What do you think of the Panasoning 42" Plasma for gaming monitor?

[flexy]

Also, the amount of power a plasma uses depends on how bright of image it is displaying, so their power usage figures can't rightly be compared to LCDs which have their backlights on full brightness regardless of what image is displayed. In practice, LCDs do still generally use less power, but the difference isn't nearly that of what one might assume by looking at the specs.

yes sure, its NOT the "max power consumption" as printed on the back, and the value can actually differ greatly. I actually bought this measurement thingy which i can plug into an outlet to measure REAL consumption. I don't remember exactly, i think i saw it drawing like 250W-300W when i did a very quick test.

Regardless, with our european utility costs that high this would still exclude using a plasma as a 18hr/day PC monitor....let alone 10hrs+ WoW playing sessions in addition to the screen retention "problem". Its just not optimal for that purpose, IMHO.

 

[0roo0roo]

Plasmas are BAD for gaming. I myself have a 52" Sammy - but i use it for movies mainly.

The reason is that Plasmas suffer from "screen retention" (temporary burn-in) - so i would NOT recommend them for gaming really. It would burn in your HUDs and whatever and you would have a hard time to get rid of those after-images again. If i have the desktop on my plasma for some time - i see the icon's "after images" later on watching a movie one dark/bright BG and it takes a while til they're gone again.

The other factor for me is that they use a LOT of power and i wouldnt want to use a big-screen Plasma as monitor sitting there 18hrs/day....at least not here in EU where utlitities are insanely high.

LCD would be WAY better fitted as a monitor.

depends how old your plasma is.

power ratings are set at max, the issue is plasma consumption is not always max white screen at max brightness so stat is misleading.

 

[Dream Operator]

42" plasma user here. I've had it setup as my PC monitor for almost two years. Many hours with the browser up, many hours gaming with a hud (GTAIV most recently). No permanent image retention issues. It's been great.

I find the color reproduction to be wonderful (my goal is accuracy, not over-saturation). I agree with getting a new model for lower power usage and increased contrast, etc. My model is a tad soft when the screen is more than 30% white (roughly).

 

[jiffylube1024]

The new Panasonic "Neo-PDP" series of plasmas (S1, G10, G15, etc) have very similar power consumption numbers to LCD. Unfortunately, Samsung still uses the older, much higher power consumption tech. in their Plasmas.

A "neo PDP" Panasonic plasma in the 42-50" range will consume, very roughly, 250-300W. Older plasmas push 500W+. LCD's in that range are similar; about 180-300W for 42-52" .

 

[pmv]

Sorry, but you don't really know what you're talking about. If the designers intended a game to look saturated, they would create it that way based on accepted color standards. Again, if you prefer an oversaturated look and don't care about the developer's intentions, that's up to you and you can adjust your TV to achieve that. But it doesn't change the fact that what you're describing is utterly subjective and separate from accurate reproduction.

Not sure this is a logical argument. Chances are the designers of a game designed it while using LCD monitors, not a plasma. Ergo, their 'intention' was for it to look as it looked on the LCD display they developed it on. Arguing about 'accurate reproduction' if artificial environments seems a bit futile.

 

[CoinOperatedBoy]

Not sure this is a logical argument. Chances are the designers of a game designed it while using LCD monitors, not a plasma. Ergo, their 'intention' was for it to look as it looked on the LCD display they developed it on. Arguing about 'accurate reproduction' if artificial environments seems a bit futile.

Very specious. It would be a very foolish designer who made a game based solely on how it looks on the LCD in the office.

 

[edplayer]

The other factor for me is that they use a LOT of power and i wouldnt want to use a big-screen Plasma as monitor sitting there 18hrs/day....at least not here in EU where utlitities are insanely high.

18 hours a day!

do you live with your parents? Are they OK with you playing videogames the entire day? No job, school?

 

[taltamir]

if you need better blacks, why not use the LED backlit LCDs?
Also, OLED screens are so close (available now at ridiculous prices) and so amazingly superior to plasma and LCD that it just seems wrong to put that much money on a plasma monitor.

 

[edplayer]

Any comments on the older series of plasmas (PX850U specifically) versus todays lineup (G10, G15, etc)? Amazon has the 46" PX850U for like $950 shipped and looks like an awesome deal - just have to wonder if the new generation are that much better or not.

Don't get that one

Get a Neo PDP model

Amazon has the 42" (S1) version currently with a Panasonic bluray player for $765 shipped. I read that the tv itself was around $530 at Sears on black friday. I have seen both the 46" and 50" versions for less than $800 already (both S1).

The clearance season for 2009 tv models is just starting. You could probably get the 46" version for less than $700 if you catch a hot deal. Join slickdeals and set up an alert for the model you want.

if you need better blacks, why not use the LED backlit LCDs?
Also, OLED screens are so close (available now at ridiculous prices) and so amazingly superior to plasma and LCD that it just seems wrong to put that much money on a plasma monitor.

it is going to be a long time before you find a good OLED 46" screen for less than $700