens?  Thank you.

MODELS:

Daewoo 42" DSP-4210GM 
Hitachi 42" CMP4121HDU 
NEC 42" 42PD3 
Pioneer 50" PDP-503CMX 
Sharp 50" PZ-50HV2U 
FUJITSU PDS-4233 

FINALLY, I am also considering buying some speakers (surround sound)
what consumer or professional reviews can you find on the SONY
SS-SR301 Home Theater/Surround Sound Speakers?

Hi,

I will first give you a round up of the different plasma displays.
Afterwards I will give you a conclusion.

Daewoo:
Size: 42 inch
Contrast ratio: 500:1
Pixels: 853 horizontal x 480 vertical
Viewing angle: 160 degrees
Connections: composite video, S-video, component video, analogue
audio, computer RGB
Buid-in speakers: no

When Daewoo brought this plasma screen to the marker they surprised
everyone. The reason for that was that they priced the unit at about
half the price of the plasma displays of other manuafactures.
Luckily, this didn’t mean the quality was half as bad either. The
Daewoo does have a slight contrast problem though: they claim a
contrast ratio of about 500:1 but in reality this seems optimistic.
This results in black colours looking a bit grey and colours not
appearing as vividly as they could.
They detail of the picture is fine though and there is little noise in
the picture when compared to older plasma displays.

Fujitsu:
Price: from $4800 retail
Size: 42 inch
Pixels: 852 horizontal x 480 vertical
Pixel pitch: 1.08 mm x 1.08 mm 
Viewing angle: 160 degrees
Systems: NTSC, PAL, SECAM, 4.43NTSC, PAL-60, M-PAL, N-PAL
Weight: 62.7 lbs
Connections:  composite video, S-video, component video, analogue
audio, computer RGB
Build-in speakers: yes

This plasma display is very bright which results in vivid colours.
Another strong point of the Fujitsu is it’s contrast range: blacks
really appear as blacks.
Reading this you might think that the picture quality just can’t get
any better. Unfortunatly, the Fujitsu does suffer from solarisation:
this means that shades of colour sometimes look like rainbow-like
bands rather than shaded graduations so subtle they appear smooth to
the eye. The Daewoo unit doesn’t suffer from this.
A small minor detail: the on-screen menu’s don’t work really well.
Navigation is difficult.
Although build-in speakers are provided for, they aren’t much use: the
quality of the sound is quite bad and there isn’t much bass. This
means you will probably have to buy separate speakers.

Hitachi:
Price: from $5600 retail
Size: 42 inch
Contrast ratio: 500:1
Pixels: 1024 horizontal x 768 vertical
Pixel pitch: 0.90 mm x 0.51 mm
Viewing angle: 160 degrees
Systems: NTSC, NTSC 4.43, M-PAL, PAL, N-PAL, SECAM
Connections: computer RGB, composite video, analogue audio
Weight: 68.1 lbs
Build-in speakers: no

NEC:
Price: from $4400 retail
Size: 42 inch
Contrast ratio: 1300:1 (claimed)
Pixels: 853 horizontal x 480 vertical
Pixel Pitch: 1.08 mm x 1.08 mm
Viewing angel: 160 degrees
Systems: NTSC, PAL, SECAM, 4.43 NTSC
Connections: composite video, S-video, component video, analogue
audio, computer RGB
Weight: 64.1 lbs
Build-in speakers: no

This is one of the first plasma units from NEC which they brought on
the marker under their own label: they used to create plasma displays
for other company’s.
The contrast range of this unit is really good: blacks really appear
black. As you can see in the specs they claim a ratio of 1300:1 but
you should take this with a grain of salt. Rest assured, you won’t be
disappointed.
A small problem with the picture is noise though: in some scenes the
picture looks a bit grainy. Also, colours aren’t as vivid as on some
of the other units.
There are no signs of solarisation like on the Fujitsu. 
Small detail: onscreen navigation works really well.

Pioneer:
Price: from $8000 retail
Size: 50 inch
Pixels: 1268 horizontal x 768 vertical
Pixel pitch: 0.858 mm x 0.808 mm
Viewing angel: 160 degrees
Connections (input): composite video, S-video, component video,
analogue audio, computer RGB
Build-in speakers: no

This plasma display is quite advanced as Pioneer has has deepened the
structure of the plasma display element pixel cells, thus allowing
more phosphor area (40% increase) and less light leakage. This results
in more vivid colours.
Contrast range is good and there are no signs of solarisation. 
This unit is especially usefull if you are planning to project
computer pictures on it. The reason for this is that this is one the
first 50 inch units where the picture is so sharp you can sit real
close to the screen (5 to 10 feet).
Another unique feature of this display is the optional video board
slot where you can install future video boards should better
processing technologies arrive. This means the unit is quite future
proof!

Sharp:
Size: 50 inch
Contrast ratio: 500:1
Pixels: 1280 horizontal x 1024 vertical
Viewing angel: 160 degrees
Connections: Connections (input): composite video, S-video, component
video, analogue audio, computer RGB
Build-in speakers: yes

Contrast is good. There are however some signs of solarisation
although it’s less than on the Fujitsu. The picture isn’t as sharp as
the Pioneer though so you will probably have to sit some more distance
away from it.

---

Clarification of Answer by paul_b_18-ga on 26 Aug 2002 14:21 PDT

I've already spend two hours researching and writing this answer and
that's the set time limit when an answer has to be finished so I will
give you further notes and the conclusion in a clarification shortly.
I hope you don't mind this.

---

Clarification of Answer by paul_b_18-ga on 26 Aug 2002 14:44 PDT

When you look at the specifications of the different plasma displays
some things are noticeable:

all units have practically the same connections, 
only one unit (Fujitsu) has build in speakers,
the viewing angle is practically the same on all units,
all units can handle the most used video systems,

This means the differences between the units have to be sought in
contrast, sharpness, colour quality and extra features.

To easily summarize my report I will now give a number on the scale of
1 to 10 (10 being the best) for the above mentioned categories for
each plasma display:

Daewoo:
Contrast: 6
Sharpness: 8 
Colour: 7
Extra features: none

Fujitsu:
Contrast: 9
Sharpness: 8
Colour: 6
Extra features: build-in speakers

Hitachi:
Contrast: 7
Sharpness: 8
Colour: 8
Extra features: none

NEC:
Contrast: 9
Sharpness: 7
Colours: 7
Extra features: none

Pioneer:
Contrast: 9
Sharpness: 9
Colours: 8
Extra features: future proof because of extra slot for alternative
video processing board.

Sharp:
Contrast: 8
Sharpness: 7
Colours: 7
Extra features: none

Concluding I can say the following: if you can spare the extra cash I
would definitely go for the Pioneer unit. If money is a problem, go
for the NEC unit as it’s can be obtained for only $4400 (and probably
even less).

By the way: I work a couple of hours a week for quite a large
audio/video store down in Rotterdam (Netherlands) so I’ve seen most of
these units in action.

I hope I’ve given you enough information to make a good decision. If
you feel like you need to know more, just ask for a clarification and
I will be happy to give you further information!


Search strategy:
Google: 
+review +Daewoo +"DSP-4210GM”
+review +42PD3  +nec
+review +CMP4121HDU +Hitachi
+review +plasma +Hitachi +4121
+Fujitsu +"4233" +review
+Sharp +"50HV2U" +review
+Pioneer +"PDP-503CMX" +review
+Pioneer +"PDP-503CMX" +review +technical


Kind regards,
Paul_b_18-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by paul_b_18-ga on 26 Aug 2002 16:19 PDT

Hi,

I've used several search engines (Altavista, Google and AllTheWeb) to
find reviews for SS-SR301 surround speakers like you requested.
Unfortunatly, not much information can be found about them.
I did find the following however, I hope it's of some use:

"Great to add on to your set-up. Fit's in corner of ceiling or
where-ever".
http://www.net5000.com/markets/wa/wa4.htm

"Simple corner mounts. Fits great in any corner of a vehicle. Also
works great in inside in the corner of two walls or between the wall
and ceiling. Each unit contains two speakers each angled away from
each other for a wonderful surround sound". (store hype)
Saturn Surplus.com
http://www.saturnsurplus.com/miscpage/speaker.htm

"They were used with a large Sony flat-screen TV. The rated impedance
is 16 Ohms with a maximum power output of 120 Watts. There are two
mid-range speakers in each table-top/wall mount speaker. We hooked
these speakers up to a stereo and cranked it up and they had amazing
clarity without distortion, a great addition to your home sound
system.
...
Features: 120watt Handling Power 16 ohms Wall Mountable Very Stylish
Unique Triangular Shape Can be used as Tabletop, Bookshelf or Wall
Mount".
Found on Usenet


Search strategy:
Google: +SR301 +Sony
        +301 +Sony +surround +speaker
Altavista: +SR301 +Sony
AllTheWeb: +SR301 +Sony


Again, if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask for a
clarifation.

Regards,
paul_b_18-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by curiogeorges-ga on 26 Aug 2002 17:09 PDT

Holy moly!  That's great info.  The information is exactly what I
needed, but didn't have time for.  A++++!

---

Request for Answer Clarification by curiogeorges-ga on 26 Aug 2002 17:13 PDT

On the speakers, 16 Ohms with a maximum power output of 120
Watts....is that good?  or average? Is that sufficient for quality
sound?

---

Clarification of Answer by paul_b_18-ga on 27 Aug 2002 04:23 PDT

Hi,

What's the size of the room you are going to use the speakers in?

---

Request for Answer Clarification by curiogeorges-ga on 27 Aug 2002 09:13 PDT

They are going in a 22'x45' room and I plan to use 8 strategically
placed speaker units around the perimeter of the room.  Will that fill
the room with sound?

---

Clarification of Answer by paul_b_18-ga on 27 Aug 2002 13:44 PDT

Hi,

With 8 of these speakers you will definitely not have a problem to
fill that room with sound.
If I were you, just to be sure, I would check that the claimed 120
watts are an RMS value. RMS means that you really get 120 watts at all
times. There are a lot of (surround) speakers out there whereby the
given watt level is its peak level: that means that you will
experience a much lower watt level most of the time.
However, given the fact that these are Sony speakers, I do think that
these 120 watt's are RMS. In that case you will have way more than
enough volume power available.

Hope this answers your question!

Kind regards,
paul_b_18-ga

Very helpful.  I bought the NEC on ebay thanks to you!

I think there are other, technically critical criteria in chossing a
plasma display. For example, the Hitachi is talked about at the AVS
forum as follows:

The Hitachi CMP4121HDU is an A.L.I.S. screen, which appears to be
frowned upon by the afficienados. AVS Plasma FAQ states:


"What is ALiS? [divvy] 

ALiS stands for Alternate Lighting of Surfaces. It is a way to
increase vertical screen resolution on a plasma display while
maintaining brightness (by allowing bigger pixels) and keeping number
of components and therefore costs down.

Existing Alis screens have 1024X1024 discrete pixels but they are
addressed in an interlaced manner so every 60th of a second all pixels
on the odd rows get addressed followed in the next 60th of a second by
the pixels in all the even rows. As was mentioned, this is an
interlaced method of display but is still better than CRT direct view
as in CRT the electron beam has to scan lines one by one. With ALiS
all odd lines are lit simultaneously then all even
lines are lit simultaneously. 

How this is done is that the odd and even rows share electrodes. In
non ALiS displays each row of pixels has a dedicated pair of
electrodes so that every row can be addressed simlutaneously to
produce a progessive
display. 

With ALiS, the bottom electrode of a row of pixels would also be the
top electrode of the next row and so on. What this means in practice
is that a row of pixels cannot be lit at the same time as the row next
to it because the shared electrode can only be used for one of the two
adjacent rows. Hence the interlaced nature of this display. "

This was found in a draft for Plasma FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
found at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162937&highlight=ALIS
which is very informative.

Based on ALiS, I would eliminate the Hitachi as a choice.

-=clouseau-ga=-