WAF =
Luckily I'm not married and have my own place with my arcade in my living room
I'm glad to learn the general consensus about Arcades R Fun. What do you think about this TV? It's $380 in stores.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-51-class-50-3-4-diag--plasma-720p-hdtv-black/8240051.p?id=1218866284933&skuId=8240051
The LED 720p TV is the same price as this, but I think Plasma would be better for the deep blacks. From my understanding, 720p should be more than sufficient for an arcade.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dynex-50-class-49-1-2-diag--led-720p-hdtv-black/6522235.p?id=1219236791464&skuId=6522235
Plasma:
Pros:
- faster refresh rate than LCD (less blurring at high motion)
- better blacks, sometimes better color (this is subjective and arguable)
Cons:
- far more screen glare/reflection (like an old CRT)
- Image Retention: burn in is pretty much a thing of the past but IR can happen. This is where an image/part of an image/ 3:4 sidebars/etc get "burned" into the screen so you see them even when the image changes. Burn In was permanent, IR will fade over time. Honestly with most modern plasma's even IR is pretty rare but there is a LOT of paranoia out there about it.
I have a plasma in my finished basement and I love it. I think the image quality and colors are great.
LCD:
Pros:
- brighter whites
- less likely to suffer IR/burn in (but both are still possible)
- far more availability, more resolution options, etc.
- far less screen glare/reflections
Cons:
- more subject to motion defects
- black levels are terrible
I have an LCD in my living room as my primary viewing TV. My wife likes the room bright with overhead flood lighting and a big picture window during the day. The lack of screen glare was a must. I'm also really happy with this TV.
I know neither of these are in Arcade machines but the overalls still apply. Black level won't matter on most classic arcade games as you don't have a lot of subtle greys to black going on. If you plan on playing a lot of modern PC/console games they will matter a lot more. If you are paranoid about IR/burn in (I think you are likely over-reacting....) but go LCD. If you have bright room, go LCD.
In both cases I'm sure 720p is fine, but the processor on the TV will matter a lot if you plan on relying on it to do any scaling, in other words is your source outputting 720/1080? Or will you be relying on the TV to upcast the video stream.
I think situation/location/usage are the most important driving factors, but I will add, that I feel Plasma's IMO have the best picture if the situation allows for it.** Edit NOTE: I reference LCD above...all LED TVs are just LCD TVs with a different light source. Unless you are buying high end all of this info applies to both.