LCD or Plasma

[ShepsCrook]

Ok, I've finally convinced my g/f to want to get an LCD or Plasma TV. We've been stuck with a 27" RCA which has SVideo and RCA jack issues for a while. I've been reading about the differences of the two tv types for a few days now and I'm undecided.

I'm liking the price range for the Plasmas in the 42" range.
The pros: Better contrast ratio, larger screen, better looking picture.
Cons: (People have said these screens only last 1-2 years tops because they leak the gases) I've read that early generation Plasmas usually lasted 20,000 hours and that's about 10 years of viewing (6hours a day everyday). I've heard they've improved these to be better and equal to LCDs depending on generation and or brand/model (But which models).

As far as LCDs go, for the same price range, I'm looking at a 37" screen.
Pros: No glare, Less energy (negligable), (If the above Plasma Con is right, this has a longer lifespan)
Cons: Lower quality picture than the Plasma, lower contrast ration, slightly fuzzier looking. and Smaller screen size for the price.

Some of the models I've been looking at have been:

Olevia 337H 37" LCD $649
Olevia 437V 37" LCD $749
Sampo 42V8 42" Plasma: $699

I'm looking to make a possible purchase tomorrow. Let me know.

 

[dreamliner77]

Sounds like you've been listening to the Best Buy sales idiots again. Plasmas don't leak gases.

As far as "plasma decay" goes, I doubt you will be disappointed before you're ready by but a new TV in a few or 10 years. Start saving for a 200".

 

[falconguard]

You might want to check this out
http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/OleviaDeinterlacing.php

Test out those Olevias.

All the present generation plasmas, are better at what they do than those that were produced a couple of years ago. Decide on a size, 37" is the magical point where LCD is cheaper than plasma, after that the plasma is better.

 

[X-Istence]

Never been a big fan of Plasma. I know first hand when I bought a plasma about 3 months ago that it died rather fast, not even with heavy use. The image became "foggy" and in general the colour became really grey. I sent it back, and got my money back. Since then bought a 22" LCD screen from Westinghouse, which I use as my computer monitor as I have kicked off the addiction to watching TV.

 

[rushm001]

I've always been a fan of LCD. Some of the Samsung ones look ace.

 

[tdinc]

LCD would be choice, but Have you considered DLP?

 

[ShepsCrook]

I've thought about DLP but I like the idea of a thinner/slimmer TV.

 

[Johnny]

go lcd, do not buy plasma ...

 

[Vanquished]

go lcd, do not buy plasma ...

Yeah LCD.
Plasma gone get hot, and die sooner

 

[madmatt]

Newer plasma technology lasts just as long as LCD. Plasma has made great strides in the past two years and prices have come down. The benefits of plasma (such as angled viewing and viewing from afar) outweigh the benefits of LCD.

If you are cost conscious then go with LCD. Otherwise, I would take a long, hard look at plasma.

 

[ShepsCrook]

Yeah, I've read that Plasma has gotten better.

 

[fitz]

plasma has gotten much better.. and have come down in price.

If you do go plasma, I would recommend a higher-end unit as they are where most of the improvments are being made - a pioneer elite series or something around that range.

 

[epk]

for the image quality subject i think if they're good quality they're both gonna look great... one thing: lcds black is more like grey, but it's something you get used to

i like lcd's... they're lighter and consume less energy than plasma.. and plasmas have improved, but i don't think they last as much as an lcd

pick the one you like the better... i haven't seen anyone who's unhappy with his choice yet (no matter what that choice is)

 

[ShepsCrook]

I'm thinking that I might go with this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16889022011

 

[trainmaster77]

well in that price range nothing is really that good. do yourself a favor and double your budget ... get a good 42" plasma. odd no one here has mentioned LCD streaks on larger panels. No one here mentions here either that there is no "black color" on lcd either ... no matter how hard they try... the flaws with lcd reproducing accurate color are quite apparent sitting next to plasma. big box retailers try to thwart this by turning the blues way up on lcds ..while putting the color temperature of plasmas on low ... where the difference is hard to recognize ... its almost like turning the treble way down on fm radio to compare it to a gain maxed am radio.

Even if you have burned pixels dead center of your screen ..there is absolutely nothing any manufacturer will do about it until 10% are gone.

Whomever said don't buy plasma is either misinformed ..or they have themselves either purchased or knows someone who purchased a crap brand way low end unit and associated it with every single panel ..or is just talking crap because they don't know.

DLP is ok if you have a large room where you can sit directly in front of it ..get a bit off center and its crap ..not to mention obscenely huge and distracting from the rest of your room. figure on enough space for a large or king sized rocking/recling lazyboy ..and you have a 46" dlp television.

stick to the facts ..for purely watching television ..there are no lcd's on the planet that can even come close to a pioneer purevision plasma. plasmas may be a bit warmer ..but again its negligible ..big lcd panels with anything but LED backlighting are sometimes even warmer depending on your watching preference and atmospheric lighting conditions.

of course ..if you are going from a standard tv ..to a HDTV ..just about any HDTV is better ... but in most cases... with very inexpensive ones ... there is a reason they are cheaper ... common sense plays a role here.

again ... any good plasma is bound to last 20 years to half life ... and then you simply can turn the brightness up to 100% instead of it being on 50% and you have another 20 years of watching pleasure.

Myth ... plasma does not leak gas ... well it does kinda ..but its like a lightbulb ..if its bad its bad in a hurry ..and 99% of the time if its bad ..its bad direcly out of the box ... and market statistics show that the higher end plasma that are bad out of the box are damaged during transit the majority of the time. The inexpensive ones use subpar glass ..and sometimes many sheets of thinner glass ... which adds to construction weight and sealing problems... but lessens manufacturing costs = plasma you find at Walmart. The 2nd most expensive part of the plasma is the powersupply ... again something that is subpar in offbrand walmart specials. I myself am authorized to sell/install Olevia panels ..but have never even sold one ..many have asked ..but i steer them clear of them. Prime example ... was at yearly seminar where many manufacturers were introducing their products ... Olevia was one ..and right out of the box their lcd had a huge streak right down the middle from top to bottom... i right away asked if that was replaceable under warranty ... it was like 8% so ..the guy was like uhhh i guess not. /shrug

again ..do yourself a favor and buy one at your local mom and pop audio video store ... if that won't do you ... id be more than happy to give you a hand with one ... 42" pioneer or Panasonic ..even a philips ambilight is good ... but ive put those in order from best to good.

Newegg is good for computer parts for sure ... but their return policy for damaged stuff is atrocious ... and a big tv is something i would want to purchase from someone i could talk to first hand ..and not via email ..or by leaving messages on someones voicemail.

 

[ShepsCrook]

Thank you for the information. Yes, I am coming from a 27" SD "TUBE" television. I'd love to double my budget but I have a fiance with 3 kids, and enough bills. This TV is something I've waited on for a while, and the 27" is starting to have some problems, so I'm looking to replace it soon.

I think the highest I could go would be $800. But that's not enough for anything truly good.

 

[madmatt]

I have a similar model and it is awesome.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5031323

 

[Johnny]

well in that price range nothing is really that good. do yourself a favor and double your budget ... get a good 42" plasma. odd no one here has mentioned LCD streaks on larger panels. No one here mentions here either that there is no "black color" on lcd either ... no matter how hard they try... the flaws with lcd reproducing accurate color are quite apparent sitting next to plasma. big box retailers try to thwart this by turning the blues way up on lcds ..while putting the color temperature of plasmas on low ... where the difference is hard to recognize ... its almost like turning the treble way down on fm radio to compare it to a gain maxed am radio.

Even if you have burned pixels dead center of your screen ..there is absolutely nothing any manufacturer will do about it until 10% are gone.

Whomever said don't buy plasma is either misinformed ..or they have themselves either purchased or knows someone who purchased a crap brand way low end unit and associated it with every single panel ..or is just talking crap because they don't know.

DLP is ok if you have a large room where you can sit directly in front of it ..get a bit off center and its crap ..not to mention obscenely huge and distracting from the rest of your room. figure on enough space for a large or king sized rocking/recling lazyboy ..and you have a 46" dlp television.

stick to the facts ..for purely watching television ..there are no lcd's on the planet that can even come close to a pioneer purevision plasma. plasmas may be a bit warmer ..but again its negligible ..big lcd panels with anything but LED backlighting are sometimes even warmer depending on your watching preference and atmospheric lighting conditions.

of course ..if you are going from a standard tv ..to a HDTV ..just about any HDTV is better ... but in most cases... with very inexpensive ones ... there is a reason they are cheaper ... common sense plays a role here.

again ... any good plasma is bound to last 20 years to half life ... and then you simply can turn the brightness up to 100% instead of it being on 50% and you have another 20 years of watching pleasure.

Myth ... plasma does not leak gas ... well it does kinda ..but its like a lightbulb ..if its bad its bad in a hurry ..and 99% of the time if its bad ..its bad direcly out of the box ... and market statistics show that the higher end plasma that are bad out of the box are damaged during transit the majority of the time. The inexpensive ones use subpar glass ..and sometimes many sheets of thinner glass ... which adds to construction weight and sealing problems... but lessens manufacturing costs = plasma you find at Walmart. The 2nd most expensive part of the plasma is the powersupply ... again something that is subpar in offbrand walmart specials. I myself am authorized to sell/install Olevia panels ..but have never even sold one ..many have asked ..but i steer them clear of them. Prime example ... was at yearly seminar where many manufacturers were introducing their products ... Olevia was one ..and right out of the box their lcd had a huge streak right down the middle from top to bottom... i right away asked if that was replaceable under warranty ... it was like 8% so ..the guy was like uhhh i guess not. /shrug

again ..do yourself a favor and buy one at your local mom and pop audio video store ... if that won't do you ... id be more than happy to give you a hand with one ... 42" pioneer or Panasonic ..even a philips ambilight is good ... but ive put those in order from best to good.

Newegg is good for computer parts for sure ... but their return policy for damaged stuff is atrocious ... and a big tv is something i would want to purchase from someone i could talk to first hand ..and not via email ..or by leaving messages on someones voicemail.

You sell Pioneer Plasmas?

 

[dreamliner77]

Pioneer plasmas that I installed in 2000 and 2001 are still kicking.

 

[epk]

i said that lcds have no real black... but again, it's not that big of a deal
for the colors, they look well on any hq display... i've seen samsung high end lcd monitors that beat any other display out there (those with 2ms response time and insanely high contrast and luminance)