Gateway Plasma

[The Dawg]

Does anyone own one?? The price seems really good!!

[Ioman]

I do not own one, but I do know that Gateway has been selling these like hot cakes. The plasma display itself I believe is actually made by Sampo and is one of their upper end sets. You should be able to go to a Gateway Country store and check one out yourself.

[neuroking]

I don't own one either, but I've been researching plasmas, and I can tell you it's crap. Not even HD (unlike what you might read on Cnet, it's ED). For a plasma, it isn't a bad price, but if you go to your local high end electronics dealer, they'll find you something much better for the same price. It is intended for those who 'just want a plasma' and aren't concerned about the quality.

At least that's what I've heard. You can check out the Sampo unit at Costco, if you wanna see it....

Brandon

[Ioman]

The Gateway Plasma is different than the Sampo which you are thinking about. The Gateway is not an EDTC, but looks to be a eal HDTV because it supports all the HDTV signals: http://www.gateway.com/home/ce/plasma_tv.shtml

I am trying to get one to review. Samsung makes a Plasma thats $2799, I wonder how these two compare.

[Ioman]

Here is the Samsung plasma I was talking about for $2799 : http://designtechnica.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=669182

Crazy how the prices of plasma displays fluctuates among manufacturers.

Here are the specs on the Samsung monitor. I couldn't find a review on the net anywhere:

Panel: Diagonal Size 42"
Screen Aspect Ratio 16:9
Pixel Pitch 1.08mm x 1.08mm
Brightness 650 cd/m2 (typical)
Contrast Ratio 700:1 (typical)
Output Color 16.7 million (256 RGB levels)
Viewing Angle 160 degrees/160 degrees

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scanning Frequency: Horizontal 21.9 ~ 68.7 KHz
Vertical 56 ~ 85 KHz

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Resolution: Active Native Resolution 852x480
Recommended Resolution 852x480
PC Signal Compatibility VGA~XGA
Video Signal Compatibility 480i, 480P, 720P, 1080i
SD/HD Video Output SD

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Input Terminals: Composite Video
Component Video (480i,480p,720p,1080i)
S-Video
RGB 1
RGB 2
RS-232C 1xBNC
3xBNC (Y/Pb/Pr)

1xDIN - 4pin
1xmini D-sub15pin
5xBNC (RGB/H/V)
1xMini Jack

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Output Terminals: Speaker Out
RS-232C 7W+7W
1xmini D-sub 9pin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

External Control: Controls Universal Remote Controller
Built-In Keys (Power, Source, Menu, Volume, Select, Mute)
RS232C (w/ Daisy Chain Out)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Special Features: Features Multi-Layer Anti-Reflection Filter
Digital Noise Reduction
Progressive Scan
Variable Aspect Ratio (6 modes available: Wide, 4:3, Panorama, Stretch, Zoom1, Zoom2)
Picture-in-Picture
Clock phase adjustment
Real time clock
Digital Power Management System
Digital Zoom up to 10x Pan and Freeze

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fans: Fans 4 Fans to reduct heat effectively.
Fan Noise Under 43dB

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Power Requirement: 100 ~ 240V(50 ~ 60Hz)
Power Consumption: 310W
Dimension (W x H x D): 40.9" x 25.0" x 3.5" (w/o stand)
Weight: 70.5 lbs (w/o stand)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Operating Conditions: Temperature 32 degrees(F) - 104 degrees(F)
Humidity 20%~30%
Altitude 6500 feet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warranty: 1 year parts and labor. On-site service.
Extended warranty available (through resellers).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Safety Regulations: UL, CSA, FCC Class A

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Accessories: Power cable, PC signal cable (analog 15pin), remote controller, S-video cable, RS232C cable, installation CD.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Optional Accessories: Monitor Stand SML420
Wall Mount WML420
Speaker PSL4210
Speaker Stand SSL210
Extended Warranty EXWARRANTY42


Samsung website: http://www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1863215470 .1053291531@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfadcigefgemhcfejceefdfggdhgn.0&prod_id=PPM42S2%2fXAA

[neuroking]

Resolution: Active Native Resolution 852x480
Recommended Resolution 852x480
PC Signal Compatibility VGA~XGA

Nope, it's EDTV. HD is 720x1280 or more. The formats don't matter on the rating, since it's just what proportions can be displayed. I think if you're gonna get a plasma and dish out the money, get a HD one. Otherwise, go for one of teh DLPs. You can get a 60" for 4k and it's HD.

Brandon

[brianj]

Originally posted by neuroking
I don't own one either, but I've been researching plasmas, and I can tell you it's crap. Not even HD (unlike what you might read on Cnet, it's ED). For a plasma, it isn't a bad price, but if you go to your local high end electronics dealer, they'll find you something much better for the same price. It is intended for those who 'just want a plasma' and aren't concerned about the quality.

At least that's what I've heard. You can check out the Sampo unit at Costco, if you wanna see it....

Brandon

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The human eye vs. visual anomolies is a strange battle indeed custom fit to every single person. An image on a screen could look like total crap to me, but you could take a look at it say "wow....STUNNING!" (ok, this might be at the extreme end...) But for the most part, I have heard the same as neuroking has mentioned from several different sources: it's just so-so, if not below par with the competition.
The one great thing is that if you purchase this through Costco, they have an excellent return policy. You can always take it home for a test drive. If you don't like it, they will take it back. The only thing it will cost you is a little time...and dragging the thing back if you disslike it.:rolleyes:

[ECA]

90% of that information is the Tuner, and not the Monitor.

And PLEASE look at the humidity range. Alot of people dont look at it.
20-30% is very specific. Can you control your humidity in your house this well.
Altitude, 6500 feet. Wouldnt use this around Denver.
temperature. 32-104f Optimal would be around 70-80f. This could limit those on older houses with drafts in the winter and No air conditioning.
Any of these things will shorten its life.

[brianj]

Originally posted by Ioman
..
I am trying to get one to review. Samsung makes a Plasma thats $2799, I wonder how these two compare.

The new Samsung 42" display due out in July will have a contrast ratio of 1200:1 -- almost a 100% improvement over their last generation of displays.