Plasma Vs. LCD TV?

Got a call today, I won a 42" plasma TV .
I called to see if I could fork over the extra money and upgrade to a 50", being the greedy guy I am. I was told I can, they are basically issuing a credit for the value of the 42" plasma and anything I add comes out of my pocket, fair enough.
Well today I went to go price these things out, turns out there is a whole pile of options.
What is the difference between a LCD and plasma, anything I am going to notice? It will be my main TV, on all the time for the kids, the odd Wii game played through it and in a fairly small room, well lit. Does one last longer than the other?
I am having a hard time figuring this out, and would appreciate any input from those who know best.
Thanks!
David

Wow what a nice prize!!!

Plasma is worse in high-altitude locations and worse for videogames or heavy news watching where the ticker or a paused game can essentially "burn" into the screen. They also don't do as well in bright rooms as reflection can be an issue. BUT, plasma has a phosphor covered screen that can produce more lifelike, deeper and better colors than LCDs. Plasma quality is also closer to tube tvs.

LCDs use less energy, weigh less (if mounting in a tricky place) and don't have burn-in or altitude issues.

Realistically, the difference is negligible and comes down to personal preference IMHO.

ENJOY!!!!!!!! :twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs

It really does depend upon make and model. Plasma screens have a very good contrast ratio and good viewing angle compared to LCDs. Estimated lifetime on plasmas is 50,000+ hours according to manufacturers.

Again make and model... some LCDs are great and many others are terrible. The big thing for LCDs is response time. How long it takes to make, display, change a pixel. A good LCD TV should have response times under 10ms. Generally LCD's have dominated the smaller under 40" niche whereas plasmas have been dominant in larger screens. LCDs are getting bigger now though. I think I'd go with plasma unless they're offering up a really sweet (and expensive LCD).

My young kids loved our new LCD screen, especially poking it with fingers/pens/a table leg (!) to get that funny damaged LCD effect. I ended up removing it and putting the old CRT back in place. Am I right in thinking that plasma screens are protected by glass? This would have been a better option for me, but maybe depends on how old your children are. Watch out for flying Wii controllers too!

plasma. LCDs may have some benefits, but overall still havent overcome plasmas.

I was expecting something more definitive.. That was pretty much split up the middle.
So far through the internet, sales reps and owners I have learned that Plasma has a shorter lifespan for a daily TV than LCD, Plasma can burn in the picture, not that is a concern, I think. Plasma creates better and deeper colors.
I have satellite, but not HD, and likely never will, I have 3 kids, 6, 5 and 2, yup 2, so touching may be an issue. My wife is pretty happy about the upgrade, so I want to make sure that what ends up sitting here will be sitting here for a while.

maybe too specific but my friend wrote this up for me, if it helps:


so I vaguely remember one of you asking me about TVs while I was drunk... I don't even remember what I said... but just got latest issue of Home Theater which reviews the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U.

So for the best possible playback of Bluray, you prefer a TV that does not need to do 3:2 pulldown which introduces noise, loss in detail. Most Pioneer TVs display at 72Hz, or 72fps. Bluray content is 24p = 24fps. 72 / 24 = 3 exactly so there is no need to "make up" frames or drop frames to get the picture to match the display. If you care about movies more than cable than this is what you want. Cable TV is full of noise anyways due to their own compression to save bandwidth, so really you shouldn't care about cable.

Most TVs display at 60 fps (or double this, 120Hz) because it's cheaper to do. 60 fps / 60Hz is what cable channels come to your TV at. Pioneers cost more partly because they have to build their own proprietary chips to display at 72Hz... that and they typically have superior processing over anyone.

Definitely Panasonic and Pioneer make the best flat panel TVs still. Plasmas still kick LCDs *** because black levels are far superior for Plasma. LED-backlit LCDs have promise but you need a super-smart processor to "calculate/guess" what part of the screen needs to be darker than the other.. lots of room for error here. Only big reason still to get LCD is if you are in a room with lots of sunlight.

Pioneer has Elite models that cost a lot more and basically provide more manual configuration to optimize the display... and slightly better processing than regular KUROs. I think technically Elite models can only be sold by certified Pioneer sellers so that limits competive pricing.

Panasonic now has models that display 24p content without 3:2 pulldown. Panasonic calls it retardedly "24p cinematic playback" not to be confused with "24p playback (2:3)" on their site which is 3:2 pulldown. Unlike the Pioneers which do this by displaying each frame 3 times = 72Hz, Panasonic does this with only doubling the frames, 2 times = 48Hz. The Pansonic models so far that support this are TH-50PZ800U, TH-50PZ850U, TH-58PZ800U. However, 48Hz is XXXXXXX slow refresh rate... and if you read the CNet review on Panasonic's "24p cinematic playback", it causes noticeable flicker making it totally useless: http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-viera-th-50pz800u/4505-6482_7-32886472.html

So it's purely a marketing game on Panasonic's part to appear like they can "do it" too but really it's unusable.

Latest Panasonics:

The Pansonic models with "800" in the model name are THX certified which is totally useless and a marketing scam. Companies pay $ to get a XXXXXXX THX stamp on it and make people believe it's better if it has THX sticker. pointless.

50"
TH-50PZ85U (~$1800):
TH-50PZ800U (~$2000): THX certified. "24p cinematic playback". better colour, more ports than TH-50PZ85U.
TH-50PZ850U (~$2400): this model is the most "advanced" in their lineup, more settings, better colour, better processing, direct IPTV interface for picasa, youtube, "24p cinematic playback".

58"
TH-58PZ800U (~$3000): on par with TH-50PZ800U.

Latest Pioneers:

All display @ 72Hz, direct 24p content.

50"
KURO PDP-5020FD (~3000):
Elite KURO PRO-111FD (~$5000):

60"
KURO PDP-6020FD (~4000)
Elite KURO PRO-151FD (~$6000):


Summary

You can't touch latest Pioneer KUROs really for quality. Their black levels are so good you can't even measure any light from it when it's displaying black and they play 24p (bluray) content without any loss in quality, ie, no 3:2 pulldown necessary.

However, the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U is $1000 cheaper than KURO PDP-5020FD. From the Home Theater review on TH-50PZ85U, it does a great job at most things, doesn't process everything correctly but bottom line is you can't find a better TV for that price.


Pioneer has already announced that they will no longer make their own panels because it's too hard to compete, too costly for them... but they will soon source panels from Panasonic. This doesn't mean that they will have the same quality because there's more going on than just the panel to produce the picture, ie. the processing. Sony and Samsung have been using the same panels for years. However, this does mean that Pioneer TV prices will eventually become cheaper. I think Pioneer models won't use Panasonic panels until very late this year or early next year.

Review of KURO PDP-6020FD: http://www.hometheatermag.com/plasmadisplays/908piokuro/

Pioneer Elite KURO 111FD vs Panasonic TH-50PZ850U:
http://hdguru.com/first-pioneer-elite-kuro-pro-111fd-review/252/

Good list of Best Buys: http://www.hometheatermag.com/buyersguides/flatpanels/

It all depends on specific brands and models. There are LCD's, then there are LCD's. You almost have to spend some hours learning about the current offerings, reading reviews, even visiting some stores to see differences. Keep in mind that many stores (BestBuy, Circuit City, etc.) do not have all models properly set and calibrated, so not even what you see is an accurate reflection of quality. Look for correlation among some independent review sites. You can start with a site like Consumer Reports, but in general they don't keep on top of new products very well.

also note that pretty much anything you get will be quickly "outdated" so my rec is to set a price range and then get the best value you can and dont get tooooo hung up on the latest and greatest. you just want the latest tech that serves your purpose, and nothing more.

I favor plasma TVs, and my wife prefers LCD (based on looking at many).

A very interesting but simple test is to play the "credits" from the end of a movie - the ones where the words of everyone who helped make the movie are going vertically up the screen. Not that this is going to be your main way to watch, but some models will handle this much better than others. It is an interesting test of how other motions on the TV will come out.

My daughter actually got sick watching this on some TVs - I think actually a level 6 Samsung was the best for this (in our price range)

LED backed LCD is just amazing - and amazingly expensive the last time i looked. The proto I saw at Lumileds a few years ago did not shut down colors over part of the screen or vary the lighting color across the screen - but - it did allow dynamic control of the entire brightness and color point. This was actually simpler than I thought it would be. Color was amazing, and there was sort of an enhanced depth effect vs other back lit methods.

Reflection is a problem on any screen that is high gloss. Stand about 10 - 15 ft away and way off to the side of a TV - if you can see mirror like images, it will have reflection challenges. Many plasmas, and some LCDs do this - make the picture sharper. Some of this can be dealt with how you mount the TV.

Guess what - your current TV probably does this as well.

In the end, we decided to wait - we just could not find a reason to spend the money based on so little being on TV.

I picked this one up about a month ago:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Pana...06522/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

One of the only plasma TVs with an anti glare screen.

We have it installed in a fairly bright room and have had no problems at all.

We don't have Blu Ray and do not plan on getting it any time soon so the resolution is perfect for us.

Our family is very happy with it.

Another fan of Pioneer Elite Kuros. Have one and just WOW! Mine is 8th gen. 9th gens are out and with yet deeper blacks and a higher true contrast ratio. I am told by those in the know on AV forums that it is sometimes not possible to tell the difference between the deep black gloss bezel and the screen when in a pure black scene. Thinking about getting a 9th gen for a different room. Also, if you use a break-in disk (free on-line) for about 150 hours, your chance of image retention is greatly reduced.

A ton of great reading. Member D-Nice is is amazing with his contacts, ifo and set-up settings.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1039269&page=201

+1 for Panasonic PLASMA! It's the only one that can do black and it's best for fast motion.

Don't worry about high altitude . . . that doesn't even start to be a problem until 10000 feet.

Things I was warned about with plasmas is: Do NOT let them freeze. A good example of that would be moving during winter months up north. Second is NEVER LAY THEM DOWN EVEN FOR A MOMENT. It does something to the screen and can permanently damage it.

The LED's and hybrid technologies are getting better and better but if you want the best possible picture, like someone already mentioned, get a Panasonic or Pioneer plasma.

Sitting a Panny and Kuro side-by-side for a black comparison would be no contest. The Panny bites the dust!

Plasma pixels are actually miniature fluorescent lamps. Each cell contains a gas mixture that, when ionized, produces UVC light as well as a little bit of visible light. The UV excites the phosphor coating on the front, converting it to red, green or blue. In this respect plasmas are self-emitting, which accounts for their good contrast ratio, wide viewing angle and excellent brightness.

The main downside is that the phosphor coating ages over time, as the caustic UVC energy slowly eats away at the phosphor coating. This is why it's important to look for features like image orbiting, which shifts the entire frame by a few pixels in a circular motion very slowly. This helps to spread out the phosphor aging a little more evenly.

For the same reason, when viewing letterboxed or pillarboxed programming, set the borders to medium grey instead of black. This will help to even out the wear pattern. You can accomplish the same thing by setting all SD content to stretch across the entire screen.

Good luck and enjoy your new prize!

I'm mostly about bang-for-the-buck setups (especially with the cost of this flashlight hobby), so when I pieced together an HD system just a few weeks ago, I was looking for something that was visually impressive enough to let everyone know it is indeed an HD setup, but at reasonable cost..

Sony currently makes a 32" 720p LCD Bravia model that retails for *$690* . Granted, it's not theater-huge, but you know from the first glance that all the color depth and detail expected of a Bravia-badged TV is there. According to the resolution-vs-distance chart, if you sit more than five feet away from your television, as I do, you would be unable to tell the difference between a 720 and 1080 unit in this size class. Also, nearly all network stations only broadcast in 720p, so there's literally no difference when viewing live TV (a good thing, since name-brand 1080p TVs start at $1000..)

Speaking of live TV, my cable provider, Verizon, offers their HD lineup of channels for an extra $5 a month - I skip a latte a month and get ~100 HD stations.

Next up is the DVD player - Blu-Ray is very impressive, but at $300+ and the cost of buying your movie collection all over again, more than a bit pricey. The for-now solution is an upconverting DVD player, and here again Sony has an all-quality no-frills upconverting DVD player for $80. Skipping over the $70+ HDMI cables at the B&M stores, a 6' length can be found online for $5 with shipping. After everything is connected, the result is near-HD quality (looks like HD with less film grain) with the same DVDs I already own.

I dig my all-new sub-$800 HD setup, visitors and guests marvel at what is instantly recognizable as a quality HDTV picture, with none the wiser that I spent less for all of it than what most people spend on the TV alone. If you're looking to get into HD but are scared off at some of the prices you're seeing in the links above, it can indeed be done on a budget :thumbsup:

I can't say enough good things about this Oppo upcoding DVD player. I spent hours trying to find the best, and at this price level $170 it had the highest praise. I have used it for hundreds of hours since buying, and I'm thinking about buying a 2nd just to have a backup.

Find the money for a surround sound system. TV speakers can't rattle the pictures on the wall if you want them to.

both plasma and lcd have good points. plasmas are a little heavier and may be subject to "burn in" on the screen. lcd is lighter, no "burn in", but their viewing angle(left to right)may be more narrow. having said that, i bought a samsung 52" Lcd(Ln52a650)from amazon last week. current price is $2032.75 plus free shipping and no tax for me. lowest web price i could find from a reputable site. local bigbox stores were $2500-2700 plus tax. this is 1080p @120mhertz. using hd cable as source, it is phenomenal. rated number 1 lcd by consumer reports. using samsung dvd combo player(dvd-vr357)upconverting to 1080i with 6' hdmi cable(amazon $1.89+$3.00 ship). see no need for blu-ray at this time. pioneer, panasonic and lg also make fine sets in plasma and Lcd. read consumer reports and web reviews for feedback.

I was waiting on Laser TV's @ one point, one of their amazing advantages was meant to be their difference in price. But it seems that was hyped BS.

I just cant justify these expensive displays with only >1080p.