Plasma or LCD

cheerful1_gw

18 years ago

We want to buy a flat screen TV, but are unsure of which is better. We also want High Definition. Any suggestions?

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Comments (6)

ris4b2rd
18 years ago
Really depends on the lighting condtions, beyond that, a matter or personal preferences. Plasma's, to my eyes gives a sharper, more 3d quality image on HD broadcasts. However, plasma screens are pretty reflective and if they face windows, forget about it without closing the shades. For a dedicated home theater, plasma would be my first choice, also because you can get larger plasma screens. The largest LCD screen currently is the sharp at 45".

LCD's are great for very bright rooms, zero concern for reflections, as the picture stays very bright and clear.

THe old rule about being so many feet from a large screen no longer applies with the newer HD sets. Matter of fact, you want the largest plasma/lcd you can afford as you want to be closer for any HD broadcasts, because their is less concern about the old "screen door" effect. However, for standard definition broadcast, you still want to be a bit further away so you don't see the lesser picture quality.

Panasonic makes a great 42" and 50" plasma that has been extremely popular with consumers. Sharp has a new 45" lcd that is the largest (currently) lcd, though they do have a 57" and 65" coming very soon. However, those larger sizes are gonna be very expensive.

Basically, you need to visit multiple showrooms. You will find that some showrooms, a particular model looks extremely good, next to another brand that looks bad. My opinion (my opinion only) is that depending on which model they want to push that day, they are going to make sure it looks better than the others. That's why I suggest looking at multiple stores. I will include a link to a GREAT website for all things video/audio and if you ask a question, there are a ton of very helpful people. But first, make sure you do a search to see if someone has asked the question before.

Regarding HIGH DEF, remember there are still very few channels that broadcast in high def, but it is the future, though not the very near future as far as I can tell. Also, the standard for the new DVD hasn't been decided yet, but they are selling dvd players that are high def now I believe. However, it will take awhile for the studios to ramp up to selling content that is actually high definition. That said, a good dvd player should upscale the image nicely enough to look spectacular on your brand new HD plasma or LCD.

Here is a link that might be useful: AVS Forum
lucycakes
18 years ago
ris4b2rd - I was interested in your response as we are also comparing plasma and LCD. Our space is limited so we are looling at 37 to 40 inch models. Have you seen any feedback on the Vizio 37" LCD currently at Costco or the Sony 40" LCD?

Many thanks for any assistance.
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Most of the above is very true, except a 60" LCD (if available) will likely be just as expensive--if not more so, than a 58-60" plasma. You can get the exce3llent new Panasonic 58" 1080p plasma between $3,900-$4,700--depending on where you buy it. There will be no LCD at that size or price range that performs in the same ballpark with the Panny. The advantages of most plasmas over LCD's (particularly on the Pioneers and Panasonics) are the far superior black levels and extremely wide viewing angles. But one needs to know if the room is bright where you will be watching and how far you sit from the television-and even what size you might want--not to forget what busget you have for the HDTV. There are a lot of variables. Sony's and Samsung LCD's have generally very good wide angle viewing (for LCD's) and also better black levels than most, if not all, LCD's. Black levels are particularly very important for contrast--not to forget getting good blacks that don't look gray or dark blue. Greg
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Ok gang, the debate here would be the same as anywhere...it probably points to personal preference and word of mouth from family and friends on whether you end up buying a "Ford or Chevy" of the flat screen panels. They work on 2 different technologies to produce the same thing, a picture. Energy costs of the Plasma are higher because of the need to introduce an electrical charge into a gas (neon, Xenon, etc) at every pixel to produce a color (even to produce the color black). Thus all the pixels together, produce a picture. How long does it take the various gases to leak out? Probably just like refrigerant in a refrigerator, etc....varies depending on the particular unit itself. As the gases leak, the picture fades until eventually, there is none.The gases cannot be replaced. The LCD unit works on the principle of refracting light. It has one cfl type light that is refracted to provide different characteristics on the liquid crystal to provide the picture as current is passed through it. The liquid crystal is very similar to liquid dish soap with a lot of salt mixed in it, sandwiched between 2 types of polarized glass. Over time, the cfl type light may change color, similar to that in a florescent light tube (when it turns pink or black, etc.), which will alter the images. The light source usually cannot be replaced. The Plasma will show high speed action better than LCD, which will show a bit of blur to those who are attuned to it. The LCD has the advantage where the screens can be made as small as 5 inches diagonal where the plasma cannot. The LCD provides better clarity when connected to a computer where Plasma does not. The Plasma provides better picture quality when viewed from far left, far right, from above and from below than the LCD. Basically, they both provide a good picture when operating normally, cost is close to the same and they both are good for at least 60,000 hours of viewing before the possibility of deteriorated picture quality. Here's my opinion on this as well as any other competitive product.....what kind of warranty will you get, what kind of customer service can you expect from the supplier and the manufacturer. I hear Samsung is one of the better of all the evils....I don't know because I still use all my older tv's that give great pictures. As they wear out, I'll be in the same boat as the OP !!!
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Most good plasmas,such as the new Pioneer Kuro models can be engaged with a slight movement of the picture that is impossible to detect when watching, so even when playing games burn-in is quite unlikely. With a Pioneer or a Panasonic plasma a good rule of thumb is don't use it for gaming during the first 100 hours of watching or for static scroll lines on the picture bottom, such as on ESPN and some news channels. After that, good plasmas have a white-out feature in case of the slight chance of residual burn-in--it basically erases it. Since I am a videophile that loves watching good movies and shows, I watch in a dim to dark room. Without a doubt a Pioneer Kuro and even the latest Panasonics have a much superior contrast than any LCD model and this makes thepicture more natural and richer, or if youn want, the colors POP with exactitude. In a bright room and if you have gamester kids and grandkids that frequent the HDTV, I would get a Sony XBR or Samsung, or even one or two of the JVC models. But the 52" Sony's, Samsungs, Sharps,and JVC's aren't quite as good as their 46" and 40" models. The Sony 46" XBR4 or 5 and 40" XBR 4 or 5(and even a 32" XBR 4 or 5 for the bedroom) are about as good as LCD's get at this point. I have a 40" Sony XBR 4 in my bedroom and love it, but compared to my Pioneer Kuro 50" (5080) and in my media room my Pioneer Elite PRO-150FD 60", the Sony isn't in the same ballpark. If your room is dim enough and a 50" plasma is large enough I would save money and the new Pioneer Kuro PDP-5080. While it isn't a 1080p screen, as long as you sit at least 7 feet away it will look as good as any 1080p screen and it is available online between $2,375-$3,000 delivered. Just don't buy the way overpriced warranties. Panasonic sells a 1080p 50" plasma a little cheaper, but I find the Pioneer better. If you want to get an even bigger screen either get the Panasonic 58" 1080p which can be gotten online delivered between $3,200-$3,900. The 60" Pioneer Kuro PDP-6010FD will cost delivered online between $4,050-$5,000--with some dealers asking for full price--up to $6,500. I would get the 60" Pioneer over the 58" Panny, unless budget is a huge issue. Greg
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danihoney
18 years ago
Well we have a 50" LCD that also comes in 60" and 70" so the above post isn't exactly accurate. I absolutly love this set. The picture (in HD) is amazing and rivals the plasma tv's. The obvious difference between the LCD and plasmas would be the viewing areas. with the plasmas you can literally stand at the side of the set and see the picture really well. With our LCD you can view the program from high, low, or off to the side, but optimal viewing is from the front. I swear we spent the first couple days just watching fish swim through coral. We just said "wow, can you believe that?" We have the Hitatchi Ultravision and we think it is incredible. AND, about $3,000. less than any plasma out there.
tobszanski
18 years ago
My vote is for Plasma, specifically a Panasonic.

I've been researching for two years now and have been following developments pretty closely. I'm ready to whip out the credit card next month and go with the 37" Panasonic TH-37PX50U. It's available for just over $2000 plus shipping. The Panasonics have just about the best black level performance of any flat-screen TV (LCDs have been making great strides, but their best blacks are really a very, very dark gray).

danihoney, based on your description, the Hitachi Ultravision is a rear-projection LCD if I'm not mistaken, a totally different animal from flatpanel displays.
Gil Roschuni
18 years ago
I would also recommend the Panasonic Plasmas. The 42" TH-42PX50U, or the professional version monitor without a tuner, the TH-42PHD8UK, which can be had for about $600 less if you have a cable box or satellite hookup. Their 50" cousins are excellent panels as well.

Panasonic has industry leading black levels and greyscale. It makes the picture look very realistic as the blacks retain shading information and do not flatten out like on other models. Excellent for movie realism. Lifetime of the screen is about 20 years under normal use, same as for any CRT. And the current models are even more impervious to what's called "burn-in" than CRTs.

Current LCDs color shift as they age and don't have the same black levels as the Panasonic. The only real competition from LCDs I see is the new Sony LED LCD. Instead of having a white flourescent panel behind the LCD, which is filtered by RGB color filters and again by the LCD greyscale pixel shading, Sony puts red, green and blue LEDs behind the LCD. This greatly improves the brightness levels and greyscale ability. However, this 46" screen costs about $13,000, too rich for my blood. Good luck. :-)
ris4b2rd
18 years ago
Hi, just checked this thread again. Firstly, there is no such thing as a 50" LCD at present. The largest size available at this time (in the USA), January 3, 2006 is a 45" Sharp, which I have for my master bedroom. They will be bringing out the 65" and a 57" lcd early this year though, but not sure when they go onsale. For my bedroom, the LCD was the only way to go because of the amount of light that would reflect on the screen. If light from windows is an issue, then LCD is truly the way to go. BUT, if most of your viewing is done at night and very little during the daytime, then maybe that is not an issue for you. I also have a new 50" plasma, and have read and believe it is the best bang for the buck in a 50" plasma. SUre, you can spend a couple grand more for a Pioneer, but why do that if you don't have to. Also, there are tradeoffs with any tv, depending on what connections you want as well.

My Sharp LCD has a GREAT pic on the HD channels, less so on the standard definition.. Now, I am talking within 2' of the tv. If I am at regular viewing distance of 5-6' away, then it isn't an issue. That said, my panasonic looks great even at 1' away on any channel.

Best thing to do is compare in person and if possible test in the conditions when you will be doing most of your viewing. Also, maybe check that the store has a good return/exchange policy in case it is different in your home. Like computers, tv's, especially these BIG screen tv's are "garbage in, garbage out" in regard to the signal coming into your tv.

Plasma or LCD

Comments (6)

ris4b2rd

lucycakes

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