We've got a 42" fujitsu plasma.
It has 1080i input via DVI-D

I've read on various boards here that some plasmas aren't really the resolution they make out to be... and I've noticed on this site:

http://www.plasmatvguide.com/plasma_tv_detailed.asp?ID=93

.... that the fujitsu only has 480 verticle pixels?

Could someone explain how this all goes together? I find the quality of the picture great, but is there a reason to buy a HDTV box (besides 5.1 sound) for a monitor like this?

Thanks,
Greg

The panel only has 480 physical pixels verticaly, this is a typical number for an SD display... It will be able to display the 1080i feeds by downscaling them to fit its resolution. I doubt you have sceen any official specs from fujitsu claiming it has any higher resolution than 480... just because they say it can do 1080 signals it doesnt mean thats its resolution...

hope that made some sort of sense to you

So what video signal is going to give the best picture quality? Would 1080i look better than 720p? 720p better than 576p? (I assume p will still be better than i)...

??/

Tricky question. All is not as it seems, especially as some broadcasters (SBS, ABC and 7) transmit HD that's lower PQ than their SD.

Generally an HD box looks better with an HD source, (10 and 9). 1080i seems to be the best, but it varies with displays.

HD boxes also generally look better (on all channels) because they integrate better with the Plasma, connecting via DVI or VGA. Most SD STBs seem to be designed around SCART.

Tricky question seems an understatement! :-/

I'm pretty angry that the great screen we've got is not that great.
Anyone know what proportion of plasma screens fall into this category?

As for DVI, yeah that seems to be a deciding factor still. But rather than buy a HDTV box, our money may be better spent buying a good SD PVR. Any HD better than 576p + 5.1sound would be overkill

Unless you are a real audiophile or videophile I would go with the PVR. You can now buy on e-bay a pvr for <$400. From this you will get an excellent picture on your plasma screen. My sd stb has component scart output to plasma and I also connect dvd by component to plasma. I take audio from plasma to amplifier.
Whilst it is not what a purist would say is the best but it looks fantastic to me and the family. We watch from only 2.5-3 metres.

So seeing the spec's made the picture look worse?? At the end of the day if you're happy with the PQ then stop looking at the specs and enjoy your purchase.

There is probably a small perceivable difference in PQ between the HD and SD boxes because the HD boxes typically have a DVI interface, and that's likely to be the best interface to use on your plasma for best PQ.

Having said that you only (generally speaking) have one DVI input on a plasma, so decide what you do the most viewing of (DVD or FTA) and choose a good device to feed it (ie if you watch majority DVD's then get a good DVD player with DVI and use that, otherwise a HD set top box with DVI interface may be the go).

Personally, i use an SD PVR, and it's PQ via RGB or Component is excellent, and changes the way you watch TV.

Jamie

I'll second that. At the end of the day if you're happy with the PQ (and I think you will be) then at least you can comfort yourself that save a few $ over the equivalent HD screen.

You're absolutely right Jamie.

The anger I was having was a combination of things and sparked by this. I'm trying to help my parents get the best system they can in their new house (which came with the screen - or the screen came with the house... one of those!), and each thing I learn is another "not as good as I thought". To start with it was the wiring - all the Cat 5 cabling is miswired (and different at both ends). Then Foxtel - only 1 satellite coax and no cat5 to the entertainment cabinet (for dialup, or internet - though the fridge does have 2 connectors!). Various little things since.

And now the sales guy who set the plasma up (and wiring) has been talking about the screen being better than most HDTVs and has been telling us about the various HDTV set top boxes required for our system ... and I think he has NO IDEA that the screen is 480p. I want to be cautious.

We all hear your frustration... it's pretty confusing, which is why places like this are valuable. Now it's just a matter of getting the best out of what you've already got.

Take no notice of the sales drone ... he's just going to try and sell you whatever he happens to make a better margin on ...

Some of the best products our there at the moment are some of the less costly ones ... upscaling DVD players with DVI have some really cheap models with excellent PQ .. there are many good SD STB's or PVR's that should give good PQ as well as a revolution in the way you watch tv ...

Take your time, listen to some of the good advise from everybody here, and hopefully you'll arrive at a decision that's right for you.

Just take your time... and ignore what the salesman says ... a good salesman is like the perverbial hen's tooth ... very hard to find (unfortnately).

Jamie

I have a 480 plasma and an HD STB. I found by experimenting that the 1080i and 576P output from the STB gave a better picture that the 576i output.

Also if you are feeding into a home theatre system with 5.1 sound most sd STBs aren't much use as they only output stereo.

SteveO

Greg, one thing to remember with these plasmas is that they are built for the NTSC market. In the Americas, Japan and Korea the number of visible scan lines is 480. In PAL countries (like Australia) the number of visible scan lines (vertical pixels) is 576.

These plasmas which we are being sold nice an cheap, are not capable of displaying standard definition at native resolution.
The big problem is that they internally "down convert" high definition signals (and that pretty much includes anything better than NTSC) and so it is claimed that they are "HD ready" because they are able to display the signal, albeit at a woefully reduced resolution.

Of course the important issue is that you are happy with the pictures, rather than the spec sheet.
I would agree with those who suggest that you'd get more value out of a PVR rather than an HD STB.

Cheers

JB

Yes, and they shouldn't refer to ntsc as sd either.

However whilst enjoying your fujitsu I'm sure you will see that plasmas are a good example of how there is more to pq than just resolution.

Well dont forget 1080i gets down to 540p when deinterlaced... Still HD 1080i native into the plasma would look better than the SD channel

been there tested it!!!!! i would never run a low res panel with a sd box colour is all wrong you get a chalk look, greys are really bad ,you may only have a 480 pixel x 852 but why would you think putting in 300-400 lines via s/video or compisite would compare to 1080i via dvi or component
also you only get s/video output on most sd box's and there are no pvr's with anything more than s/video..if it will run hd1080 run it!!

one more thing to add the new lg low res panel will come with a built in HD tuner!!!