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View Full Version : POLL - best PDP from an integration standpoint



2ndRick
08-28-2005, 03:12 PM
For this exercise, I am NOT particularly interested in picture quality, IR, calibration ease, etc... If there is a brand that has been forgotten, feel free to write in your candidate and review their performance.

The real reson I wanted to do this was to identify the manufacturers that have taken the time to include an easy protocal that covers the bases (on/off, inputs, aspect modes, etc.) as far as day-to-day operation in a residential setting.

PLEASE put some teeth into this.

If a particular manufacturer does well, give them props.
If a particular manufacturer has put together a bonehead system, give them hell.

Thanks in advance for the participation,
Rick

Gary
08-28-2005, 04:45 PM
I voted for Runco although they are really a company that hot-rods products from other companies. The plasmas we’ve done from Runco seem to share a serial protocol with Pioneer.

I would say as a general rule any plasma display that has it’s roots in the commercial world will more than likely have a decent protocol. Of the lines you listed, Fujitsu, Pioneer, Sony, LG, NEC and Runco all have decent control. Panasonic used to but seems to have dropped serial and discrete IR from their consumer products. Samsung and Toshiba are unknowns to me. I’m in the middle of a job with a Hitachi panel that has become a problem, it has a DB9 but none on the protocols I have seem to work.

Most of the real problems with control seem to be with RPTV and LCD TVs.

Glackowitz
08-28-2005, 07:25 PM
The Dwin has a decent protocol, I have done a few of the HD models with the outboard scaler.

Same protocol as the projectors

Have not not done a newer Runco, but the in the past the older Divx processor was a bit on the slow side for switching and occasionally locks up and source has to be selected again.

Done a few pioneers and fuji's that werent to bad but the fuji loses its front panel and IR controls when the 232 gets pluged in

kplummer
08-28-2005, 08:31 PM
I like the Runco serially as well (newer processors) although they do have to work on a couple of annoyances. One of those is polling the processor repeatedly can cause the unit to display improperly :/

AHEM
08-28-2005, 09:22 PM
I would say as a general rule any plasma display that has it’s roots in the commercial world will more than likely have a decent protocol. Of the lines you listed, Fujitsu, Pioneer, Sony, LG, NEC and Runco all have decent control.

I quit using LG a couple of years ago because of their lousy control. Have they gotten better?

Gary
08-28-2005, 11:01 PM
I would say as a general rule any plasma display that has it’s roots in the commercial world will more than likely have a decent protocol. Of the lines you listed, Fujitsu, Pioneer, Sony, LG, NEC and Runco all have decent control.

I quit using LG a couple of years ago because of their lousy control. Have they gotten better?

Yes.

ejfiii
08-29-2005, 06:37 AM
Done a few pioneers and fuji's that werent to bad but the fuji loses its front panel and IR controls when the 232 gets pluged in

Must be the older ones as I have a 42HD 40 series in my lab with serial and IR working at the same time. Never tried RS232 on a 30 series or older though.

AudibleSolutions
09-06-2005, 08:01 PM
Pay attention to your serial protocols. The Fujitsu has commands that allow you to disapble all controls save serial, enable IR and serial but not front panel or to enable all 3. This, unlike Pioneer, is via serial command.

Fujitsu may get the nod from me for the above reason. They have serial commands that permit you to enable IR and front panel controls. LG, the moment you plug a serial connector in it had better work. Control is fairly good on the LG. The only issues I have had have been with channel up/down and keypad presses. To date only the IR command set ( transmitted serially ) has worked.

Panasonic: STUPID. I hate bidirectional protocols that are only uni-directional; unless you consider an ACK/NAK command bidirectional.

SONY: Not bad but each model seems to have its own protocol.

Pioneer: A mixed bag. Some sets only worked via IR as power off turned off the serial port ( old Pioneer/Sharp product ). I hate the secret handshake you need to initialize serial transmission and baud rates. Of late, too many protocols. Did not used to be the case but it appears that their codes are similiar to NEC's. Why? Beats the hell out of me.

Other than Panasonic ( and I get stuck talking to their commercial units that still have uni-directional protocols ) I would not say one protocol is better than the other. I have found issues on the RX$ side of Fujitsus which mean rewriting the macro. I have heard of the same thing with LG which is why if you are intending to write logic based on the state of the unit you may want to time out that thread. Pioneers, when they left their serial port live were fine ( save for setup ) the LG was very simple to program, NEC is also easy and the only Hitachi I ever touched was no problem--save for the non- standard connector ( mini DIN and luck I soldered tons of B&O connections in my life ). In commercial they all work. In consumer......Fujitsu.

So lucky I talk more than drink.

Alan