New TV Questions...LCD vs. Plasma.

[Pelican170]

Hey guys. I am looking to possibly purchase a new TV around the $2000 mark, give or take. Im torn between LCD's and Plasma's but one of my main questions is, is it better to get an LCD with 120 Hz or go plasma which i believe only offer standard 60 Hz. Any suggestions of brands and models helps as well. Thanks again...

[brett_day]

oh boy! get ready for another lcd v plasma fight.

I have to say Plasma. I used to be an LCD lover but i always felt hd could be better. Motion blur on my lCD's was horrible! moved to plasma and have never looked back! Plasma's do not need 120hz technology because they do not suffer with motion blur

For your $2000 i would look at the panasonic 800u or the 85u series! I have the 80u and love it, amazing tv. Not much difference between the 80u and 85u apart from contrast ratio which is barely noticeable. The 800u however is an absolute mind blower of a tv!

[SDBlu]

Depends what you are going to be using it for??? Ie...Blu-ray, gaming, sports... Also depends on what kind of lighting conditions are in the room you will putting it in.

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by MarcosG

Depends what you are going to be using it for??? Ie...Blu-ray, gaming, sports... Also depends on what kind of lighting conditions are in the room you will putting it in.

lighting conditions do come into play but the rest do not! both lcd and plasma are more than suitable for gaming, movies etc....however plasma's will also grab you a cold one from the fridge when you run dry....just another reason to love plasma's

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by brett_day

oh boy! get ready for another lcd v plasma fight.

I have to say Plasma. I used to be an LCD lover but i always felt hd could be better. Motion blur on my lCD's was horrible! moved to plasma and have never looked back! Plasma's do not need 120hz technology because they do not suffer with motion blur

For your $2000 i would look at the panasonic 800u or the 85u series! I have the 80u and love it, amazing tv. Not much difference between the 80u and 85u apart from contrast ratio which is barely noticeable. The 800u however is an absolute mind blower of a tv!

Thanks for the info. I was looking at the Panny 50PZ85U. I was looking at the panny 800U, but it looks like the only difference is an anti reflective filter? is that correct and the only difference? because its likea $500 spread.

[Pelican170]

As far as lighting conditions, i have 3 windows behind the couch where i sit, so a good amount of light gets into the room. but on the other hand, my main tv watching is done at night...

[SDBlu]

Originally Posted by brett_day

lighting conditions do come into play but the rest do not! both lcd and plasma are more than suitable for gaming, movies etc....however plasma's will also grab you a cold one from the fridge when you run dry....just another reason to love plasma's

Hah...Lol.

I have read some people showing concern, specifically with plasma, when it comes to gaming due to image retention. some of the images on-screen when gaming tend to be on the screen for lengthy periods of time.

Not trying to knock plasma btw...I would love to get a KURO! But i am extremely happy with my Sony XBR4

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by MarcosG

Hah...Lol.

I have read some people showing concern, specifically with plasma, when it comes to gaming due to image retention. some of the images on-screen when gaming tend to be on the screen for lengthy periods of time.

Not trying to knock plasma btw...I would love to get a KURO! But i am extremely happy with my Sony XBR4

aaahhh, i wanted an xbr4 but it was too much at the time and now you cant really find them. i do alot of gaming as well...

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by MarcosG

Hah...Lol.

I have read some people showing concern, specifically with plasma, when it comes to gaming due to image retention. some of the images on-screen when gaming tend to be on the screen for lengthy periods of time.

Not trying to knock plasma btw...I would love to get a KURO! But i am extremely happy with my Sony XBR4

if you goi through the break in process it significantly reduces IR i have close to 4000 hours on my set now and have never had IR, if you do get ir it only last a few seconds then it goes away.

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

All the new Panasonic have the anti reflective filter. The 800u is THX certified and has a 10,000 higher native contrast then the 80u but the same as the 85u (30,000 native)

If i were you I would wait until the Panasonic 800u is at $2,000. I have seen it that low and you would probably have to wait only a couple of weeks. The 800u will give you 24p playback and that is something you want.

Refresh rate is not important on plasma because the response time is instant.

keep checking amazon until that TV is at 2k

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

aaahhh, i wanted an xbr4 but it was too much at the time and now you cant really find them. i do alot of gaming as well...

I have been playing Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty 4 for 5 hours a day for the past 3 weeks with no IR. Just do the break in and then you are good.

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by PanasonicPlasmaMan

I have been playing Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty 4 for 5 hours a day for the past 3 weeks with no IR. Just do the break in and then you are good.

What exactly is the "break in" process?

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

What exactly is the "break in" process?

for the first 100 - 150 hours you watch everything zoomed in, no black bars and you put all of the settings at 50 or below. this is so you can give the phosphors and even burn at the beginning of the tv's life

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post14472276

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by PanasonicPlasmaMan

All the new Panasonic have the anti reflective filter. The 800u is THX certified and has a 10,000 higher native contrast then the 80u but the same as the 85u (30,000 native)

If i were you I would wait until the Panasonic 800u is at $2,000. I have seen it that low and you would probably have to wait only a couple of weeks. The 800u will give you 24p playback and that is something you want.

Refresh rate is not important on plasma because the response time is instant.

keep checking amazon until that TV is at 2k

So, you would take the 800U over the 85U? The 85U doesnt do 24p playback? is that the only difference? Just trying to get all my facts straight. I used to be into getting an LCD but i think im changing my thoughts on that. Also, if anyone has any info on lifespan... Thanks again for all your help..

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

Originally Posted by brett_day

for the first 100 - 150 hours you watch everything zoomed in, no black bars and you put all of the settings at 50 or below. this is so you can give the phosphors and even burn at the beginning of the tv's life

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post14472276

yup thats what I did lowered my settings 16x9 and watched Planet Earth for 150 hours

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

So, you would take the 800U over the 85U? The 85U doesnt do 24p playback? is that the only difference? Just trying to get all my facts straight. I used to be into getting an LCD but i think im changing my thoughts on that. Also, if anyone has any info on lifespan... Thanks again for all your help..

panasonic just rated their new plasma's at 100,000 hours before they reach half brightness level!

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

I take that back save $500 and go with the 85u. 800u is a great tv but if you are not gonna take advantage of the THX and do not think 24p is worth $500 go with the 85u with the money you save you can buy a collection of blu's or upgrade your audio.
85u is a great TV.

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by PanasonicPlasmaMan

I take that back save $500 and go with the 85u. 800u is a great tv but if you are not gonna take advantage of the THX and do not think 24p is worth $500 go with the 85u with the money you save you can buy a collection of blu's or upgrade your audio.
85u is a great TV.

hahaha, ok well i think its a toss up between the Panny 800U or the 85U. Just one more thing, Samsung Plasma's are no comparison to the Panny's i mentioned?

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

hahaha, ok well i think its a toss up between the Panny 800U or the 85U. Just one more thing, Samsung Plasma's are no comparison to the Panny's i mentioned?

correct! panny plasmas are second only to the almighty Kuro!

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

I will be honest when i was buying my TV I did not consider Samsung. They make great LCD but I would rather stick to a company whose main focus is plasma.