Are plasma TV sets visible in outdoor applications?
Application is for outdoor advertising.
Answer:
When using a plasma television for outdoor advertising, 2 main factors will determine its effectiveness:
1) whether any light source is hitting on the front glass screen. If this is the case, the light will be reflected alongside the image output therefore drastically reducing what your target audience can see;
2) how bright is the environment. You mentioned that it's going to be placed in a shaded area which is desirable; otherwise competing light source around the plasma TV will decrease the image contrast, again limiting its effectiveness.
Contrary to what another poster has said, LCD screens are – generally – not used for outdoor advertising because of poor viewing angle (both vertically and horizontally). Most display panels are hung at 30 to 45 degrees above head level... as you would imagine if you chose an LCD screen for this purpose, the drop-off in saturation and color would neuter any message you're trying to get across.
So to answer your question, yes the image is viewable, provided you place the plasma display panel in a shaded area without any light source (sunlight, fluorescent light) shining directly onto its glass screen.
For commercial purpose such as yours, you should consider the industrial or commercial plasma panels which are stripped of TV tuners and speakers (therefore cheaper) yet maintain superior video processing capabilities. The Panasonic TH42PH9UK (9th generation) comes highly recommended on both sides of the Atlantic, but is being replaced by the 10th generation panel so you may want to wait a while... in the UK the consumer version TH42PX70 (the one with speakers and tuners which you DON'T want) is already available so roll-out of the commercial versions may not be far away.
If you got one of the industrial ones that have a matte finish it would work much better, NEC used to make them, not sure if they still do, they were called a PDP, as in Public Display Panel. Most plasmas have a shiny glass front which is quite reflective, particularly outdoors. If you cant find a plasma with a matte or anti-glare finish it should be easier to find an LCD that has a matte surface LCDs are better for signage anyway as they dont suffer from burn in
The answers post by the user, for information only, CeQnA.com does not guarantee the right.