Plasma VS. LCD

[Spuradicator]

Im looking to buy a flat-panel TV. I'm not very T.V. savvy when it comes to LCDs and Plasma T.V.s and would just like to hear some opinions, and pros and cons on which is better. I do understand the basics like 1080p is the way to go, and a higher contrast ratio makes for better picture quality. Also, how important is brand in all of this aswell.

I will be using the T.V. for a home theater set-up and to play Madden and a few other games on. Thanks.

[MannyIsGod]

I've had my plasma for a couple of years now and I love it. I tried an LCD first and I just didn't like it. I think if I had spent a truckload I could have gotten a compaeable LCD but my Panny is pretty sweet.

That was a couple of years ago though.

[KEDA]

I have an LCD and I love it!!

I hope the opinions of Manny and myself have helped you out in your search!

Seriously though, I have a Phillips 47 inch 1080p LCD, and I really do love it. We looked at the plasma TVs and we decided that since we are going to be in a room where there is going to be a lot of light, that the shiny screen of a plasma might not be the answer. Our LCD diffuses the outside light and just works better for us.

[Supreme_Being]

Mine's a Sony Bravia. Love it!

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/1817/mg0012gx7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[ATRAIN]

I have a 42" Sharp Aquos LCD 1080p, works great for me. There are pros and cons for both, but either way im sure you will be happy.

[remingtonbo2001]

I have a 42" Sharp Aquos LCD 1080p, works great for me. There are pros and cons for both, but either way im sure you will be happy.

+1

I have the 32'' version and it's been awesome thus far.

My parents have a 63'' Panasonic plasma. It's nice as well.

From what I understand, if you're looking for something under 50'', go with an LCD. However, if you desire something larger than 50'' then go with the plasma.

Personally, I find the LCD to have a more vibrant picture.

Oh and brand does matter.

[Spuradicator]

I have an LCD and I love it!!

I hope the opinions of Manny and myself have helped you out in your search!

Seriously though, I have a Phillips 47 inch 1080p LCD, and I really do love it. We looked at the plasma TVs and we decided that since we are going to be in a room where there is going to be a lot of light, that the shiny screen of a plasma might not be the answer. Our LCD diffuses the outside light and just works better for us.


So plasmas are harder to see in the light? At best buy they seem brighter in the dark.

[Spuradicator]

which brands are best?

[MoSpur]

I have a plasma and would recommend LCD. I would have bought a LCD, but it was more $$$ so I settled for the plasma. I like the plasma, but IMO LCD is better.

[SAGambler]

I have a Phillips 52" LCD. Picture is awesome.

My sister has a Plasma, and they told me when I went to buy one, not to buy a Plasma. From what I understand there comes a time (about 5 years I've been told) when a plasma has to be recharged with gas, and that is more bucks.

Also I noticed for some reason the plasmas are much cheaper than the LCD. And usually cheaper means less.

[G-Nob]

If you keep it in a room with a lot of windows, get a LCD. Plasmas are for media rooms with little to no sunlight.

I have a sony bravia, after researching so many of them. It was the best purchase I ever made.

[Slomo]

A lot of crazy statements in here.

The decision is very simple.

True HD plasmas are rare and VERY expensive. The picture on plasmas appears more natural to us and therefore we tend to like it more.

But...

Since I'm guessing you intend to watch HD content and that just looks better on true HD screens (res. 1920x1080). LCDs have many issues with the way they dsiplay moving picture, which are typically fixed by using better picture processing software in the LCDs. That is why newer more expensive LCDs tend to look better than older models and also why LCDs larger than 42" have appeared only in the last 2 years (or something similar).

SO it depends on your budget and what you're going to watch. If HD is a factor go for the best (most expensive) LCD you can afford. My personal favorites are Sony, Samsung and LG (although I have seen a few good panasonic and sharp models). The new brands that have recently appeared in the US also have good models but typically in the upper price region.

Screen life, contrast, luminosity.... are outdated arguments, unless you're going to buy a 5 years old plasma.

[Evan]

I prefer Plasma's...they just look better to me.

I have a 42" plasma panasonic and love it

[Slomo]

I prefer Plasma's...they just look better to me.

I have a 42" plasma panasonic and love it

Plasma look more natural. The problem is when you want to watch a full blown 1080p signal (blue ray films or games) - the higher resolution just kills the plasmas. But for regular programming and SD signals - I fully agree.

[leemajors]

I have a 40" Samsung LCD, 720P. I love it. I basically got it because the price and image quality were excellent, and I didn't want to put too much down with all the new tech coming out in the next few years - OLED, lower plasma prices, rapidly improving LCD tech. Lots of great stuff should be here in the next years at better and better prices.

[pawe]

richers!

[ATRAIN]

richers!

A tv over what would make us a richer?

[Ballcox]

Well, can't speak to the plasma tv's-don't have one and don't have any friends who have one. Myself and all my friends have LCD tv's, and I personally love the picture on them.

I have two 52 inch LCD tv's, one in the living room which has a lot of light coming into the room, and then one in the master bedroom which is darker. Picture looks great in both rooms and I have been very pleased with both tv's.

It's also great because when the wife wants to watch one of her programs in the living room I can just head up to the bedroom and watch the tv up there with the kids.

[ATRAIN]

Well, can't speak to the plasma tv's-don't have one and don't have any friends who have one. Myself and all my friends have LCD tv's, and I personally love the picture on them.

I have two 52 inch LCD tv's, one in the living room which has a lot of light coming into the room, and then one in the master bedroom which is darker. Picture looks great in both rooms and I have been very pleased with both tv's.

It's also great because when the wife wants to watch one of her programs in the living room I can just head up to the bedroom and watch the tv up there with the kids.



What Brand do you have?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

At best buy they seem brighter in the dark.all tv's come with everything boosted so they can stand out in the showroom. it's pretty much a default setting

[MannyIsGod]

I have a Phillips 52" LCD. Picture is awesome.

My sister has a Plasma, and they told me when I went to buy one, not to buy a Plasma. From what I understand there comes a time (about 5 years I've been told) when a plasma has to be recharged with gas, and that is more bucks.

Also I noticed for some reason the plasmas are much cheaper than the LCD. And usually cheaper means less.

This is just utterly and completely not true. No offense meant, but really with google and the internet at your disposal there is no reason to run around with this kind of misinformation.

[MannyIsGod]

The problem with plasmas and light is glare. Because of the pane of glass that contains the pixels you will get glare from direct light. That is why it is better to view them in darker rooms without a direct light source.

[leemajors]

The problem with plasmas and light is glare. Because of the pane of glass that contains the pixels you will get glare from direct light. That is why it is better to view them in darker rooms without a direct light source.

LCD generally has 7 layers of glass, crystals between each -but the outer for TVs and monitors is usually matte. glossy is supposedly better for contrast between colors and multimedia in LCDs. dunno about plasma construction.

[Ballcox]

What Brand do you have?

Sorry, just saw this recently. They are both Phillips tv's, and the picture on both is awesome. Looks just as good as friends that have Sony, Samsung, etc.

[DannyT]

can you all post links to the set ups you guys have so we can compare specs and prices
and does anyone really see the difference in 720 vs 1080

[MannyIsGod]

I don't want to say no one notices the difference, but honestly at 42 inches and lower I'm not sure many people will be able to tell.

[Evan]

can you all post links to the set ups you guys have so we can compare specs and prices
and does anyone really see the difference in 720 vs 1080

Here is what I got....

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Viera-TH-42PX80U-42-inch-Plasma/dp/B00142HLV4

My dad liked it so much be bought one the same day and two of my buddies bought one within a month. Its a good value set. And by value I mean good quality without spending your entire savings...its not cheap.

Under 50" I just couldn't tell the difference when I was shopping although it looked slightly blocky in 1080 but looked great on 50" +.

As for the glare on Plasmas..the one I have has a nice anti glare coating on it. During sundown the light hits it and I can only see a glare on the black title bars and its minor.

I have a 720 and love it and I would have spent the extra cash on a 1080 if I could tell the difference. I think for my model it was an extra $450.

This is the best HD TV I could find under $1200 which was my budget.

As for recharging the gas?!?!? Maybe on the first generation but these things last 100,000 hours with is a extremely long time. A few decades of viewing.


Plasma look more natural. The problem is when you want to watch a full blown 1080p signal (blue ray films or games) - the higher resolution just kills the plasmas. But for regular programming and SD signals - I fully agree.
:toast

I mainly watch TV...no video games and regular DVD's look perfectly fine to me but I hear ya.

[exstatic]

I have one of each. I bought a 32" LCD for the master suite, and then when I wanted "big", I went with a 50" plasma. I looked at the large LCDs in my price range, but on sports, they tended to be more pixilated and blocky than a comparably priced plasma model, and usually more expensive by 10-15%. As for plasma lifespan, they have a 20 year half life, which means in 20 years, they'll be half as bright. Since the picture/theater choices all burn between 47 and 52%, in 20 years, I'll just max it out and have the same picture I have now.

[Evan]

Since the picture/theater choices all burn between 47 and 52%, in 20 years, I'll just max it out and have the same picture I have now.

exstatic

What do you mean by this?

[Evan]

And by the way...buy a HDTV from a store like Circuit City or Best Buy and buy the in home warranty. For $225-ish from CC I have in home service for 3 years.

[exstatic]

exstatic

What do you mean by this?

On the remote menu choice, you can choose from sports, movies, concerts, etc. as your setting. It shows you on a bar menu what the settings for contrast and brightness are. None of the settings have a brightness setting over 52%, so if my picture fades to half intensity, I'll just do a manual selection to 100% brightness and have what I have now.

:lol I'll never keep the TV for 20 years, but then again, I won't have to do the mythological "plasma gas recharge" in 5 years, either. :lmao

[Evan]

On the remote menu choice, you can choose from sports, movies, concerts, etc. as your setting. It shows you on a bar menu what the settings for contrast and brightness are. None of the settings have a brightness setting over 52%, so if my picture fades to half intensity, I'll just do a manual selection to 100% brightness and have what I have now.

:lol I'll never keep the TV for 20 years, but then again, I won't have to do the mythological "plasma gas recharge" in 5 years, either. :lmao

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....ok I gotcha. Thank you for explaining.:toast

I think that would degrade the picture a bit but there is some logic to that.

Yeah I would be stunned if I kept this TV for 10 years...as much as I like it I am sure at best it will be in a kids room (if I ever have one) or a spare bedroom.

And the half life is based on 6 hours a day viewing. Right now I watch maybe 2.5 a day on average.

[MannyIsGod]

I have an older model of that same TV Evan. Those sets really are great.

[Evan]

I have an older model of that same TV Evan. Those sets really are great.

:toast

I have no regrets.

I read the reviews of the newest model (which I bought in April this year) and the reviews of the previous 4 models and they were all superb. Almost every negative review came from shipping/repair issues with amazon and buying from a store eliminate that.

So the moral of the story is both LCD and Plasma are great and the difference has been minimized as time goes on, so buy what you can afford and read reviews.

[Spuradicator]

Plasma look more natural. The problem is when you want to watch a full blown 1080p signal (blue ray films or games) - the higher resolution just kills the plasmas. But for regular programming and SD signals - I fully agree.

What do you mean they just kill the plasmas? When you watch 1080p signul or blue ray films do they look shitty on plasma?

[Slomo]

What do you mean they just kill the plasmas? When you watch 1080p signul or blue ray films do they look shitty on plasma?

No I wouldn't say shitty, specially compared to SD (which is what we all have been watching until recently), but unless you can afford a true HD plasma ($$$$$) the resolution is reduced and the HD signal is not displayed at full res. (typically 720p but not always) and when you compare that picture to the same on a true HD screen (1920x1080 pixels) it's not as good.

That's why LCD looks to be a better option right now (it was much closer just a year and a half ago), but you still need to pay attention at the processing of the LCD TVs since that plays a big role in the overall picture quality.

[Brutalis]

Thanks for the info in this thread folks. My dad is about to buy a new TV and finally getting rid of that big ole 32 inch. He and I both were confused on the difference.

[robino2001]

I know I've said this before on here and I'm sure I'll get the whole "those are shit", etc... I have a 47" westinghouse LCD in the living room and a 32" in the bedroom. For the price, I honestly think the picture quality is more than good enough for me. The big knock on them is the black coloring isn't a true black - but that's true of many many tv's. The 47" can be found for $1200ish, the 32" for $500ish.

The main reason I'm posting this though is for the 720/1080 question. The 32" is 720p, it's small enough that 720p is good enough for it. The 47" is 1080p and yes, I can tell the difference between watching something in 720 or 1080 on that tv because of the size. Albeit, 720 is still fantastic compared to the standard 480, but I was able to see the difference switching my xbox 360 from 720 component to 1080 VGA... you can also tell the differences sometimes when some shows/sporting events are filmed in 720 vs 1080.

[Man of Steel]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....ok I gotcha. Thank you for explaining.:toast

I think that would degrade the picture a bit but there is some logic to that.

Yeah I would be stunned if I kept this TV for 10 years...as much as I like it I am sure at best it will be in a kids room (if I ever have one) or a spare bedroom.

And the half life is based on 6 hours a day viewing. Right now I watch maybe 2.5 a day on average.

Evan--

What a coincidence!

I just ordered the exact same model from Amazn about 30 minutes ago!

Great minds think alike...

[Evan]

Evan--

What a coincidence!

I just ordered the exact same model from Amazn about 30 minutes ago!

Great minds think alike...

:toast

everyone I know that got it loves it, including me. Very nice set.

[bobbybob0]

Start with:

http://hdtvtest.co.uk

Briefly, Plasma will have a better contrast but will consume way much more energy and their life expectancy sucks.

[Evan]

Start with:

http://hdtvtest.co.uk

Briefly, Plasma will have a better contrast but will consume way much more energy and their life expectancy sucks.

no

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-ubD3wuEuGgs/learningcenter/home/TV-power.html?page=2

and 30 years is pretty long

[bobbybob0]

no

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-ubD3wuEuGgs/learningcenter/home/TV-power.html?page=2

and 30 years is pretty long

And?

The 7 most power consuming are all plamas.

Even if you exclude the 60+ inches available only in plasma, at a given size a plasma will (generally) consume more than an LCD TV.

And for the 30 years, I know Panasonic has made a lot of improvement on the plasma technology but it doesn't mean contrast starts decreasing after 30 years, it means it get really unacceptable after 30 years.
LCD are much more stable in that regard.

And I'm not even talking about "marking" that will affect plasmas after displaying a fixed image for too long (PC or game display).

[tlongII]

LCD is the better technology between the two. It will eventually dominate the market.

[TDMVPDPOY]

when buyin a good lcd/plasma....ur better of buying seperate quality cables to get the best out of the product...

[Evan]

And?

The 7 most power consuming are all plamas.

Even if you exclude the 60+ inches available only in plasma, at a given size a plasma will (generally) consume more than an LCD TV..

you said "way much more energy"

on average does that look true?

[bobbybob0]

when buyin a good lcd/plasma....ur better of buying seperate quality cables to get the best out of the product...

Unless you need really long cables (15 ft) you won't notice any difference between expensive solutions like Monster Cables or standard cables.

Even less with HDMI connections.


you said "way much more energy"

on average does that look true?

Sorry I didn't know I was dealing with the semantics police.

Compare the latest Panasonic 42" plasma with either Sony, Toshiba, or Samsung equivalent products, it consumes ~25% more

[Spuradicator]

I think all this info has made my decision a little harder :lol

[Evan]

I think all this info has made my decision a little harder :lol

Here is the thing…their both great. LCD or Plasma. Get what you can afford and and just read reviews of the model on amazon.

[Spuradicator]

So what is best for watching sports?

[ATRAIN]

This was on the MSN home page today

http://tech.msn.com/guides/articlevideo_flatscreentvs.aspx?cp-documentid=5038562&GT1=40000

[bobbybob0]

So what is best for watching sports?

LCD with 100Hz technology like Sony Bravia X series or Samsung

[Slomo]

And?

The 7 most power consuming are all plamas.

Even if you exclude the 60+ inches available only in plasma, at a given size a plasma will (generally) consume more than an LCD TV.

And for the 30 years, I know Panasonic has made a lot of improvement on the plasma technology but it doesn't mean contrast starts decreasing after 30 years, it means it get really unacceptable after 30 years.
LCD are much more stable in that regard.

And I'm not even talking about "marking" that will affect plasmas after displaying a fixed image for too long (PC or game display).

Plasmas do consume more power.
Your plasma TV will break down or be outdated way before the contrast and screen decay become a problem.
"Marking" or burn-in use to be an issue in older plasmas, the new models even in the large sizes 50"+ don't have a problem with that anymore.


LCD is the better technology between the two. It will eventually dominate the market.

LCD is as dominating as it will ever be, in two to three years it will be replaced by newer stuff (OLED is already being sold, other technologies are on the horizon)

I think all this info has made my decision a little harder :lol

Tell us what you want to watch and on which devices (cable, SAT, games, BR...). An idea of your budget would also help. You'll get more targeted replies.


So what is best for watching sports?

Which service? what resolution? HD?

[Slomo]

LCD with 100Hz technology like Sony Bravia X series or Samsung

:tu
Specially with the latest version of the image processing software.

[Evan]

With power you're only talking a little bit of change every month.

[Evan]

Spuradicator..again. Pick a few models you can afford at the store and read the reviews of each model on Amazon or you will drive yourself insane with this.

[angelbelow]

lcd is the forseeable future, plasma is a go with you want to save money.

[Extra Stout]

when buyin a good lcd/plasma....ur better of buying seperate quality cables to get the best out of the product...

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99211

[fraga]

I've read countless times that if you're NOT gonna get something over 50"...and be watching a ton of Blu Ray DVD's....then you could save some money and go with a 720p....that the difference is little to none...

[Slomo]

I've read countless times that if you're NOT gonna get something over 50"...and be watching a ton of Blu Ray DVD's....then you could save some money and go with a 720p....that the difference is little to none...

I personally think the difference becomes noticeable at 42" - think about it, it's already a big screen compared to what the CRT TVs used to be.

[tlongII]

LCD is as dominating as it will ever be, in two to three years it will be replaced by newer stuff (OLED is already being sold, other technologies are on the horizon)


You are incorrect sir. Certainly other technologies are coming along, but within the next 3 to 6 years you will see LCD outsell Plasma by a large margin.

[BRHornet45]

plasma got that work

[Slomo]

You are incorrect sir. Certainly other technologies are coming along, but within the next 3 to 6 years you will see LCD outsell Plasma by a large margin.

You're claim was not that it will dominate plasmas (which it probably already does), but that it will dominate the market, which it won't - at least not much more than it does now, because newer technologies will replace plasmas and then gradually phase out LCD.

[bobbybob0]

Seeing how expensive are the OLED TV, LCD is a safe choice for now.

Anyway, don't expect to keep the TV you buy today for 20 years like your grandpa did with his first TV set.

Japan is already going beyond "Full HD" resolution and NHK is even introducing 3D display.