drpellypo Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Any ideas where I can get one for a decent price? Richer Sounds are offering a Fujitsu one for £999, and so far I haven't been able to beat that price. ANy ideas?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danksy Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 What inputs can it take? What resolution is it? Thats a bloody good price mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russellfray Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 £999... is that brand new, 42" ? If so, go and buy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 It won't be brand new. I can assure you that those Fujitsu's are recondition. £999 isn't a bad price for a plasma but I wouldn't buy one of those. You'll end up buying a screen for the sake of having one, over the real reason - the picture quality a good plasma can give you. If you can get the model number I'll see if I can do some digging around for you. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A8_Tony Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 [ QUOTE ] It won't be brand new. I can assure you that those Fujitsu's are recondition. £999 isn't a bad price for a plasma but I wouldn't buy one of those. You'll end up buying a screen for the sake of having one, over the real reason - the picture quality a good plasma can give you. If you can get the model number I'll see if I can do some digging around for you. Al. [/ QUOTE ] I'd agree with Smudge on this one. But also as important is the source equipment. If you've got a DVD player with Component connections (Red,Green, Blue) and the plasma has these connections, then you're laughing, as this is the best connection you could want. If not, the second choice in my experience, has been S-video (but use a good quality cable, don't be afraid to spend upto £50 on one!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] It won't be brand new. I can assure you that those Fujitsu's are recondition. £999 isn't a bad price for a plasma but I wouldn't buy one of those. You'll end up buying a screen for the sake of having one, over the real reason - the picture quality a good plasma can give you. If you can get the model number I'll see if I can do some digging around for you. Al. [/ QUOTE ] I'd agree with Smudge on this one. But also as important is the source equipment. If you've got a DVD player with Component connections (Red,Green, Blue) and the plasma has these connections, then you're laughing, as this is the best connection you could want. If not, the second choice in my experience, has been S-video (but use a good quality cable, don't be afraid to spend upto £50 on one!!) [/ QUOTE ] Actually your second best source would be RGB. Any decent DVD player will output this from the scart. You would need to change the settings within the DVD player to activate it as they normally come set to Composite (or it may just say Video). If your Plasma doesn't have a Scart input (and many don't) the you can either get a lead made up that is wired for RGB with sync on green (4 connectors) and plus it into your bnc connectors (most Fujitsu's have these IIRC) or you can get a QED Squart to 15pin RGB cable that will plug into your VGA input. The lead comes with a thing called a sync blaster which enables the video source to work correctly through this input. Any good Hi Fi store like Audio T Audio Excellence or Sevenoaks would know what I'm talking about and be able to supply the lead. The same configuration can be used for most satelite decoders too. So if you have a DVD player with component out, use that for DVD & the above Squart lead for Sky etc. Hope this helps. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drpellypo Posted September 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 Cheers for your suggestions lads. The screens are indeed graded.. but with the experience I've had with Richer sounds, that can often just mean they have been taken out of the box, switched on, and then put back in again. Have a look Here. They have some other seemigly good deals on Plasma's still under 2k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insurance Jon Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 i've just got one of these for £2800 inc stand panasonic viera and it has some cool features such as PCMCIA slot so it can be networked wirelessly to your pc/xbox etc and a memory card slot to view your pics on! can thouroughly reccomend it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 [ QUOTE ] Cheers for your suggestions lads. The screens are indeed graded.. but with the experience I've had with Richer sounds, that can often just mean they have been taken out of the box, switched on, and then put back in again. Have a look Here. They have some other seemigly good deals on Plasma's still under 2k [/ QUOTE ] Doc, the Co. I work or used to be sole Distributors for Fujitsu. I am fairly sure the Richer sounds will have bought the units from Fujitsu in a greded state already. We would do it every 2-3 months. It's mainly down to their (Fujitsu's) warranty back up. They will get screens failing & won't write them off due to the huge cost implicatons. So they will repair / rebuild with spares etc etc. You should be able obtain repair reports on the screen you are buying. Richer Sounds would need to give you the serial Number of the screen & Fujitsu can then tell you it's history. I don't have their telephone number anymore, but you would need to speak to Fujitsu General, and I think they are in either Watford or Hemel Hempstead. Good luck. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 Here is a review on the plasma i have, provided you don't need tv tuner\sound etc it is fantastic and really neat. The picture quality is amazing. Panasonic Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCab Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I was thinking of going for LCD since the prices are falling (and sizes rising) until they're almost level with plasmas - and with the advantage of better contract and no burn-through etc. Have I missed something or are plasmas a sort of in-between technology whose time will pass once LCDs mature ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Bit more info here. Hope it helps. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Would you buy a Plasma now or wait for a HD screen. BBC reports HD broadcasts in 2005/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Plasma screens are HD. Or at least they will work with an HD signal no problems. Most of the trade shows have plasma's looking great, mainly because there's a server sat behind the stand pumping out HD images to it. Nothing to wait far as far as I know, except for HD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Excellent news thanks for that, I got a purchase order sign off for a plasma by the g/f last night when we move. Glad I don't have to delay until I HD comes out. What model would you go for, 42" which make? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCab Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Does this mean they all have HDMI inputs ? I thought this was only just coming in. The idea will be to have an HDMI-equipped screen and a DVD with HDMI out, and get the unadulterated digital experience Do all HD screens have HDMI inputs, or is this a specific new connect technology like SCART ? But what do I know, except what I read in Stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 You don't need an HDMI input to view HD. But it will probably help in the future. There's more info on HDMi here. In my honest opion the best screens for the home are: 42" NEC 42VP4 though it takes a bit more time setting up this is a cracking plasma screen with pretty much all you'll need connectivity wise, it just doesn't have the brand name people want. Panasonic TH42PW6BS though this will be replaced soon by the TH42PW7BS, this screen is in my opinion better than the TH42PE30B . In my experience Panasonic rest on their name too much & after sales service can be very poor. Fujitsu plasma are also up there, but I have lost track of their range of late. 50" Pioneer PDP-505XDE, I hinestly believe that this screen is better than their 43", it also comes with HDMi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCab Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Got any views about the Sharp LCD's ? Looked spectacular in the shop, much more vivid than the neighbouring (high end) plasmas. I have a Sharp Actius laptop and although the rest of it was crap and fell apart, their screen technology was incredible - clear, bright, amazing contrast, and much better than the Toshiba I replaced it with. The TVs seemed to carry on the tradition and I'd be seriously interested in the 37" Aquous etc. but people (incl. magazines) mainly seem to discuss plasmas so I don't know if there are hidden flaws, or it's just expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Possibly the best in the market, but I'm still a tad scepticle on anything larger than 32". The Panasonic 32" (as mentioned before) is in my view a good screen. With regards to Sharp, watch this space. They've got some stunning screens coming out very soon. Stunning in looks & picture quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 What do you think of Hitachi Plasma screens, I was looking at the 42PD5300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russellfray Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I've got the Panasonic TH42PWD4 and it's superb. Three other people I know have Plasma's... A Sony, A Fujitsu, and one of those "Sky+" branded units. The Panasonic blows all of them away in terms of contrast, quality and clarity of picture - be it sourcing from Sky or DVD. Panasonic have a great name for Plasma's and it's very well deserved. I have heard very good things about their aftersales services. If my plasma were to die, I would not hesitate to buy another Panasonic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 [ QUOTE ] What do you think of Hitachi Plasma screens, I was looking at the 42PD5300. [/ QUOTE ] Both Fujitsu & Hitachi use the same plasma technology & glass. There is a manufacturing Co. called FHP (Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma) they develop the glass technology & then sell it to Fujitsu & Hitachi to use in their screens. Thing is the glass is only half the product & the screens rely on good electronics to support them. In the past the Hitachi screens were IMO shockingly bad. I had one at home for a few weeks to test but rarely used it as the picture was just terrible. Suffered from solarization, or an inability to reproduce colours well, so instead the screens pump out clusters of green, red or brown to try & give the detail. Only they fail & it looks really bad. Other things to look for are Reds & flesh tones. Please never fall for the "Toy Story" or similar demo. Any plasma will make a computer generated film look pretty good. Hitachi have raised their game of late, but I still don't rate them like the others I mention. The best way to test a plasma screen is to get a film like the Matrix. Get used to a scene that is dark & see how it performs in comparison to your TV (hoping that your TV gives a good picture). People rave about plasma screens. The whole techmology behind them is good, but I still think there are TV's out there that totally outclass plasma. That's why I don't have one! Oh, and lastly, reviews like What Hi FI etc etc are useful, but please bear in mind that advertising helps fund magazines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russellfray Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 [ QUOTE ] I still think there are TV's out there that totally outclass plasma. That's why I don't have one! [/ QUOTE ] Which TV do you have? I must say I have not seen a TV that produces a better picture (all factors considered) than my Plasma when being driven from a progressive scan DVD. It depends how close you sit to the TV of course as too close to a Plasma and you will see imperfections from the source purely because the screen is so good. A cheap TV plugged in to a cheap DVD player will give a better picture than a good Plasma plugged in to a cheap DVD player for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidicks Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 [ QUOTE ] I've got the Panasonic TH42PWD4 and it's superb. [/ QUOTE ] I currently have the Panasonic TH42PW5 and it is an excellent screen. The Series 6 is now down to around £1999 and has some additional features (such as picture-in-picture) that I don't have. Series 7 is just around the corner, and likely to include a HD screen. If I was purchasing a new plasma now it would be the Panasonic Series 6 or the Pioneer PDP434... Cheers Sidicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I have a 32" Leowe Aconda. I bet you my bottom dollar it outclasses your 4 year old plasma, easily. I've worked with Plasmas for nearly 5 years, I wouldn't have splashed out then, regardless of how much money was in my bank account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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