Plasma Displays

• Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio—1,347:1; ANSI Contrast Ratio—1,182:1

• Measured Resolution with the Leader LT-446:
480: 480 (per picture height)
720p: 720 (pph)
1080i: 1080 (pph)

• DC Restoration (poor, average, good, excellent): Good

• Color Decoder (poor, average, good, excellent): Good

• Measured Color Points:
Red Color Point: x=0.661, y=0.330
Green Color Point: x=0.274, y=0.655
Blue Color Point: x=0.148, y=0.067

The top chart shows the TH-42PZ700U's gray scale relative to its color temperature at various levels of intensity, or brightness (20 IRE is dark gray; 100 IRE is bright white). The gray scale as set by the factory, in the Warm color-temperature mode and the Custom picture mode, measures warm with dark images and even warmer with brighter images. After making adjustments using the Photo Research PR-650, the gray scale measures fairly close to D6500, the accurate color temperature, across the entire range.

The bottom chart shows the gray scale (or color temperature) relative to the color points of the display's red, green, and blue phosphors. These are somewhat off those specified by SMPTE. Red is somewhat oversaturated, green is oversaturated and slightly bluish-green, and blue is very slightly greenish-blue.

After calibration, and using a full-field 100-IRE white (20.2 foot-lamberts) and a full-field 0-IRE black (0.015 ft-L), the contrast ratio was 1,347:1. Using a 16-box checkerboard pattern (ANSI contrast), the contrast ratio was 1,182:1. On a 100-IRE window, the TH-42PZ700U produced 58.28 ft-L. (It is normal for a plasma to have a lower light output on a full-white field versus a white window.)—GM