I don't have AC in my apartment. I'm concerned about the heat generation of a Plasma 46" or 50" display in the height of summer here in the US Northeast. Should I be?

Second, the apartment is old. The circuit (which is not grounded) is handling the load of a CRT that draws around 200 Watts. What concerns should I have about swapping that out for a Plasma that draws up to 600 Watts? Would a power conditioner be a good investment?

Both these concerns would be easily answered if I got an LCD, and I might. I'm just coming from a Loewe Aconda 38" CRT, and would really miss the black levels it gave me.

Heat isn't an issue the fact your circuit isn't grounded is what would worry me.

Above everything Don't get lcd coming from a crt tube lcd have more flaws that i dont even consider it a tv lol. plasma will be the choice and its not much of an issue with heat or electric bill. if you want to get better quality then it will have to be a pioneer elite. if you want just best blacks then the non elite pioneer will give you the best blacks and a excellent picture that will be close or better then your crt tube

well any plasma is better than an LCD. SO man up and get a plasma. heat isn't an issue

Do any of you live in the NE in an apt w/o A/C? I think that deserves some real consideration before simply dismissing that there would be no heat issues with a 600 W plasma (or even one that runs more like "300 W" under nominal loads) in the summer time. Certainly, it should be a well-ventilated environment wherever you do install it.

That said, even a modern generation lcd could present heat issues during hot weather in a smallish apt with no A/C. Once you get to the fancy models and large panel sizes, they are no longer quite the energy miserly devices.

Most LCDs and Plasmas of any given size have similar power draws watching regular viewing material, so the heat output would also be similar (power drawn=heat output). Plasma power varies depending on material, an all white screen at max brightness will be at that 600W level, but normal viewing will be much less. An LCD draws a constant amount.

ANY TV at that size is going to put out some heat. A given plasma may seem hotter because the glass screen retains heat more than a plastic LCD, but that doesn't mean it is putting more heat into the room. Look Crutchfield tested power draws if it is a concern. They tested a Panasonic 50pz85U at 264 watts and a Samsung ln52a550 at 224. So it's not a big deal.

Will this be your first time to live in a house/apt without a/c? The reason why I ask is because I live in Texas where a/c isn't a luxury item...are there times during the summer in Boston where it gets very uncomfortable without a/c? If so then a plasma is not going to help...and an lcd or crt won't either. Any electronic item in your apartment will be putting off at least a little heat as long as it's plugged in...especially things like computers, tv's, refrigerators. If your un-airconditioned apartment is comfortable most of the time and/or you get a good breeze through windows..it may not be a problem.

600 Watts is only 5 amps. You should have at least a 15 amp circuit breaker on the line. I would not hook any electronic device to an ungrounded circuit. Get the landlord to have all the outlets properly grounded for your safety.

Above everything Don't get lcd coming from a crt tube lcd have more flaws that i dont even consider it a tv lol. plasma will be the choice and its not much of an issue with heat or electric bill. if you want to get better quality then it will have to be a pioneer elite. if you want just best blacks then the non elite pioneer will give you the best blacks and a excellent picture that will be close or better then your crt tube

The op lives in an old apartment with no a/c and outdated wiring. I dont see any pioneer plasma in his near future.

I don't have AC in my apartment. I'm concerned about the heat generation of a Plasma 46" or 50" display in the height of summer here in the US Northeast. Should I be?I don't know why so many people claim that Plasmas put out so much heat because i've found the opposite to be true in my home. My older 42" PX50UPanasonic Plasma puts out less heat than the 32" HD Tube TV it replaced (i measured them several times with my infrared heat-sensing gun). My newer 42" PZ700U expels even less heat than the 42PX50U does. And my small 26" HP LCD TV puts out more heat than these three other TVs (again, i measured it several times). But in the end, i noticed virtually no temperature increase in my living room temperatures after upgrading to the flat panel TVs compared to when i had the old Tube TV. A 50" Plasma (or LCD) will surely put out a little more heat than a 40" or 42" counterpart, but i really don't think it would make much of an impact.

Second, the apartment is old. The circuit (which is not grounded) is handling the load of a CRT that draws around 200 Watts. What concerns should I have about swapping that out for a Plasma that draws up to 600 Watts? Would a power conditioner be a good investment? There should be virtually no danger using a TV with a ground prong in an older house that does not have grounded receptacles, unless of course you're sticking your fingers into the rear cabinet while standing in a puddle of water. We've gotten along fine for 50 years with our ungrounded tube TVs plugged into ungrounded two-prong receptacles without getting killed, and the simple addition of a ground prong on these new flat panel TV's power cords doesn't mean the house wiring needs to be upgraded - it's just not an issue. And i've been in the Electrical Contractor industry for 32 years so i'm not just some random guy blowing steam on the internet. My house is ungrounded and in normal use it is simply not an issue.

Both these concerns would be easily answered if I got an LCD, and I might. I'm just coming from a Loewe Aconda 38" CRT, and would really miss the black levels it gave me.Going LCD won't automatically answer your concerns and doesn't gain anything over going Plasma. Power draw ratings aren't usually accurate, both technologies tend to draw less than the specs would lead you to believe. My 42" Plasma is rated at 395 watts, but when i tested it for a week with a Kill-A-Watt meter it recorded an average of 220 watts, and i run it with the contrast cranked almost all the way up. Size for size both technologies draw around the same amount of power in real-world usage. In the end, i wouldn't let heat or power draw determine which technology one chooses, the differences are fairly insignificant in the real world home environment.

If you can spend a few grand on a TV, why not spend a few hundred on a window A/C ?

If you can spend a few grand on a TV, why not spend a few hundred on a window A/C ?Not everybody wants to have an ugly window A/C unit in their living room, if it's even possible, nor should they have to install A/C to accommodate a new TV. I imagine if he wanted to have A/C in his apartment, he would already have A/C in his apartment :)

The OP needs to find out how much wattage his proposed 50" Plasma actually uses in a home environment, not go by published specs which are always greatly overstated. Surely someone here with a 2008 Panasonic has checked their power draw with a Kill-A-Watt meter.