Panny TH-42PW6 + HDMI

T

TheJamTartMan

Guest
Sorry, if this is old news but, spoke to Panasonic customer services yesterday, they say they have an HDMI board for the TH-42PW6 coming later in the year :clap: Gonna have to open up the wall again to run a new cable to the display :rolleyes: Should be worth it though.
 
Panasonic said the DVI board that is currently available dos NOT support HDCP. Odd then, that people like AVSALES are selling it saying the TY-42TM6DB does :-/
 
Have seen other retailers on here mention that this board is HDCP compliant also. Drop them a PM for a confirmation (Alastair/MAW/Joe - they are regulars on here and are pretty 'genned-up' when it comes to Pannys).
 
DVI is only video.
HDMI will give you the same DVI signal but also incorporate the digital audio so you no longer need 2 cables.
NOTE: no video difference between DVI and HDMI! apart from audio.
So this new board will be different but, since most of us use a home cinema amp I don't think we need to rush out and buy it.
 
The difference is ..... HDCP. What Panasonic are saying is that you can have DVI with no HDCP now or HDMI with HDCP later in the year. And you need HDCP to ensure you get a picture, so that seems a pretty fundamental difference. Am I getting duff info then ?

I mailed AVSALES through their website, but had not answer, yet.
 
ReHaBWales said:
DVI is only video.
HDMI will give you the same DVI signal but also incorporate the digital audio so you no longer need 2 cables.
NOTE: no video difference between DVI and HDMI! apart from audio.
So this new board will be different but, since most of us use a home cinema amp I don't think we need to rush out and buy it.
DVi-D is the same signal as HDMI, HDMI is really onlt a cable what you send down it can vary lots!
 
DVI and HDMI do not always carry same signals. HDMI is a superset of DVI

DVI and HDMI are interfaces...not cables. The methodology of transmission is the same for digital video in both interfaces. However the DVI version1 spec is for RGB digital and analogue transmission. HDMI also supports YUV (COMPONENT) digital transmissions. At least that's what I got out of just reading the DVI spec on-line....
 
If Gordon needs backing up on this, and I hardly think so, The DVI board is certainly HDCP compliant, it says so in the manual, and I've got one too. Panasonic's customer services frequently say such things, left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. And I'll eat my crash helmet if they have an HDMI board coming for the 6 series, unless the 7 series shares the same boards, which could happen. The biggest difference to an end user between DVI and HDMI is the transmission of digital audio, and everyone here is desperate to send high quality 5.1 audio(coming soon) to their plasma monitor. Aren't we, guys?
 
:lesson:
Well, HDMI really has more to it than just the additional digital audio: much smaller form factor, room for future enhancements and resolutions (i.e. 1080p, or insane LCD resolutions like e.g. Apple's latest HD Cinema screen @ 2560 x 1600), faster bit rate (up to 5Gbps or more), digital YUV in addition to digital RGB, 5.1 digital audio, I believe it's a bi-directionnal I/F (while afaik DVI is one-way only). It's also a complete departure form analog "stuff", since it doesn't support any analog signal (RGB, YUV) contrary to the DVI-I interface.

In summary: with today's plasma's and HC systems, DVI *with HDCP* is about as fine...! :D :blush:
 
The video portions of HDMI and DVI are "pin compatible". You can use an HDMI to DVI cable or a HDMI to DVI Adapter.
HDCP is meant to prevent you from copying content you are not "allowed" to copy. Generally HDMI connectors all use HDCP. They don't technically "have to", but it would be pretty silly to use an HDMI connector without it having HDCP. DVI connections on the other hand, may or may not have HDCP. Computers and LCD monitors for example, can have DVI connections which do not have, or "need" HDCP. Many of the early HDTV's include DVI connectors do not have HDCP. Some projectors, especially non-Home Theatre oriented ones with DVI connectors do not have HDCP. Generally you will need to be sure that both devices use HDCP in order to connect together an HDMI device and a DVI device.
DVI-D is a digital only connection. DVI-A is an analog connection. DVI-I has both the Digital connection as well as the analog connection within the same cable. In addition to these three types of DVI there are also two types of DVI-D. Dual link and Single link. Single link supports HD resolutions while Dual link can support resolutions greater than that. Since we are talking about HD usage here, we can forget about dual link for our purposes.
 
Hello all

HDMI vs DVI - its going to be a long time before this one settles out; in the meantime for Digital Video Interconnectivity you still have a 50/50 chance of making a Source device and a Display device talk to each other over a Digital Link no matter if its HDMI or DVI :)

HDMI - none of the Source or Display devices were all currently working with are full spec HDMI.

Panasonic DVI Card - as others have said the TY-42TM6DB card is HDCP compatible; though its still a mighty limited card in that it only accepts (from memory) ten Input signal formats.

Panasonic HDMI Card - I'm sure it will come and equally as sure it will have some strange quirk or other as Panasonic do seem prone to a bit of video quirkiness.

HDCP - you only 'invoke' HDCP on your DVI or HDMI Display device if your source device is HDCP complaint and your using a Copy Protected Disc.

If your using a PC with a DVI equipped Graphics card chances are it wont (currently) include HDCP but it will work with your DVI or HDMI equipped Display.

HDMI - Oh what fun!!! The NEW SCART I've heard it called! They certainly fall out just as easily as SCART hoods do!

Speak soon.

Joe
 
I think what everybody is saying buy nobody has actually said, is that the only real advantage of a HDMI board is if Panasonic can get the board to accept the plasma screens native resolution (852 x 480, 1024 x 768 or 1366 x 768) at 50Hz, 60Hz, 75Hz etc, not just 60Hz as is current (and without the plasma just converting that signal back to 60Hz either). :lesson: Whether this be DVI or HDMI so long as the board retains HDCP support the picture quality will be the same.

The board already accepts most relevant video resolutions (480P @ 59.94 Hz, 576P @ 50Hz, 720P @ 60Hz, 1080i @ 59.94Hz) and could do with accepting a few more, to be fully prepared for the signals nex gen HDMI and DVI players and STBs will throw out. I think 2560 x 1600 etc may be a slightly ridiculous resolution to accept when the current plasma can only display 768 lines (50") of information!!!! Would be nice to have a plasma with that pixel count though :cool:

Also, HDMI cables are also smaller if you gotta push 'em through some conduit! :D

However unfortunate it is, I'm sure Joe is right and Panasonic still won't be able to fully implement what seems like a simple enough thing. The card will end up not able to display the colour pink or something else so ridiculous that apart from decent scalers or HCPC we'll be put off bothering with digital video transmission for another year! Let's hope they get it right...
 
Yeah, Liam thanks for re-focusing the discussion to what matters most really: what resolutions at what refresh rates will the HDMI blade support?

One thing I'm concerned with is the lack of support for 1080i@50Hz, which is the de-facto European HDTV standard format (e.g. Euro1080/HD1). Apart from Pioneer's 434HDE (and above) I can't seem to find any other plasma screen that supports it...
 
I've been looking at exactly the same issue of future HD support @ 50Hz for some time before deciding which plasma to buy. In the end I've gone for a Panny 42HD6 from Addy @ AV-Sales.

Where I got to in my thinking one this - based largely on opinions from this forum - is that given the allegedly high quality of a well fed analogue source via the plasmas VGA port, actually getting a pure digital feed isn't the nirvana that you may think. According to Panny's spec sheets at least tHe VGA port input definately does support 1080i / 720p @ 50Hz.

When it boils down to it, I believe most infromed views are that , it is difficult to distinguish between a well-fed analogue signal and a digital feed. If Panny do get their act together & sort this 50Hz via DVI/HDMI - another thread in the last day or so has intimated they re presparing an HDMI blade for 6 series screens(?) - then great I'll probably get one to try it , but if not I'm not really that fussed
 
Have to admit I'm very keen to pick up an HDMI enabled plasma. From reading this thread can I assume that it is confirmed the Panasonic 7 series will have the option for an HDMI board? If so I may hold off on the Pioneer for the time being. Any idea if other major (quality) producers have HDMI plans for next years range (Fijitsu, Hitachi or Samsung)?
 
Rasczak

NO - don't assume anything! As yet I've seen no official documentation on the forthcoming Series 7 Displays so unless someone who's posting here has actually seen the info I'd assume nothing.

Best regards

Joe
 
Struggling to get a PAL pic thru dvi here for weeks now, my Pioneer dv868avi gives out NTSC 480p and PAL 576p while the TH42-PWD6EX+DVI board accepts 575p@50Hz but I get no PAL pic, only colored pattern.
NTSC discs are fine.
I've been in touch with Panasonic people AND Pioneer people in the UK and Germany to no avail.
Germans say that they (Panny) had it working fine with a Denon dvi player at 576p.
Brits say...errr...actually nothing.
And, as usual, Dutch reps say what they always say- never heard of the problem. nobody watches dvi.
Pioneer Germany says "It should work" (An American wrote me the chip in the Pio sends out only 572 lines or so which could cause the mishap).
Anyone knows why the discrepancy 575p in the board manual vs the standard 576p ?
I may be wrong, but the garbled noise I see looks a lot like hdcp copy control kicking in- and without even a disc loaded!
Barend :rolleyes:
 
The 868 and 668 Pioneers output 572 lines instead of 576 which throws the panny DVI card. Not sure about 575 and 576 issues since I tend to avoid the DVI card altogether with daft issues like this!!
 
Liam @ Prog AV said:
The 868 and 668 Pioneers output 572 lines instead of 576 which throws the panny DVI card. Not sure about 575 and 576 issues since I tend to avoid the DVI card altogether with daft issues like this!!

Thanks Liam,
you're right- it's daft!
What I heard from Germany was that this lines issue was only on the older Pio's, and sorted when the X68's came.
Can you give me a bit more information as to your information?
I'd really like to get to the bone of the beast!
Cheers
Barend
 
Well, my Panny dvi card still won't accept the pal mode even with no disc in the dv868 player...
Ah well, ordered the new Denon player and see how that fares...
So early September you can all witness my Enormous Agony when it still won't work or my Exquisite Joy when it does!
Barend :D
 

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