Plasma or LCD which is better to use...

[Roy Beazley]

Concerning the burn in problem what is your experience with these tv's?

I do think that the LCD is sharper to me. But I would like to hear some pros and cons before I lay down some of that big cash for a 42" to 50" for the edit room and living room.

thanks for any help guys!
Tony B.

[Dale Guthormsen]

good evening,


Before I bought our 50 inch panasonic plasma I looked at images of numerous sets for at least a year. I prefered the image the panasonic gave over all others. I think panasonic gives best color in my eye.

It does have glare so you have to be careful where you put it. The top line sony bravia if I recall correctly was the close second.

Sense i bought mine lcds and plamas arre coming closer together.

go for the picture you prefer and leave it at that.

[Jim Snow]

Another factor to consider is that Plasma uses quite a bit more power.

[Peter Moretti]

I've heard that plasma is better at producing blacks than LCD's are.

[Bruce Foreman]

Plasma is supposed to have better contrast, but I purchased LCD (I like the color rendition better...Personal taste) and "tweaked" contrast and brightness until I had what I wanted.

[Boyd Ostroff]

I bought a Panasonic Vierra 38" plasma screen about 5 years ago and the image was beautiful. It is true that the blacks are deeper because there's no backlight bleeding through the dark areas. But last year I replaced it with a 46" Sony Bravia LCD. The blacks aren't quite as dark, but I don't really see that as much of a problem. The only time I really notice is when there's a completely black frame, then you can notice the backlight. I am really happy with the Sony LCD, especially because it's full 1080p resolution which the Panasonic was not.

Gave the Panasonic plasma to my daughter and they are thrilled with it - no problems with image burn in yet. It's true that the plasma uses more energy and puts out a lot of heat - you can feel the heat radiating from the front of the screen if you get close!

It used to be that Plasma screens were more expensive, but seems like prices are coming down recently. Also used to be that it was hard to find full 1920x1080 plasma screens, but that seems to be changing as well. I read an article in a business magazine awhile ago that companies have had to lower the price on plasma screens more than they like in order to compete with LCD.

Another thing which might not occur to you - plasma screens are heavier than LCD's. This could be a factor for wall mounting, or just if you want to move it around. Couldn't believe how heavy that 38" screen was!

But with TV sales in a big slump now, there are a lot of bargains out there so it's a good time to buy!

[Stelios Christofides]

What about these new LED TVs now? Any thoughts on those?

Stelios

[Randal Clark]

Plasmas do give better blacks than LCD's.
There is one Sony LCD that actually beat the plasmas in black. It was a sony and I dont
remember the model, but it was also about 3 times more expensive.

As far as color reproduction they are about the same.

LED's are very good, but very expensive. Right now you only get ones that are
worth anything in small screens and they cost a lot.

They will never probably beat LCD's and Plasma from the cost/benefit calculation.

It really comes down to application. Is your room light or dark? Windows? etc..
I'd say in general you want to stick with a Panasonic Plasma if you are in a dark
room situation, home theater, etc.

Otherwise go with a Sony or a Samsung LCD if you are in bright rooms with possible
screen reflections. Picture quality is really going to be sixes if you find the right unit.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Randal Clark

LED's are very good, but very expensive. Right now you only get ones that are worth anything in small screens and they cost a lot.

I have a 24" iMac with an LED screen and it frequently gets a "wow" when people step into my office. I believe this is the same panel used in Apple's 24" Cinema Display as well. Cost is $900, which doesn't seem too unreasonable. Apple - LED Cinema Display

[Chris Hurd]

I bought a plasma and really, really like it a *lot* -- a Panasonic Viera PZ850. Absolutely love it.

Basically there is no wrong choice here. No matter which way you go, you'll be thrilled with it.

[Don Miller]

In rooms with a lot of sunlight LCD is the best choice. I prefer the look of plasma - more film like.
I just bought an expensive Samsing LCD for a south facing room. I had to turn all the sharpening settings down to zero as artifacts were annoying me. I see no benefits in an expensive flat panel for pleasure viewing. The companies are trying to claim new features, but it's just about price point. Better to spend money on programing (movies) than the latest and greatest hardware. And I say that as a hardware geek.

[Randal Clark]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

I have a 24" iMac with an LED screen and it frequently gets a "wow" when people step into my office. I believe this is the same panel used in Apple's 24" Cinema Display as well. Cost is $900, which doesn't seem too unreasonable. Apple - LED Cinema Display

Well they might not be as bad as I have seen, but 24" is small for $900. The OP was
looking for 42 - 50"

[Greg Laves]

I don't think I would buy an LCD or Plasma after seeing the new LED TV's recently. Samsung has a new series and they are competively priced with the better LCD's and Plasmas. I know you can get a cheaper 40" LCD for around $650. But I think the 120HZ Sony's are around $1100-$1200 and the 240HZ Sony's are a lot more expensive ($2000+?). The 40" Samsung 6000 series LED is $1299 at my local Best Buy which is cheaper than the high end Sony's. I spent about an hour looking at all the screens last night and that LED looks better than anything else to my eyes. Colors are fantastic. Blacks are as black or blacker than anything else. Motion looks really good and probably as good as a CRT. Pretty impressive. Of course it is an apples and oranges comparison when compared to LCD or plasma specs but they claim a 3,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio on the base model LED and 600HZ, if I remember correctly. Plus they advertise that the LED's have 40% less energy useage and longer life than LCD's. I was impressed.

[Stelios Christofides]

I wonder if there is a table where you can compare LCD, Plasma and LED; I mean advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons.

Stelios

[Gints Klimanis]

Originally Posted by Greg Laves

Plus they advertise that the LED's have 40% less energy useage and longer life than LCD's. I was impressed.

While this is a welcome addition, I'm often skeptical about LED specifications. For individual LEDs, they are often quoted as 90% more efficient than tungsten per lumen. However, the LED beam is highly directional and is perceived as very dim outside of the beam. I believe the more accurate number is closer to 50% (of tungsten efficiency), but perhaps a TV is different as it is a large array of LED beams.