Anyone using the Gateway 42" Plasma?

Well for one thing, its NOT true HD, but that may not matter if you are using it to display DVD or conventional cable or even DSS. Love to hear from someone who's got one or someone who looked at it and passed.

I saw one in the showroom and the picture was not as crisp as those from Panasonic or the others. But, the price was cheaper.

They are noisy: over 40dB if I remember correctly because of the fans to cool it.. Contrast Suffers compared to all other plasma's.

You get what you pay for.

Panasonic has a pretty decent picture for the money.

Yeah, this is not a true HDTV. Actually its only EDTV isnt it?

Honestly, how much does the HD part matter? DVD's do not show in HD. Neither do video games or VHS(of course).

Cable companys broacast very limtied HD programming, and generally dont want to broadcast any more than the FCC requires them to because of the large chunk of bandwidth HDTV takes. Cable companys see one HD channel as 5-6 possible regular channels.

engineers have recently come uyp with a DVD player that use a new type of DVD that actually CAN contain a movie's length of HD vidio, i think those are being planned to launch late 2004/early 2005? For now with progressive scan you can get 720p, HDTV is at 1080I though. HD signals are alot crisper than progressive scan.

By 2004/2005 then a HD TV would be worth it, the FCC / cable companys will have gotten thier act together, and that $3,000 42" plasma will probable have transformed into a $2000 57" HDTV.

I want a HDTV for movies and such, almost bought one several times, but buying an HDTV at this point seems like you are paying too much for capability of watching HDTV instead of actually watching it, as the only true HD you will be watching is "Malcom in the Middle" on sunday night FOX

For now, if you have 3 grand, thats a pretty decent TV. But no, it wont do true HD, so in 2005 or so when there is enough HD programming that you actually want to watch, and DVDs start showing up in TRUE HDTV, then you can buy one of those and stick this EDTV plasma on the ceiling over the bed.

That would bring a lazy sunday to new heights.