Plasma TV as monitor?

[Loa]

Hello,

I'm planning on getting a 46" plasma TV to watch movies/TV shows directly from my 2009 Mac Pro. It will be driven by HDMI through a 6870 GPU.

This in itself should be pretty simple to set up.

Question is: can HDTVs be used as monitors?

Thanks

Loa

 

[TEG]

Yes. The resolution will only be 1920x1080, which is much lower than many monitors, but that should be fine for most purposes.

TEG

 

[alust2013]

They can, but they make terrible primary monitors due to their low DPI and and lower quality panels.

 

[ActionableMango]

Theoretically it will work, but in real life it's hit or miss. It works for many, maybe even most.

But many people also complain in forums about TVs not working with OS X, usually connected by HDMI. The usual problems are HDCP handshake issues, EDID mismatch, overscan/underscan causing blurry text, white levels don't look right, colors wildly off, proper resolution not selectable in OS X, MDP adapters not working, etc.

So, uh, good luck.

 

[drac]

Will probably work.

I have a 60" Pioneer Kuros in the lounge attached to a 2010 mac mini via HDMI.
We mostly use it as a HT device but its fine for a casual look at the web, checking your mail or looking at photos form the days activities.

It is not however suitable for use as a primary monitor. You would probably be unwise to leave a static image on a plasma display for any significant length of time. If you are planning this I strongly recommend using a plasma display burn in disc for the first couple of weeks and then setting your computer to put the display to screen save then sleep as soon as you can tolerate.

Regarding set up- no problems. Full dot to dot at 1080p and correct colour output for my calibrated display.

 

[IceMacMac]

I've tried it and it certainly works...

but for whatever reason it seemed to slow down the refresh and responsiveness of my other monitors. I have two video cards and was driving 3 other monitors.

 

[goMac]

I used a 40" as my primary display for a while...

If you're sitting a ways back, it's not bad, but up close it's unusable. Just as a video watching display it's fine, but I wouldn't use one for real work. Also, the color accuracy is usually not as good.

The 40" and my Mac Pro are in different rooms now.

 

[Loa]

Hello,

Thanks for the info guys!

Loa

 

[Cindori]

HDTVs still use maximum 1900x1080, which at 40" is very stretched, text will be almost unreadable, display very pixelated. also TV's has lower pixel density then computer monitors.

 

[wordoflife]

They can, but remember the resolution is going to be spread over 46" inches. That means, each pixel is going to be very large, and subsequently very unsharp.

 

[nanofrog]

Just keep in mind, assuming it does work and you can live with it (text is readable), Plasma panels tend to suffer from burn-in. Even the newer types that have an orbital pattern to change the pixel cell the image is generated on.

So it's not a good idea to leave a still image on it for long.

Just thought it worth mentioning.

 

[CaptainChunk]

Just keep in mind, assuming it does work and you can live with it (text is readable), Plasma panels tend to suffer from burn-in. Even the newer types that have an orbital pattern to change the pixel cell the image is generated on.

So it's not a good idea to leave a still image on it for long.

Just thought it worth mentioning.

True, but panel burn-in (permanent image retention) was a much bigger problem on early PDPs than it is on modern ones. Pixel orbiting and overall improvements to panel technology have offset this problem quite a bit. But PDPs are still not totally immune to this, so taking the usual precautions isn't a bad idea.

I used to connect my '08 MBP (via a DVI to HDMI cable) to my 50" Pioneer Elite for watching HD videos. But as mentioned several times already in this thread, its higher pixel density (versus a computer monitor) made it practically useless for just about anything else.

 

[nanofrog]

True, but panel burn-in (permanent image retention) was a much bigger problem on early PDPs than it is on modern ones.

Definitely.

But PDPs are still not totally immune to this, so taking the usual precautions isn't a bad idea.

Exactly.

We don't know the exact make/model of Plasma set (idea of age), or what the OP's habits are, so I figured it was worth mentioning.

BTW, this issue is one of the reasons I didn't buy a Plasma based set when shopping for an HDTV (i.e. fall asleep during a movie, and the Menu screen stays on for hours ).

 

[Loa]

Hello,

The burn in issue is one I'll keep in mind if I ever use it for more than movies/TV. Even videogames have some static elements to them...

I'm not sure which brand/model I'll get: does anyone have suggestions?

Loa

 

[nanofrog]

Hello,

The burn in issue is one I'll keep in mind if I ever use it for more than movies/TV. Even videogames have some static elements to them...

I'm not sure which brand/model I'll get: does anyone have suggestions?

Loa

I'm not sure what your budget is, or if you're willing to shift from a 46" set. Assuming you're room dimensions are limited and 46" is the best physical size and you aren't willing to spend $2k+, then you might want to take a look at the Panasonic VIERA TC-P46S30 (46" Plasma).

On the high end, you might want to look at Pioneer Kuro PRO-101FD (new <very hard to find>; used; 50" is the closest in size).

 

[Loa]

Hello,

Thanks Nano for confirming my choice: that was the exact set I was already looking at! It seemed to be the best balance of PQ and features for my budget.

Loa

 

[CaptainChunk]

The burn in issue is one I'll keep in mind if I ever use it for more than movies/TV. Even videogames have some static elements to them...

Well, for what it's worth, I used to play Wii and XB360 games on my Pioneer Elite all the time and burn-in was never a problem for me. And a lot of games have static images, such as health, score, etc. I was just careful not to leave games paused on the screen for extended periods of time.

 

[CaptainChunk]

Well, for what it's worth, I used to play Wii and XB360 games on my Pioneer Elite all the time and burn-in was never a problem for me. And a lot of games have static images, such as health, score, etc. I was just careful not to leave games paused on the screen for extended periods of time.

On the high end, you might want to look at Pioneer Kuro PRO-101FD (new <very hard to find>; used; 50" is the closest in size).

Man, I'm still kicking myself for selling my KURO a couple years ago. Best looking flat-panel I ever owned.

 

[CaptainChunk]

The burn in issue is one I'll keep in mind if I ever use it for more than movies/TV. Even videogames have some static elements to them...

Well, for what it's worth, I used to play Wii and XB360 games on my Pioneer Elite all the time and burn-in was never a problem for me. And a lot of games have static images, such as health, score, etc. I was just careful not to leave games paused on the screen for extended periods of time.

On the high end, you might want to look at Pioneer Kuro PRO-101FD (new <very hard to find>; used; 50" is the closest in size).

Man, I'm still kicking myself for selling my KURO a couple years ago. Best looking flat-panel I ever owned.

 

[ActionableMango]

Man, I'm still kicking myself for selling my KURO a couple years ago. Best looking flat-panel I ever owned.

People sell their Kuros? That's crazy!

I'm scared mine will break. Not because I'd have to buy a new TV, but because there are no new Kuros any more.

 

[drac]

People sell their Kuros? That's crazy!

I'm scared mine will break. Not because I'd have to buy a new TV, but because there are no new Kuros any more.

Can't imagine selling mine either. I had it ISF calibrated and every other TV I see is just a joke compared to the Kuro.

I'm hoping it wont break until others have caught up and overtaken were Pioneer were 3 yrs ago. Just in a 70-80" range next time.

 

[Axl124]

Works perfectly for me. people say the refresh rate being slower is a problem. It will be slower and my screen only goes upto 60 Htz. I doubt many games require more than 60 FPS to run perfectly smoothly. The human eye can't really sense anything past 60-70 I believe. I believe the sacrifice of a few undetectable FPS for a 46 inch 1080P TV is acceptable. I don't think I can ever play games on a smaller computer screen anymore. Anyhow to each his own.

 

[ntrigue]

I wasn't pleased with the DPI on either a 37" or a 50" and would recommend the setup only for movies and photos.

 

[CaptainChunk]

People sell their Kuros? That's crazy!

I'm scared mine will break. Not because I'd have to buy a new TV, but because there are no new Kuros any more.

Yeah. I hit a hard spot financially a couple years back and had to sell mine. I still regret it...a LOT. It was a 720p model (PRO-1150HD, I think) but it was GORGEOUS and it was also the one of the last models with Pioneer-manufactured glass. Pioneer sourced their KURO panels from Panasonic towards the end before they decided to pull out of the market completely.

It's pretty sad that they left, but I understand their reasons. Flat panel TVs are so commoditized now that high-end sets costing 2-3x as much are very tough sells. Pioneer also had a very strict authorized dealer policy that limited their TVs (especially the Elites) to boutique dealers.

Fujitsu (they also made high-end PDPs) pulled out of the market a couple of years prior over similar reasons. There's no money in TVs.

 

[nanofrog]

Yeah. I hit a hard spot financially a couple years back and had to sell mine.

I wasn't sure, but figured this is the most likely reason, rather than upgrading this particular product. Unfortunately, I don't think you were alone on this (particularly for owners of the 1080P variants).