Plasma TV

Ok, you’ve gone out and bought a brand spanking new plasma TV, but how do you make sure that you’re getting the best picture out of it? To do that you need to adjust the picture settings on your plasma TV, otherwise known as “plasma calibration” in the AV industry.

Before you start, you should know that the best calibration for your plasma TV will depend on your source material (i.e. what you’re watching), your input device (e.g. DVD player or satellite box) and the amount of ambient light in your home environment… among other things. You should also be aware that your plasma TV needs to be run in for at least 200 hours to allow the phosphors to stabilize, or else you will have to repeat your plasma TV calibration in the future.

You may not own a plasma TV calibration DVD, so this article will try to walk you through the steps using readily available material. Remember to use the best available connection to connect your input device to your plasma TV. In descending order, the cleanest signal (and hence best picture quality) can be obtained via: HDMI = DVI > VGA = component > SCART (RGB) > S-Video > Composite.

1. Adjust Brightness. This actually determines the black level on your plasma TV: too high a setting and black will look gray; too low and dark grays are swallowed into blackness. To set brightness to its proper level, simply play a DVD with lots of black scenes (e.g. opening scene from Star Wars). Now crank your brightness up until the black on your plasma TV look gray, then slowly dial your brightness down until the black in the movie JUST matches the black on the black bars on top and bottom of the movie.

2. Adjust Contrast. This determines the white level and is responsible for how much light your plasma TV actually emits. To set contrast correctly, play a DVD scene containing a shiny bald head/forehead (e.g. The Fifth Element). Now increase contrast until the bald patch is glaringly hurting your eyes, and then tone it down until you’re satisfied that you can see all the detail within the white.

3. Adjust Sharpness. For most poorly-encoded source material you want to use this to enhance the edges, but if done excessively this will introduce haloing and ringing around edges. It’s best to bring up a “User Menu” (from your DVD, satellite box, etc) to adjust sharpness: increase it until lots of ringing artifacts occur around the edges of the words, then decrease it until the ringing just disappears.

4. Adjust Color. Color can either be too saturated or too dull… either way the picture will not look right, with the most noticeable errors found in skin tones and green foliage. As a rough guide, you can use a DVD scene with a hand and tinker with the color until the color matches that of your own hand.

What I’ve described above is 4 basic steps for plasma calibration using only what’s available to you. If you wish to strive for more accuracy you can get a HDTV calibration DVD, but you’ll need to know which one to buy and how to use it to calibrate plasma TV because the majority of them are still catered for the CRT market.

By: Vince Teoh

About the Author:

Many thousands of people purchase their first plasma screen TV each year. They invest a significant amount of money to obtain a plasma screen which offers top of the line color accuracy, vibrancy, and clarity to enhance their family’s viewing experience. Once the television is delivered however, it’s important for plasma buyers to take the time to become familiar with the proper care of the screen to assure many years of trouble free viewing enjoyment. Plasma screens aren’t really “high maintenance” but observing a few tips offered here can extend the life of the screen.

o Provide a solid foundation: Be sure the plasma screen is placed (or mounted) in an area where it will not be “knocked around” or will accidentally fall.

o Let it breathe: Plasma screens generate a lot of heat which can speed the demise of the electrical components of the unit. Be sure the TV has enough open space around it. The manufacturer will provide venting guidelines.

o Stay dry: Exposure to excessive humidity, spills, or condensation due to rapid changes in temperature can destroy electrical components and cause corrosion.

o Tone it down: Rooms with lower ambient light require less brightness. Brightness levels that are set too high will prematurely age the phosphor lining of the plasma screen.

o Keep it cool: As alluded to above, plasma screens require a cool environment, due primarily to the heat they generate. Outdoor placement of a plasma screen is a no-no due to the exposure to heat, humidity, other moisture, and dirt.

o Use a little “elbow grease”- but not too much: Keep the screen clean with the proper tools. Manufacturers seldom recommend strong cleaners. Most often a micro fiber cloth is recommended which is effective in ridding the screen of dust and finger prints. When more aggressive cleaning is necessary cleaners specifically made for plasma or PC screens (anti-static cleaners) are used but should never be sprayed directly on the screen. The cleaner should be applied to the cloth. Use of paper towels, Kleenex, or any other abrasive type cloths should be avoided as they can damage the anti-glare coating.

o Don’t get burnt: Although anti-burn in technology has advanced greatly over the years, it is best to avoid leaving static images on the screen. This means that images should not be paused on the screen for extended periods of time and stations which present a static block/image on the screen should be viewed on a limited basis as well. Hooking your PC up to a plasma screen is also inadvisable as they are often used to display static images.

o Help your plasma TV weather the storm: This is just common sense; use a surge protector.

o Prevent pre-mature aging: The final word of caution; turn plasma screens off when not in use. This can help avoid accidental burn in, reduce heat, and help to avoid decreased brightness/pre-mature aging.

By: Christine Peppler

About the Author:

If you have walked around an electronics store lately or have purchased a new flat panel television then you’ve no doubt noticed how the technology keeps improving seemingly with each passing day. Today’s TVs are thinner than ever before and come in such vivid screen displays that the picture will literally blow you away. Along with this advancement in technology, the hardware upon which to hang these wonderful devices have also improved.

If your current situation consists of a huge entertainment center that housed your previous tube television and you just purchased a new plasma screen TV then opting for a plasma TV wall bracket may be the solution.

With so many brackets available it will come down to the look and functionality that you are after. Would you like the TV to extend out from the wall or remain close? Do you require it to turn or swivel? Or how about tilt up or down?

There are essentially three main types of brackets – cantilever and/or swivel type bracket, tilting mount and a stationary fixed wall mount.

The first type of bracket is the cantilever type. This is essentially an arm that allows the flat panel to extend out from the wall while also providing a swivel type motion. The ultimate in flexibility, this mount will allow you to adjust the TV so that you can view the picture from anywhere in the room.

Secondly, a tilting TV bracket can provide a little flexibility as well. A little more limited than the cantilever but it does allow for you to adjust the television by tilting the screen either up or down. This allows for adjustments in angle in the event you are sitting on the sofa thus giving the viewer the best possible angle to watch.

Lastly, another type of mount is a fixed installation that does not allow for any movement whatsoever. This is by far the most cost efficient solution but you will not be able to make any adjustments. This is not such a bad thing due to the large viewing angle that today’s flat panels provide.

Deciding on and purchasing a new flat panel television can be the beginning to enjoying your new device. You will next want to decide how the TV will be placed in your house. With these types of plasma TV brackets, you will be able to get the most value out of your purchase and enjoy it for years to come.

By: Andy Brock

About the Author: