Panasonic Plasmas and HDMI

[sparkz]

Last year I made a mistake and got the TH42PHD7 being misled into think it was fully HDMI compliant. Turned out it couldn't handle 720/50p which I thought was a pretty basic feature for a European plasma with a HDMI feature.

I know much talk was said about it at the time but I'm still consfused by the HDMI standards. All this talk of the PHD8 has got me wondering about this again! Can anyone make sense of these. Sorry to dig this up again!

I found a brouchure which says the PHD7 is HDMI ver.1.1 and supports 525/60p, 625/50p, 750/60p, 1125/60i.

For the PHD8 the new brouchure says it's still HDMI ver.1.1 but now supports 525/60p, 625/50p, 750/60p, 750/50p, 1125/60i, 1125/50i

So my question is: Is the HDMI that flexible or is this a misinterpretation?

The HDMI V1.1 specification says of sinks:

• An HDMI Sink that accepts 50Hz video formats shall support the 640x480p @ 59.94/60Hz and 720x576p @ 50Hz video format timings.

• An HDMI Sink that accepts 50Hz video formats, and that supports HDTV capability, shall support 1280x720p @ 50Hz or 1920x1080i @ 50Hz video format timings.

The spec. defines a "sink" as a "display" not just the input module.

The PHD7 obviously accepts 50Hz video. So how is it exactly Panasonic can get away by saying they don't need to support this?

Thanks
Mark

 

[chedmaster]

1.1 just added audio, its still the same for video. the resolutions/rates are only needed to be "HD Ready"

I dont think european HD had been finalised when they released the 7, but it is strange that its part of the spec now.

 

[sparkz]

The actual HDMI spec doesn't actually say it must include 720/50p only if the

...HDMI Sink that accepts 50Hz video formats, and that supports HDTV capability, shall support 1280x720p @ 50Hz...

I use 720/50p over the component input, so that makes it "HDTV capable" in my mind even though I added a card. It is a standard Panasonic card and as shown in brochures connected to a DVD, TV etc.

Panasonic seem to think that as the basic panel without any cards (i.e. just VGA) will not handle HD TV formats directly then the HDMI requirements don't apply. I don't know if this is right or they're just hiding behind ambiguities.

 

[MAW]

Ah, but the YUV was added by yourself, it didn't accept it before you put the card in! A weasel justification, it was totally crass of them. They were one of the architects of HDMI, and screwed up badly. The 8 series works, pure and simple. If you were mis-sold the 7 series, and can prove it you can get them to swap it for an 8 I'd have thought. Easier might be to buy a HDCP stripper.

 

[sparkz]

I did at one stage consider taking legal action against Panasonic, since they were the ones who told me it would handle 720/50p. The problem is my only proof is a telephone conversation with a technician who's name I don't recall. I remember from the conversation that he had trouble finding out the details as no one seemed to know. Perhaps he just guessed!

Thanks for HDCP stripper idea. Never considered that. Don't know where that would leave me quality wise but worth checking out...

 

[MAW]

Quality wise I'm sure you would be very happy. The 7 is at it's best on the VGA port, you can strip before or after a scaler if you use one, the results are pretty good either way.

 

[sparkz]

Never looked into HDCP strippers before.

Is the Spatz DVIMagic one? They are rather economical with details of this aspect, understandably I guess. Will it fool VP30 (when I get it) into thinking it's a non HDCP input? Then I can use the analog output to component or vga on the plasma.