LG develops plasma TVs for high-altitude viewers
posted Aug 2nd 2005 5:27AM
LG took note when a vendor pointed out a constant whining sound emitted by their plasma screens when used in the
mountains. Large plasma displays operate via a gas trapped between two layers of glass, which expands at higher
altitudes. As the gas expands and begins moving more quickly, it heats up and causes a buzzing sound, which is
traditionally countered by constantly running cooling systems that end up emitting even more noise. LG solved both
problem in its DU-42PX12X, a 42-inch widescreen plasma that simply uses less gas than its low-altitude counterparts.
There are a couple of drawbacks with the unit, namely its ground-facing connection ports which require awkward
positioning when connecting periphery devices, and some rather lackluster on-board speakers. Still, high-altitude users
can opt for an occasional handstand installation adventure and an external speaker system and likely end up a lot
happier with a less noisy plasma.
[Via HDBeat]
...or they can skip crappy plasma altogether and get with an LCD!
I dont know exactly where this information came from, but this TV is not meant for high alititude and I dont think anyone should be fooled into thinking so. I own this TV and at no point was I ever told by any sales person that it was ment for high-altitude. I decided to do some research. Look in the owner's manual at http://ca.lgservice.com/jsp/common/download.jsp?DOC_ID=KROWM000059034&FILE_NAME=KROWM000059034.pdf&ORIGINAL_NAME_b1_a1=479Cen.pdf&FILE_GUBUN=I on the last page (47). It says the maximum elevation is 2000m or 6561 feet. Thats not very high in my opinion. I live at sea level on the West Coast, but any city in the Rocky Mountains can be elevated at anywhere from 3000m to 3500m. Bah.