Plasma or LCD which is better to use...

John Peterson · September 16th, 2009, 06:36 AM

I bought a Panasonic TCP42X1 plasma TV a few months ago. It's fantastic. At 720p it was priced much lower than the 1080p televisions and there is no visible difference in a screen that size.

It has an analog and digital tuner. The blacks are CRT like and it is virtually devoid of the motion artifacts I can't stand watching on an LCD TV. I do not notice a difference in my power usage, but Panasonic claims that these current models use less power than their previous models at the expense of some brightness (you could have fooled me).

Burn-in is not a problem, but it is often confused with IR (Image Retention). The television needs a break-in period of around 180 hours and should be kept at the default standard picture setting during that time with the image stretched to fill the screen.
That setting has a lower brightness and contrast and is suitable for break-in. After that time you can play with the custom settings. IR will happen if a still image is left on the screen for awhile (white is the worst) such as the DVD logo when a DVD player is on with no disc. However it goes away within a few minutes of playing the television and it also has a wiping utility in the menu to do the same if you want to use it. IR is not Burn-in.

I bought the the television from Sears when they had a special on it for $600. It can be had for around the same from a few vendors if you search. Again, the 720p vs 1080p is really hype when it comes to this TV. The TV is fantastic.

You can read more about this model here:

The Official Panasonic TC-P50X1 and TC-P42X1 Owner's Discussion & Information Thread - AVS Forum

The settings and issues thread is here:

The Official Panasonic 12G Settings/Issues Thread - AVS Forum

John

September 16th, 2009, 06:36 AM	#16
John Peterson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Monroe, NY Posts: 703	I bought a Panasonic TCP42X1 plasma TV a few months ago. It's fantastic. At 720p it was priced much lower than the 1080p televisions and there is no visible difference in a screen that size. It has an analog and digital tuner. The blacks are CRT like and it is virtually devoid of the motion artifacts I can't stand watching on an LCD TV. I do not notice a difference in my power usage, but Panasonic claims that these current models use less power than their previous models at the expense of some brightness (you could have fooled me). Burn-in is not a problem, but it is often confused with IR (Image Retention). The television needs a break-in period of around 180 hours and should be kept at the default standard picture setting during that time with the image stretched to fill the screen. That setting has a lower brightness and contrast and is suitable for break-in. After that time you can play with the custom settings. IR will happen if a still image is left on the screen for awhile (white is the worst) such as the DVD logo when a DVD player is on with no disc. However it goes away within a few minutes of playing the television and it also has a wiping utility in the menu to do the same if you want to use it. IR is not Burn-in. I bought the the television from Sears when they had a special on it for $600. It can be had for around the same from a few vendors if you search. Again, the 720p vs 1080p is really hype when it comes to this TV. The TV is fantastic. You can read more about this model here: The Official Panasonic TC-P50X1 and TC-P42X1 Owner's Discussion & Information Thread - AVS Forum The settings and issues thread is here: The Official Panasonic 12G Settings/Issues Thread - AVS Forum John