High altitude Plasma TVs?

[Yeha-Noha]

I want to upgrade my HDTV from a two year old 42" Vizio LCD for one in the 50" to 56" size range, in the $1000 to $1800 price range.

I have been weighing the pros and cons of LCDs vs plasma TVs. I had been leaning toward pLasma TVs, that is, until I came across some articles mentioning that they work harder at higher altitudes and thus shortens their lifespans. Other articles stated that they may have annoying audible hum at higher altitudes. It seems these problems are real concerns for anyone living at elevations above 6000 ft.

We live in the high country of Arizona at just over 7000 ft. elevation. There is a Best Buy in Flagstaff that sells plasma TVs as well as Wal-Mart and Sams Club. But the store associates at BB said it's not a problem otherwise they wouldn't be selling them. Sams has the 54" Panasonic Viera Plasma 600HZ 1080P HDTV Model: TC-54PS14 for only $1599.00 that's tempting me to pull the trigger. Or, if altitude is a concern, I just may get Sams 55" Vizio XVT 1080p LCD HDTV Model: VF550XVT1A for $1,497.00. The best deals in Flagstaff are definitely at Sams Clubs though.

Can anyone of the plasma TV gurus confirm that these high altitude concerns are true? I am not getting a plasma TV until I know more about this altitude problem, or no problem. The geek squad at BB might be right, but I just want more info before I buy a plasma TV and not regret it later on. TIA

[jibucha]

Hello

Pioneer and Panasonic are fine at high altitude; other brands I have not researched.

Panasonic is good to very high altitudes, and Pioneer is more complicated, but close behind.

I researched both of these brands extensively, but would have to check my notes for more detail.

Regardless, the altitude that you indicated in Arizona will be just fine with either of these brands.

And; with Panasonic emerging as the best plasma, and at remarkably affordable pricing for the G10 Series and the V10 Series; life is easy.

Thank You

[Yeha-Noha]

That's good news. Thank you. If you do come across any thing I should be aware of, please let me know.

I just may pull the trigger on the Panasonic Viera TC-54PS14. It is out of stock at my local Sams Club though. Others in my area aren't concerned about the altitude either. There's nearly a dozen Sams in the Phoenix area which I can visit next weekend. In the meantime, I'll be reading up on the TC-54PS14 a bit more.

[allstar780]

Runco and other high-end brands also offer High Altitude models, specifically designed to address these problems

[Yeha-Noha]

Thanks guys for reassuring me that plasma TVs work ok at 7,000 ft.

I pulled the trigger and bought a 54" Panasonic Veira TC-54PS1 Plasma TV an S series model that was on sale for $300 off at Best Buy. Well, it's not high end, and I am not hard line videophile anyway. But the PQ was incredible and was surprisingly comparable to a high end LED TV costing twice as much that was on display nearby. It really

[Yeha-Noha]

I returned the 54" Plasma TV to Best Buy.

At first I didn't notice it, but it has a bad, I mean bad, case of the jitters during fast action scenes when objects are moving fast across the screen. Once I started seeing it, it became increasing annoying and finally interolerable because I was seeing it on just about every BD I own.

I returned it for a 52" Sony Bravia KDL-51V5100, which just happened to be on sale. I actually got a $100.00 refund from the exchange.

OMG what awesome, jaw dropping PQ. There is absolutely no jittery motion or jerkiness. I have motion flow turned off to get the full benefit of the 5:5 pull down for 24p when watching BD movies. It is so cinema like. Sony has the most natural looking picture of any TV I've ever owned.