Does Size Really Matter ??
Written: Oct 09 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Picture Quality: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
|
Pros: more features than a Ronco or KTel device
Cons: poor color generation and no true black
The Bottom Line: With the constant price drops, I'd wait another year before purchasing
|
|
|
| LaFeet's Full Review: Gateway PLSM46TV 46 in. EDTV-Ready Plasma Televisi... |
If it didn’t have a warranty, I’d have shot it
With the bedroom finally finished in a sensual oriental motif, the wife decided the large, open wall area needed to be covered with something special.
Always up for a challenge, I set off to find the appropriate wall covering.
Keeping in mind her love for the Jaguars, and the way we enjoy lounging together, I decided on a Plasma display.
With Christmas around the corner, I did not want to dig too deep into my present fund (the money with which to buy me presents).
I searched high and low. Entered and was frustrated at Circuit City, Ultimate Electronics, Radio Shack, WalMart, etc, etc. I then stumbled into Gateway Country. And to my surprise, they had a decent display that was not overly expensive.
After forty minutes of browsing (playing) and pricing, I walked out with what I was sure to be the steal of the century…..Carpe Diem…..
Gateway’s 46 inch plasma display has more bells and whistles than many of us will ever need.
I was immediately attracted to the built in tuner… meaning that I did not need another piece of electronics to receive a video signal. That meant I could be watching all those worthless satellite channels within moments of returning home.
Add to this the enormous amount of video inputs. You have your standard composite, but you also get two component, a S-VHS, RGB (from a computer perhaps ??), DVI Transmission, and a RF/Cable input. WOW !!
There is also a RS 232 input to allow you to use one of those high priced panel controllers (you know.. the ones that cost several thousand buck themselves).
Gateway included an excellent remote. And they had my family in mind, because this remote is HUGE ! and finding the misplaced remote no longer occupies quality viewing time. The remote ‘s layout is outstanding, and with back lit buttons one can easily access several inputs directly. The remote is also capable of being programmed for seven more devices. Making it even more important to the family’s functions.
Another selling point was the built in stereo speakers. I was a little bamboozled by the other features, and I failed to note the poor performance of the speakers while in the store. I still think my daughters headphones sound better than the 46 incher’s sideways facing whimpy speakers.
Gateway did try to overcome the speakers frailty. They installed WOW
Sound Processing and included a BBE Sonic Maximizer. The latter allows direct hookup to a subwoofer. I just connected the audio outputs to my old Pioneer amp. It had not seen that much use since the disco era.
There are many other features that need to be discussed, as they add to the value of the product.
The Picture In Picture (PIP) is only good for RGB and DVI inputs to the main screen. That sorta limits ones use. They do offer several PIP screen size and location selections. Always important for when you are trying to watch football and Baywatch at the same time….
I think that the inclusion of memory input independence was a smart move on Gateways behalf. This feature allows you to customize the settings for each signal input (cable, satellite, DVD, etc) to maximize one’s viewing enjoyment.
The display is NOT the best that is available on the market. GW has crammed in a 3D-YC combination filter to regulate composite video input signals. And the aspect ratio selections include 4:3, panorama (my favorite), 16:9 “anamorphic” and letterbox. Gamma corrections are simple and plentiful. GW has included a 3:2 pull down detection to compensate for frame rate variances between inputs. This gets rid of a large amount of screen clutter (aka artifacts) that you might normally see.
This 46 inch unit has more pixels than many costing twice as much. At 852 by 480, this is a good unit for displaying most inputs. It does fall short on HDTV though.
Like it’s smaller sibling, this Big Brother fails to generate true blacks. As a result, your dark screen viewing will be disappointing. While we noted this fault, we were more than happy with viewing sports on our bigger screen.
In fact, the GW 46 incher can only produce a dark grey to simulate black. Add to this a notable color alteration (red seems orange, blue and green appear pale) and you get a screen that does not allow gradients. The vivid color blending you expect looks more like a child’s crayon art than a Rembrandt.
Another noticeable failing was the White Field Uniformity. This is usually something that plasma displays excel in. But the GW 46 incher falls short again. You will note changes in the projected white levels across the screen, taking away from your viewing pleasure.
The color problems and the white / black failings will limit the types of shows that you would love to watch on this screen. It is great for sports and some action sequences, but Horror and SciFi freaks will be disappointed with the video reproduction.
HDTV can be viewed on this screen, but it will not be a true HDTV viewing. The GW 46’er will have to be set in the low resolution mode to bring in the HDTV signal. On the plus side, most of the screen faults tend to fade away on the lower resolution settings.
So, there you have it. A plasma with a whole bunch of bells and whistles, but lacking in video reproduction. It is 46 inches (does size really matter??) and we did enjoy watching it from the comfort of our bedroom. We found that it is great for sports, but that was just about it.
One more thing, it died. Three weeks after getting it home, I heard a sppfft – crack – snap. Then came that nasty odor (you all know what it smells like) and a small plume of smoke. I tried talking to the store where I got it, but they were a bit busy.
One great thing about Gateway is their technical support. I got out the manual and called them right away. Within moments I had a point of contact at the store and was told just to bring it in….. to be swapped out with no questions to be asked.
Gateway offers a No Holds Barred approach to their warranty programs. This plasma display has one year parts and labor coverage. As well as an easy return policy. Which I needed because the store had no replacements….. oh well.
With money in hand, I am off to search for waterprint of a tea party or cranes on mountains….
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 3500
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
LaFeet
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Paule Patterson
Location: Cushing, Ok
Reviews written: 314
Trusted by: 36 members
About Me:
Retired Submariner, ex Air-Force Brat, current radiation protection tech, hiding in urban Oklahoma
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.