plasma or lcd tv?

[rlemmon]

Hi guys. Well my tv is going on 11 years now so it seems like its time for an upgrade. I'm looking at going for a 42" model for the space I have. I'm not sure if i should go plasma or lcd though. I would like to get one thats 1080p but 720 would be ok to.

What i don't like about the plasma's is the super shiny screens. What do you guys think?

[SNAAKE]

plasma is the obvious choice because picture quality of any random plasma still looks better than the best lcd out there. only minor draw back is the screen glare in really bright room but most new plasma tv screens are anti-glare or whatever. 720p is good enough for 42". you want 1080p for anything bigger. I have a 42" panny and everything looks really good. HD movies, games, standard def(xvid/dvd). and no need to worry about burn in issues with panasonic(and pioneer) plasma tvs. had mine for 2 years and I play games on it everyday. never had any problem.

I can recommend this to anyone.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889187149

[RayB]

They still make plasmas?! 

Look at how thin the new LED backlit LCDs are. That's what I'd go for.

[DaveMMR]

I just had the same debate myself and ultimately went with an LCD.   Ultimately, I was worried about what I had read about games and plasma TV's - plus the fact that my room is never usually "dim".   There were more pros and cons I weighed that brought me to my decision, but those were two just off the top of my head.  There are some good charts on the internet if you do a search. 

We just got ourselves a 120Mhz 42" 1080p Vizio for under $800 and the picture is great (was a Top 10 TV on PC World).   Couldn't be happier with the choice. 

[gaijinking]

I'll give my vote for plasma. I've run both side by side, and my 720p Panny plasma wins hands down. Mine is only 37" and is almost 6 years old already, but it still looks incredible.
Robotron's title screen is the perfect test- most LCD screens just can't properly handle the fast color cycling,  deep black level, and contrast.On my plasma those cycling Williams logos glow just like the real arcade screen.  And once you break in your screen, as long as you've tweaked the settings from out of the box, there really is no risk of burn in.

[Vanguard]

I'd go plasma.  The color reproduction and contrast ratios are much better.  

I've had a couple plasmas now and I still have the 1st generation plasma I bought 9 or so years ago.   It's never suffered burn in and hasn't lost brightness like people claim.  For the past 3 years it's been used exclusively as a Wii monitor and still no issue with the image.  

My newest plasma is a 1080p and the oldest is a 720p.   There is a noticeable difference but not a big deal if you're moving from standard def to hi-def.  Both plasmas are in well lit rooms and we have no problems viewing them.   The old plasma has a standard glass and the new one has a glossy glass.   I've not had any glare issues with either.  

All my plasmas have been Panasonics.

[SNAAKE]

picture quality over whatever lcd has to offer.....

[Blanka]

I would go NO tv. Serious. At this moment we are in the technology fighting-pit and CONTENT gorge. All the promises are there, but everything is kind of so-so. Internet on your TV or not, OLED at ---smurfy--- prices and unacceptable lifespan, IPS still not black enough, plasma wasting resources, to 3D or not to 3D.... I would ditch the cable subscription, put the TV on Craigs or something like that, and deTV for a couple of years untill the TV makers sorted things out a bit. Same with content. Regular cable is dead. Too beefed up with commercials, no or mediocre HD, programs are crap, programs are wrong moments, IPTV is still to slow, too buggy or too expensive.... Play arcadegames and watch movies in your spare time, subscribe to the NYTimes, and wait until this storm is over.

If you really need a new TV: pick the simplest 32 inch full HD pva LCD, around 400 bucks. Can't beat it for quality/price.

[gaijinking]

I completely agree Blanka. 2 years ago we ditched our satellite TV/cable, and have been since using our xbox360's netflix instant streaming for movies and an app called Vuze :http://www.vuze.com/
to stream our downloaded TV shows directly to the TV/xbox360. We haven't missed a single episode of our favorite shows, and so far netflix streaming has featured some pretty cool obscure films that I never expected to see available.
I might be in the minority here in that most of my DVD collection are rare import titles (mostly animation, since I'm an animator) that will probably never make their way to blue ray releases ever, or that, I'm not really interested in most of the mainstream popular titles available.  I don't mean to sound snobby, but that is hopefully what the future of IPTV will hold; special interest viewing channels. Hopefully it will evolve in to that someday, and who know, there might even be a dedicated arcadecontrols.com channel! However, as far as plasma technology goes, yeah it's a bit power hungry- about on par with a fast computer with a huge GPU or a couple of CRT TVs. And the newer panels are getting more efficient with each generation of technology.  But the bottom line is that the quality is here NOW, it's affordable http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/501281-REG/Panasonic_TH_37PH10UK.html and it's perfect for arcade gaming IF you have space for it. I don't think there's a single comparable LCD ips display at that size that comes even close to the price/picture quality of the plasma I linked.  However, the only real negatvie about using a plasma for arcade gaming is that the smallest plasma flat panel available is ~32" most start at 37"  which is huge for a cabinet, but perfect for a showcase cab, or a living room game station like mine (note 1080p panels start at 42"- but I find 720p looks great, and plays my library of DVDs beautifully).
I love my Panny plasma so much, i'm planning on upgrading next year to a 65" for the living room, and keeping my 37" dedicated to playing arcade games and DVDs in my music room.
Sure there may be future technologies that come out in the next 10 years that rival plasma in terms of picture quality, but right now, for me plasma = CRT in terms of arcade accurate color/contrast/and picture quality.

[Rick]

I have a 42" 720p plasma that I bought 5 years ago, and it still rivals anything I see out there today.  I wouldn't go back, and given what I've seen, I wouldn't go LCD today if I needed a new TV.

[J_K_M_A_N]

I went with a Panasonic Plasma because of price mostly. I got the 50" 720P for $620 from Sears about 10 months ago. I would have had to pay much more for an LCD with a high refresh rate. I don't want a 60Hz. The plasma has a 600Hz which is great. (I just wish it would swivel...too heavy for that.)

It is much better to break them in though. Now that mine is broken in it is a great picture. I was a little worried at first to be honest.

J_K_M_A_N

[SNAAKE]

I was worried too but after like a week I realized there is no burn in issues with panasonic plasmas. not unless you play games with random logo on screen for like 10 hours or something. still loving it!

[ahofle]

Look at how thin the new LED backlit LCDs are. That's what I'd go for.

I never understood the fascination (or relevance) with how thin a TV is.  After the point where it's a panel type TV (ie. only a few inches deep), who cares? 
I'd take picture quality any day or a couple fewer millimeters of depth.

[rlemmon]

Thanks for your help guys! 

[Vanguard]

So what are you going with?

[danny_galaga]

I just recently bought a Samsung LED, which is sweet. It has a 6 star energy rating, and thinness can be a bonus if you want to hang it on the wall. This telly is only 30mm thick 

Plasmas are cheaper, but in the end, it was the big difference in energy consumption that swayed me.

[Blanka]

The biggest reason LED uses less energy is that those screens are LESS bright!
Many CCFL screens can do 400-500cd/m2 with ease, where 200cd/m2 is the new standard for LED.
If you dim an CCFL monitor, energy consumption goes down as well.
So it is a little bit comparing Apples with Pears.

[danny_galaga]

The biggest reason LED uses less energy is that those screens are LESS bright!
Many CCFL screens can do 400-500cd/m2 with ease, where 200cd/m2 is the new standard for LED.
If you dim an CCFL monitor, energy consumption goes down as well.
So it is a little bit comparing Apples with Pears.

Maybe. But it seems to me that LED backlighting is using energy much more efficiently. I actually heard some people are complaining that the LED tvs are too bright! You can dim LED tvs as well, which gets you back to LED using a lot less than plasma.

[Blanka]

CCFL is still more efficient than LED, but LED has an advantage that it emits in one direction. That can be handy for edge-light systems, of if displays have a certain depth, for direct backlight.

[saint]

HD projector with a 100 inch screen FTW!

[Vanguard]

I have an Optomo HD projector that we do outdoor movies with.   We project on a ~20 foot screen.   It's a really nice picture but it needs to be very dark.

I'd only do a projector indoors if I had a dedicated theatre.   Any normal room would have too much light during the day.

[rlemmon]

Thanks for all the info guys  I was leaning towards the SANYO 42" Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV, DP42840
but I've readalot of reviews saying that they tend to crap out pretty quickly. I think i might go with the  Panasonic 42" 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV, TC-P42C2. Seems to have stellar reviews and it's the right size for the room. I can get it for under $600.00 with a 3 year warranty on top of the manufacturers warranty. 

[rlemmon]

Rick, what brand did you buy?

[Rick]

I went with an Insignia, which is the Best Buy house brand.  Still amazing, and still worth the (gasp!) $1800 I paid.

[RayB]

720p Too low. *Might* be ok on a 42" but really, when you're pushing those sizes, you want a higher pixel density. When I watch my 46" and a show/channel happens to be in 720, I can tell. It's just ever so slightly not sharp looking.

[Rick]

720p Too low. *Might* be ok on a 42" but really, when you're pushing those sizes, you want a higher pixel density.

I'm not calling you an idiot.  I just like this cartoon.  Also, "bah" to your 'too low' comment.  It's all personal opinion.

 

[gaijinking]

Actually 720p will look not as sharp stretched to 1080p. But 1080p scaled down on a 720p will look great! Additionally, at 12 ft viewing distance you can barely tell the difference between the two. And basically the only time you're really ever be watching true 1080p video is when you use Blu-ray, and since cable and satellite can't broadcast 1080p they're 1080i- which is far inferior to true 720p.
720p also better if you have a ton of DVDs that will be upscaled since you'll only be doubling resolution of the source. With that said, even 1080p sets are pretty damn cheap now. Right now BB has a 42" panny plasma for only $650! Again, you can't go wrong with either 720p or 1080p on a plasma. Just give it the Robotron title screen test, and you'll see the difference.

[Blanka]

Stupid thing with plasma's is that they have weird pixel counts. 1:1 pixel mapping is a rarity on plasma's. Full HD for example is often 1080x1024.

[Vanguard]

Actually, the 1080 / 720 is the vertical resolution.

A Full HD Plasma is usually 1980 x 1080.

[Malenko]

and since cable and satellite can't broadcast 1080p they're 1080i- which is far inferior to true 720p.

Either DishNetwork or DirectTV does, I cant remember which (I work for comcast so I know we broadcast in both 720p and 1080i) . Also 1080i VS 720p is an opinion; Some prefer one over the other for different reasons.

[RayB]

720p Too low. *Might* be ok on a 42" but really, when you're pushing those sizes, you want a higher pixel density.

I'm not calling you an idiot.  I just like this cartoon.  Also, "bah" to your 'too low' comment.  It's all personal opinion.

 

And I just like funny animal photos.

[boykster]

For overall picture quality - I say go with plasma.  That said, the most recent display I bought was a 46" Samsung LED LCD (super thin!!!) and it looks amazing - as long as you're within about 15 degrees of straight on the screen.  Off axis washes out quite a bit....

[Zero_Hour]

and since cable and satellite can't broadcast 1080p they're 1080i- which is far inferior to true 720p.

Either DishNetwork or DirectTV does, I cant remember which (I work for comcast so I know we broadcast in both 720p and 1080i) . Also 1080i VS 720p is an opinion; Some prefer one over the other for different reasons.

Currently, Directv is 1080i, with 1080p being used for their "on Demand" (internet downloads to DVR) content.

[Ond]

With all this advice in mind I went shopping   .....

Sorry, I tried really hard to like the Plasma units better.  After much umming and arrring, squinting, standing off to either side and weighing it up I went for a series 7 46" Samsung LED 3D unit.
I couldn't detect any significant drop off, off axis in this model.  240 Hz 3D viewing is awesome.  Limited titles in 3D but I'm sure that will change.  I know early generation LCD TV's suffered from artifacting and other issues.  I think maybe 1080P Plasma was better in that generation of units (that I could see).

[saloonstudios]

I work in film post production, color correction to be specific. We use Pioneer Elite plasmas around the facility for rough viewing because for $2500 (bulk discount I guess) it's the most accurate picture you can get without getting a discontinued Sony CRT BVM-
I have a Panasonic 50" plasma at home and it's very accurate. Never seen an LCD get close. Oh and my plasma is 1920x1080 resolution, none of this weird stuff I've been seeing quoted-

Oh and we have a Panasonic 3d panel here too. 3D isn't my cup of tea right now. Maybe when 3d gaming takes off? Madden in 3d would probably sell me on it...

[gaijinking]

I don't know about high end AV stores, since I can't afford to shop there, but it's almost impossible to distinguish picture quality at a brink and mortar store. Most HDTVs have horrid settings or presets out of the box, and are usually "cranked" full blast to catch your eyes under the fluorescent lighting. Plasmas usually look terrible with the contrast and detail turned all the way up- it's funny, alot of restaurants and bars just leave them like that, and the image looks flattened or posterized. The display model of the set I got looked just grainy and awful, until I brought one home and adjusted the settings for a natural looking picture. But with that said, your eyes like what they like, as long as your happy with what you choose. But for me plasma = closest to CRT.