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TFC Review Newsletter -
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NEW! NEC PlasmaSync 50XM3 |
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Product
Review
NEC’s
New XM series Hi-Res Plasma Models – 42XM2, 50XM3 & 61XM2
The
success is in the details
by Paul Martin, Editor-in-Chief, TFCReview
October 20, 2003
Introduction
Today, NEC announced a completely redesigned
line of XGA Plasma Models – the PlasmaSync 42M2, 50XM3 and the whopping big
61XM2. I was fortunate enough to be
invited to NEC headquarters in
NEC has always had some of the best-looking
and best-selling plasma models for business and public display applications.
Case in point – the current NEC line boasts the NEC 42VP4 (VGA) model that was
first sold in April of this year. The NEC 42PV4 is currently the third
best-selling model (and climbing) for business applications and also ranks
second among the 42-inch professional PDPs in terms of monthly unit sales
according to TFCinfo’s monthly Professional Plasma POS Tracking report.
Sales of NEC’s PDPs would likely be higher if not for constrained supply that
has led to frustrating backorders for most of this year.
Plasma displays are still the most
sought-after large flat screen displays, even as more and more LCD flat screens
are being manufactured at sizes that rival the smallest of the plasma
displays. Although no recent preference data exist for public display and
conference room applications, professional consumers today prefer plasmas as
their choice for home entertainment displays over all other display types.
So how do you stay ahead when you are already
on top? You compete with yourself. The sales of current NEC PDP
models are still growing and yet NEC is introducing a new generation of plasma
models to compete with its own success.
NEC’s
Market Strength
NEC is one of the top-tier brands of plasma
display devices. NEC is currently the third best-selling professional plasma
brand - and climbing. NEC had previously lost market share to Panasonic and
Pioneer during a longer-than-planned model change-over, but is expected to
regain all their momentum with these new XM models. NEC’s new models will compete head-to-head
with Panasonics 6th generation professional plasma models introduced
as recently as August. These month-by-month changes in leading models and
market share are reported in TFCinfo’s professional plasma POS reports. (Dealers, please contact Edith at eadow@tfcinfo.com tel. 207/783-1155, if you
wish to track the plasma market).
The New Lineup of Hi-Res Plasma Models
NEC’s new lineup of high-resolution plasma
models has been designed from the ground up. The new line-up consists of the
NEC
PlasmaSync 42XM2 – a 42-inch
XGA 16x9 plasma display (1024 x 768 non-square pixels). List price $6,495.
NEC
PlasmaSync 50XM3 – a 50-inch
WXGA 16x9 plasma display (1365 x 768). List price $9,995.
NEC
PlasmaSync 61XM2 – a 61-inch
WXGA 16x9 plasma display (1365 x 768). List price $19,995.
Walking into NEC’s plasma lab with a wall
full of their new XM series of PDPs displaying vibrant scenes of tropical fish,
lush jungle forests, deep blue tropical waters, crimson tug boats, and vistas
of endless midwestern wheat fields swaying in the wind, and you instantly begin
to convince yourself that you “need to have” a wall of plasma displays in your
conference room. Flesh tones are accurate, spreadsheet text and numbers
are crisp and defined, transitions are smooth, and images show no sign of
signal noise. Besides the colors and sharpness, I was amazed at how
3-dimensional the displayed video images seemed with each crest of the wave
breaking and crashing on the beach, as if the white spray would spatter the plasma
bezel with wet froth.
Nomenclature
The new 42XM2 (model number: PX-42XM2A)
supercedes the 42MP4 (model number: PX-42XM1A). The 50XM3 (PX-50XM3A)
supercedes the 50MP2 (PX-50XM2A). The 61XM2 (PX-61XM2A) supercedes the 61MP1
(PX-61XM1A). NEC has two lines of plasma displays - the Multimedia
Plasmas (MP) and the Public Display (PD) plasmas.
The XM moniker stands for the Hi-res XGA
version of NEC’s Multimedia “MP” line – the plasma models designed for
corporate boardrooms and conference halls. Yet, interestingly, these XM
models also come with the complete set of features found in NEC’s “PD” line and
some new features to boot. So with NEC’s XM PDPs you get the best of both
worlds – The XM is as adept at displaying stunning multimedia content (video,
hi-def, and computer source materials) as it is easy to configure into video
walls, and portrait displays. These models also make it easy to protect and
control the displays with automatic phosphor burn-in protection, scheduled
event functions and timer controls as well as extensive RS232 control.
For a detailed look at the new features – read on.
Applications
The XM series of plasma displays has been
designed for professional multimedia applications including conference room
presentation, boardroom AV systems, video conferencing, broadcast and video
production, editing and playback, and corporate training facilities. It
works well in control rooms, network operations, monitoring facilities, CAD,
and rental and staging. In addition to the traditional corporate settings, the
XM series is equally deft at public display, video walls, retail point of sale,
and public signage applications with the new built-in digital signage
features. NEC’s plasma displays are FCC Class A certified for commercial
use and as such can not be promoted for residential use which would require FCC
Class B certification. While NEC’s plasmas can not be promoted for
residential use, I know of many NEC plasma displays bought and installed in
homes.
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Sidebar: FCC Class A and Class B Certifications – What does it mean?
FCC Class certification addresses which category the manufacturer elects to test their display devices in for radiated emissions. While both FCC Class A and Class B call for nearly identical upper limits on radiated emissions, FCC Class A for commercial use allows the measurement to be made at a distance of 10 meters whereas for the FCC Class B certification for residential use, the measurement is made at a distance of 3 meters from the device. Hence FCC Class B for residential use is the more conservative measurement method. And don’t assume that just because a plasma display is certified to FCC Class A that it won’t meet Class B.
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What’s
New with the XM Series?
Brightness has increased in all three new XM
models. Contrast has improved, particularly with the 61-inch 61XM2, where
the contrast has increased 170%. Power consumption is down also.
|
|
Previous Models – 42MP4, 50MP2 & 61MP1 |
New Models – 42XM2, 50XM3 & 61XM2 |
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Power Consumption |
380W, 480W & 660W |
350W, 480W & 540W |
|
CCF/AccuCrimson |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Advanced AccuBlend |
Yes |
Yes |
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M.A.S.S/AccuDevice |
No |
Yes |
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Color Tune |
No |
Yes |
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Aspect Ratio Modes |
4 |
6 |
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Loop through capability |
No |
Yes |
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2x2 & 3x3 matrix capability |
No |
Yes |
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Gamma |
10-bit |
12-bit |
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Gamma Control |
No |
Yes |
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Portrait Capable |
61MP1 only |
All models |
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Programmable Auto Timer |
No |
Yes |
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Multi-tier Menu Structure |
No |
Yes |
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Split Screen |
50MP2 & 61MP1 |
61XM2+ Available in Jan’04 |
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Stereo Audio |
Yes |
Yes |
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AccuShield Modes |
5 modes |
6 modes. New mode is “Soft Focus” |
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Input Skip |
No |
Yes |
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Cable Management |
No |
Yes |
|
Small Form Factor PC Attach Points |
No |
Yes |
|
Low Fan Noise |
|
22 dB |
Connections
The XM
series connects to just about anything you can think of…
RGB
Three RGB
inputs provide choice of a standard RGB 15-pin (which doubles as a loop through
output terminal), a 5 BNC (RGB/HV) and for those wanting to input completely
digital RGB from source to display, you can use the 25-pin DVI input.
Video,
HD and DVD
Three
video inputs provide a choice of Composite BNC, Composite RCA, and
S-Video. To input hi-def video to the plasma display you have your choice
of a set of three RCA Component terminals (Y,Pb,Pr/Y,Cb,Cr) or a set of 5
BNC Component input (Y,Pb, Pr/Y,Cb,Cr).
Audio
Three sets of dual audio inputs are
internally amplified to provide left and right channel signals to power
external speakers.
Control
Besides the connections mentioned above,
external control is available through an RS232 connector and lastly a remote
in/out connections is available.
Connection Panel (top)
Connection Panel (bottom)
Features
CCF – Capsulated Color Filterä Technology and AccuCrimson work together to
eliminate the undesirable yellow color shift caused by the excited argon/xenon
gas mixture used in each plasma pixel. Without these two technologies
blues would be a little grayer, greens a little yellowier and reds a little
browner. With these technologies the colors jump out of the screen and
contrast is enhanced.
Advanced Accublend scan conversion – using a scaling chip
designed by NEC and produced by TI - provides for sophisticated scaling of
computer-based information providing compatibility from VGA all the way up to
UXGA including WVGA and WXGA in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. With video
sources the Advanced Accublend scan conversion provides for 3-2 pulldown
to realistically display film content originally produced at a normally
incompatible 24 frames/second.
New Features
M.A.S.S (Mass Area
AccuDevice – a feature not mentioned in NEC’s literature – is the elimination of
various digital to analog (and back again) conversions used to process typical
analog signals. Since each conversion from analog to digital and back again
introduces signal noise and undesirable pixel transients, once an analog input
signal is converted to digital by one of NEC’s XM plasma analog inputs, it
stays that way throughout the rest of the processing. Hence the signal in each
XM plasma is thereafter completely digital from start to finish. If your source
is a digital signal from the start, the DVI terminals should be used and thus
the signal remains completely digital through final display.
Color Tune Technology – is an impressively sophisticated color
mapping algorithm that unlinks the interdependence of adjusting primary colors
and secondary hues. You might recall from fiddling with tint and color
adjustments on your older CRT TV, it was impossible to adjust, say, the red or
even the cyan without effecting the other colors and hues. Without NEC’s Color
Tune Technology this would be our fate too. With Color Tune Technology
each primary color (Red, Green, Blue) and each secondary color (Cyan, Magenta,
Yellow) can be individually adjusted. Moreover these adjustments can be made
without affecting the white balance in the middle of the color map.
Aspect Ratio Modes and Loop Thru - Two new aspect ratio conversions fill the
screen for signal sources of all different aspect ratios including for unusual
sources with 2.35:1 and greater aspect ratios. Two different terminals
(BNC and RGB) can be selected to be use for video out (loop thru).
Video Wall Configuration - One of the most awe inspiring visions to
behold is that of the nine PlasmaSync 61XM2s arranged as a video wall.
The XM series of plasmas can be arranged in a 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 video wall without
the need for additional video processing. It is truly amazing what additional
capabilities have been thought through. From coordinated on-the-fly brightness
and color control, to display modes that adjust the image to compensate for the
bezel area, and power delays to turn each display in a video wall on in
sequence to minimize power demand surges, NEC has thought of everything.
Portrait Control - Now all models in the XM series can be
turned vertically (90 degrees) for applications where images need to be
displayed in portrait mode, such as fashion shows, displaying lists of events,
and public signage applications.
Gamma, Gamma Control, and Color Temperature - Grey scale variations have been enhanced
by increasing the processing from 10-bits to 12-bits, while gamma control
harnesses that extra capability by allowing more grey scale adjustments. The
ideal color temperature setting differs between video, computer and film
images. With the XM series there are four pre-selected color temperature
settings. And if that doesn’t suit your viewing pleasure, the menu allows more
versatile tweaking.
Programmable Auto Timer - is more than just an automatic on-off
switch. This programmable timer function is a built-in event scheduler. You can
schedule various inputs (source materials) to turn on, schedule maintenance
modes, force a power down when someone forgets to turn off the display, etc.
AccuShield - provides the mechanism for you to stay protected from phosphor burn-in
and image retention that is common with all phosphor based display, including
your conventional TV. Four Orbiter modes imperceptibly move the image around in
a circle one pixel at a time. Inverse RGB displays a negative of the image to
balance out the phosphor. All-white, Pixel Refresh, Automatic Brightness
Limiter and Soft Focus are more features that can prolong the life of your
investment.
Paul’s Conclusions - Brilliant Colors with
Attention to Longevity.
The NEC XM series Plasma displays are some of the best
hi-res multimedia plasma on the market today. These plasmas incorporate NEC’s
latest production know-how and produce some of the truest colors I have ever
seen. The folks at NEC have been working very hard to make sure that you
get the longest possible life from your plasma in the most demanding 24/7
applications.
NEC was the first to incorporate anti-burn-in features
before any other manufacturer. They are unique in the industry for having all
their plasma models built to handle high-altitude (up to 9,000 ft) and to
provide the sturdier plasma design that prevents the loud buzzing sound (caused
by bowing of the substrate parts) that some other PDPs exhibit above 6,000 ft–
good if you live in Denver, own a ski-chalet, or are looking to install that
must-have accessory for your Lear Jet. Unlike other plasma manufacturers that
may choose to drive the electronics hard, in order to eek slightly more
brightness at the expense of shortening the life, NEC’s engineers have always
tweaked their plasmas for stunningly accurate colors, sharp crisp images, grey
scale details that are rivaled by none, and a from-the-grounds-up fundamental
design philosophy that plasmas should be made to last. I couldn’t ask for more!
Price
|
|
42XM2 |
50XM3 |
61XM2 |
|
List price |
$6,495 |
$9,995 |
$19,995 |
|
TFCinfo’s Estimated Street Price |
$5,999 |
$8,990 |
$16,000 |
NEC PlasmaSync 42XM2, 50XM3, 61XM2 Brochure
NEC PlasmaSync XM Press Release
About TFCinfo
Paul Martin is Editor-in-Chief of TFCinfo Corp – the worldwide leader in A/V Market Research. TFCinfo tracks and forecasts the plasma and projector markets.. TFCinfo also conducts in-store and end-user surveys on brand awareness, home entertainment, and vertical market for displays. TFCinfo Corp (www.tfcinfo.com) can be reached at eadow@tfcinfo.com , tel. 207-783-1155.
- Copyright TFCinfo 2003
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