Computer Resolution for 42" EDTV Plasma?

[destro_99]

I want to put my store menu on a 42" EDTV Plasma they are fairly cheap about $1400 and will look great. My question is what resolution on a PC will be supported by a 42" plasma. I looked and most EDTV's have 840x480 listed in them... but will a higher resolution still look good?

--thanks

[pbhalerao]

The EDTV has a native resolution of 840x480 (I think it is more likely to be 854x480, but that is besides the point). What this means is that the TV cannot display more pixels than those stated by the native resolution. If the TV has scaling capability then any higher or lower resolution input will be scaled down or up to match the TV's resolution.

What does this mean in practical terms?

a) If the input is lower resolution, say 640x480 (VGA) then the scaling mechanism will introduce extra (interpolated) pixels into the display. Hence you will see a grainy picture.
b) On the other hand, setting the PC to higher resolution of 1024x768 or higher means than the scaling mechanism has to "eliminate" the extra pixels. In this case the display will have missing pixels and will look even worse than case (a).

If the TV does not have a scaling capability then it will not be able to display higher resolution at all

You best option is to match the PC resolution to the TV resolution.

Also to be noted is that the 42" plasma TV is 16:9 widescreen whereas your PC output is likely to be 4:3. Hence the display on the TV will look horizontaly elongated and icons/text will look fatter. However if your PC has a widescreen output then you should select that mode and match the TV resolution.

Hope this helps.

[edDV]

Best to use (or have consultant program) special signage software like Scala that is designed for plasma signage. These programs will cycle images or slowly rotate the display to prevent burn-in which is highly possible with stationary images on plasmas.

A designer consultant using high end software (like Scala http://www.scala.com/digital/digital-signage.html ) can produce a turn key package with data input modules where you can loacally change menu text and graphic elements. That way you don't have to buy the full software suite, just the end user package.

Cheaper versions of signage software are out there but use a product designed for plasmas.

[destro_99]

Thanks for the reply guys.. i'm going to take my Small Form Factor shuttle PC to Circuit City with DVI to Composite converter and hook it up to one of these and see how our menu is going to look.. i'm probably going to end up making a slideshow with powerpoint and having that as the Menu on Both Plasmas. Hope it works good!!

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[BJ_M]

edDV is right -- a plasma will get burn in VERY quickly if you dont use the right software for displays ..