Can someone tell me when a HD plasma is a HD plasma? - a TRUE HD device would have minimum 1920x1080 resolution

Is a plasma with native resolution 852x480 SD even if it says it is HD compatible or HD ready?  - YES

I think it takes in the signal from the STB and scales it down to 480...? - TRUE

Is a plasma with  1024x768 an HD plasma? - NOT TRUE HD (see above), but for the definition in Aus it is a HD capable device

and if you stick 720p up it will it actually display full quality? - NO, it will display 1024x768 (a better resolution would be 1280x720 as it is true 16:9)

Thanks

what's considered the best setup for HD in the industry at present?

Price: $39 999
Warranty: Three Years
Resolution: 1920x1080 pixels
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Lamp: Xenon
Contrast Ratio: 2000:1
Inputs: 1x component video, 1x component video/RGB (5x BNC), 1x S-Video, 1x composite video, 1x DVI-D, 1x HDMI
Control: 1x Control S, 1x 12 V trigger, 1x RS-232C, 1x Ethernet, 1x USB
Power Usage: 980 watts maximum
Projector Dimensions (WHD): 598x206x753 mm
Projector Weight: 40kgs
Distributor: Sony Australia Limited
33-39 Talavera Rd, North Ryde,
NSW, 2113
1300 13 7669
http://www.sony.com.au

Until a few months ago, there was only one display device in Australia that was capable of showing every pixel, undiluted, of a high definition digital TV broadcast. That was a JVC DLA-HD2K projector, based on its DILA technology - one of the family of Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) systems. Now, while not exactly coming thick and fast, there are choices. One is from Fujitsu, the LPF-D711, somewhat surprisingly based on LCD technology. But between those two, Sony added its own. The Sony Qualia 004 projector is based around its own in-house LCoS technology, which it calls Silicon X-tal (or Crystal) Reflective Display, or SXRD. And it, also, has a massive display resolution of 1920 pixels across by 1080 vertically, thus enabling it to show every single high definition pixel.

What in the Box?
  Don't go looking for other Qualia projectors in the near future. The Qualia tag (Qualia is as much a philosophical as psychological word, intended to denote some kind of fundamental element of awareness and sensation) marks no-holds-barred Sony products, where the engineers have been told to go forth and produce, and to hell with cost constraints!
  One intersting thing about this approach is that Sony's Qualia 004 projector sells for precisely the same amount as those other two projectors, yet it looks like an ever so much more expensive unit.
  The styling is, of course, a large part of that. But some of the styling is functional, or at least somewhat related to function. For example inside the transparent housing in the wide slot near the rear of the unit is a tan, finned object. This is actually a massive heatsink for the Xenon lamp used in this projector. Sony says that Xenon lamps, of all available techologies, produce the closest available colour balance to actual sunlight. Unfortunately, the downside of Xenon lamps is that they use absolute gove of power. A typical projector rates between 200 and 300 watts of power usage during operation. For the Qualia 004, this is 980 watts!
  The massiveness of power is matched by its solid construction. Unlike those other projectors, this is a single box, so its entire 40 kilograms of weight is in the single unit. Sony insists that the celiing mount of the projector be rated for 300kg, just to be on the safe side (purchase includes a consultation with an engineering company to ensure safe mounting). It measure 598mm wide, 753mm deep and 206mm tall.
A full set of inputs are provided, with one each of composite video, S-Video, component video, RGB (via five BNC sockets, switchable to component, and usable with computers with a suitable adapter), DVI and HDMI.
  Included in the purchase price is a lens, with a choice from three of designed for different ranges, allowing considerable flexibilty for projector placement. Each one offers a zoom range of at least 1.3:1.
  There's also an Ethernet jack on the projector so that, with suitable software running on a computer on the same netowkr, any problems with the projector can automatically be reported to Sony, including when it's time to replace the lamp.
  Sony says that the lamp's life is typically around 2200 hours. Lamp replacement necessitates a service call, and the whole lamp/heat sink assembly is replaced, costing $3300. The projector comes with a three year warranty, which includes temporary replacement of your projector with a backup Qualia 004 if it looks like it's going to be out of action for more than 48 hours.
  Two remote control sare provided. A bland looking but powerful one controls all the unit's functions. A newly introduced exotic chrome-plated remote, shaped like a massive bird claw, provides basic control facilities, and looks very impressive.

Setting the scene
  As I hope I have made clear, it's understandable why Sony didn't want to ship the projector ro my home as is my usual review requirement. Instead, I was invited to its Australian headquarters in North Ryde, where the Qualia was installed in an attractive mini-theatre, which had just half a dozzen (very comfortable) seats. The projector was ceiling mounted, about 4.5 metres from the screen and fitted with the medium lens.
  The screen itself was fairly large, measuring 292cm (115 inches) on the diagonal. The projector mounting was slightly sub-optimal due to a rapid installation, so it did not hang down below the ceiling as far as it should have. The consequent slight tilt was compensated for by a small amount of vertical keystone compensation, thus surrendering some of the projector's reoslution.
  My viewing position in the fornt row was just two metres away from the screen. The have a horizonal viewing angle of 65 degrees. By way of comparison, to achieve the same viewing angel with a 76cm widescreen TV, your face would be just 52cm from the screen!
  All the signal were analog, fed by component video, via Son'y high-end TA0DA9000 ES home theatre amplifier.
  That's the scene set. As you can see, very good but not perfect, thanks to the keystone adjustment and analog video feed (Sony does not yet have any source components capable of delivering DVI or HDMI output to the projector's digital video inputs).

Viewing Session
  So what was the result? About as near to picture perfection as this reviewer has yet seen. And I include in that all my experiences in real cinemas as well. The reason was two-fold. A big part of it was the projector, while the rest was the source. That source was a Blu-Ray player with various high definition snippets. The killer one of these was a section of Spider-Man 2, and especially an extreme close-up of Kirsten Dunst's dace actually, a billboard showing her face). The subtlety aof the shading, the smoothness, the detail was simply astounding. The slight peachiness in her cheek was a shade I have never before seen produced by a display, device, especially a digital on. And there was no banding, no insistence that nearby colours conform to a particular shade preferred by the projector.
  There were also fast-moving sections, and the projector held these together to perfection, with no lag.
  Much of this was due to the incredible detail from Blu-Ray, which is likely to be denued to us in Australia for another year or two, maybe longer if the manufacturers can't decide whether HD--DVD or Blu-Ray is to be the future format. This brief sample makes me long for it.
  Mere PAL DVD display, though, was a disappointment by comparison. But only by comparison. This projector actually did a remarkable job of scaling PAL resolution up to its 1080 display, especially since the connection was analog rather than digital. Again, the colour accuracy came to the fore, but a defree of colour banding was inevitable, due to the DVD source, except for those DVDs compressed with the greatest care at relatively high bitrates. Aliasing, even at my close range, was not evident.
  The projector does not provide user adjustable geometry settings, unfortunately, and according to my test DVD there was around three percent overscan to the top and bottom of the screen, and around four per cent to the left and right hand side. These are a little more than I would have preferred, although I suspect that one might be able to sweet-talk Sony into advising on how to access the service menus, where such adjustments no doubt reside.
  It was hard to tell in an unfamiliar environment, but the projector certainly seemed extremely quiet. Its fan noise tended more towards a pink rather than withe noise sound which, in turn, made it even less intrusive. I'll go out on a limb here and say that despite the enourmous amount of heat that it has to dispose of, it is the quietest digital projector I've yet heard.

Verdict
  As I write, the Sony Qualia 004 projector is only available from Sydney's Sony Central store, and by the time you read this, from Brisbane's as well. It will be made available from the Sony Central stores in other capital cities progressively.
  That's good, because at this price once really needs to see its performance in action before handing over the money. But seeing it in action can only leave any potential purchaser completely convinced.

Actually, Apple's 30" cinema display has 2560 x 1600 pixels for $4,899.  Its available in most larger David Jones.

i'll copy and past a review from a magazine here...

Actually, Apple's 30" cinema display has 2560 x 1600 pixels for $4,899.  Its available in most larger David Jones.

You will need a dual G5 to watch it, but it still comes in well below the Sony.

DJ's in Brisbane have one set up with some QT 7 (H264) movie trailers.  Last week they had the 1980 x 1080 Fantastic Four.  Rather nice.

Well I am "impressed".
If that was a cut and paste, then 'Sound & Image' certainly needs a subeditor, or at least a spell checker.

JB

i typed it up by hand

Well I admire your persistence, if not your accuracy.
Not too bad considering the length of the bloody article !!!!

Cheers
JB

Well I admire your persistence, if not your accuracy.
Not too bad considering the length of the bloody article !!!!

Cheers
JB

Accept and enjoy "Typoglycemia"
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod  aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan  mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't  mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the
rghit pclae.
The rset can be a  taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the  huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.  Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia

Amzanig  huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was  ipmorantt.

Of course the other thing that people can do is type their posting in a WP program, sepll cehk it, and psate it itno the froum!

I mentioned the Apple mainly in reaction to the number of times I read that no true HD display exists.  Lazy journalism given that one has existed for over 3 years.

Whilst you might not base your home theatre around a 30" screen, a lot of people could do worse than use one for a smallish room.  If I lived in a single living room unit, I'd certainly consider one linked to a dual G5 power mac, tuner card and 5.1 system, rather than conventional pc, plus separate plasma, lcd or crt with stb.

I'm using a 17" G5 imac (widescreen) in my office and its far preferable for watching video than a 68cm (26"??) 4:3 CRT.

Offshore,

Its just a screen.  You need a power mac to drive it.  However the mac has pc slots for digital tuner and (obviously) an optical drive.  Plus all G5 have optical sound out, for true 5.1 sound.  That said I was comparing it to a $30,000 projector.

I actually tried to use a speech recognition program to type it, but couldn't even get past the first sentence

Come on JB don't be "old fashioned" All that you hvae to do is udernstand tihs and rleax:
Of course the other thing that people can do is type their posting in a WP program, sepll cehk it, and psate it itno the froum!