RE: Slightly OT: home cinema

["Timothy Morris" <timothy.morris@xxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phillip Harris [mailto:phillip.harris1@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 07 April 2001 14:32
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Slightly OT: home cinema
>
>
>
> > Tim, do you have a copy of Blade in your DVD collection?
> >
> > In the opening credits, when N'Bushe Wright's name is displayed,
and the
> > streets are flying past in the car, does the red come through
nice and
> > sharp, or is it blurred across the screen?
>
> Exactly the bit that I look at too...
>
> Phil
>

I don't have it (Blade) - The 5th Element looks pretty good though, feel
free to bring it round. I think it is perfectly fair for those who have
seen
lesser panels to be sceptical. I've wanted one for ages, but until I saw
the
Panasonic was not prepared to put up with the quality.

I really do take the quality vs. quantity approach, which is why up until
now I've been an advocate for say DVD Audio over mp3. I don't expect
however
the world to take MY word for it, which is why I suggested that your
(Phil's) opinion as a sceptic would be more valid than mine.

I have seen it side by side with a Panasonic 36" wide screen direct
view CRT
and IMO the plasma looked better. How it will compare to the new Panasonics
with built in ps converters I don't know. I'm sure that at least part of
the
equation is the DVD player. I haven't seen a CRT projector driven by the
Arcam. That would be interesting. The plasma in combination with a
Panasonic
DVD A-350 was comparable to a direct view CRT. No better, no worse.

When I first hooked up the Arcam to the plasma I watched "Chicken
Run",
which did have the wow factor. At just before 1am, I put Gladiator on, just
to have a quick look. I watched the film in its entirety, and then sent a
message through to Phil at around 3am. For want of a better word, I was gob
smacked.

I do take Keith's point regarding tube life. The specs suggest a life of
10,000 hours BEFORE fading. It will be interesting to see if it does suffer
from fade. If it does I will be the first to whine. I also take his point
about watching films in the dark, but as I spend more time watching Sky
digital than DVDs, a dual purpose display device is more useful to me.

As I stated in my original message, it is the combination of the two
machines that give OUTSTANDING picture quality. Lets wait and see what Phil
has to say. After all he has seen more display devices than the rest of us
put together. Pop over to the uk.home-cinema newsgroup where the assembled
crowd are by nature anti-plasma and anti LCD, and ask their opinion.

Tim.