Futureshop Norcent 42inch Plasma EDTV -> 1299

[Mad.Whack]

I've been looking to get an LCD or Plasma TV in the $850 - 1250 range.

Originally I was going to go for a 27-32inch TV, but this price seems soo sweet.

This TV would be used for DVD viewing and minor gaming (none of the new stuff, mostly Gamecube/xbox). Therefore is EDTV really that bad of a choice FOR ME?

The way I see it
- 10 more inches of TV!
- Fairly cheap
- I wont be getting cable (let alone an HDTV feed) until AFTER I'm out of university (which is 3 to infinity years away).

C'mon you TV experts lets hear your advice!

[michelb]

I'm also thinking of trying to get this - anyone have an opinion? (I know it's only EDTV but for the price I was thinking it wouldn't be too bad)

Let me know,
Mike

[Drew_W]

Hey, if you hate it, you can always return it...such is the nature of FS.

[biosfix]

I got an email from FS, to call them to confirm credit card info.
When I called them, I asked them, if it come with stand as flyer says.
And the lady told me she couldn't find the STAND in her AD/flyer.

Maybe you can only get it from store.

[hamidrizvi]

THe tv comes with a pedestal...thats it

[kingsley]

I saw it. Piece of crap. There was crazy crazy ghosting on the one that I saw. The guy would move and you would see an image persist for a half second to a second from where he was originally.

[Traveller999]

I saw it. Piece of crap. There was crazy crazy ghosting on the one that I saw. The guy would move and you would see an image persist for a half second to a second from where he was originally.

Piece of crap? Do you even know what you are talking about? it is 1299 for a 42" plasma. Find us a better deal. I watched it for an hour before buying one. It looked great compared to models 2x the price. No ghosting at all.

[ginabobolee]

I know it's a bit off topic, but
what's difference between plasma and projection tv?

[Rocha70]

plasma can be viewed from any angle, projection can't

plasma when it dies, it's dead, projection can have the bulbs replaced

[ginabobolee]

plasma can be viewed from any angle, projection can't

plasma when it dies, it's dead, projection can have the bulbs replaced


thank you
I will try to get that hitachi projection on bb then

[Drew_W]

thank you
I will try to get that hitachi projection on bb then

That was a rather stupid answer for you to base your decision on....I suggest you do some more research, using people who can actually give a well thought out answer instead of a stupid one-liner like that.

[Rocha70]

is what I said false?

what I said is true and I don't see anyone else giving him help.

I'm looking at buying one and that's what it's pretty much come down to for me.

[Drew_W]

A plasma uses phosphor technology like a tube (CRT) TV. The life on some of those panels is up to 60,000 hours (5 hours of TV a day for just under 33 years).

Point being: a plasma "dying" isn't something you should at all be worried about.

[ahbong]

i bought a PRIMA plasma three months ago @ BB, it's an EDTV and it's amazing for ps2/dvd/computer(dvi) purposes

it's a good bang for the buck and the quality is awesome *up to 1080i

you can't compare this with a TRUE HDTV, but for 1299, you can't go wrong i assume

btw, norcent, prima and other non-well-known brand names are pretty much made by the same manufacturer

happy holidays!!!

[masterballer]

A plasma uses phosphor technology like a tube (CRT) TV. The life on some of those panels is up to 60,000 hours (5 hours of TV a day for just under 33 years).

Point being: a plasma "dying" isn't something you should at all be worried about.


Actually a plasma TVs colour contrast fades the second you get it home and turn it on (all be it VERY slowly). so basically plasma starts to die out slowly because of the gas leaking.

What you are saying applies to an LCD, where the bulb burns out. LCDs (42" an under) just die when the bulb dies, just like a projection and they can be fixed.

Either way, plasma or LCD, they will die, if you are going 42" the go LCD, the picture will be sharper down the road.

[Traveller999]

Actually a plasma TVs colour contrast fades the second you get it home and turn it on (all be it VERY slowly). so basically plasma starts to die out slowly because of the gas leaking.

What you are saying applies to an LCD, where the bulb burns out. LCDs (42" an under) just die when the bulb dies, just like a projection and they can be fixed.

Either way, plasma or LCD, they will die, if you are going 42" the go LCD, the picture will be sharper down the road.


I still think that is a stupid comment. Show me a 42" LCD for $1299... That would be great. It is rated for 60,000 hours. LCD are about 3x the price of the plasma. You are talking apples and oranges. You can compare these. If you have unlimited amounts of money then go for LCD of course. But you have to look at the price....

[Drew_W]

The life of a plasma panel is so long, you'll never notice any degradation whatsoever, and get many many many many many years of useful life out of that panel.

And anything about burn-in is also rubbish.

LCD panel life is shorter, but still rather long. I don't think "which panel will last the longest" is at all relevant since they are ALL going to last a long time (except for LCD/DLP projections which need bulb replacements every ~4000 hours).

At this price, a good LCD (like Sharp) will be better than a cheap plasma. Quality product versus not, HDTV versus EDTV...size is smaller, but how big of a TV do you really need? If you need the full theatre experience, get a projector.

[Drew_W]

I still think that is a stupid comment. Show me a 42" LCD for $1299... That would be great. It is rated for 60,000 hours. LCD are about 3x the price of the plasma. You are talking apples and oranges. You can compare these. If you have unlimited amounts of money then go for LCD of course. But you have to look at the price....

You can get the Dell 37" HDTV LCD for $1999, the 32" for $1499, etc etc.

Is size EVERYTHING?

[Traveller999]

You can get the Dell 37" HDTV LCD for $1999, the 32" for $1499, etc etc.

Is size EVERYTHING?


Whoever thinks size doesn't matter probably lives in their parents basement.
When you live in a house that has a theatre room or room that is about 14-16' long size of course matters. That is a stupid comment. Why not have a 7" lcd on your lap if size doesn't matter.

This RFD site needs some adults on it. I have a 61" TV now and this 42" plasma has made a nice addition to my living room.

[Drew_W]

Whoever thinks size doesn't matter probably lives in their parents basement.
When you live in a house that has a theatre room or room that is about 14-16' long size of course matters. That is a stupid comment. Why not have a 7" lcd on your lap if size doesn't matter.

This RFD site needs some adults on it. I have a 61" TV now and this 42" plasma has made a nice addition to my living room.

If you have a serious theatre room, you should seriously get a serious projector....as I already said in this thread. Forget all these junky TVs and get a huge image for half the price.

Do you even stop to consider the room this guy's putting his TV in? If he's watching from 6 ft away, he doesn't need a 42" plasma.

[Traveller999]

If you have a serious theatre room, you should seriously get a serious projector....as I already said in this thread. Forget all these junky TVs and get a huge image for half the price.

Do you even stop to consider the room this guy's putting his TV in? If he's watching from 6 ft away, he doesn't need a 42" plasma.

What are you talking about??? The point of this thread is the 42" plasma. We are not going into detail of what is the best theatre equipment. I have a great setup. That is why i said this is a GREAT ADDITION... Not replacement or only thing to use. In a 14-16' room I would think you would have a hard time to use a 32" screen.

[Jon Lai]

If you have a serious theatre room, you should seriously get a serious projector....as I already said in this thread. Forget all these junky TVs and get a huge image for half the price.

Do you even stop to consider the room this guy's putting his TV in? If he's watching from 6 ft away, he doesn't need a 42" plasma.

Projectors bring down the resolution by a lot. You can never tune it so that it is as sharp and crisp of a picture as a plasma/LCD/LCD-Projection/DLP. If that was the case, then I would be seeing a lot more sales in projection, whereas I'm seeing more sales in LCD-P/DLP than projectors.

[Drew_W]

What are you talking about??? The point of this thread is the 42" plasma. We are not going into detail of what is the best theatre equipment. I have a great setup. That is why i said this is a GREAT ADDITION... Not replacement or only thing to use. In a 14-16' room I would think you would have a hard time to use a 32" screen.

The nature of a good deal is bang for your buck...and this isn't it IMO. There. We come full circle back to the plasma.

In a 14-16' room you should have a projector. The Infocus SP5000 will cost you less than even a good 26" LCD

[Traveller999]

The nature of a good deal is bang for your buck...and this isn't it IMO. There. We come full circle back to the plasma.

In a 14-16' room you should have a projector. The Infocus SP5000 will cost you less than even a good 26" LCD

Ya. Right. Show me one that works in daylight.

[Drew_W]

Projectors bring down the resolution by a lot. You can never tune it so that it is as sharp and crisp of a picture as a plasma/LCD/LCD-Projection/DLP. If that was the case, then I would be seeing a lot more sales in projection, whereas I'm seeing more sales in LCD-P/DLP than projectors.

What on earth are you talking about? Have you even ever seen a projector setup properly? Guess why you're seeing more LCD/DLP-P sales.....because that's what BB/FS have. They don't carry the good projectors. Sensible videophiles know better.

www.avsforum.com

[Traveller999]

What on earth are you talking about? Have you even ever seen a projector setup properly? Guess why you're seeing more LCD/DLP-P sales.....because that's what BB/FS have. They don't carry the good projectors. Sensible videophiles know better.

www.avsforum.com
Drew, you don't know what you are talking about. I have great setup. That isnt what we are discussing here. 42" plasma is the discussion. If you think someone that is interested in buying a 42" plasma should buy a projector, receiver, tuner, screen etc. instead just to watch TV in a large room you are on crack. These things are TVs and to watch movies on. They are a great addition to anyones setup.

[Drew_W]

Ya. Right. Show me one that works in daylight.

I'm beginning to see that you're not really interested in quality, just getting the largest image possible (some sort of macho thing). It's okay, go enjoy your big toys.

[Drew_W]

Drew, you don't know what you are talking about. I have great setup. That isnt what we are discussing here. 42" plasma is the discussion. If you think someone that is interested in buying a 42" plasma should buy a projector, receiver, tuner, screen etc. instead just to watch TV in a large room you are on crack. These things are TVs and to watch movies on. They are a great addition to anyones setup.

Would you stop and for once consider that what works for you doesn't work universally for everyone else?

Again, there are more things to consider than getting the largest image at he lowest price. We know what you have, I'm glad you enjoy your setup and think it's great....you've made your point.

[Traveller999]

I'm beginning to see that you're not really interested in quality, just getting the largest image possible (some sort of macho thing). It's okay, go enjoy your big toys.

Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and tell us the best setup you bought for a consumer with $1299.

[Drew_W]

Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and tell us the best setup you bought for a consumer with $1299.

I couldn't tell you. Different applications and lifestyles require different solutions.

[Traveller999]

I couldn't tell you. Different applications and lifestyles require different solutions.

Then don't post in the 42" plasma for $1299 section.

[Drew_W]

Then don't post in the 42" plasma for $1299 section.

Why? Does it bother you that I'm posting not so happy things about a TV you have? Please.

[itsmypostoffice]

let's sit back and remember it's the holidays and we're all having fun...sharing in the joy of deal finding.

everyone has an opinion and different situations require suitable solutions. if you're an Video enthusiast you have an opinion different from non-hobbyists. there's is truth to the saying: you get what you paid for. and why samsung/sony/viewsonic...long list cost more than norcent, apex, durabrand.

apex? i love their old 600A & 1500C dvd players and they're worth every cent if you can track them down. thing is, they were only $80-$150. now $30-$60 "disposable" dvd players can be found anywhere.

quality control & assurance (QC/QA) is expensive and time consuming. it's an investment that major manufacturers perform to ensure their products function at spec. apex? it was voted best newcomer by cnn, do you see any apex products on shelves lately? the hassle of handling product returns caused retailers to drop their orders. norcent appeared as the new replacement until walmart has dropped them in favour of philips & durabrand this year.

what i'm trying to get across is that i don't mind throwing out a $100 home theatre system i donate to a retirement home, i'll just buy another one. $1299 + TAX isn't something i can absorb no matter how large the display. honestly, i would be WOW'd for 2 months but when it fails (following a pattern of other poorly designed low-cost products) i'm out $1495.85. i can buy a laptop with 3yr full coverage! that means i can toss it off the highway, pick it up and ask for a replacement no questions asked.

norcent...they're counting my money, laughing at their mansion and flipping the factory to the next group of political cadres in china dreaming up a new name plate to hang over the factory and snatch your hard-earned money. customer support? what's that?

[Smoothie]

I just bought an LG 42" plasma from audiotronic. Its edtv and to me has a great picture, better than some lcd flat screens I have seen. Price was $1489, can't go wrong for that I think. :lol:

[alias_neo]

I had my eyes on this but would anyone mind explaining whats the difference between EDTV and HDTV? THe other tv I planned to get was a 43" Samsung Rear Projection HDTV (http://www.etherworx.com/~2001av/product_info.php?id=HCR4351&clr=) for $1000. Which tv would you say is the better deal? At first I thought it would be the Norcent one since Plasma is supposedly better than rear projection but after reading this Im just really confused.

[Drew_W]

Samsung projections are terrible. There are always tons of them open box at stores, which is a bad sign.

EDTV = 480p progressive scan panel.

HDTV = full 720p/1080i resolution.

[Cisco KId]

I had my eyes on this but would anyone mind explaining whats the difference between EDTV and HDTV? THe other tv I planned to get was a 43" Samsung Rear Projection HDTV (http://www.etherworx.com/~2001av/product_info.php?id=HCR4351&clr=) for $1000. Which tv would you say is the better deal? At first I thought it would be the Norcent one since Plasma is supposedly better than rear projection but after reading this Im just really confused.

doode google is your friend, do some research on diff between ed and hd. Personally I own an Ed and I love it, HD feed is excellent, I aslo owned an HD set rear projection Hitachi, it was very good. Comparing the 2 it had an edge but for overall use the ED is better , less space is used, colours are more vibrant and viewing angle is greatly improved. Cost me 1850 tax i9n and even today I still have not seen an ED set with better connection offereings or menu features.

[alias_neo]

Samsung projections are terrible. There are always tons of them open box at stores, which is a bad sign.

EDTV = 480p progressive scan panel.

HDTV = full 720p/1080i resolution.

Well one of my relatives has this (http://www.etherworx.com/~2001av/product_info.php?id=HCP5241&clr=) projection tv and I really dont see anything wrong with quality (actually pretty good in my opinion but Im not really an expert). If I dont have any problem with that tv, do you think Ill have trouble with the one I posted on my previous post? Better yet, do you recommend the EDTV or the Samsung or any other tv in the $1000~$1400 range

[Drew_W]

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235137

PLUS

It is impossible for me to tell you what to buy for reasons I mentioned in this thread.

[alias_neo]

Okay Drew, Thanks alot :D. Youve been most helpful although I would really would have appreciated a personal opinion on which one you feel is better. My lifestyle: Casual gamer (not really a graphics-*****, just want some good big widescreen action), big movie fan but once again Im not really into graphics or care about the smallest pixel, I just want to sit back and enjoy watching a movie on a big wide screen. Anyway, much appreciated for the help

[Drew_W]

The 32" Dell HDTV LCD for $1499.

[wontonsoup]

Samsung projections are terrible. There are always tons of them open box at stores, which is a bad sign.

EDTV = 480p progressive scan panel.

HDTV = full 720p/1080i resolution.

I don't think Drew is an expert on this topic. Samsung TV's are top of the line. Ranked better than Sony. Most lcd panels for high quality tv's are made by either Samsung or LG. Anyways for $1300 I would definitely buy that TV, especially for what you've described you need it for. Any plasma TV for $1300 is a good deal. If your worried about quality problems then get a service plan. I've seen it in store and it looked fine.

[Drew_W]

I don't think Drew is an expert on this topic. Samsung TV's are top of the line. Ranked better than Sony. Most lcd panels for high quality tv's are made by either Samsung or LG. Anyways for $1300 I would definitely buy that TV, especially for what you've described you need it for. Any plasma TV for $1300 is a good deal. If your worried about quality problems then get a service plan. I've seen it in store and it looked fine.

They may be popular because of price, but judging by the amount of returns, something's the matter with them. And I said projections only. Nothing about LCD.

[bb]

can someone point me to a URL for a review? can't seem to find any on this tv.i bought a PRIMA plasma three months ago @ BB, it's an EDTV and it's amazing for ps2/dvd/computer(dvi) purposes

it's a good bang for the buck and the quality is awesome *up to 1080i

you can't compare this with a TRUE HDTV, but for 1299, you can't go wrong i assume

btw, norcent, prima and other non-well-known brand names are pretty much made by the same manufacturer

happy holidays!!!

[sbermunk]

Samsung projections are terrible. There are always tons of them open box at stores, which is a bad sign.

EDTV = 480p progressive scan panel.

HDTV = full 720p/1080i resolution.

To be more specific:

42" Plasma EDTV panels are 850x480 resolution. (Most of these will accept HDTV signals, but of course scale down to 850x480 resolution.)
42" Plasma 'HDTV' panels are mostly 1024x768 resolution. (I'm not sure if most of those scale up to 768 lines when fed a 720p signal, or just leave some lines unused at the top or bottom. 1080i signals are scaled down to fit.)
50" Plasma 'HDTV' panels are mostly 1366x768 resolution.

There are very few full-HD (1920x1080) resolution devices in existence, and they are very expensive. The new sony SXRD rear-projection TVs are the only full-HD devices I have seen at a standard store (at Future Shop). They look very nice, I might add...

More pixels is generally a good thing, since you get more detail for HDTV content. However the video circuitry makes a difference too. (Though usually not if you can feed the device a DVI digital signal at the exact resolution of the device - then little or no video processing should happen. But this is hard to do except using a computer.) I was looking at a Panasonic 42" EDTV (850x480) plasma side-by-side with a cheapo no-name 42" 'HDTV' (1024x768) plasma the other day, and the Panasonic looked way better, because the image was so soft and fuzzy on the cheap hi-res plasma.

[bb]

well went ahead and ordered 2 units, one for me and one for a friend. hopefully i won't be disappointed...

[Traveller999]

Anyone buying the addional FS warranty with this plasma TV???
If so, What price did you get the warranty for?

[bb]

used my VISA card, and got an automatic warranty extension to 2 years (as the factory norcent one is 1 year). Many people do not know about this cool feature from VISA.

[isajoo]

I am happy with this purchase... I did a lot of research on this tv and on plasma EDTV/HDTV... and the reason I bought this is because there were a few plasma website that describe what is EDTV and HDTV and the differences...

on ANY 42" plasma tv regardless of ED/HDTV model...will never get the REAL HD experience reason being that the pixels for minimum HD content is 1280X768 or 1365X768 AND THERE IS NO 42" PLASMA ON THE MARKET HD or ED that can get that resolution.

(1) DVD material look better on an EDTV 853 X 480 than it would on a HDTV 1024X768 resolution. At DVD quality resolution
(2) 80% of the content available to viewers -- whether on TV or on DVD -- is NOT high definition
(3) If deliberating between a EDTV resolution plasma purchase compared with a HDTV plasma resolution purchase, consider that you will likely get around a 20% bump in picture quality with the HD unit when watching a good incoming HD signal. An EDTV plasma can display and HD signal, but only at its native pixel resolution after down conversion.

another thing to remember is that...here is the math.

widescreen 16/9=1.775 ....not exact

42" plasma EDTV = 1.775*480=852
852X480 - which is what 42" plasma EDTV's native resolution

standard 4/3=1.333 .... not exact

42" plasma HDTV = 1.333*768=1024
should be minimum 1280X768 or 1365X768
1024X768 - which is what 42" plasma HDTV's native resolution BUT IS NOT 16X9 format

that means that any edtv 42" plasma will have better 16:9 resolution.

[sbermunk]

Just thought I would correct myself...
I posted that there are very few full-HD (1920x1080) devices available, and that they are very expensive. I forgot that there actually are a couple of 37" LCD tvs available now (Sceptre, Westinghouse that I know of) for reasonable prices which are 1920x1080. I haven't seen these available here in Canada though yet, unfortunately.

[Mad.Whack]

Thanks guys... totally thought this thread died long ago, I purchased it, I'll just return it if it sucks, comming in on the 30th.... (Got the extra year from VISA too :) )

[bb]

anyone tried this TV out yet? i went to FS to take a look at the norcent, and the unit itself looks quite nice for the price. but when displaying the hockey game demo, the ice itself looked a little yellow when compared side by side to a samsung...

[pdotnet]

I'm pretty fussy about picture quality. I guess those of you who say the picture in futureshop was ghosting and blurry obviously the store didn't have it set up properly because the store I bought it from had this Norcent EDTV next to an Insignia HD and an LG HD (both over $800 more i might add) and I couldn't believe how comparable the quality was between ED and HD.

Don't get me wrong, HD is sharper, and when you're up close you can tell the difference for sure... but step 8 feet back (to where you'd be watching TV from) and the difference becomes almost indistinguishable. Nevermind that though, the fact is that when you take the set home you WONT have a room full of HD sets sitting next to it showing you the minor differences. You'll be able to appreciate the picture for what it is, and when I brought it home and set it up that confirmed it.

Got my Media Center PC running through VGA, Motorola HD receiver through DVI and DVD player, XBOX running through Component and in each case the picture quality exceeded my expecatations.

Like I said I'm pretty fussy about picture quality, and my stance was like most of yours - I can always return it if it's no good. Well, I'm keeping it! And it's a fantastic TV for a great price!

About the extended warranty - I haven't bought one yet but after reading the fine print of Norcent's Manufacturer's Warranty card I'm considering it. You have to pay shipping to California, so for fun I got a quote from fedex.com, $190 to ship - so maybe a FS warranty isn't such a bad deal.

Hope that helps!

[bb]

i'd have to agree with pdotnet. got my tv yesterday, and spent quite a few hours fiddling with it. For the price, it IS a great buy (price back up to $2000 now). Quality is 90% of a HD set. TV tuner could be a little faster when changing channels, but that is pretty much all the negatives that I had with it. It looks great too. Too bad that having such a large TV means that cable looks much crappier now :) I also hooked up my laptop to it, and it displays 1024x768 pretty well. Now I can surf from my couch :)