At the price point mentioned, its doable. However, it wouldn't be all that impressive. It would have to be a mid to lower quality set with mac mini computing. Which, frankly, doesn't sound very Apple-like to me, quality-wise. But it does make a lot more sense to have frontrow running on something other than a 20" imac screen. I still giggle about the idea of an imac sitting in the middle of a living room where a tv should be.
And to the posters talking about how huge 50" is, it isn't. Its about average for hdtv. What a lot of people seem to forget is that it is widescreen. A 50" widescreen displays about a 41" conventional picture. Throw in the fact that in actual volume, a dlp, plasma, or lcd display takes up a lot less space than a 32" tube set. And, since resolution and detail is much higher, viewing distance is closer with hd sets. That is, people tend to sit closer. Trust me, a 24" widescreen tv is ridiculously small for a living room. The viewing distance is about 3-4 ft. 37" is about as small as you would want to go. If you don't believe me try watching a dvd on an iMac from 15" away. Or, considering this is a rumor for a computer/tv, try reading macrumors on an iMac screen from 15" away...
As for plasma vs lcd. There is a lot of old information floating around. While true that plasmas will degrade over time, gradually fading, it has improved. I believe that new generation plasmas last 7-10 years. Which, frankly, is plenty long enough in the hd world. Not to mention the computing world. The days of having a set for 20 years is pretty much over, imo. Also, this degradation is very gradual... if you have the set in your living room, you probably won't notice it. Of course, if you put a 5yo set next to a brand new one, the difference would be clear.
Having said that, plasma offers certiain things. One, much better color/saturation. Two, much better black/contrast levels. Generally, a good plasma approaches the "smoothness" or "film-like quality"of a high quality crt. Three, cheaper than lcd at larger sizes. The reason for lcd costing exponentially more as the sizes get larger is due to the glass and relatively low yields.
And lcd panels have their own set of problems. They have relatively poor black level. They have the screen door effect(due to pixel spacing). They have motion artifacts. The viewing angles aren't the greatest. And they are expensive.
btw, I have no bias for either technology. In fact, I actually prefer lcos or dlp over both plasma and lcd. Primarily due to cost and resolution.
Getting back to the rumor, it does make some sense. However, I'd much rather have a set top box. Its like the headless iMac debate. I personally have no use for an all in one solution, since I already have a perfectly adequate hdtv.
Finally, I loved the wawa reference. Got me all misty for the Delaware valley
. Wawa is so much better than 7-11. Its not even close.
And to the posters talking about how huge 50" is, it isn't. Its about average for hdtv. What a lot of people seem to forget is that it is widescreen. A 50" widescreen displays about a 41" conventional picture. Throw in the fact that in actual volume, a dlp, plasma, or lcd display takes up a lot less space than a 32" tube set. And, since resolution and detail is much higher, viewing distance is closer with hd sets. That is, people tend to sit closer. Trust me, a 24" widescreen tv is ridiculously small for a living room. The viewing distance is about 3-4 ft. 37" is about as small as you would want to go. If you don't believe me try watching a dvd on an iMac from 15" away. Or, considering this is a rumor for a computer/tv, try reading macrumors on an iMac screen from 15" away...
As for plasma vs lcd. There is a lot of old information floating around. While true that plasmas will degrade over time, gradually fading, it has improved. I believe that new generation plasmas last 7-10 years. Which, frankly, is plenty long enough in the hd world. Not to mention the computing world. The days of having a set for 20 years is pretty much over, imo. Also, this degradation is very gradual... if you have the set in your living room, you probably won't notice it. Of course, if you put a 5yo set next to a brand new one, the difference would be clear.
Having said that, plasma offers certiain things. One, much better color/saturation. Two, much better black/contrast levels. Generally, a good plasma approaches the "smoothness" or "film-like quality"of a high quality crt. Three, cheaper than lcd at larger sizes. The reason for lcd costing exponentially more as the sizes get larger is due to the glass and relatively low yields.
And lcd panels have their own set of problems. They have relatively poor black level. They have the screen door effect(due to pixel spacing). They have motion artifacts. The viewing angles aren't the greatest. And they are expensive.
btw, I have no bias for either technology. In fact, I actually prefer lcos or dlp over both plasma and lcd. Primarily due to cost and resolution.
Getting back to the rumor, it does make some sense. However, I'd much rather have a set top box. Its like the headless iMac debate. I personally have no use for an all in one solution, since I already have a perfectly adequate hdtv.
Finally, I loved the wawa reference. Got me all misty for the Delaware valley
. Wawa is so much better than 7-11. Its not even close.
