So are there NO good gaming flat panels out there?

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You are absolutely correct. The nature of this forum (and probably all forums) today is that there is almost nothing that isn't criticized in one way or another. Threads usually turn into bitchfests. If 1000 "items" are discussed, two of them will have 99% positive comments. The rest, well... If you want proof of this, just read the thread on rainbow effects on plasmas:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=603995


Use the threads for a general feeling about a product. Then roll the dice and take your chances. Nothing is perfect and nothing is guaranteed. Read the three new threads each week asking if it's safe to transport a plasma lying flat with requests for hand holding and guarantees that nothing will happen. What nonsense. Children want guarantees. Adults understand there is some risk in just about everything. Same with plasma burn in. No one can guarantee anything, regardless of their personal experiences.

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I was looking at the TH-37PX60U in Best Buy and Circuit City and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.


Does the Th37PX60U happen to have a QAM tuner? I've heard differing reports.



What also gets me - actually I find it amusing - is how nonchalantly people talk about breaking the tv in for "a few hundred hours." Is it just me or is that an extremely long time? People act like its something that will be done in a week, but unless you use that 24/7 break in dvd (and thus not being able to watch it at all for that week), its going to take quite awhile.

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Yeah... If the main purpose is gaming then it's best to do the 24/7 break-in thing. Or like 18 hrs/day and just watch movies or whatever else in the other 6 hours that you'd want to use it.


Dunno about the tuners. I have the whole surround sound HT setup anyways, so the consumer models never interested me much.


Also, are you running a PC or just consoles. If you're running a PC then the VGA input might be of use to you. However, the issue you'll have with smaller sizes is insufficient resolution. The ED panels have res that's too low to make it ideal for gaming (but not useless) and the HD 37" and 42" models with 1024x768 have rectangular pixels which then makes a PC image appear too wide if running 1024x768 on the PC, or else blurred if running 1366x768. IMO the 50" 1366x768 models are the ideal solution. The game can be run in Native Resolution and that's a pretty manageable res in terms of video processing power. Visual Apex (forum sponser on the top of the page) sells the 50" commercial version for not thaaat much more than your budget.

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37" is basically my max. I'm in a college campus apartment and this will be in my bedroom.


Not going to use this as PC. Only console gaming (pretty much exclusively Xbox 360).


That change anything?



Oh, side note, Panasonic just told me (on the phone) that the TH-37PX600U isn't coming state side and that the 42PX600U msrp is $2995. Not sure if that was already known or not.

I have a Pioneer 43"plasma.


I game every single day for 2 to 5 hours.

Halo 2, Battlefield 2, GRAW, COD2, Oblivion and Live Arcade games.


I only "broke in" my plasma for like 75 hours. I couldn't take the waiting to play games on it. ZERO PROBLEMS AFTER 1 1/2 years of use.


The break in can happen in a week or less. As your watching regular tv, HDTV or DVD's (even with bars on top and bottom) that all counts as "Break-in" hours.


Pyt your tv on MTV and go to the store, go to class, etc. Justr leave the tv on.


I suggest MTV becaue they rarely use static logos. They are one of the few channels that don't use a station logo pasted to the screen all day everyday.


For me I just watched tv as usual and watched DVD's as usual. Trying to watch DVD's with a 1.78 aspect ratio (to fill the whole screen), but didn't really worry about it.


Times flies. You'll have this plasma for many years so what's 2 weeks or less of "break-in" time.

My brother in-law bought the 42" Panasonic and went straight to X360 gaming. No break in at all and he has ZERO problems. So maybe you don't even need to break it in.


BUY A PLASMA. IT IS THE BEST FOR ALL AROUND USE. SD tv, DVD's, HDTV and Gaming. No ghosting or lag with a plasma either.


You'll love it.

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Thing is, even playing a game is breaking it in. Plasma pixels loose brightness as they are used, and the loose that brightness much more quickly when they are new with the rate that they fade going down quickly from there. So by displaying anything including a game you are working a plasma past it's inital quick burning phase. Durring that phase you just have to aviod extended viewing games or TV channels with static screen elements that are high contrast, white HUDs and white station logos and such on dark sceens, as those static elements will cause the pixels they are displayed with to fade quicker than the ones around them. So you can do nothing but game on a plasma even for breaking it in and never have a problem; you'll be fine as long as you understand what can cause problems and switch to a different game as needed to aviod image retention and even people with no clue on those things tend to come out fine as modren plasmas pixels fade much slower than the older plasmas did.

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Don't even go NEAR the LG. It's awful.