LCD vs. PLASMA Panel OPINIONS

[swshawaii]

Yes, ST fanatics. Waaay "off topic" here. Being in this brutally competitive A/V business since 1978, wanted to hear preferences and opinions of these two flat panel technologies.

I'm NOT here to give MY input or advice. Please do NOT discuss LED or OLED displays.

Thanks.

 

[user 64972]

After looking at sets, we bought a SONY LCD Hi Def flat panel and we love it. The picture is great IMO!



'07 ST

 

[Mike Deege]

After extensive reading about both types, I chose a 46" LCD. Mainly for it's anti glare tech, computer capabilities, power consumption,and less chance of burn in. Plasma's have alot of pluses too, but along with some personal recommendations(my brother) I opted for the LCD. I got a great price on a Sharp which also had a promo of a one dollar blu ray player with purchase. I'm really pleased with it.

 

[swshawaii]

Thanks Gary and Mike for the feedback. As previously stated, will listen here.

 

[Andy Cabrera]

Steve

Plasma will give you better darker blacks and they are cheaper. They generate more heat than an LCD. They work best in a room that normally doesn't have much natural light. The LCD run cooler & work best in a bright room. Of course at night it doesn't matter but watching TV during the day in a room like my living room which has a lot of windows is a pain with a plasma.



After comparing & researching, I went with the 52" Sony Bravia LCD. Super sharp picture and no side blur.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

For my home theater, which is in my basement and always dark we chose DLP, and if we were replacing tomorrow we would get DLP again...best, brightest, biggest picture for the money. We would probably get a 70" if replacing our 9 year old Mitsu HD rear projection (on its first bulb). Many have dismissed DLP of-late, but I wanted to mention it because I think it has its applications.



We are considering getting a 46" LCD for our upstairs family room, and considering LCD because of the reasons others have mentioned: going in a bright room, want something "on the wall".



TJR

 

[Jimmy Lavoie]

I agree with TJR. I have a 60" DLP and I love it for all the reasons Tom mentioned.



The only problem I have is that since I got it, all I want to do is watch it!



Nothing is getting done around the house.

 

[Les]

Depends on the size...

 

[Jeff Jolley]

LCD vs Plasma... this has been and still is a long debated topic. It comes down to personal preference in the long run. With the technology today if you buy a higher grade unit whether you go with LCD or Plasma you really can't go wrong. Both technologies have pluses and minuses.



I chose Plasma because of the better black levels and the value for the price. With the same options that I have on my Plasma the LCDs were about $400. to $600. dollars more and I really couldn't find a benefit to justify the extra money.

 

[LaRue Medlin]

I've had a 42" plasma for 3-4 years now. Like Jeff said, at the time, plasma was the best way to go. I still like my plasma over lcd, but that's just me.

 

[kevinbakon]

As mentioned, the heat, the room lighting, the price difference, etc. should all be considered when making the decision.

Believe it or not, Wikipedia offers some great comparison data.

Visually speaking, the differences are:

LCD = More vivid/brilliant colors

Plasma = More realistic images (due to the black contrast)

One thing I think is worth mentioning, plasma owners often make the mistake of setting their TV to a "Dynamic" setting to replicate the look of a LCD. It looks horrible and you loose that "realistic-looking" edge of a plasma.

One difference you rarely hear about is that plasmas should go through a break-in period. Its similar to warming up before a game. . . . you dont want to max out the settings within the initial 100 hours or so.

In the past, plasmas have had a stigma of burn-in. The technology has greatly improved and this phenomenon is very rare now, but its still a good idea (but not required) to do a break-in.

These two sites:

http://www.avsforum.com/

&

http://www.tweaktv.com/

. . . are both great for TV (and Home Theater) calibration, plasma break-in, firmware updates, etc. per TV make and model.

I personally went with a 50" Samsung plasma because, at the time, LCDs were around $1000 more.

BTW, either way you go, if you have a little extra cash to put into the purchase, I highly recommend getting the TV professionally calibrated (by professional, I don't mean Geek Squad).

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

I started out fixing TVs in 1969. Been around them since then. Pioneer's Elite was an awesome set, but the Sony top of the line LCD is my favorite of all our installs.

 

[Jerry Abson 3]

Got the 42 inch plasma in the living room, and love it. Use my Xbox on it, and we do get the occasional 'burn' from static images (life meters, etc), but after watching a movie, or regular programming, it goes away. The images are fantastic, and we can even watch it outside through the window when were in the hot tub, its about a 60 degree angle, and it still looks good. Blu-ray and regular programming looks fantastic on it.



With all that, we also have a small 14 inch LCD in the bedroom. It has a bit more vibrant colors when playing Xbox, but not alot. Good purchase for what we want to do. Of course, now that Comcast requires a converter, we no longer get the HD in the bedroom, but we still use it to watch the few HD vid's we have (HD, not Blu-ray)



My best advice, get a Plasma and and LCD, same size, set up next to each other and at the same angle and lighting that you are expecting. The high price centers can do that for you, they did for me. Then once you find what you like, tell them you will be back, go to a cheaper place and pay alot less for it.

 

[swshawaii]

Thanks for the input. I've sold all these panels and CRT's for a long time and the debate remains to this day. I am partial to plasma as a personal preference.

Although the early gen models "had" issues with burn, power consumption and heat, the picture quality speaks for itself. As far as glare and reflectivity, wasn't an issue with our CRT's for the past 50+ years. Oh yes, "motion" and "trailing" problems with a plasma, non existent. Don't have high regards for "specs" such as 1080P, contrast ratio, etc. ALL B.S. to me. LOOK at the picture, NOT the specs. Seeing is believing, Side to side, with the same source.

P.S.- MY personal choice is a Pioneer Elite PRO-111 50" PLASMA Display. IMO, the only better TV is the PRO-151 60". (Too big for my viewing distance of 8 ft.)

 

[Bill V]

swshawaii, just curious...



Most people who ask for opinions on a subject like this are doing so because they feel they don't have adequate knowledge/experience to have an opinion of their own yet. But clearly that wasn't the case here, as you have plenty of experience, and have formed your opinion already. So why were you asking the question?

 

[swshawaii]

Bill V- Re: TOP of page "OPINIONS". Not seeking info here. Having to discuss this "debate" on a daily basis, wanted input from this forum of usually well informed people. That's all.

Thanks.

 

[Bill V]

Fair enough. BTW, I re-read my last post, and realized that it may have come across as being critical of you for asking when you already had an opinion. So I want to clarify that that wasn't my intent.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

JerryA,



If your bedroom TV has a QAM tuner built-in, then you should still be able to get all the HD channels that would otherwise be local and OTA through Comcast. Comcast doesn't like to advertise that, but even with basic digital cable you have access to all the local HD programs, unencrypted, through the QAM tuner. Comcast and other cable companies are obligated by FCC regulations to deliver these in the clear.



You do need a TV that has a built-in QAM tuner, though.



TJR

 

[swshawaii]

TJR- The QAM tuner is really under utilized by many people that do not have cable TV converter boxes and aren't aware of it's function. You CAN receive HD programming, usually the major networks, WITHOUT subscribing to "premium" cable TV services.

The other feature on most flat panels are the optical (Toslink), or the coaxial digital audio output.

Connecting one of these outputs will give you discrete 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround using a compatible A/V receiver.

Watching Major League Sports or Nascar will never sound the same after experiencing discrete 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround.

 

[Jeremiah Morgan]

Samsung LCD's..Make the Best Televisions. Check out their LED tvs...Picture is insane



I bought a 55" lcd 120hz motion plus...Nascar and Sport Games are amazing!