Akai 42" HD-Ready Plasma Display TV @ Micro Center $1199 AR

[osan0001]

Originally posted by: Jaxidian

Originally posted by: videopho
Nobrainerdeals:
It's a somewhat a comfort knowing someone is liking it. I bit the bullet last night buying this set from MC and my wife hasn't stopped chewing me up for buying NOT a Sony brand tv set.

That's when you go find a $4500 Sony plasma and show her the difference in price.

Sony is nothing like it used to be IMHO. True, I do own a Digital Handycam, PS2, and will buy a PS3, but as far as audio/video equipment, I stay away from them.

 

[Jaxidian]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: videopho

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
How does the Akai plasma compare to the 44" Panasonic LCD in this thread? Or is it even relevant being that they are so different?

Need to know because deal ends today!

Apple and Orange. No comparison. What deal ends today?

It's a regional deal. HHGregg has the 44" Panasonic for $1297 today only, but it sounds like that's only a mildly hot price.

Though it's a day late, I'd say if you must buy one of these two, then go take a look at the Plasma and compare it to a name-brand plasma and see how it compares. If it's nearly equal in quality and clarity, then get the plasma over the 44" LCD Projection (as you can tell from my posts in that thread, I'm not a fan of that TV). However, I was at Sam's last night and saw a 42" Akai plasma and I was very unimpressed with it. I would prefer the 44" Panny over that Plasma because it seemed very blurry even on high-def. I think it's a result of the 1024x1024 native resolution but can't know for sure. Top-to-bottom it looked fine but left-to-right it looked kinda blurry.

 

[videopho]

Originally posted by: Jaxidian

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: videopho

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
How does the Akai plasma compare to the 44" Panasonic LCD in this thread? Or is it even relevant being that they are so different?

Need to know because deal ends today!

Apple and Orange. No comparison. What deal ends today?

It's a regional deal. HHGregg has the 44" Panasonic for $1297 today only, but it sounds like that's only a mildly hot price.

Though it's a day late, I'd say if you must buy one of these two, then go take a look at the Plasma and compare it to a name-brand plasma and see how it compares. If it's nearly equal in quality and clarity, then get the plasma over the 44" LCD Projection (as you can tell from my posts in that thread, I'm not a fan of that TV). However, I was at Sam's last night and saw a 42" Akai plasma and I was very unimpressed with it. I would prefer the 44" Panny over that Plasma because it seemed very blurry even on high-def. I think it's a result of the 1024x1024 native resolution but can't know for sure. Top-to-bottom it looked fine but left-to-right it looked kinda blurry.

Not sure or dunno which Akai model you looked at Sam's but mine (bought from MC, 3 days ago) looks perfect from top to bottom and left to right or everywhere in both HDMI input from my rca hdtv OTA tuner and via components for DVD as compared to my almost 4yrs old HDTV Sony RPTV (not a fair compare but...)

 

[Jaxidian]

Originally posted by: videopho

Originally posted by: Jaxidian

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: videopho

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
How does the Akai plasma compare to the 44" Panasonic LCD in this thread? Or is it even relevant being that they are so different?

Need to know because deal ends today!

Apple and Orange. No comparison. What deal ends today?

It's a regional deal. HHGregg has the 44" Panasonic for $1297 today only, but it sounds like that's only a mildly hot price.

Though it's a day late, I'd say if you must buy one of these two, then go take a look at the Plasma and compare it to a name-brand plasma and see how it compares. If it's nearly equal in quality and clarity, then get the plasma over the 44" LCD Projection (as you can tell from my posts in that thread, I'm not a fan of that TV). However, I was at Sam's last night and saw a 42" Akai plasma and I was very unimpressed with it. I would prefer the 44" Panny over that Plasma because it seemed very blurry even on high-def. I think it's a result of the 1024x1024 native resolution but can't know for sure. Top-to-bottom it looked fine but left-to-right it looked kinda blurry.

Not sure or dunno which Akai model you looked at Sam's but mine (bought from MC, 3 days ago) looks perfect from top to bottom and left to right or everywhere in both HDMI input from my rca hdtv OTA tuner and via components for DVD as compared to my almost 4yrs old HDTV Sony RPTV (not a fair compare but...)

Yeah, I dunno what model it was either.

 

[mikeford]

I am starting to get a real itch for HD, but reading about HDCP it sounds like all so called HD ready sets are only going to support SD when used with HD DVD or BluRay.

 

[videopho]

FYI...MicroCenter has these displays in stock once again...Check your local MC. One near where I live has several in stock.
BTW, so far I'm very happy with the display, been watching Olympics in its glorious 1080i (NBC) is just pure awesome, WOW!
A 42" HDTV Plasma for $1199 (AR)? Better believe it..

 

[Devistater]

Originally posted by: mikeford
I am starting to get a real itch for HD, but reading about HDCP it sounds like all so called HD ready sets are only going to support SD when used with HD DVD or BluRay.

Same with windows vista and computers. Vista will only output SD from retail HD movies unless you have HDCP monitor. I kinda think that 99% of peoples computer LCD monitors dont have HDCP, and I've never heard of CRT with them.
Oh plus, there's almost no video cards that support HDCP yet lol. A bunch of ATI cards that supposedly supported it turned out to not support it and ATI got major egg on thier face. They've since then updated their site with this note:
* This feature is supported by the asic and can be specified by PC manufacturers for its add-in-boards. This feature is not typically enabled on stand alone cards.
So basically no retail graphics card sold today by ati OR nvidia has HDCP capability.

Anyway, HDCP is encryption, usually over the HDMI plug. This has HDMI connector and probably has HDCP as well, but if you want to make sure, find the manufacture page on this and see the specs. Make sure it mentions HDCP.

Because you are correct, without HDCP, you will ONLY get SD from retail HD movies (both blu ray and HD DVD). If you only watch TV and never any movies maybe thats fine with you. A TON of people are going to be very dissapointed when blu ray and HD DVD come out.

 

[jlee]

A TON of people are going to be very dissapointed when blu ray and HD DVD come out.

Makes me wonder if I should postpone purchasing a new TV until bluray/HDDVD are out..

 

[Devistater]

It doesn't inspire confidance in me that akai website lists two obviously differant 42" plasma TV's with supposedly the same model number.
http://www.akai.com/product_detail.asp?id=1&id2=2&id3=808
http://www.akai.com/product_detail.asp?id=1&id2=2&id3=707&isspec=1
Or that thier website search feature is broken (both FF and IE).

Edit: My bad, this is the global website, the link to the USA website was above in another post.

Originally posted by: CadetLee

A TON of people are going to be very dissapointed when blu ray and HD DVD come out.

Makes me wonder if I should postpone purchasing a new TV until bluray/HDDVD are out..

If you make SURE to get one with HDCP support, there's no need to wait.

In other words, dont take the word of the sales guy at the store. Look up the actual specs on the manufacture web site, and see.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Devistater
It doesn't inspire confidance in me that akai website lists two obviously differant 42" plasma TV's with supposedly the same model number.
http://www.akai.com/product_detail.asp?id=1&id2=2&id3=808
http://www.akai.com/product_detail.asp?id=1&id2=2&id3=707&isspec=1
Or that thier website search feature is broken (both FF and IE).

I dont see any other plasma 42" akai.
Anyway, neither of these is 1024x1024, does anyone know the actual model of this 42" on sale ?

Originally posted by: CadetLee

A TON of people are going to be very dissapointed when blu ray and HD DVD come out.

Makes me wonder if I should postpone purchasing a new TV until bluray/HDDVD are out..

If you make SURE to get one with HDCP support, there's no need to wait.

In other words, dont take the word of the sales guy at the store. Look up the actual specs on the manufacture web site, and see.

That's why you go to the Akai USA site, or simply click on one of the links provided above, like this one, which links the correct set:

http://www.akaiusa.com/products_detail_...lasma%20TV/Monitor&productno=PDP4225M1

BTW, yes, it has HDMI, and yes, it's HDCP compliant like the rest of the HDMI equipped TV's everywhere.

 

[videopho]

I second that...PDP4225M1 is the exact model I've got.

 

[Devistater]

Originally posted by: Apex
That's why you go to the Akai USA site, or simply click on one of the links provided above, like this one, which links the correct set:

http://www.akaiusa.com/products_detail_...lasma%20TV/Monitor&productno=PDP4225M1

BTW, yes, it has HDMI, and yes, it's HDCP compliant like the rest of the HDMI equipped TV's everywhere.

My bad, I missed the two links in subsequent posts provided above for this.

I don't see anything on the site about HDCP on this monitor, I imagine it does support it, but its not explicitly mentioned. It has HDMI, but that is only the connection method, just like DVI is a connection method.

HDCP is the encryption, and not all TV's that support HDMI also support HDCP. HDCP support costs the manufacture an extra $15k a year per model plus a royalty on each sold, so I dont find it unreasonable that some HD TV's especially early ones dont support it.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Devistater

Originally posted by: Apex
That's why you go to the Akai USA site, or simply click on one of the links provided above, like this one, which links the correct set:

http://www.akaiusa.com/products_detail_...lasma%20TV/Monitor&productno=PDP4225M1

BTW, yes, it has HDMI, and yes, it's HDCP compliant like the rest of the HDMI equipped TV's everywhere.

My bad, I missed the ONE link provided above for this.

I don't see anything on the site about HDCP on this monitor, I imagine it does support it, but its not explicitly mentioned. It has HDMI, but that is only the connection method, just like DVI is a connection method.

HDCP is the encryption, and not all TV's that support HDMI also support HDCP. HDCP support costs the manufacture an extra $15k a year per model plus a royalty on each sold, so I dont find it unreasonable that some HD TV's especially early ones dont support it.

Two links.

Do you happen to know of one HDMI equipped display that fails HDCP compliance? There are a few HDMI equipped sources which do not encrypt the output, but I have yet to hear of even one input which fails to accept HDCP.

 

[Devistater]

Originally posted by: Apex
Do you happen to know of one HDMI equipped display that fails HDCP compliance? There are a few HDMI equipped sources which do not encrypt the output, but I have yet to hear of even one input which fails to accept HDCP.

There are links above to the AVS forum, everyone there seems to think its NOT hdcp. They dont seem to know for sure though.
And they give two examples of a panasonic tv thats not HDCP as well on that thread.
Panasonic AE300
Panasonic L300
(note that I didn't check to see if these two models have DVI or HDMI connectors or both)

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Devistater

Originally posted by: Apex
Do you happen to know of one HDMI equipped display that fails HDCP compliance? There are a few HDMI equipped sources which do not encrypt the output, but I have yet to hear of even one input which fails to accept HDCP.

There are links above to the AVS forum, everyone there seems to think its NOT hdcp. They dont seem to know for sure though.
And they give two examples of a panasonic tv thats not HDCP as well on that thread.
Panasonic AE300
Panasonic L300

I'd honestly be very surprised if they're right.

Neither the AE300 nor the L300 have HDMI inputs. They both only have DVI, which the vast majority of which are non-HDCP compliant.

 

[Devistater]

Apex:
It appears that the spec for HDMI has required HDCP support in the past. I'm not clear on if it still does or not, but for now I'm leaning towards your view, that HDMI support should mean HDCP is supported also.