[dwh131]

I am going to soon buy my first HDTV. I want a screen of at least 50 and I want it to be 1080p. I have been looking at LCD's (Samsung T5265F and Sharp 52D92U) and now plasma with the release of the Panasonic TH-50PZ700U. Reading these forums has made me concerned about buying a LCD because of a long list of issues so I started leaning towards the Panasonic. Unfortunately, someone recently pointed out to me one problem with plasma in my situation, my house is at 7100 feet. Panasonic's web site makes no mention of the issue, that I can find, but doing a Google search does turn up a number of articles on the issue.


My question is if high elevations are still a serious issue with plasma? Anyone have any recommendations?


Thanks,

David.

 

[dirtydan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dwh131 /forum/post/0


I am going to soon buy my first HDTV. I want a screen of at least 50 and I want it to be 1080p. I have been looking at LCD's (Samsung T5265F and Sharp 52D92U) and now plasma with the release of the Panasonic TH-50PZ700U. Reading these forums has made me concerned about buying a LCD because of a long list of issues so I started leaning towards the Panasonic. Unfortunately, someone recently pointed out to me one problem with plasma in my situation, my house is at 7100 feet. Panasonic's web site makes no mention of the issue, that I can find, but doing a Google search does turn up a number of articles on the issue.


My question is if high elevations are still a serious issue with plasma? Anyone have any recommendations?


Thanks,

David.

I have never heard of a plasma that recommended use above 6500ft. You might call Panasonic for their recommendation.

 

[Kr8z1]

I have heard of plasmas made for high elevations but can't recall who the manufacturer was. If I were you, I'd call the manufacturers you are interested in and ask if there are any elevation limitations.

 

[obiTOkenobi]

That is one freakin tall house!!!

 

[afiggatt]

Checking the specs for the Panasonic 9UK commercial plasmas, they have an operating altitude limit of 9100 feet or 2800 meters for the 1080p TH-50PF9UK and the 768p models. The 103" model has a lower limit of 7800', probably because of pressure issues for that huge sheet of glass. So you should be ok at 7100', but you should call Panasonic to check for the 1080p 50PZ700U. The issue with high altitudes is not that the plasma will not work, but some units may have a buzzing sound while others will be fine. It is a bit of a hit or miss once you get to the spec limit as I understand it. But if the spec for the PZ700U is 9100', you should be fine.

 

[RandyWalters]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kr8z1 /forum/post/0


I have heard of plasmas made for high elevations but can't recall who the manufacturer was.

NEC if i remember correctly (and i usually do

 

[Kr8z1]

Yeah I bet you're right, I was thinking NEC too.

 

[weebels]

i don't believe NEC has a 1080p yet. he can always get the 65", 9,000 ft rated, 1080p runco

costs more than my car but it's nice

 

[LP30]

The primary problem with the plasmas at high altitude is a very annoying buzz. The buzz worsens as the size of the plasma increases and the alitude goes up. Some manufacturers are better than others. I live at 7000 feet and have a 58 Panny and had a 50 inch Panny both with very little noise (can be heard within about 6 inches of the set). My experience has been, that despite their published support of 9000 feet, LG and Samsung generally do not perform well. Panasonic and Pioneer seem to be the best for altitude. I would go into a store and just listen in the plasma area. It can be very revealing. Walmart installed a lot of plasmas in a new store here and it sounds like your standing under high voltage power lines, poor planning.

 

[LXIX]

afiggatt is 100% correct, all Pana panels (excluding the 103") are rated to 9100ft elevation. At 7100ft you will be fine.

 

[cashman91]



Quote:
Originally Posted by obiTOkenobi /forum/post/0


That is one freakin tall house!!!

thats what i am saying must get permanent neck strain OUCH!

 

[JC7727]

get an LCD

 

[Altitude Loki]

I'm running a TH-42PH9UK at 8400 ft, and a TH-50PH9UK at 7800 ft. Both are new and I don't notice any buzzing. I was also concerned before the purchases, but the only thing I hear is the hum from the PS3's fan. I'm planning on a TH-58PZ700U for the 8400 elevation house. Maybe the larger and hotter the screen is, the more cooling (and noise) will be the result, but I think they've come a long way recently.

 

[dwh131]

I would like to thank everyone who replied. Helps alleviate at least one of the concerns I have about buying a HDTV. Now if only I could find a TV that did not reflect light from the large windows in the TV room, used very little energy, had great black levels, perfect color and made espresso I would be set

Now that I know what to look (listen) for I need to go back to the electronics store and check them out again.


Thanks again,

David.

 

[hifiguru]

Runco has 42", 50", 60", and 65" that will work over 9000 ft and you can't touch the image!

 

[kalrith]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I thought it would be better than starting a new one. I plan on getting the Pioneer 5080 in a few months and am wondering how it will do at higher elevations. I downloaded the owner's manual and couldn't find anything about it. I don't currently live at a high elevation, but within the next two years I plan to move to an elevation of 8,400 feet. I read online that Pioneers were rated to 7800 feet, but it was an article from 2004. If anyone could share some up-to-date info on the new Pioneer's elevation limits, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[RomanInvision]

You should be OK. If you want Pioneers ok call 800 421 1625. Also it is better than starting a new thread

 

[Cleveland Plasma]

^^^^ Better check that Roman last I looked Pioneer have a very low Altitude rating just like Samsung plasma's. Samsungs are 5400 feet for sure.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters /forum/post/0


NEC if i remember correctly (and i usually do

NEC'S are now made at the plant NEC sold to Pioneer so the altitude Height dropped !!


Panasonic , which is where Runco gets there screens from I am told, are rated at 9000FT per Myron in Technical Support at 1-800-211-PANA !! (Had to check for a client last week who live in Aspin, CO at 8200 FT.)

 

[RomanInvision]

Would they blow up?

I will double check but thats why I provided the # so I am not responsible.

 

[kalrith]

Curtis at Pioneer customer support says that the new sets are rated to 7,400 feet of elevation. He says that 8,400 feet isn't too far above that and probably wouldn't be much of a problem. He knows of their plasmas running at 10,000 feet with no problems. He says that the specific elevation number isn't the issue, but the pressure is. The sets are rated to run between 800 and 1100 hectopascals. Outside of that range, the only problem would be a possible buzzing noise, but he said it wouldn't affect the life, PQ, or warranty of the plasma.


He also says that they used to get fairly frequent support calls regarding this issue, but since the 5th generation of plasmas the issues have been virtually nonexistant.


If the TV does buzz, it will just give me an excuse to turn the volume up to my desired level, rather than my wife's!


Thanks for the help, guys. Now I just have to wait for my funds to increase and the price of the 5080 to decrease (hopefully sooner rather than later).