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Q. Know what aspect ratio you need (form factor) 4:3 or 16:9? A.
4:3
is
the
standard
ratio
used
on
monitors
and
projectors
today.
16:9
is
predicted
to
be
the
standard
of
the
future. Q. Can your plasma display 16.7 million colors? A.
Some
plasmas
can
not
display
full
color.
These
units
are
less
than
broadcast
standard
and
will
make
many
images
look
unnatural. Q. What's the native resolution? Can it display computer graphics? A.
The
native
resolution
is
the
actual
numbers
of
pixels
a
display
has.
Most
plasmas
can
show
computer
images.
Plasmas
with
less
native
resolution
than
the
computer
signal
will
require
scaling
or
compression. Q. What is the life expectancy? How many hours can the plasma last? A.
Some
are
known
to
last
up
to
30,000
hours
while
others
are
less,
far
less.
For
an
investment
of
this
type
you
need
to
consider
a
robust
commercial
product
with
long
life. Q. Will the warranty cover my product in my application? A.
Some
product
warranties
may
exclude
your
specific
application
of
the
product.
Check
it
before
you
buy. Q. What about customer support/service? A.
Customer
support
is
important--be
sure
to
ask
about
service
center
locations
and
onsite
technical
support.
Shipping
a
plasma
offsite
can
be
cumbersome
and
expensive,
so
you
want
to
get
technical
support
willing
to
come
to
you
when
you
need
help.) Q. Ask about pixel size. Is the pixel uniform or varied? Is each sub-pixel the same size? A.
This
will
affect
the
quality
of
the
image
as
variations
in
the
size
and
shape
of
the
pixels
will
cause
distorted
and
unnatural
images.
Uniform
pixel
size
is
a
good
clue
to
the
quality
of
the
manufacturing
behind
the
product. Q. What is shadowing and how does your plasma handle it? A.
All
plasmas
regardless
of
manufacturer
use
phosphor.
When
a
static
image
is
left
on
screen
for
an
extended
period
of
time
a
shadow
of
that
image
may
remain
when
the
image
is
changed.
If
that
static
is
left
on
long
enough
it
could
remain
permanently.
This
is
commonly
referred
to
as
"burn-in".
Some
plasmas
are
more
susceptible
to
burn-in
than
others
due
to
the
way
the
manufacturer
'drives'
the
plasma. Look for a plasma that has built in Automatic Brightness Limited (ABL). ABL subtly decreases brightness when it senses a still image. The chosen plasma should also have built in color washes that cleans the screen in the event of shadowing. |
Don't forget to ask... How easy will it be to integrate that particular plasma into your current setup? What extras will you need to get the plasma to function with your current computer equipment, etc?
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