Vote: LCD v.s. Plasma

[GORT]

The format war is over and now we keep having the LCD vs Plasma war there must be what 10 other threads like this one

[blushiz]

Actually, I like this thread. I'm unbiased and I search for quality with an open mind. I'd like to see how people present their opinions on why which type of TV is best. It's educational.

[JasonR]

It is educational, and to be honest I come from the same line of thinking as you. I will take a slight loss in PQ over having to worry about IR on my television set. The first time the wife saw it on something we just spent a couple of grand on, she would have a heart attack.

[Spyder-Dan]

LCD!! No ands, ifs, or buts. Reasons being several which in turn are the same criteria I (IN MY OPINION which I am entitled to) used to compare plasmas and LCDs when I made my recent purchase of an LCD HDTV. In addition that is why I gave the Panasonic 800u 2 out of 10 because of these reasons: 1. uses more energy which makes it hot 2. panel too reflective for MY taste 3. did not want to wait on a "break in" period to adjust my tv 4. burn-in, one less hassle I don't want to deal with 5. did not like the ghost image produced by the glass panel 6. no 120 Hz refresh rate 7. much heavier and cumbersome to move than an LCD which can be transported horizontally or vertically and 8. no picture in picture for football on Sundays. The only 2 things the Panasonic 800u had going for it were the price and depth of size compared to what I bought.

[HHX]

for the first time now there are LCDs that can perform as well as the better plasmas on the market - I mean 2-3 years ago it was impossible for an LCD to even come close to producing decent black levels...now the new 950 Samsungs for example produce deeper black than even the new Kuros (less shadow detail though, but you can read the review in the latest HT magazine). Problem is to get good black levels, accurate primary colors, and good video processing from an LCD these days you have to spend about $1000 more than a plasma that offers similar performance - example, the Panasonic 50PZ85 is around $1800 ...a 52inch LCD that can be compared to the Panny is over $2500. So why spend the extra on the LCD? I've sold over 100 problably 200 Panasonic plasmas over the last 2 years and haven't had a single complaint about burn in. (most people get the ISF calibration as well so that deffinitely helps) so the whole "being affraid to leave the TV on" is not really a reason not to buy a plasma screen. That's like saying that you're worried about lines of dead pixels on an LCD (yes, it still happens alot, regardless of manufacturer's name or price, I send TVs to service every day at work and I come across this issue ALOT). Neither technology is perfect, but they are both deffinitely better than ever.
another thing - 120 HZ has a lot of room for improvements, currently it creates just as many problems as it solves. There is artifacting, ghosting, and the worst thing I think is that it turns film into video - basically to me Batman with 120HZ on medium or high looks like a home video on youtube or a soap opera on TV. Film is Film and if the people who make them wanted them to look "realistic" they wouldn't shoot in 24fps and they wouldn't use CGI and other stuff like that. That's just an opinion though, so for right now I voted plasma. (although I love the new LED backlit LCDs coming out, with the 120 stuff turned off of course, I just can't justify that huge difference in price to get a good LCD these days when now even a Pioneer 5020 is less than 3 grand )

[aaragore]

Originally Posted by HHX

for the first time now there are LCDs that can perform as well as the better plasmas on the market - I mean 2-3 years ago it was impossible for an LCD to even come close to producing decent black levels...now the new 950 Samsungs for example produce deeper black than even the new Kuros (less shadow detail though, but you can read the review in the latest HT magazine). Problem is to get good black levels, accurate primary colors, and good video processing from an LCD these days you have to spend about $1000 more than a plasma that offers similar performance - example, the Panasonic 50PZ85 is around $1800 ...a 52inch LCD that can be compared to the Panny is over $2500. So why spend the extra on the LCD? I've sold over 100 problably 200 Panasonic plasmas over the last 2 years and haven't had a single complaint about burn in. (most people get the ISF calibration as well so that deffinitely helps) so the whole "being affraid to leave the TV on" is not really a reason not to buy a plasma screen. That's like saying that you're worried about lines of dead pixels on an LCD (yes, it still happens alot, regardless of manufacturer's name or price, I send TVs to service every day at work and I come across this issue ALOT). Neither technology is perfect, but they are both deffinitely better than ever.
another thing - 120 HZ has a lot of room for improvements, currently it creates just as many problems as it solves. There is artifacting, ghosting, and the worst thing I think is that it turns film into video - basically to me Batman with 120HZ on medium or high looks like a home video on youtube or a soap opera on TV. Film is Film and if the people who make them wanted them to look "realistic" they wouldn't shoot in 24fps and they wouldn't use CGI and other stuff like that. That's just an opinion though, so for right now I voted plasma. (although I love the new LED backlit LCDs coming out, with the 120 stuff turned off of course, I just can't justify that huge difference in price to get a good LCD these days when now even a Pioneer 5020 is less than 3 grand )

second this.~

[brps3]

LCD

Hey if it's good enough for air force fighter planes then it's good enough for me.

[ixlegitballinxl]

getting hot in here! lol

I see a lot of comments on break in period, calibration, and room lighting when it comes to plasma's.... you don't really hear to much about justification for pq on lcd's considering these factors.


When me and my girl were looking at the panasonic plasma's.. she even agreed that it looked dull and not very sharp. ( and she know's nada about tv's). I feel that a lot choose the panasonic's due to price and cnet reviews. I'll admit I almost bought one based on the reviews on this site and cnet, but when i saw in person, i was not impressed. Members here suggested that the stores didn't do the plasma justice, but why buy a tv that doesn't look great sitting on the shelf at the store???

That's like looking at a wrecked sports car and saying "if you restored it, it would look cherry" LOL

No doubt plasma owners get a good picture, but why not right out of the box?

[mustang-gt-2002]

sorry but I love my samsung LCD LN46A650. I started 2 1/2 years ago with a westinghouse 1080p 47" one of the first 1080p LCD's on the market. back then plasma had to many problems with burn in I have seen it from a friends plasma after playing games from the PS3 the HUD was on the tv for weeks. Plasma screens often cause so much heat inside the unit that manufacturers usually install a fan to cool it down while operating. This actually works very well, but on some models the noise that the fan makes can become an annoyance. now they are much better. but I still like LCD's. LCD's have bean arownd form the 70's and have gettin better and better. sorry but plasma will never be as good as a computer moniter witch is a LCD and the beast LCD out has a resolution of 7680X4320 maybe plasma can get better but not that good.

Sharp LCD monitors are products of a long history of research and development from one of the world's premier electronics manufacturers. The Sharp LCD first fascinated the world in the 1970's when Sharp engineers persevered to turn the dream of LCD application into a technological reality.

[Chevypower]

I like plasma better, cos if you forget what you have already watched, you don't need a DVR to see it a month later :-)

[ixlegitballinxl]

Originally Posted by Chevypower

I like plasma better, cos if you forget what you have already watched, you don't need a DVR to see it a month later :-)

LOL that's dirty

[mustang-gt-2002]

Originally Posted by ixlegitballinxl

LOL that's dirty

Lol but true on some

[Spyder-Dan]

dudes, I LOVE MY SAMSUNG 55" 950 w 1,000,000 : 1 contrast AWESOME!!!

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by Spyder-Dan

dudes, I LOVE MY SAMSUNG 55" 950 w 1,000,000 : 1 contrast AWESOME!!!

Yeah, ummm I don't blame you.

That is one of the best TVs on the market!!!!

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by ixlegitballinxl

. Members here suggested that the stores didn't do the plasma justice, but why buy a tv that doesn't look great sitting on the shelf at the store???

That's like looking at a wrecked sports car and saying "if you restored it, it would look cherry" LOL

you cannot tell how good or bad a tv will look in your home based on how they look at the store dude.

they are either in "store mode" or they have been jacked around with by customers. none of the tv's are calibrated. I have had both and sure the lcd was good, had a bright vibrant picture, which was ok, but i like the more natural tones of plasma.

Most people think that if a tv picture is bright and vibrant then thats the best tv....not the case, as the tv's at stores (especially LCD) are set to torch mode to make you say WOW that looks the best i want that one! You cannot judge anything in the store, period you have to get it home and mess with it to see if it will work in your environment! Thats why you would not just by the tv that has the "best" looking picture in the store! there are way to many variables

[ixlegitballinxl]

i understand the calibration portion of it. My point is, the only time you hear about in store calibration and how bad it is on this forum, is when plasma sets are being referred too.

[kjack]

Originally Posted by CasualKiller

Oh good lord another doomsayer.

I wouldn't call myself a doomsayer. I visit HDTV manufacturers 3-4 times per year to discuss our future product plans and hear their requirements, and was just repeating what I was told by many, but not all, of them.

[ixlegitballinxl]

Sony got out of the plasma tv making business :X

and didn't Sony have something to do with bluray discs? lol

Also on the cnet review, When comparing black levels with the xbr8 and the kuro, xbr8 produced darker blacks

Although kuro still slightly won, it's not because of black levels.

[werewuf]

Originally Posted by mustang-gt-2002

sorry but I love my samsung LCD LN46A650. I started 2 1/2 years ago with a westinghouse 1080p 47" one of the first 1080p LCD's on the market. back then plasma had to many problems with burn in I have seen it from a friends plasma after playing games from the PS3 the HUD was on the tv for weeks. Plasma screens often cause so much heat inside the unit that manufacturers usually install a fan to cool it down while operating. This actually works very well, but on some models the noise that the fan makes can become an annoyance. now they are much better. but I still like LCD's. LCD's have bean arownd form the 70's and have gettin better and better. sorry but plasma will never be as good as a computer moniter witch is a LCD and the beast LCD out has a resolution of 7680X4320 maybe plasma can get better but not that good.

Baloney. I own a Samsung LN46A650, as well as a Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-950HD. And the Pio kicks the Samsung's butt twice around the block every time I turn it on. The motion control on the Kuro is so much more sophisticated that there is no comparison. Watching TV programming, especially sports, on the Plasma is a much more satisfying experience. Don't get me wrong I love my Samsung, but Pioneer's Kuro line cannot be touched even by the Samsung 950's.

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by ixlegitballinxl

i understand the calibration portion of it. My point is, the only time you hear about in store calibration and how bad it is on this forum, is when plasma sets are being referred too.

ALL tv's LCD not excluded need to be calibrated in order to get the best out of them. If you have a TV that is not calibrated then you are missing out on a huge portion of the tv's peformance, regardless of whether it is plasma or LCD