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Will my MBP 17" drive this 1-inch thick 54-inch plasma?

sparkie7

sparkie7

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 17, 2008
2,644
334
Yes, your 17" MBP can run that.

I don't mean to make fun, but the dimensions of the TV have nothing to do with the matter. The TV could even be 2" thick with a 108" screen. The only concern is with the screen's resolution, which the graphics have to be able to handle (and they can, it's on the apple product page).
 
Adokimus said:
Yes, your 17" MBP can run that.

I don't mean to make fun, but the dimensions of the TV have nothing to do with the matter. The TV could even be 2" thick with a 108" screen. The only concern is with the screen's resolution, which the graphics have to be able to handle (and they can, it's on the apple product page).
Click to expand...

I have a feeling this was more about showing off the new toy more than anything else ;-)

Congrats OP! Seems like an awesome tv! Hooking up a PS3 to that for Blu-Ray, and some nice surround sound would make it an awesome set up!
 
That display is a severe waste of money. Plasma has so many issues I don't even know where to start.

Money would be much better spent on an XBR8 or XBR9.

I've got a few XBR8's and a 9 here at the house, they are infinitely better than that POS plasma.
 
Adokimus said:
Yes, your 17" MBP can run that.

I don't mean to make fun, but the dimensions of the TV have nothing to do with the matter. The TV could even be 2" thick with a 108" screen. The only concern is with the screen's resolution, which the graphics have to be able to handle (and they can, it's on the apple product page).
Click to expand...

Thanks. Just double checking. Wasn't sure if theres gonna be weird ratio conversions and blurry fonts. I know the native res on my MBP is 1920 x 1200 and this should really have anything to do with the plasma unless i'm doing mirroring. Any way hope there's no potential weird stuff! :cool:

amoda said:
I have a feeling this was more about showing off the new toy more than anything else ;-)

Congrats OP! Seems like an awesome tv! Hooking up a PS3 to that for Blu-Ray, and some nice surround sound would make it an awesome set up!
Click to expand...

em. I haven't bought it yet. Its quite an expensive set of gear (with wireless speakers and home theatre bits). I'm just doing the due diligence LOL :D

CompanionCube said:
That display is a severe waste of money. Plasma has so many issues I don't even know where to start.

Money would be much better spent on an XBR8 or XBR9.

I've got a few XBR8's and a 9 here at the house, they are infinitely better than that POS plasma.
Click to expand...

Not done any research on the Sonys. Care to expand on your (negative) thinking on plasmas. I'll be using it mainly as a tv/watching movies rather than an external display

I particularly like the aesthetics and styling of the new Panasonic + the wireless coneectivity. The all black look we have been stuck with for the last 2 years I am think is coming to an end thank goodness.
 
Plasma displays do look great though. ;) Always have. Yes, LCD technology is progressing, giving us display quality that nearly matches up to plasma now, but think about it: manufacturers have have spent all this time trying to catch up to LCDs. That means they know LCDs were behind in terms of image quality!


If I had the option of getting a current plasma TV, or one of the new, really expensive LCD TVs with the most recent technology (i.e., super highest contrast and such), I'd take the LCD TV. It gives the same, or nearly the same, picture quality, uses far less power, costs less, and may last longer at a high brightness.

However, if my budget was smaller, and I were to find a lower priced plasma and compare it to a lower priced LCD TV, then based on display quality alone, I'd take the plasma TV. However, it really depends on the two TV models you're looking at, and what price range you're aiming for.

But that's just me.
 
sparkie7 said:
Not done any research on the Sonys. Care to expand on your (negative) thinking on plasmas. I'll be using it mainly as a tv/watching movies rather than an external display

I particularly like the aesthetics and styling of the new Panasonic + the wireless coneectivity. The all black look we have been stuck with for the last 2 years I am think is coming to an end thank goodness.
Click to expand...

Really? you plan on dropping a ton of money on a tv and you dont know anything about them? In that case, pick the shiniest and thinnest one you can find that a best buy employee shows you.
 
I meant I didnt bother with the XBR's. But I did look into the Sony EX Series. I have bought Pana Viera plasmas before and they are v good. Real-life true colours no smearing/blurring, superb blacks and motion was smooth. So, no I dont go with the shiniest toy on show. But so far review of the Pana Z1 is looking promising. :D
 
Plasma is still the way to go if you want fast true picture with solid blacks, lcd/led have become better but a good plasma still gives a better picture. Sad though that Pioneer had to stop production due to the the decline in world economy.
 
+1 on the Viera line from my first hand experience. We dumped the Sony XBR line due to continuing quality problems. The repairs were not that expensive but difficult to Dx - the Viera picture quality is excellent - happy we made the choice :D :D
 
I have a 50" Panasonic 1080 TH50PZ80U which runs great off my 17" UBMBP. I already had a HDMI<>DVI, so the mini-DP<>DVI worked just fine with that setup.
 
Maybe I'm wrong here but I never saw the advantages of hooking a tv up to a computer.

I had a client that hooked his Quad-Core Dell workstation up to a 32" LCD and it looked like total crap. The resolution stretched the icons out, text was barely readable and he sat about 12 inches from it at his desk.

computer monitors are more expensive per inch because they have higher resolutions and bettery clarity.

Am I missing something here? Why would someone want to buy a TV for their Mac instead of just buying a 30" LCD Display?
 
The MBP can only drive screens that are .75 inches thick or above. So one inch is OK. :rolleyes:

In all honesty, if you are using your laptop with a TV you should consider avoiding Plasma as they have burn-in issues. Computers always have menus or some stationary text which would cause burn-in with prolonged use of a plasma.
 
WHat cable do you need to connect a UMBP (17) to a LCD TV with HDMI input?

eV
 
Ignore the guy that doesn't know anything who is slamming plasma. That's a great television (although you could get a G10/G15 which would be marginally thicker and a bit cheaper). I have a similar set-up with a 46" G10 and it looks great and runs fine off either the 9400M or 9600GT. Just get a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...d=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=1#largeimage) and plug in an HDMI cable and you're good to go.

Only thing you will need to do is change the picture setting to "HD Image Size 2" or whatever that line of PDP would call it so that it doesn't do overscan clipping which would hide the edges of the screen.

Great choice.
 
Yes, it will work with no problem!

Great pick btw... I have 46" & 50" PZ pannys, and the pq quality is superb!
They don't come close to my pio 151 & -09 combo though!


Good luck, and enjoy!
 
LCD vs Plasma is a personal preference. Don't listen to anyone else and buy the technology you like.
 
vant said:
In all honesty, if you are using your laptop with a TV you should consider avoiding Plasma as they have burn-in issues. Computers always have menus or some stationary text which would cause burn-in with prolonged use of a plasma.
Click to expand...

I won't be using it as my main working Mac screen and most of my intended uses are non-static

adamjackson said:
Am I missing something here? Why would someone want to buy a TV for their Mac instead of just buying a 30" LCD Display?
Click to expand...

I already have a 30" ACD for working on. But since  dont make a larger display than 30" (as yet :rolleyes:) and I wanted to get a dedicated TV (instead of using my EyeTV+MBP) for 3 main reasons: 1. Larger size options - which I can also use the TV for presentations. 2. Watch movies on - where the blacks are better than the ACD, 3. Play games - oh yeah - should be good on a larger screen!


Apple Corps said:
...or having 6 people around the table watch a Keynote presentation...
Click to expand...

Yep, good idea!

inknoise said:
Only thing you will need to do is change the picture setting to "HD Image Size 2" or whatever that line of PDP would call it so that it doesn't do overscan clipping which would hide the edges of the screen.

Great choice.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip :D

guydude193 said:
What does thickness have to do with being able to drive a display or not? I'm confused...:confused:
Click to expand...

I think their yanking your tail :p:D
 
it will be perfect for it! the res of that 54" will be less then that of the 30" ACDs! so it will do it EASIER on the TV.

some plasma's can have troubles with over-scan etc, it might be a good idea to try before you buy to make sure you can get the whole ratio thing setup.

p.s. do you also have a method to get the audio off the computer to the amp/tv/whatever? DP->HDMI can cause issues (apparently)
 
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