Plasma vs LCD

[lovemachine]

Hmm. Lot to think about now. I'm going to head to Best Buy later and try to compare the Plasma and LCD together. My living room isn't that bright, although my current tv is between 2 windows. So I don't think glare from a Plasma would be a big problem. But you guys really gave me a lot to think about now.

I'm more confused now too

 

[lyric911]

Also one thing to note, Plasma's are rated at 600 hertz, where as LCD's and LED's range from 60 to 240.

The faster it's rated, the less blur you will get on fast moving images or sports related viewing.

This isn't exactly true either. The source video you are watching is still either 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. Drawing the same 60 frames 60 times a second or 6 million times a second doesn't look any different. The primary reason for refresh rates higher than 120 Hz is pure marketing. 120 Hz is the least common multiple of 24, 30, and 60 which means that all of them can be displayed with a constant number of screen refreshes per source video frame.

e.g. 24 fps sources display each frame 5 times. 30 fps sources display each frame 4 times. 60 fps sources display each frame 2 times.

Before 120+ Hz displays were possible, 24 fps sources (non-converted movies, btw) were displayed with a 3:2 pull down meaning that odd numbered frames were displayed 3 times while even numbered frames were displayed 2 times which results in a slightly jerky appearance.

 

[Bigum1969]

Also one thing to note, Plasma's are rated at 600 hertz, where as LCD's and LED's range from 60 to 240.

The faster it's rated, the less blur you will get on fast moving images or sports related viewing.

Hmm. Lot to think about now. I'm going to head to Best Buy later and try to compare the Plasma and LCD together. My living room isn't that bright, although my current tv is between 2 windows. So I don't think glare from a Plasma would be a big problem. But you guys really gave me a lot to think about now.

I'm more confused now too

Great point IBM...

There are so many urban legends regarding TVs... A bright room will not be a problem with a plasma. My room gets a bucketload of light and there has never been an issue.

For larger TVs, plasma is a little cheaper. For smaller TVs, it is the other way around.

And, if you're going to get 58 inches, get 60!

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Plasma is living material and WILL die and give you spots on the screen. This cannot be fixed or changed as that is just what plasma is. I have had several of both plasma and LCD and the LCD is a far better picture and can be viewed from greater angles if that makes sense. The LCD is also brighter. I personally will never buy another plasma screen. My current LCD however does have a blotch of dead pixels due to my children throwing toys and none of the opensource software I can find seems to have any effect fixing it, they just killed it but it is only a small spot. I'm not replacing it until the transparent rollup screens hit the market at a reasonable price as they are touch screen and holographic allowing for 3D viewing.....

 

[lyric911]

Plasma is living material and WILL die and give you spots on the screen. This cannot be fixed or changed as that is just what plasma is. I have had several of both plasma and LCD and the LCD is a far better picture and can be viewed from greater angles if that makes sense. The LCD is also brighter. I personally will never buy another plasma screen. My current LCD however does have a blotch of dead pixels due to my children throwing toys and none of the opensource software I can find seems to have any effect fixing it, they just killed it but it is only a small spot. I'm not replacing it until the transparent rollup screens hit the market at a reasonable price as they are touch screen and holographic allowing for 3D viewing.....

What exactly do you think is living in a plasma TV? There is positively nothing alive in a plasma TV. It's essentially thousands of miniature fluorescent bulbs that ignite a phosphor when they generate UV. Yes, phosphors dim over time. So do LCDs. Again, the half life of both is identical in modern LCDs and Plasmas.

 

[eldirector]

My experience, though a bit dated (I've been out of the video business for 3-4 years).

Plasmas have a better dynamic range. Blacker blacks and more vivid color. They do tend to draw more power and put off more heat. Heat is only an issue if enclosed. Burn-in is a non-issue, unless you put exactly the same image on the screen every day.

LCDs still have great picture quality, but without the same range. Since they are back-lit, it is hard to get true black and very high contrast colors. You can still get an incredible picture. Dropped pixels on high-quality brands are a thing of the past.

I don't have much experience with LEDs, though they seem to combine the good points of both LCD and plasma, with the only downside being cost.

I'm watching Monday Night Football in HD on my 52" Samsung LCD, and it is plenty awesome for me

 

[Hoosier8]

I like the color of any of the LCD's that I have seen vs plasma.

LED vs LCD is a misnomer as both are LCD but with different backlighting. The LED has LED backlighting and the LCD has fluorescent CFL.\

I have a 1020i 32 inch LCD and a 720p would be fine in that size and up to 42 inch. You don't really need 1020p until you get above a 42 inch screen.

If you are going to use Blueray, it is 1020p format so it would be good to have a 1020p TV, especially if your TV is larger than 42".

 

[lovemachine]

Seems like the majority here like the LCD over the Plasma

 

[ThrottleJockey]

What exactly do you think is living in a plasma TV? There is positively nothing alive in a plasma TV. It's essentially thousands of miniature fluorescent bulbs that ignite a phosphor when they generate UV. Yes, phosphors dim over time. So do LCDs. Again, the half life of both is identical in modern LCDs and Plasmas.

It has always been my understanding that these are living bacterium as explained to me by a Samsung engineer before they all left and went to white/westinghouse. This was back in the beginning days of the technology, right about the time samsung started to suck really bad due to hiring a new engineering team with no experience. I'm glad they've made a comeback though as I have always been pleased with their products (except for that little 2 year break in of the FNGs).

 

[lyric911]

It has always been my understanding that these are living bacterium as explained to me by a Samsung engineer before they all left and went to white/westinghouse. This was back in the beginning days of the technology, right about the time samsung started to suck really bad due to hiring a new engineering team with no experience. I'm glad they've made a comeback though as I have always been pleased with their products (except for that little 2 year break in of the FNGs).

This Samsung person was misinformed or lying.

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to be combative with anyone here, technology in general is very easy to get misinformation spread and I like to correct it when I can so that people are making informed purchase decisions.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

Plasma is living material and WILL die and give you spots on the screen. This cannot be fixed or changed as that is just what plasma is. I have had several of both plasma and LCD and the LCD is a far better picture and can be viewed from greater angles if that makes sense. The LCD is also brighter. I personally will never buy another plasma screen. My current LCD however does have a blotch of dead pixels due to my children throwing toys and none of the opensource software I can find seems to have any effect fixing it, they just killed it but it is only a small spot. I'm not replacing it until the transparent rollup screens hit the market at a reasonable price as they are touch screen and holographic allowing for 3D viewing.....

The viewing angle of a Plasma is superior to that of LCD. A plama will die just the same as an LCD TV will die. The LCD pixels will dim or burn out over time, so whats your point? Both LCD and Plasma have equivalent life spans.

lcd or led. i have a samsung led and LOVE it. but all of my tv's are samsungs.
like others have said. plasma's life is short.

No its not.

IMO you should'nt buy a plasma if you are going to spend the money make sure it last you.plasma's have a life spand of 3-5 years vs the lcd thats last 7-10 years,and led are amazing just expensive.For the price of a plasma you put a 100 or so with it and get the lcd which last longer.My vote gets the lcd and you can ask any tv guy and he will tell you the same.I would also make sure you get 1080 pix way better.

Again, misinformation. Your numbers are just flat made up. PLUS 1080p is not way better, in fact on screens under 42" you would be hard pressed to even see a difference from a normal viewings distance.






There seems to be a ton of misinformation on this thread. I would really suggest those who are looking to buy visit a home theater forum where people know their products like the guys on here know guns.

A plasma will have better blacks, better contrast ratio, better viewing angle, better colors, and no motion blur. Modern plasmas also have screens that do not reflect light nearly as much as the old ones do. They do use more power, even the low energy ones, they do put out more heat, although I am not sure why that would even be an issue.

The LCD is superior for rooms where there are a bunch of windows if you watch a lot of TV during the day. You can get some motion blur on fast moving action, video games, sports, etc. LCDs have no chance of image retention or screen burn, you could keep it on a still screen for days with no ill effects. I wouldn't do that on a plasma even though burn in is virtually non existent these days. LCD is more efficient, tend to be thinner, are lighter, screens are brighter (not necessarily good imo).

I have a 6 year old 50" Samsung 720p plasma that looks as good as it did when it was new and I would put the picture quality up against most any 1080p LCD in its price range. I bought a 46" Sony 1080p LCD for our bedroom and the plasma has a MUCH better picture.

It really all boils down to what looks the best to your eyes, go to the store and look for yourself. Don't trust what a bunch of people who wont ever see your TV think.

food for thought

LCD vs. Plasma

 

[eatsnopaste]

Whatever tv you decide to go with...wait until mid January to get it...the best deals may seem like now..but right before Superbowl, and this happens to be when the new models are coming out, will be the best time to buy..my two cents.

 

[Bigum1969]

I will add one thing... you'd have to work hard to not get 1080p set.

View them with your own eyes.

One of the problems is that the stores don't display them correctly. The settings are not optimized.

As far as lifespan, LCD's and Plasma are the same now. There is so much floating around regarding TVs on the web.

You really can't go wrong... as long as you settle on 60" or better.

 

[Bigum1969]

The viewing angle of a Plasma is superior to that of LCD. A plama will die just the same as an LCD TV will die. The LCD pixels will dim or burn out over time, so whats your point? Both LCD and Plasma have equivalent life spans.



No its not.



Again, misinformation. Your numbers are just flat made up. PLUS 1080p is not way better, in fact on screens under 42" you would be hard pressed to even see a difference from a normal viewings distance.






There seems to be a ton of misinformation on this thread. I would really suggest those who are looking to buy visit a home theater forum where people know their products like the guys on here know guns.

A plasma will have better blacks, better contrast ratio, better viewing angle, better colors, and no motion blur. Modern plasmas also have screens that do not reflect light nearly as much as the old ones do. They do use more power, even the low energy ones, they do put out more heat, although I am not sure why that would even be an issue.

The LCD is superior for rooms where there are a bunch of windows if you watch a lot of TV during the day. You can get some motion blur on fast moving action, video games, sports, etc. LCDs have no chance of image retention or screen burn, you could keep it on a still screen for days with no ill effects. I wouldn't do that on a plasma even though burn in is virtually non existent these days. LCD is more efficient, tend to be thinner, are lighter, screens are brighter (not necessarily good imo).

I have a 6 year old 50" Samsung 720p plasma that looks as good as it did when it was new and I would put the picture quality up against most any 1080p LCD in its price range. I bought a 46" Sony 1080p LCD for our bedroom and the plasma has a MUCH better picture.

It really all boils down to what looks the best to your eyes, go to the store and look for yourself. Don't trust what a bunch of people who wont ever see your TV think.

food for thought

LCD vs. Plasma

Great link. Facts are facts.

 

[UncleMike]

Not sure how old you are but the age of your eyes has a LOT to do with your perceived viewing image. The older you get, the more light your eyes need to discern shape, outlines, color intensity, and depth.
I discovered, by doing a LOT of shopping around, that a Plasma TV gives the best image for my eyes.
We've had our 50" Plasma for two years now.
It's a Panasonic Viera with 720p and has a picture that is easy on my aging eyes. The black contrast levels on a plasma make it easier for me to see a sharp image from across the Family Room.
As far as the life span of Plasma TV's goes.
A 100,000 hr life span, at 10 hrs per day of "on" time, is 10,000 days, or, over twenty seven years!
So I may have to get a new TV when I'm 85!!!!
So be it!!

 

[Lucas156]

Plasmas earned a bad name when they first came out because of burn in. As far as I know its a nonissue and has been for a while. Same concept as the diesel cars earned a bad name early on because they would blow up at 100,000 miles. They weren't making the engines strong enough. Diesel cars get good gas mileage and its a wonder we haven't switched to them(mostly because the bad name they earned hence the comparison with plasma)
Anyways plasma is supposed to have richer colors. I can tell you I bought an LG 50" Plasma and Ive never seen a tv with such rich color. Maybe its just me I love this tv.

 

[Brandon]

i can show you an lcd with a burned image in most of the screen. my neighbor likes to play games on theirs. you can very easily make out where the edge of the game is and different aspects of the game (where it keeps score).

edit, the tv will be used for exactly 2 years this saturday.

 

[Mr. Habib]

What ever you decide to buy, read this first. Display Myths Shattered: How Monitor & HDTV Companies Cook Their Specs | Maximum PC

 

[Htrailblazer]

I had a hard time finding facts when I bought my new tv last year. After sifting through all the outdated and bs info. I bought an LG plasma. It was cheaper, had a better picture, and a better refresh rate. I have never had an issue viewing in the middle of the day. Tv sits across from a patio door, and still looks great. I vote plasma! Loving my LG!

 

[Cbowen]

The entire thing about plasmas not lasting was just a bunch of BS that the media put out back when they first came out. I had a maxent 52 inch plasma which was best buys low end line back then. My brother still has it and it is getting close to ten years old and still works great. If you pause a plasma and leave it on paused for a few hours and it does not have a screen saver (which they all have now) they can burn the image cause it gets to hot. You can clearly see when shopping around that a plasma tv has a lot deeper and richer colors than an lcd. I have both and now wish they were both plasmas. The LED tv is great if you are putting it in a very bright room such as a sun room or a room with a lot of windows. If you are watching a LED in a dark room it is going to be very bright to the eyes. I would not worry about how long they are going to last. They will probably ending up lasting longer than you will want them to. Just my 2 cents.