#1 Slingbox
Does it really do what the people on TV says it does and how does it really work ?
Like can I be in a hotel room in Kazakhstan that has WiFi and we can watch Days of Our Lives on my wifes lappy ?? ( we ll I wouldn't watch it but she would like to , especially if we ever did go to Kazakhstan.

#2 and most important; PLASMA TV's
I have read Consumer Reports and I go to Costco where I will most likely buy one and checkout the quality but what would you guys get if you could have a choice, I am thinking 42 to 50 inches but probably 42 and theat I willprobably buy after xmas when they are even cheaper, I am leaning toawrds LG or the Panasonic 42 incher or maybe Viewsonic actually , it's not a big name but it looks great and is cheap. Oh with DTV do I need a HD reciever and how much do they run ????

Thanks alot in advance my fellaricans.

I was reading a article i found a couple weeks ago about the difference between LCD HDTV and Plasma HDTV and it was saying that the LCD TV would out last the Plasma TV , they where saying if you left a LCD TV on 24/7 they would last up to 6 years where if you left a Plasma one on 24/7 it would last only 3 years, this is something i would really consider thinking about on getting considering how much the price of LCD and Plasma TV are, don't get me wrong i would not leave my TV on 24/7 but considering how long a TV would last i think a LCD would be much better.

Here is a article i just found that might interest you in the difference between LCD TV and Plasma TV link this is not the same article i read i think it was on a brochure i seen at Best Buy. This was the TV i was looking at getting at Best Buy come tax time LINK

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Quote: Originally Posted by ranger1033 I was reading a article i found a couple weeks ago about the difference between LCD HDTV and Plasma HDTV and it was saying that the LCD TV would out last the Plasma TV , they where saying if you left a LCD TV on 24/7 they would last up to 6 years where if you left a Plasma one on 24/7 it would last only 3 years, this is something i would really consider thinking about on getting considering how much the price of LCD and Plasma TV are, don't get me wrong i would not leave my TV on 24/7 but considering how long a TV would last i think a LCD would be much better. Here is a article i just found that might interest you in the difference between LCD TV and Plasma TV link this is not the same article i read i think it was on a brochure i seen at Best Buy. This was the TV i was looking at getting at Best Buy come tax time LINK

Great , now I just read the article and am back to square one, colors fade over time ???????
Thx for that page Ranger.

Quote: Originally Posted by NoSlak Great , now I just read the article and am back to square one, colors fade over time ??????? Thx for that page Ranger.

Yes that was one of my biggest fear i had about spending over $ 1,500 on a TV and i figured it be very helpful for everyone to know about the cons and pros about Plasma and LCD TV'S so i know when it is time for me to buy a TV it will be strictly a 42 inch LCD HDTV not a Plasma.

IMHO, I think LCD vs Plasma, LCD wins out. Because Plasma requires more money to maintain. You have to have it installed and charged. LCD, you can set up yourself. Even though the back light does fade out, you're a member of PCApex, you could probably find a replacement on ebay and replace the backlight yourself.

Quote: Originally Posted by Master Yunk IMHO, I think LCD vs Plasma, LCD wins out. Because Plasma requires more money to maintain. You have to have it installed and charged. LCD, you can set up yourself. Even though the back light does fade out, you're a member of PCApex, you could probably find a replacement on ebay and replace the backlight yourself.

What do you mean charged ? And what is backlight ? what happens when is fades out Master ??

Here is something also you might find interesting about backlight. link

About.com elaborates a bit.


Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent light bulb. The display itself consists of cells. Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals[eventually the charge runs out, and you have to have it recharged by a company] when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element).


Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images.


LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology.
Basically, LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb[Aka Backlight] is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.


Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is need for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional television. Also, because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself.



So pretty much Plasma TVs when you have them installed you have to have the molecules charged.

I don't really know any other way to explain it, but heres a comparison chart I found.


Flat TV People : LCD TVs versus Plasma Televisions

My PCMag says just about the same... and look! A cute steelers girl!