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Panasonic 42" Plasma HDTV as a Display?

How could anyone possibly be familiar with your "specific plasma" when you don't specify any specifics?

Model? What ports does it have? DVI, HDMI?
 
edesignuk said:
How could anyone possibly be familiar with your "specific plasma" when you don't specify any specifics?

Model? What ports does it have? DVI, HDMI?
Click to expand...

Panasonic - 42" 720p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV
Model: TH-42PX75U

HDMI Inputs:2
DVI Inputs:No
S-Video Inputs:1
Component Video Inputs:1
Composite Inputs:1
PC Inputs:No
 
while you can use it as a display, the resolution WILL drive you nuts if you are doing any sort of computer work on it.

now for watching movies it will be fine but thats about it in my opinion
 
dukebound85 said:
while you can use it as a display, the resolution WILL drive you nuts if you are doing any sort of computer work on it.

now for watching movies it will be fine but thats about it in my opinion
Click to expand...

I'm assuming as long as I match up the screen resolution on my computer to the tv's which i believe is at 1024x768 it should be alright. Is that wrong?
 
dukebound85 said:
while you can use it as a display, the resolution WILL drive you nuts if you are doing any sort of computer work on it.

now for watching movies it will be fine but thats about it in my opinion
Click to expand...

Right you are! Web pages and text could be hard to read.

It will work fine, I have the same Panny tv and I hooked up my MBP to it using a DVI to HDMI cable. The tv had some overscan, so it would cut of part of the menu's at the top, unless you changed it with one of the settings on the MBP for overscan, but then it had a black window box around the image. You can't adjust the image with the tv, because the tv sees the signal as a hi def 720p. The tv won't let you adjust the aspect ratio (just, zoom, 4:3 ex) with Hi def source.

Remember, that you will have to hook some kind of audio cable if you want to hear anything from you MBP as DVI is video only. I used an optical cable into my HT receiver for the sound.

I ended up just getting an Apple TV for my iTunes and movie watching.
 
LimeyYankee said:
Right you are! Web pages and text could be hard to read.

It will work fine, I have the same Panny tv and I hooked up my MBP to it using a DVI to HDMI cable. The tv had some overscan, so it would cut of part of the menu's at the top, unless you changed it with one of the settings on the MBP for overscan, but then it had a black window box around the image. You can't adjust the image with the tv, because the tv sees the signal as a hi def 720p. The tv won't let you adjust the aspect ratio (just, zoom, 4:3 ex) with Hi def source.

Remember, that you will have to hook some kind of audio cable if you want to hear anything from you MBP as DVI is video only. I used an optical cable into my HT receiver for the sound.

I ended up just getting an Apple TV for my iTunes and movie watching.
Click to expand...

Did you use the same connection that edesignuk recommended? Can you link me to the one that you used? Did you need a female to male HDMI cable or any other special connectors or will a normal HDMI connection do the trick?
 
markjones05 said:
Did you use the same connection that edesignuk recommended? Can you link me to the one that you used? Did you need a female to male HDMI cable or any other special connectors or will a normal HDMI connection do the trick?
Click to expand...

No, just the cable suggested by edesignuk. You plug the DVI end into your MBP and the HDMI end into your TV. They sell them on Amazon and several electronics sites for much cheaper than in brick and mortar stores. I got mine for around $12 on Amazon.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
markjones05 said:
Did you use the same connection that edesignuk recommended? Can you link me to the one that you used? Did you need a female to male HDMI cable or any other special connectors or will a normal HDMI connection do the trick?
Click to expand...


http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7811240


This is the cable I used. I like it because it's an all in one solution, but if you have an extra HDMI cable you can use the adapter that edesignuk recommended.
 
I just double checked that link provided by edesignuk and I don't think it would work because you would need to have a female to male HDMI which I haven't seen in the stores. They are all male to male. I'm sure that someone probably makes one though.

This adapter looks to take a DVI cable and to turn one end into a HDMI. So if you already have a DVI cable you could use this adapter, if not, I would buy a DVI to HDMI cable like the one I linked too. They can found in most electronics stores.
 
I connected my iMac to my 50" Panasonic Plasma display using 35ft. of HDMI/DVI cable from mycablemart.com and it works great. I also use 35ft. of toslink cable for the audio. The cables are great quality at a great price.

I used switchresx to correct the overscan. Great program.

If you are connecting your MBP for video and audio purposes, download and install OSXBMC. You will need to install MacPorts (and a few other things) first, but this is by far the best media center for OS X. Also get the xTV skin (Apple TV). OSXBMC is what Front Row should have been.
 
markjones05 said:
I'm assuming as long as I match up the screen resolution on my computer to the tv's which i believe is at 1024x768 it should be alright. Is that wrong?
Click to expand...

to put that in perspective, my 13" mb screen is 1280 by 800. try blowing it up to 42" and yea its not the best solution for everyday computer work

just my 2 cents though
 
Hi Everyone,

I am using a DVI to HDMI cable to connect my MacBook to a 42" Panasonic Viera HD Pasma. Leopard recognizes the TV has PANASONIC-TV and provides a default calibration with the same name. The problem is the colors are nor at all accurate and the resolution does not seem to be different that the display of my MacBook. My MacBook res is 1280-800 and the TV is 1920-1080. Is there a better free way to calibrate the colors the in System Preferences?

Any help is appreciated.

Here are the details of my MacBook:
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 2 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB11.0061.B03
SMC Version: 1.4f12
Serial Number: 4H62916XWBW
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

MacBook1,1 Mac OS X (10.5.2) 42" Panasonic Viera HD Pasma
 
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