Plasma vs LCD

[paul253]

I am looking to buy a new tv, and I don't really know much about plasmas. The plan all along was to buy an LCD, but I've noticed that plasma's tend to be a bit cheaper. I've also heard they last a little longer. I was wondering if anyone knew the major differences between the plasma and LCD and if the would or would not recommend buying a certain one. Size wise I am looking for something in the 46''-52'' range and I will be using it mainly to watch sports and movies on. Any info would be much appreciated.

[BrewCrewRising]

If anything, plasma doesn't last as long. You're more likely to get problems with your screen over time from images being burned into them. They use more power than LCD as well.

 

They havebetter pictures, and are cheaper, but LCD's use less power, generally last longer, and will provide a better picture in a room with more light.

[blatzlight]

I have a 42" Panasonic plasma and love the thing. I got the plasma because they have an overall better, deeper picture than any LCD can come close to getting. Yes, they are energy hogs and there are some draw backs mainly that you have to keep the television within at least 15 degrees of vertical as to keep the protective glass from breaking and if you are in a room with no blinds have direct sunlight on it, there can be some glares.

 

But, you get a picture with no motion blur, a much deeper and rich color format and one that is more lifelike. All of the stuff about image burn and the screen wearing out is pretty much a non-factor as my plasma has a 10,000 hour expected viewing life.

 

One tv you may look into if you want to get something really nice are the new LED tv's that are out. They are pretty freaking rad.

[Schlitz001]

Here is a helpful thread.

 

If you use the search function you will come upon dozens of threads about HDTV. Also, AVS forum is a useful source for all things TV related. I don't think you can go wrong with either Plasma or LCD these days and you will no doubt hear facts and rumors about both and it really depends on your personal preferences.

[thevaccinator27]

FWIW, I have a plasma and love it. I've had it about 2 years. The only downfall is glare. If your tv room has much light coming in, consider not going the LCD route.

 

I 2nd the LED suggestion. Saw one at Best Buy the other day. It looked like it was 3d (too me, at least).

[mattsr0625]

i have an led and plasma. the led is amazing hands down. samsung makes a great tv. i have an lg plasma and i love it just as much. i know that lcd lasts longer then plasma but thats a personal prefrence. both my old projections I had for 7 and 5 years then i replaced. i dont plan on having either of these newer tvs longer then 7 years. and since i got my 50" plasma for 900.00 if i have it for 7 years it breaks down to 130.00 a year to own that tv. i can live with that if it breaks then. my mother has a lcd sony xbr that cost about 3000 and the picture is terrible compared to my plasma. but get what you like and looks good to you.

[paul253]

So in general a plasma will have a better picture but won't last as long? I plan on putting this one in the basement so glare is not a factor. I also plan on just setting it on a stand and not hanging it or anything so there will be no angles or anything. I have an LCD in my living room which is my "main" tv since my basement is so frigging cold in the winter and its also more convenient, but when I watch sports I'd prefer to watch it on a bigger one that has the surround sound....same with movies. I just basically want to make sure there isn't one huge factor that makes the quality of a plasma so much worse than an LCD. I know LED's are top of the line but I'm not willing to spend that much to get one.

 

Blatz how long have you had your 42" Panasonic?

[jwill535]

I have a Samsung 58" plasma downstairs, a 42" Pioneer plasma upstairs which is "my wife's tv", and a 32" samsung LCD in the bedroom. Plasma hands down has better pictures, but you do have to worry about burn in. The Pioneer has burn in on it, but you can only see it on white or really light pictures. To combat this, Samsung has screen scrubbers built in. Basically it is a pattern that scrolls across the screen and cleans out any burn in. This varies considerably between manufacturers but usually from 20,000 to 30,000 hours. After this time the plasma screen will only be at around half the original brightness. 20,000 is 833 days or 2.3 years of continuous 24-hour use. Or if you use it on average of 30 hrs a week(3 per day M-F and 15hrs Sat-Sun), that would be about 13 yrs of good service or round it down to about 10yrs. I dont know about you, but if I get roughly 5-6 years of service from my bigger TVs, I am happy. I have had my Pioneer for over 3 years and it still is as bright as the day I bought it.

[Godspeed]

Paul, I have a 50" Panasonic plasma hanging above the fireplace in my living room because, as you already know, I am awesome. I made my case in the thread Schlitz linked to. I've owned mine for a year and a half and have had no issues that weren't source-related (damn you, WDJT and your incessant multi-casting).

[zurch1818]

The decision between an LCD and plasma should be based upon its intended use. One aspect to consider is the refresh rate -- how many times the screen is updated per second. To put it in perspective, my computer monitor happens run at 75Hz. LCDs will range from 60Hz to 240Hz with 120Hz probably being the most common (the higher the number, the more refreshes per second). On the other hand, just about all plasmas run at 600Hz. Plasmas will refresh between 2.5 and 5 times faster than LCDs.

 

This is exactly why they say that plasmas are better for sports. They are able to keep up with fast paced sports, there will be fewer glitches. This was one of the main reasons I bought my 42" Panasonic Plasma (with only 480Hz though) last year. It may not last as long as an LCD, but it will be better for sports in the time being and by the time I need a new TV, prices for the OLEDs should be more reasonable.

[thebruce44]

Plasma technology has come a long way to the point that burn in and power usage problems are practically gone.

 

The bad news is, it appears they are being phased out due to this negative perception and the rise in LCD popularity. The good news it that prices are ridiculously low because of this. I will be picking a 50"+ one up before xmas solely for this reason.

[laserbomb]

Paul, I just got a 42" plasma a couple months ago and like it a lot. Looking at them compared to LCDs, I just like how the picture looks, with dark and bright colors.

 

It's a Samsung, and in the menu it lets you set it to scroll a gray bar across your screen. If you run that once in a while during the first couple weeks you use the TV, you'll be able to see the pattern fixing any station logos down in the corner or anything else starting to try to burn in. After a couple weeks, nothing even began to burn in any more, so they must have made a lot of improvements in the last few years.

 

Glare isn't a problem here, I don't have it sitting across from windows or anything but I believe they build something in now to help with that too.

 

There's another way to maybe save a couple hundred bucks or more. At the size you're looking for, most people can see the difference between a 720p or 1080p picture. But there's not much around in 1080p beside Blu Ray and I think a little on Dish network, and it looks like there are technical reasons why it'll probably be years before more networks use it. So depending whether you plan to get a Blu Ray player in the medium future, a 720p (1080i) TV would be enough to see just about anything on TV into the foreseeable future.

 

You sound like you're ready to go and stare at a wall of all of them for like 20 minutes and see what looks the best to you.

[thebruce44]

You sound like you're ready to go and stare at a wall of all of them for like 20 minutes and see what looks the best to you.

 

I don't know if I would recomend this since the settings in showrooms are so jacked up you can't really tell anything about picture quality. I would look at reviews and in AVS forums. A good recomendation like the one laserbomb just gave is worth a lot more than the picture quality in a showroom in my opinion.

[mattsr0625]

You sound like you're ready to go and stare at a wall of all of them for like 20 minutes and see what looks the best to you.

 

I don't know if I would recomend this since the settings in showrooms are so jacked up you can't really tell anything about picture quality. I would look at reviews and in AVS forums. A good recomendation like the one laserbomb just gave is worth a lot more than the picture quality in a showroom in my opinion.

a simple fix is to change the channel to a local channel instead of what they have on. that will give you a better idea of what to expect. at home also ask the salesman to reset the settings to default.

[jwill535]

If you are a freak about TVs like me, you can go wrong with Samsung for either Plasma or LCD. Panasonic is right behind it for Plasmas.

[Godspeed]

If you are a freak about TVs like me, you can go wrong with Samsung for either Plasma or LCD. Panasonic is right behind it for Plasmas.

CNet actually says the opposite, at least for plasmas. Not that they're the end-all/be-all though...

[DSFastball55]

I've had a 50" Vizio plasma for about three years and love it. The picture is outstanding, no burn-in problems, etc.

[blatzlight]

Blatz how long have you had your 42" Panasonic?

I have had my Panisonic now for 3 yrs. It rocks. When I got it was second on the market only to Elite. Now, Panasonic is the top dog in plasmas. If you are going into the basement with it, go for it.

 

Edit: Here is a website I used to help guide me in my purchase. Plus, they do a great job in helping you calibrate your tv settings for optimal picture. http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/

[jwill535]

Panasonic makes the screens for Pioneer now. There would be no need to spend more money for the Pioneer. It would similar to buying a GMC over a Chevy, same truck, different name.

[Invader3K]

A lot of the old plasma urban legends are way overstated at this point. The newer models are way less prone to to burn in, and don't use up much more energy than LCD (at least that is my understanding from researching a little while ago).

 

It's hard to go wrong either way, assuming you pick up a decent model. FWIW, we bought a Pioneer Kuro 50" plasma back in February and it's been outstanding so far. It was time to replace our Mitsubishi rear projection set, which was awesome, but took up too much room.

[paul253]

This is all great information, especially the part about how places like Costco have "cheaper" in quality tvs, which I never would have noticed. I'm torn though. I like LCD's because they last longer and are better for the video games which I will eventually get again (my PS3 crapped out on me) but Plasmas tend to be cheaper and have better pictures. What's a tv buyer to do? The main thing that worries me about the plasma is the screen burn, but some posters make it sound like its not really an issue any more. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!

[Nez]

Do some research on the best LCD in your price range and the best Plasma in your price range.........and then buy the one that is on sale. Seriously, in today's day and age of review review review, belabor belabor......you can't go wrong either way. Pick one, buy it, set it up and enjoy it.

[Invader3K]

"Pick one, buy it, set it up and enjoy it."

 

This is actually good advice. I would also advise to not go to various message boards after you buy your set and post "Did I buy the right one?" type questions. You'll drive yourself insane. I mean, seriously, I've been on message boards where someone bought a TV in excess of two grand, and were belabouring whether they should exchange it. "It's really good, I'm really happy with it, but am I missing new feature XYZ???" Just enjoy your new TV and be happy!

[danzig6767]

I had an LCD, but wasn't thrilled with it so i sold it to a buddy and bought a plasma instead. The plasma just has a sharper more vibrant picture.