looking at a 52" Aquos

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: SlickSnake

Originally posted by: DBL

Originally posted by: SlickSnake
Sharp Aquos is a great LCD TV. I have a new 46" 62U series, no banding, other than the crappy signal that my standard definition Dish box sends out over SVHS. Not using an HD Dish box on it atm. But the upconversion and HD on my HD-A2 look fantastic.

While the Sharp is a good TV and produces a sharp high def picture, in your home next to a current gen Pioneer or Panasonic plasma, it's picture is noticeably inferior.

If you want 1080p, look at the Panasonic 1080p models. You can pick these up for around ~2K.

That's not the only consideration. Plasmas are prone to many issues, heat being one of them. I worked at a electronics store and various brand plasmas were burning out or malfunctioning and being sent off to repair in far greater numbers than any other TV types we sold, including DLP models. That is one obvious reason plasmas are larger yet cheaper compared to a similar sized LCD. Anyone who has had a plasma malfunction due to myriad heat issues can readily agree with this. I would even get an LED DLP over a plasma, and those are even cheaper. The LCDs were the most reliable, by far. This is why many manufacturers are scaling back plasma models or discontinuing them as we speak. They are a service nightmare.

And next to a Sharp, most plasmas do not look that noticeably different. In fact, the blacks and contrast levels are so extreme on some plasmas they get this black wash effect, that you can't quite get rid of, and I find that undesirable. Sort of like turning up the sharpness all the way makes the image unnatural and unfocused, but instead with the black scaling.

Now, If I had bought some cheaper LCD brand like a Polaroid with a lower contrast ratio, then, yea, you can say that it would be noticeably inferior. But the Samsung and the Sharp LCDs are comparable to a plasma. And they also don't have that unnatural black overload effecting the contrast and image quality. The blacks on my Sharp get as black as they need to be. Dark scenes in a movie are DARK. Exactly how dark does your TV really need to be? Any more would just be overkill, and then they would look more like the LCD Samsungs.

Even the LED DLP Samsungs suffered from the black contrast overkill a little bit, but the image brightness of the LED light engine offset it enough to give it a more realistic picture than even most plasmas I have seen. The only reason I did not get that, was because it was also having a lot of problems with returns for repairs and floor models going out. Almost as much as the plasma (insert any brand here).

This is the biggest pile of sh!t I've ever heard. I know SEVERAL HDTV dealers and NONE of them had issue like you are describing with plasmas. PURE BS! Plasmas (quality plasmas that is) are just as reliable as LCD. So please, cut the crap. And if you think your Sharp LCD can match the PQ of a Pioneer KURO, you're lying to yourself to make yourself feel better about your purchase. And a little FYI, deep blacks do not just affect blacks, it affects the overall color reproduction. But if it is absolute color accuracy you're looking for, NOTHING can beat the new Pioneer KURO Elite line. Nothing. And at a VERY close second place comes the Pioneer Pure Kuro line.

Well, not everyone can afford to get a 1080p Plasma for this size range. That's the major concern for alot of people here. When it comes to gaming and using your PC, I would prefer LCD because you never have to worry about IR with it. IR IS a problem, regardless of the plasma make or model. Some sets just handle certain types better than others. However, if one were to use it as the PC's main display for any length of time I think that there will be serious trouble ahead for that user. Moderation I say for this usage. Many people have no issues gaming on Plasma, but others report various image problems mostly related to IR.

I don't know about reliability as most every quality TV will work fine for a long time. Both display types have their good and bad qualities. It's a matter of prefrence. Also, the average person really would have a hard time seeing the differences in a picture in motion on a HQ LCD vs a Plasma. If the LCD is correctly calibrated it can provide stunningly excellent PQ. Arguably Plasma displays produce better color and definately better ciontrast (higher ratio too). But a few people claim that Plasma TVs tend to be darker to their eyes. By darker I mean that the blacks stick out at you and the colors are too deep (can be calibration issues as well). Most LCDs have a brighter look because blacks are slightly grey in color. Some sets are better than others at producing blacks though.


Anyway the point is not everyone needs Plasma. Especially not someone who would be using a PC or heavily gaming on the set. Price is also a concern at 50+ inches. With a good Plasma being quite expensive.


I also somewhat agree with Slicksnake about his comment with regard to Plasma "groupies" as he called them, comming into a thread about a non-plasma display. Now there's nothing wrong with posting comparisons and informing him of the option. I didn't really see anyone give him info on the set he was asking about either. No offense but the very first post was "Did you check out the Pioneer 5080?" completely disregarding his inquiry of any experience and possible problems/points of interest about the 52" Aquos mentioned in the OP. Thereafter there was one post mentioning that he likes the Aquos series and doesn't notice any banding issues etc. Then you have 2 more posts about "too bad plasma is better". While it may be true for them, some people would prefer NOT to have plasma. Myself included now. Until someone can guarantee me that I can leave my PC on the screen if I happen to fall asleep watching an anime or something and not have the screen burn an image on itself. With an LCD I can do just that.

 

[SlickSnake]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: SlickSnake

Originally posted by: DBL

Originally posted by: SlickSnake
Sharp Aquos is a great LCD TV. I have a new 46" 62U series, no banding, other than the crappy signal that my standard definition Dish box sends out over SVHS. Not using an HD Dish box on it atm. But the upconversion and HD on my HD-A2 look fantastic.

While the Sharp is a good TV and produces a sharp high def picture, in your home next to a current gen Pioneer or Panasonic plasma, it's picture is noticeably inferior.

If you want 1080p, look at the Panasonic 1080p models. You can pick these up for around ~2K.

That's not the only consideration. Plasmas are prone to many issues, heat being one of them. I worked at a electronics store and various brand plasmas were burning out or malfunctioning and being sent off to repair in far greater numbers than any other TV types we sold, including DLP models. That is one obvious reason plasmas are larger yet cheaper compared to a similar sized LCD. Anyone who has had a plasma malfunction due to myriad heat issues can readily agree with this. I would even get an LED DLP over a plasma, and those are even cheaper. The LCDs were the most reliable, by far. This is why many manufacturers are scaling back plasma models or discontinuing them as we speak. They are a service nightmare.

And next to a Sharp, most plasmas do not look that noticeably different. In fact, the blacks and contrast levels are so extreme on some plasmas they get this black wash effect, that you can't quite get rid of, and I find that undesirable. Sort of like turning up the sharpness all the way makes the image unnatural and unfocused, but instead with the black scaling.

Now, If I had bought some cheaper LCD brand like a Polaroid with a lower contrast ratio, then, yea, you can say that it would be noticeably inferior. But the Samsung and the Sharp LCDs are comparable to a plasma. And they also don't have that unnatural black overload effecting the contrast and image quality. The blacks on my Sharp get as black as they need to be. Dark scenes in a movie are DARK. Exactly how dark does your TV really need to be? Any more would just be overkill, and then they would look more like the LCD Samsungs.

Even the LED DLP Samsungs suffered from the black contrast overkill a little bit, but the image brightness of the LED light engine offset it enough to give it a more realistic picture than even most plasmas I have seen. The only reason I did not get that, was because it was also having a lot of problems with returns for repairs and floor models going out. Almost as much as the plasma (insert any brand here).

This is the biggest pile of sh!t I've ever heard. I know SEVERAL HDTV dealers and NONE of them had issue like you are describing with plasmas. PURE BS! Plasmas (quality plasmas that is) are just as reliable as LCD. So please, cut the crap. And if you think your Sharp LCD can match the PQ of a Pioneer KURO, you're lying to yourself to make yourself feel better about your purchase. And a little FYI, deep blacks do not just affect blacks, it affects the overall color reproduction. But if it is absolute color accuracy you're looking for, NOTHING can beat the new Pioneer KURO Elite line. Nothing. And at a VERY close second place comes the Pioneer Pure Kuro line.

Well, not everyone can afford to get a 1080p Plasma for this size range. That's the major concern for alot of people here. When it comes to gaming and using your PC, I would prefer LCD because you never have to worry about IR with it. IR IS a problem, regardless of the plasma make or model. Some sets just handle certain types better than others. However, if one were to use it as the PC's main display for any length of time I think that there will be serious trouble ahead for that user. Moderation I say for this usage. Many people have no issues gaming on Plasma, but others report various image problems mostly related to IR.

I don't know about reliability as most every quality TV will work fine for a long time. Both display types have their good and bad qualities. It's a matter of prefrence. Also, the average person really would have a hard time seeing the differences in a picture in motion on a HQ LCD vs a Plasma. If the LCD is correctly calibrated it can provide stunningly excellent PQ. Arguably Plasma displays produce better color and definately better ciontrast (higher ratio too). But a few people claim that Plasma TVs tend to be darker to their eyes. By darker I mean that the blacks stick out at you and the colors are too deep (can be calibration issues as well). Most LCDs have a brighter look because blacks are slightly grey in color. Some sets are better than others at producing blacks though.


Anyway the point is not everyone needs Plasma. Especially not someone who would be using a PC or heavily gaming on the set. Price is also a concern at 50+ inches. With a good Plasma being quite expensive.

Finally, a voice of reason among the plasma madness. :thumbsup: