microtek cineon plasma televisions announced

January 3rd, 2007 post a comment (3) stumble it! by: technabob

Known primarily for their scanners and other peripherals, Microtek has announced the release of their new line of reasonably priced plasma televisions. Microtek’s new Cineon line of plasma displays includes 42-inch (CP42HA) and a 50-inch (CP50HA) models, ranging from $1600 to $2200 retail.

Both sets feature WXGA (1366×768) resolution and can handle 480p, 720p and 1080i source signals. The Cineon’s also offer an on-board NTSC/ATSC digital tuner for over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. The 42-inch model claims a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, while the 50-inch offers 8000:1. The sets also feature a diverse array of inputs including VGA, HDMI, component, composite and S-video. The displays are available for purchase now through custom A/V and home theater installers.

January 3rd, 2007 post a comment (3) stumble it! by: technabob

3 comments post a comment

1. SideShow Surfer | January 4th, 2007 at 3:36 am

Plasma is maybe good but i in this moment think the future is in LCD.Really great quality in the LCD tellys today and they dont use more than half the power compared to a plasma screen!.
2. Big Mo | January 4th, 2007 at 2:02 pm

I don’t necessarily agree with SideShow Surfer. Color, Blacks, and action benefit Plasmas far more than LCDs. In addition, viewing angles are much better too And, it may come to a surprise, but the power consumption of a an LCD at that size is about 300Watts, compared to 370-400 for a plasma, not the biggest saver. Also most TVs do not go full bore on the wattage either, these figures are max and do not reflect actual viewing watts which change during the coarse of a program. LCD’s benefits are a higher contrast ratio and higher resolution screens at 1080p (ATSC (US)), Although that’s changing now that plasmas are also beginning to release sets of that resolution. To conclude, I believe that the future is still open between the two types and don’t discount a third one creeping in when you least expect it.
3. technabob | January 4th, 2007 at 4:06 pm

I’m with Big Mo on this one. I have both a Plasma and an SXRD rear projector, and also have an LCD on my computer. Of all of the displays the Plasma has the best black levels, viewing angles and uniformity.

On the downside, plasma does suffer from some burn in. Even with technologies that reduce the likelihood of burn, you can faintly see where the grey bars appear on 4:3 programming on my two year old plasma. With LCDs, no burn in, and they weigh about half of equivalent plasmas. On the other hand, my SXRD has NO visible pixel structure, better contrast than LCD, but suffers from limited viewing angles and poor color uniformity (especially on a black screen). I suppose that if SED ever comes out and lives up to the hype, we could have a winner there, but I’m banking on LCD improvements coming out on top in the short term.