[Mayonayze]

i am the newest of the new to home theatre technology and so please make sure responses are cogent and fairly simple.


I am looking at a 50" panny for wall mounting (dont care if its consumer or industrial) and have narrowed my search somewhat, but now i need to figure out if i want EDTV or HDTV. So the first question, which tie to the other questions, is: do both ED and HD versions come with internal tuners and decoders? Which models? and are there different versions of the internal engines that are better than others on similar panny models. for instance...in sony's the XBR engines blow other sony engines out of the water...does panny's line have something similar to an XBR engine in its line? and if so, which model(s)?


The second question: if so, are they (the internal tuners and decoders) good enough? I will spend the majority of my viewing time on this tv watching NTSC programs piped in via digital cable. i will be paying for the HD service, and so i will have access to a few HD channels. I have read on this, and other, forums, that EDTVs display a much better NTSC signal because there is far less decoding and scaling necessary with thier lower native resolutions. so an EDTV with a decent internal decoder will be more effective at displaying digital cable pictures, than an HD with the same type on internal decoding.


But i think i am leaing toward HD nonetheless. SO, my final question is: what external tuners should i consider if the internal tuner is deemed by this board to be insufficient for all practical purposes.


sorry for the length. just wanted to convey how very little i actually know about this stuff. Thanks!


Mayo

 

[little_blaine]

At 50", you don't have an ED option, all models, industrial and consumer, are HD. So the distinction now is: industrial has no tuner, consumer has dual digital tuners.


With digital cable, your options are to either get a set-top box from your cable provider (which will be your external tuner), or get a cablecard from your cable provider, which will allow you to use the internal tuner with the digital cable content.


Getting an external tuner may offer you more features, like a program guide, and maybe even a PVR option for recording digital shows. A cablecard interface will give you a simpler setup - no external boxes, and you can use the TV remote to tune to all the cable stations. The panasonic tuners are very high quality, so you may end up with a better picture as well.


For more info on current models and differences between industrial and consumer, see the panasonic FAQ, which you'll find near the top of this forum.


Good luck!

 

[jcpzero]

42" have ED and HD versions. I am looking for a 42" and not well versed in 50" models - but as stated above there is no 50" ED, only HD.


Commercial models do not include tuners. If you go with commercial you need to utilize a cable box or direct TV receiver for the tuner.


Since you are new to home theater, you may want to first see if a consumer model fits your need better. They typically have more included options. The latest panasonic consumer has more inputs including HDMI. ntsc and atsc tuner, and speakers. THe commercial models are more ala cart where you have to buy additional "blades" to add HDMI.


JCPZero