Gaming resolution on 42 inch plasma

craig1971

craig1971

craig1971

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I have just started using my 42 inch plasma as my pc monitor and as i'm such a newb , I can't seem to find the ideal resolution.

my first question is what should my desktop resolution be (ideally) and what should my gaming resolution be in world of warcraft.

this is my gfx card: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=GX-184-SP

this is my plasma spec:

Panasonic TH-42PX70b - 42" Widescreen Viera HD Ready Plasma TV - With Freeview

Product Features

* 1080p Digital Processing Chip-Set
* 1080p Digital Re-mastering Processor
* 3,072 Equivalent Steps of Gradation
* Max. 10,000 : 1 Contrast
* HD Optimizer
* Advanced 3D Colour management
* Motion Pattern Noise Reduction
* Sub-Pixel Controller
* VIERA Link
* 2 x HDMI Input
* High Quality Elegant Design
* PC Input

Technical Details

Tuner Integrated: Yes
DVB Digital Tuner: Yes
Tuning System: PLL synthesizer 100-position auto-search tuner
Broadcast Stereo Reception: NICAM (FM)
Fastext: 1500P Level 2.5, FASTEXT/LIST/TOP
Receiving System: PAL -I, DVB
AV-NTSC: PAL-525/60, NTSC, M-NTSC
Screen Size / Screen Aspect: 42 inch (106 cm) diagonal
Panel: G10 Progressive HD Plasma Display Panel
Number of Pixels: 786,432 (1,024 x 768) pixels
Applicable PC Signals: XGA (SXGA compressed)
Displayable Colours: Max 29 billion equavalent colours for darker part
Contrast Ratio: Max. 10,000:1
Speakers: Full-Range x 2
Audio Output: 20 W (10 W x 2), 10 percent THD
Ambience: Yes
HDMI Input: 2
PC Input: Mini D-sub 15-pin x 1 (rear)
Audio Input (for PC): RCA phono type connectors (L, R) (1 set, rear)
Component Video Input: RCA phono type x 3 (Y , PB, PR) (rear)
Audio Input (for Component Video): RCA phono type connectors (L, R) (1 set, rear)
Screen Saver: Wobbling
Multi Window: PAT
Aspect Controls: Panasonic Auto/16:9/14:9/4:3/Zoom1/Zoom2/Zoom3
Power Supply: AC 220 - 240 V, 50/60Hz
Dimensions (W x H x D): Without Stand - 1020 x 680 x 97
 
Your TV is 720p so the maximum resolution will be 1024 x 768. Depending on how far you are sitting from the TV, it might not be a high enough resolution to make it worth while.

I might be totally wrong here, but i personally wouldn't use that because the resolution will just be too low and unless you are sitting very far away you will see the pixels and not have enough real estate to work with.
 
<F0rb> said:
Your TV is 720p so the maximum resolution will be 1024 x 768. Depending on how far you are sitting from the TV, it might not be a high enough resolution to make it worth while.

I might be totally wrong here, but i personally wouldn't use that because the resolution will just be too low and unless you are sitting very far away you will see the pixels and not have enough real estate to work with.
Click to expand...

Yes I second that, I have a 42PX80, also 720p and wouldn't recommend gaming with it through a PC.
 
<F0rb> said:
Your TV is 720p so the maximum resolution will be 1024 x 768. Depending on how far you are sitting from the TV, it might not be a high enough resolution to make it worth while.

I might be totally wrong here, but i personally wouldn't use that because the resolution will just be too low and unless you are sitting very far away you will see the pixels and not have enough real estate to work with.
Click to expand...

Partly true. It IS 1024*768, which is what you should set your resolution to. However the problem may not be with height, but width, as 1024*768 is a 4:3 resolution, meaning it is more "square" than a widescreen TV.

I am curious though, as it says it accepts 1080p signals and has HDMI ports, both of which, I believe, arrived after 4:3 TV's disappeared. Either way, it should be fine with 1024*768, provided you sit far enough away,
 
Applicable PC Signals: XGA (SXGA compressed)

XGA = 1024x768

SXGA = 1280x1024, assuming the compressed refers to some downscaling that will occur on the panel to display it (it wont be 1:1 and will look carp)
 
Will run fine in 1920x1080 too, although 720p did look clearer on my pana plasma for desktop use a 1080p film looked great in full res. I read that the plasma has rectangle pixels (or the plasma equiv) so the stated 4:3 resolution is actually widescreen, the plasma processes the incoming image and displays it appropriately. Running it in 1024x768 would look stretched as its displaying 4:3 res on rectangle pixels where as 1280x720/1920x1080 would be in the correct aspect.

- I wouldnt have thought burn in would be a problem assuming a screensaver kicks in after a period of time?
 
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It isn't as big of an issue as it once was, but I still wouldn't recommend leaving a Plasma on the Windows desktop for hours at a time. A screen saver after a few minutes would be a good solution, but remember that Plasmas use a lot of power so I'd just turn it off.
 
I'd probably try and use 720p (1280x720) for both desktop and gaming use. Anything higher and you're just going to be putting more load on your graphics card without as much visible benefit on the screen due it's fairly low native res (1024x768). Like others have said, using this native res will also probably look odd with the screen itself being widescreen.
 
Try 1366x768, the scaler will correct the horizontal resolution, and it will be fairly clear for text, and look fine for gaming and movies. For what its worth, even my fairly old panny plasma can actually handle 1920x1080 input on the vga port, and it scales it down to the panel res. But 1366x768 looks best really.

You may need to set it up as a custom resolution.
 
Corasik said:
Try 1366x768, the scaler will correct the horizontal resolution, and it will be fairly clear for text, and look fine for gaming and movies. For what its worth, even my fairly old panny plasma can actually handle 1920x1080 input on the vga port, and it scales it down to the panel res. But 1366x768 looks best really.

You may need to set it up as a custom resolution.
Click to expand...
Same on my 6 year old Hitachi plasma, got Sky HD running though it at 1080i using an HDFury lead and the picture's superb :D
 
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