Putman's Eleven

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Video Systems' 2002 Plasma and LCD Monitor Roundup

Big, flat widescreen images from 24 inches to 50 inches.In-your-face HDTV clips. Several hundred feet of wires. Two matrixswitchers. Three DTV tuners. A pair of DVD players. Not enough BNC toRCA adapters.

This year's edition of the Plasma and LCD Roundup had it all, andmore. In fact, I had so many products that I had to spread out thereview period over a few months due to space and AC power limitationsin my studio! The result was a comprehensive test of flatscreentechnology that in complexity rivaled the old InfoComm ProjectionShoot-Out.

In a new twist, I decided to include a couple of LCD monitors,reflecting the growing importance of active-matrix LCD imaging. Untilrecently, it was difficult to produce flatscreen LCD monitors in sizesmuch beyond 25 inches, but three companies are working hard to pushthat barrier well beyond 30in. and even 40in. screens in the nearfuture.

Still, the stars of this show for the sixth year were nine plasmamonitors ranging in size from 37 inches to 50 inches, and they —along with the two LCD entrants — received one of the mostthorough workouts I have ever administered to a group of electronicdisplays. Along the way, I got to know each of these monitors quitewell, delving into menus and analyzing numerous test patterns and videoclips to see just what makes each monitor tick.

This is really an eclectic bunch of monitors. Sony's PlasmaProPFM-32C1 was the smallest plasma monitor entered. It measures 32in.diagonally with a 16:9 screen and is a featherweight at 49lbs.Panasonic's TH-37PWD4UZ is a unique product due to its on-again,off-again status in the Panasonic product line the past two years. It'sa 16:9 monitor with 852×480 pixel resolution that weighs about55lbs.

Hitachi's CMP4121HDU is a 42in. high-resolution monitor with1024×1024 non-square pixels and Alternate Lines of Scanning (ALiS)imaging. It tips the scales at 77lbs.

NEC Technologies entered its PlasmaSync 42MP4, ahigh-resolution monitor with progressive scan (as opposed to the ALiSsystem). It features 1024×768 non-square pixel resolution andweighs 65lbs.

Zenith Electronics is a newcomer to the roundup, and sentalong the P42W22B, a 42in., SDTV (852×480 pixel) monitorthat comes with matching speakers and weighs 72lbs.

Pioneer's PDP-433CMX rounded out the mid-size category withits unique 43in., 16:9 screen. It also uses 1024×768 non-squarepixels for high resolution and weighs just less than 70lbs.

The 50in. category was well represented, starting with Fujitsu'sPDS5003 16:9 screen. It has a native pixel count of 1366×768and is one of the heavier monitors at 99lbs. NEC's PlasmaSync50MP2 is another 16:9, 50in. offering, this time with 1365×768pixels and a weight of 98lbs. Finally, Sony sent along its 50in.design PlasmaPro PFM-50C1, a 95lb. widescreen with 1365×768pixel resolution.

The Samsung SyncMaster 241MP with built-in NTSC tuner and matchingspeakers.

In the LCD category, I managed to scare up two entrants. SamsungElectronics shipped me the unique Sync Master 241MP, a24in., 16:9 monitor with an amazing 1900×1200 pixel resolution, abuilt-in NTSC tuner, and matching stereo speakers. It weighs less than50lbs. Sharp Electronics was represented by the 42lb., 30in.,16:9 LC-30HV2U, another combo display with 1280×768 pixelresolution, built-in NTSC tuner, and matching speakers. Both productsare also sold in the consumer marketplace.

All of the monitors I reviewed have a wide range ofsignal-connectivity options. As you can see from the specificationtable, each one will accept RGB computer signals from VGA(640×480) to XGA (1024×768), and some will also handle SXGAand higher. Every tested model also supports the 480p, 720p, and 1080iATSC formats as YPbPr signals.

However, the Hitachi monitor won't accept 720p as RGB — itassumes the signal must be a 4:3 SVGA source and no aspect ratio orhorizontal/vertical image correction is possible. The same goes for theSharp monitor, which just won't recognize 720p or 1080i in the RGBformat.

According to Sony and Panasonic specs, all of their monitors willhandle 575i/p as well as 1080p/24 segmented frame progressive-scan. Nothaving a 24p source handy, I was unable to verify these claims. WantDVI input? The Fujitsu PDS5003 and NEC PS50MP2 give it to you standard,while the Pioneer PDP-433CMX provides DVI access with an accessoryPD-5002 video plug-in card that is also required for component videoand HDTV playback.

Connector options are all over the place. Sony's“minimalist” approach gives you a pair of 15-pin VGA jackson both the 32in. and 50in. monitors, with separate BNCs for compositein/out and a DIN S-Video jack. The 15-pin cables will require breakoutsfor three-wire component formats, but you can quickly jump from RGB toYPbPr formats for either input from the remote control.

Panasonic, Sharp, and Samsung all opted for RCA jacks to connectcomponent video sources. On the Samsung and Sharp monitors, you get twosuch inputs for wideband component video in addition to a separate15-pin VGA jack (found on the rear of the Samsung and on the front ofthe Sharp's remote video I/O box). Panasonic provides five RCA jacksthat can be configured for RGB or YPbPr input, and you also get a15-pin VGA jack.

Zenith has the least amount of connector options, with one RCAcomposite jack, one S-Video jack, one three-RCA component input, andone 15-pin VGA jack. In contrast, the 50in. NEC monitor has RCAs forcomposite and component video as well as a rack of five BNC jacks and a15-pin connector plus DVI. NEC's 42in. offering is only a littlelighter since it simply drops the DVI input.

Fujitsu PDS5003.

Hitachi's monitor provides both BNC and 15-pin jacks for componentand RGB sources, while Pioneer's monitor (when equipped with thePD-5002 card) has one of everything — BNCs, RCAs, 15-pin, and aDVI jack. Fujitsu's I/O lineup also features a rack of BNC jacks,composite and S-Video inputs, and a 15-pin jack for computersources

Each monitor has a built-in audio amplifier and ranges run from highto low when it comes to output power. The Samsung, Zenith, and Sharpmonitors came with accessory speakers that are sufficient forsmall-room viewing and styled nicely to match each monitor. The Zenithspeakers had the best audio performance, and not surprisingly, they arethe largest. But for more critical audio playback, go with an outboardsystem.

As a bonus, both the Samsung and Sharp LCD monitors have integratedNTSC tuners. This makes them full-blown HDTV-ready televisions. (HDTVreception still requires a separate tuner.) All you need to do isconnect an antenna or your cable feed to the rear-panel F jack, and usethe auto-tune feature to set up channels. The Samsung monitor even hasa low-noise RF pre-amplifier for weak signals. Video quality is averageand highly dependent on the quality of the RF sources.

As usual, there is no consistency in the design of menus and theirnavigation. Fujitsu is still using a somewhat crude-looking menu with alot of sequential navigation to perform functions like auto synch,which should be a top-level menu or button on the remote. Also, you getonly one user color-temperature setting for any and all inputs. Theremote is plain and provides direct access to video or RGB sources. Italso has a good range.

NEC's menus and remotes are very easy to use and provide a wealth ofadjustments — but don't provide numerical increments for anysettings! They provide access to the monitor's drive and bias controlsfor red, green, and blue that can be saved in a memory setting. I'm notsure why NEC decided to drop its auto synch button from the PlasmaSync42MP4 remote while keeping it on the PlasmaSync 50MP2 remote. Thesebaton remotes are easy to use and have good range.

Hitachi's remote control is not the best design. It has smallbuttons and its range isn't good. The Hitachi menu settings are easy tonavigate, but the white balance setting has a quirk: You can onlyadjust two of the three RGB drive settings at any time. Why anyonewould do this is a mystery to me. The color temperature setting is goodfor both video and RGB sources.

Pioneer's remote brings up the new, improved menu that initiallycovers the entire screen, but drops down when a parameter is beingadjusted. Once you get into service mode — this requires a fewbutton pushes and power up/down cycles — you will have access toRGB drive and bias, plus numerous other operating goodies. Unlike theother monitors, the one from Pioneer creates a new signal setup memoryfor every new input. The supplied remote is small, minimal, easy tooperate, and has good range.

Sony's remote control shows the company has been listening to users.Numerous menu functions have been brought out directly, includingH&V size and position, RGB/YUV signal format selection, brightness,contrast, and chroma. The remote is laid out well with large buttonsand good range. The menu structure has been completely overhauled fromolder Sony products and has a nice transparency feature, but thelayering of some functions — RGB drive, auto synch —requires a few too many button pushes. There are 10 standard memoriesfor image and synch settings.

The Zenith remote is simple. Unfortunately, so is the menu, whichdoesn't allow any access to RGB drive or bias — those featuresare reached through a service menu. The response of the remote wasinconsistent, even when held near the IR sensor. Zenith's menu is alsosimple, with a limited range of adjustments. It is easy to navigate andset up and has variable background transparency. Three differentpicture memories can be set up and saved.

The Samsung remote was the most persnickety. It has exceedinglysmall keys, is not intuitive, and requires a lot of sequential menuselection — one of my major pet peeves. The range of the remoteseemed to improve the farther away I got from the monitor. The actualmenus are quite simple and somewhat limited in function. For example,you won't have any control over RGB drive and bias in video mode; onlydrive can be set in RGB mode. Essentially, you get one picture settingmemory per input.

Sharp LC-30HV2U

Sharp's remote wins the award for most confusing. Thismulti-function remote has more than 50 buttons and is designed tocontrol not only the LC-30HV2U, but your DVD player, a cable or otherset-top box, and a VCR. Fortunately, the menus are much simpler andemploy Sharp's familiar tile-down design first seen on Notevisionprojectors. Functions like gamma and aspect ratio selection are tied tospecific buttons, but color temperature must be set from the menu.There's no adjustment possible for white balance in video modes; onlywith RGB signals.

Depending on the particular signal source, the user will be able tochange the gamma and also the aspect ratio with each of these monitors.Most of the models tested provide at least two aspect-ratio modes withRGB signals: normal or dot-by-dot, plus a widescreen expansion mode,and some go even further with a zoom mode, such as NEC, Sony, Sharp,Samsung, and Panasonic.

Video aspect ratio selections don't vary much from monitor tomonitor, although the names are different. In all cases, you can selecta 4:3, or normal, image or enlarge the image to fill the screen withwidescreen letterboxed video. An expand or full mode takes anamorphicmaterial and provides the correct 16:9 expansion. Other modes includethings like stadium (NEC) and alternate wide zooms that accommodateclosed captions.

The Panasonic entry claims to have an automatic aspect ratioselection mode that will jump back and forth between 4:3 and 16:9material, depending on the detected signal. This feature worked so wellthat I could not get the TH-37PWD4UZ to switch to 4:3 mode with a 480pDVD source, even though the program content was 4:3!

Samsung's SyncMaster 241MP gets confused by input signals. Becauseit maps to 1200 vertical pixels, the user has to select a 1:1 map toshow 1080i HDTV correctly. Of course, this then results inprogressively smaller images as the user moves to 720p and 480p/isources, which must then be restored in a second zoom mode. ConnectingDTV sources to the second component input minimizes this problem tosome extent, but I'd prefer a software setting for automaticmapping.

The Sony and NEC monitors often jumped into 16:9 mode when theydetected a 480p signal, particularly after showing 720p or 1080i HDTV.A quick push of the aspect-ratio button solved this problem. ThePioneer, Hitachi, and Sharp monitors were a bit more intelligent aboutit and usually found the right aspect ratio the first time out.

Pioneer PDP-433CMX

Picture gamma and color-temperature settings varied widely. Pioneerprovided the best combo for each, letting the user pre-set bias anddrive for every input signal and topping that off with six preset whitebalance selections, including one near 3200 degrees for use on videosets. Sony did the same, providing three presets plus three usersettings and three gamma selections. The NEC monitor offers threepreset color temperatures and one global PRO setting (drive and bias),plus three gamma options.

Panasonic's unit has three gamma settings as well and three whitebalance presets, any of which can be altered with the red and bluedrive and bias controls. Fujitsu provides five gamma settings and threecolor temperature modes, plus one set of RGB drive adjustments, whereasHitachi has three gamma and three white balance settings. You can alsoset up a global user color-temperature menu.

The Samsung's menu provides four gamma settings plus a standardchoice, but users won't have any access to white balance with videosignals; only in RGB mode, where the ability to set gamma is lost.Sharp's approach provides white balance only in RGB mode, but there arefive gamma settings and even a black boost mode for enhanced detail.Both the Sharp and Sony monitors also have a red boost — Iusually turned it off — to enhance flesh tones.

This year's image quality and synch tests were comprehensive.Signals sources included a Sony DVP-S7000 480i DVD player and aPanasonic RP56 480p DVD player — the latter is equipped withFaroudja's FLI2200 de-interlacing chipset — as well as a pair ofSamsung DTV set-top receivers for OTA 8VSB reception, the SIRT-150 andnew SIRT-151. For HDTV, I put my new JVC HM-DH3000U D-VHS player intoservice, as it outputs 480p, 720p, and 1080i from pre-recorded tapes inmy library.

RGB signals were fed from my 866 MHz Pentium IV with Diamond Viper550 card (good to 1280×1024 pixels), as well as an Extron VTG200test pattern generator. Additional test patterns came from an AccuPelHDG2000, which can output 43 different 720p and 1080i test patterns forcontrast, grayscale, and bandwidth. The whole mess was switched by apair of Extron matrix switchers — an older 128HX (12 in, 8 outRGBHV) and a newer 16×16 Component Plus model. (No, 16×16wasn't enough to handle everything!)

There's no question that the image quality of both plasma and LCDmonitors is getting better with each year. In terms of the basicperformance indexes — brightness and contrast — thesemonitors can hold their own. Most of the plasma monitors arrived withcontrast set too high (in what I call torch mode) and I had to throttlethem down to get the best-looking grayscale on each monitor.

Although LCD monitors are not susceptible to burn-in, having thecontrast set too high degrades their grayscale performance and usuallycrushes white levels as well as low blacks. After a quick setup withPluge and the grayscale patterns from the Video Essentials DVD(for 480p/i), the HDG2000 generator (for 720p and 1080i), andDisplayMate software (for RGB inputs), the monitors performed at betterlevels.

Top honors for contrast performance with an optimum grayscale wentto Panasonic's TH-37PWD4. This was not surprising, given Panasonic'sshowing the past two years. The monitor turned in an average reading of608:1 and a peak reading of 779:1, which was bettered only by theFujitsu PDS-5003 at 799:1 peak. Both monitors use glass from Matsushitaas well as the Plasmaco-designed low-drive system to produce betterblack levels, which measured on average .2 to .3 nits for bothmodels.

NEC 42MP4

Several other monitors blew by the 200:1 mark, including NEC'sPlasma Sync 50MP2 and 42MP4, Zenith's P42W22B (it had good blacks), andHitachi's CMP4121HDU. Once again, Pioneer's formed pixel structureresulted in lots of light output, but higher black levels as well(typically .6 to .8 nits) and a correspondingly lower contrastmeasurement. Both of the Sony monitors did just a bit better in thisarea, with black readings in the .5- to .6-nits range.

It was no contest among the LCD monitors, where Sharp's LC-30HV2Ubested the Samsung SyncMaster 241MP with a 185:1 average and 259:1 peakreading — double or more what the Samsung product could deliver.The difference was lower black levels on the Sharp panel (.7 nits vs.Samsung's 1.1 nits). No doubt Sharp's new Advanced Super View pinwheelLC alignment had something to do with it.

All the plasma monitors have some sort of automatic picture level(APL) control for scenes with high luminance levels, but Fujitsu'sdidn't seem to work, or worked very slowly. As a result, the PDS5003had the highest white screen luminance levels in both 16:9 and 4:3modes of any plasma monitors. Its 95.1-nit measurement in widescreenmode topped the second-place finisher, Sony's PFM-50C1 by 13 points.Neither, however, was as bright as the Samsung (104 nits) and Sharp(130 nits) LCD monitors.

In terms of grayscale tracking, the best performers were the NECPlasma Sync 50MP2 and Sony PFM-32C1. Selecting the correct gamma foreach of these monitors helped considerably, as dynamic- or image-boostmodes tended to yank color temperatures all over the place at the highand low end of the color spectrum. Neither LCD monitor could becalibrated to D6500, with the SyncMaster 241MP getting a little closerat 50% gray (6390 degrees vs. Sharp's 6700 degrees).

The NEC 42in., Hitachi, Panasonic, and Pioneer monitors tracked nearD6500, except at the extreme low and high end of the luminance scale,where color temperature varied by as much as 2500 degrees. Out of thebox, the TH-37PWD4, P42W22B, PDP-433CMX, and PFM-50C1 came closest tohaving a D6500 factory preset for middle gray. That means monitors canbe used without a lot of tweaking for color temperature.

False contours are usually the downfall of any flatscreen display,and they were in abundance on all but two monitors. Panasonic's entrywas cleanest with an abrupt transition at .3 nits (basically the lowend of its grayscale) and nothing else to speak of, while Fujitsu'smonitor showed several slight contours at the .3-, 1.4-, 2.7-, and4.8-nit range.

However, the PDS5003 showed false contours at the high end of thegrayscale, particularly with RGB or YPbPr 720p and 1080i video. Thisphenomenon was first reported to me by the folks at Demo GrafX, and Isaw it at the HPA Technology Retreat this past February. At thisluminance level users shouldn't expect to see a contour, but it doesexist — watch footage of a setting sun or an intense spot oflight, and it pops right out at you.

Pioneer's entry showed well in this category, but its black levelsare so much higher (.6 to .7 nits) that it avoids some of the usualfalse contour potholes. The NEC 50in. monitor was a bit worse than the42in., as its contours also appeared with color shifts — the“signature” that a given plasma glass matrix came out ofthe NEC factory. The Hitachi and Sony monitors were a little worse thanthe rest of the pack, while the Samsung and Sharp LCD monitors wereclean — about three slight contours between them, all below 40%gray.

Once you correctly set up these monitors, you'll be amazed at thecolor saturation and video quality many of them can deliver. I invitedCliff Plavin of Progressive Labs to take color coordinate measurementsfor each display, and then used that data to create calibration filesfor my FSR Color Analyzer to get the best possible grayscale.

Zenith P42W22B

My favorites for video quality were the Sony PFM-32C1 due to itssmall pixel pitch (this product should do well in the home-theatermarket), Panasonic's TH-37PWD4UZ for its super-low black levels andnear-CRT image quality, the NEC 42MP4 for contrasty film-like imagewith nice colors, Zenith's P42W22B for smooth presentation and asurprisingly good de-interlacer and motion compensation circuit, andFujitsu's PDS5003 with its saturated colors and deep blacks(high-luminance false contouring notwithstanding).

Sony's PFM-50C1 looked good with an outboard 480p source, but itsown internal scaler left too many granular artifacts on the screen.Hitachi's CMP4121HDU had a smooth image, particularly with HD, butfalse contours and too much noise with NTSC sources. Pioneer'sPDP-433CMX had great color saturation and image detail, but its 3:2correction circuit got mixed up on occasion when switching from 30fpsvideo to 24fps film and back again.

It was not much of a contest in the LCD arena, where the Sharpmonitor bested the Samsung for image clarity. The color temperature wasa bit more pleasing to the eye on the Samsung — Sharp couldn't gobelow 8930 degrees K in video mode — but the LC-30HV2U lookedcrisper with everything from component DVD to 1080i HDTV. I'm sure thehigher contrast had everything to do with this outcome.

Finally, all the monitors looked better with 480p video coming tothem from the Panasonic RP56 DVD player, even the PDS5003 with itsAdvanced Video Motion processor, which is good in its own right. Theflag-waving sequence from Video Essentials tells the story,though — the RP56 did the best job of smoothing out theinterlaced scan artifacts and correcting for motion. A good-qualityoutboard video scaler is still the way to go with any flat screen— for now.

The results of the autoscaling tests were much closer than Iexpected. The top performer — with some reservations — wasSamsung's SyncMaster 241MP. This might not be much of a surpriseconsidering the monitor has a native resolution of 1900×1200pixels. I have reservations about declaring this the top performerbecause even though it accepted and displayed 24 of 25 of the testsynch rates, many of them came up as a 16:9 image, and one had a fairamount of noise on it.

Sony's PFM-50C1 did nearly as well, immediately accepting 19 of thetest signals and correcting five others from the menu. NEC's PlasmaSync50MP2 did almost as well, getting 15 test signals right the first timeand correcting the remaining 10 with some menu manipulation. TheHitachi and NEC 42in. monitors were also strong contenders here, tiedat 21 total usable signals with or without manipulation.

The Sharp LC-30HV2U was a bit of an oddity in this test: It eithergot the test signal right the first time, or the signal was permanentlyout of range. Given Sharp's usual performance in my projector testswith its ImageACE scaler, that's not a big surprise. The remainder ofthe monitors in the roundup did very well. Only the Zenith, which ismore of a consumer monitor, turned in a low score of 16 with ninesignals out of range.

Two Extron RGBHV matrix switchers were used to move thesignals.

Buying a plasma or LCD monitor to watch DTV? Be careful; not all ofthese models have sufficient bandwidth to pass 720p and in some cases1080i signals. Using the HDTV chroma and luminance multiburst patternson the AccuPel HDG2000, I was surprised to see that only the NECmonitors and the Pioneer 43in. design showed all the detail in the37.5MHz burst.

The Sony 50in. and 32in., the Zenith, and the Samsung monitorsneeded some tweaking to bring out a bit more detail at this frequency,while the Hitachi, Sharp, Panasonic, and Fujitsu monitors turned thepattern into a solid gray bar, indicating a restricted signalbandwidth. These monitors, however, did show an 18.5MHz pattern withsufficient detail.

If you would like to try an exercise in losing your mind, fill uptwo small rooms with plasma and LCD monitors for three weeks. Spend asmany hours as you can during that time period looking at the same videoclips over and over, all the while measuring grayscale, colorcoordinates, bandwidth, pixel scaling, and motion artifacts.

Even though I've seen more than enough plasma and LCD imaging fornow, I did have some favorites. Despite the clipped bandwidth on thePanasonic, the monitor made some beautiful pictures once I tuned up itsgrayscale. With its deep blacks it looked particularly good with 480p(a 1:1 pixel match) but needed more signal bandwidth and a better menu.Zenith's P42W22B, despite its grayscale tracking problems, had thesmoothest presentation of 480p material of any review monitor. TheZenith is a nice design that could be refined.

NEC had the most pleasing 42in. picture with static images andfilmed material, probably due to its small pixel structure and goodgrayscale tracking. In a close call, I judged it to have thebest-looking picture in the 42in./43in. category. Pioneer's monitor wasa close second, hampered only by its higher black levels and harshimage in terms of contrast.

Hitachi's 42in. monitor featured a smoother presentation with videoand looked better with 720p and 1080i than 480i material, but could usea little improvement in false contour correction and deeper blacks.Sony's 32in. offering has a really nice combination of size, pixelpitch, and resolution. The 32in. unit was a big favorite — moreso than Sony's 50in. model, which needs a bit more contrast punch andbetter image scaling.

Fujitsu's 50in. monitor does a good job across the board (again,despite its limited bandwidth and that oddball high luminance,false-contour artifact) and was my favorite among the 50in. entrants.The Fujitsu has the additional contrast snap missing from the PFM-50C1and fewer false contours and less noise than the PlasmaSync 50MP2.Between the LCD monitors, Sharp's 30in. unit gets my nod. This monitoris a true diamond in the rough. With expanded bandwidth and synchcompatibility, plus better white balance adjustments, it would be agreat product.

Samsung's SyncMaster 241MP has lots of potential, but its userinterfaces (menus and the remote) need more work. I also don't know ifbuyers will pay what this monitor costs for a screen that measures only24in. in size. The Sharp only costs $1,000 more but is 6 inches larger.Both look about the same when it comes to showing 720p, 1080i, and XGA(1024×768) computer images.

To comment on this article, email the Video Systems editorialstaff at vsfeedback@primediabusiness.com.