This projection TV.. anyone got one like it?

[Mer]

Looking for some info from those with projection TV's.

I have a chance to get this one... not for the advertised price though... much much cheaper.

Panasonic 47" Widescreen Projection HDTV - PT47WX53

I've heard using 4:3 (aka TV mode) is bad for the tube.. causes the tube to burn?
What experience have you had?
I've got a friend with a Mitsubishi model and the manual says not to run TV mode (with the bars one the left and right side for more than 15 mins at a time... or something ridiculous along those lines.)

Just looking for some input.

Sweetness,
Mer.

 

[DingDingDao]

AVSForum has all the information you'll ever need.

Btw I have a Panny TH42PX20U (HD Plasma). I know it isn't a projection, but the build quality overall is excellent for every Panasonic product I've used.

 

[RedRooster]

I have that exact tv, got it about two and a half years ago.
BEST electronics purchase I've ever made, you wouldn't regret it either!

It's best not to run the tv in 4:3 mode too much, although with the Panasonics they have light gray bars so it doesn't cause as serious burn in as with the ones with black bars.
There's a mode called "Just mode" which makes the the middle half of the screen 4:3 mode and then stretches the outer quarters on each side to fill the screen. It really doesn't look close to as bad as it sounds, I've been watching it that way since day one. Going back to our regular 4:3 tube in the bedroom I never notice a difference in aspect ratio as to how people look on tv.

 

[RedRooster]

Here's the site you need if you're considering that tv.

 

[Doboji]

Yeah I have that exact TV.... It's great... bought it in February.... I burned it a little when I accidently left Madden 2k4 paused on the screen over the weekendl... so you want to be very careful not to burn the screen... it's pretty easy to do.

-Max

 

[Megadeth]

I own the PT53wx53... I have had it for a year in august and I love the set.
I would say not to use the 4:3 mode; I never do on mine... First of all because the bars on the side are annoying and second because they can cause burn in.. For watching stuff in 4:3 I use the "JUST" mode and it works fine for me. It stretches the sides slightly but it is not really noticeable...
The only complaint I have with it is when buying wide screen DVD's you still get the black bar on the top and bottom unless you use ZOOM mode but that cuts off a bit of the picture on the top and bottom, really annoying when watching something with subtitles.... Again you would be better off buying Full Screen movies and using the JUST mode.... There are a couple DVD's I own that use a different Wide screen format... Can't recall off hand but it fits perfect for my TV.

I do watch a lot of the movies with the black bar on the top and bottom.... There is no signal being sent there but over time if you are watching the majority of your viewings like that than you can get uneven phosphor burn and the top and bottom of the screen will appear lighter than the middle...

I use mine mostly with the progressive scan, component video DVD player and the picture with that is amazing. With the surround sound that my DVD system came with it makes one great home theater setup.

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: Megadeth
I own the PT53wx53... I have had it for a year in august and I love the set.
I would say not to use the 4:3 mode; I never do on mine... First of all because the bars on the side are annoying and second because they can cause burn in.. For watching stuff in 4:3 I use the "JUST" mode and it works fine for me. It stretches the sides slightly but it is not really noticeable...
The only complaint I have with it is when buying wide screen DVD's you still get the black bar on the top and bottom unless you use ZOOM mode but that cuts off a bit of the picture on the top and bottom, really annoying when watching something with subtitles.... Again you would be better off buying Full Screen movies and using the JUST mode.... There are a couple DVD's I own that use a different Wide screen format... Can't recall off hand but it fits perfect for my TV.

I do watch a lot of the movies with the black bar on the top and bottom.... There is no signal being sent there but over time if you are watching the majority of your viewings like that than you can get uneven phosphor burn and the top and bottom of the screen will appear lighter than the middle...

I use mine mostly with the progressive scan, component video DVD player and the picture with that is amazing. With the surround sound that my DVD system came with it makes one great home theater setup.

the reason you still have black bars is because the aspect ratio of the dvd is not 16:9(aka 1.78:1). DVD ARs can be 1.78:1, 1.85:1, 2:35:1, etc, etc.

I've got the PT53wx54. I bought it for 1450 from costco a few months back. The HD looks great on it, and dvd's look nice. I've got my comcast cable box connected to my TV via the DVI port. IMO it's a great buy. I watch 4:3 programming stretched. I don't want to have to deal with image burn-in

 

[Mer]

Thanks for all the input everyone!!

Sweetness,
Mer.