quick plasma vs lcd tv question

[rasczak]

we currently own a 36' vega, but want to buy another television for our bedroom. i am currently looking at plasmas, but they are so expensive, and I fear the whole burn in thing. is LCD a better option?

 

[sivart]

LCD are more expensive and burn in isn't an issue unless you are buying an 8 year old plasma off of craigslist. Now if you are going to use it in an airport for flight info, you might get burn in, but not with regular TV watching or casual game play.

To get the same height as your 36" (not foot) vega you will want at least a 46" TV.

 

[Gunslinger08]

The only remaining issues I can think of for not buying a plasma are reflections from the glass and issues with high altitude.

 

[sivart]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
The only remaining issues I can think of for not buying a plasma are reflections from the glass and issues with high altitude.

True, but the reflections should be no worse than their current 36" Wega. No issues with reflection there, no issues with reflection on a plasma.

 

[cheesehead]

A friend of mine has a Vizio plasma, and even with light use playing movies, he's already got mild burn-in after less than two years. Also, the static "TV Bug" image in the corner of your screen is a burn-in nightmare - perhaps an LCD would make more sense.

 

[FP]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
A friend of mine has a Vizio plasma, and even with light use playing movies, he's already got mild burn-in after less than two years. Also, the static "TV Bug" image in the corner of your screen is a burn-in nightmare - perhaps an LCD would make more sense.

Burn-in or image retention?

Is the after-image permanently there? If so then he either left the screen on pause for days on end, it is a really old Visio, or he has a defective panel.

 

[Greg04]

Originally posted by: sivart
LCD are more expensive and burn in isn't an issue unless you are buying an 8 year old plasma off of craigslist. Now if you are going to use it in an airport for flight info, you might get burn in, but not with regular TV watching or casual game play.

To get the same height as your 36" (not foot) vega you will want at least a 46" TV.

I emailed nearly every plasma manufacturer if they warranteed against burn-in...none emailed yes, so I went LCD.

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: FP

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
A friend of mine has a Vizio plasma, and even with light use playing movies, he's already got mild burn-in after less than two years. Also, the static "TV Bug" image in the corner of your screen is a burn-in nightmare - perhaps an LCD would make more sense.

Burn-in or image retention?

Is the after-image permanently there? If so then he either left the screen on pause for days on end, it is a really old Visio, or he has a defective panel.

It's really only visible when the TV is on, but it's pretty obvious. The TV has relatively little use. This is actually the second of two panels - the first one went kaput a few months after he bought it.

Originally posted by: Greg04

I emailed nearly every plasma manufacturer if they warranteed against burn-in...none emailed yes, so I went LCD.

That's like asking Toyota and GM if they guarantee against water damage. It's unavoidable if your car gets wet.

On the other hand, LCDs can last for a decade - in my experience, the most common sources of faults are the backlight and control circuitry, not the panel itself.

 

[FP]

wtf... cheesehead... your single example case doesn't make what you say true.

I have personally put over 2,000 hours on my plasma with 4+ hour gaming sessions and have not experienced *any* burn-in.

It is avoidable because it just doesn't happen anymore unless you have a defective set.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead

It's really only visible when the TV is on, but it's pretty obvious. The TV has relatively little use. This is actually the second of two panels - the first one went kaput a few months after he bought it.

And you expected what from a Wal-Mart TV?

 

[sivart]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Cheesehead

It's really only visible when the TV is on, but it's pretty obvious. The TV has relatively little use. This is actually the second of two panels - the first one went kaput a few months after he bought it.

And you expected what from a Wal-Mart TV?

Exactly...a Wal-Mart TV....that's why I stopped buying Sony...they are sold at Wal-Mart.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: sivart

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Cheesehead

It's really only visible when the TV is on, but it's pretty obvious. The TV has relatively little use. This is actually the second of two panels - the first one went kaput a few months after he bought it.

And you expected what from a Wal-Mart TV?

Exactly...a Wal-Mart TV....that's why I stopped buying Sony...they are sold at Wal-Mart.

I guess you have a Kuro then, because Pioneer is the about the only brand I haven't seen at Walmart.

 

[Greg04]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead

Originally posted by: FP

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
A friend of mine has a Vizio plasma, and even with light use playing movies, he's already got mild burn-in after less than two years. Also, the static "TV Bug" image in the corner of your screen is a burn-in nightmare - perhaps an LCD would make more sense.

Burn-in or image retention?

Is the after-image permanently there? If so then he either left the screen on pause for days on end, it is a really old Visio, or he has a defective panel.

It's really only visible when the TV is on, but it's pretty obvious. The TV has relatively little use. This is actually the second of two panels - the first one went kaput a few months after he bought it.

Originally posted by: Greg04

I emailed nearly every plasma manufacturer if they warranteed against burn-in...none emailed yes, so I went LCD.

That's like asking Toyota and GM if they guarantee against water damage. It's unavoidable if your car gets wet.

On the other hand, LCDs can last for a decade - in my experience, the most common sources of faults are the backlight and control circuitry, not the panel itself.

Re: GM and Toyota analogy - not sure what you mean. Every manufacturer sales rep tells peopel that burn-in is a thing of the past, that new plasmas don't suffer from it. So it would naturally seem to follow that if it cannot happen on a normally operating set, then it would a defect if it did. So, I would expect it to be covered by a warranty. No plasma maker will do that, but they will state that burn-in is a thing of the past. Are you saying that burn-in on plasma screens is unavoidable ... if... they get ...wet... no that can't be it. I might be being dense here, but what's the TV end of the analogy...

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: sivart

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Cheesehead

It's really only visible when the TV is on, but it's pretty obvious. The TV has relatively little use. This is actually the second of two panels - the first one went kaput a few months after he bought it.

And you expected what from a Wal-Mart TV?

Exactly...a Wal-Mart TV....that's why I stopped buying Sony...they are sold at Wal-Mart.

Yep, Walmart stocks loads of XBR and Z series. However, find the lowest of the low end Sony models, and Walmart has you covered.

Let me put it to you this way, the Sony models Walmart sells, I'll definitely pass on. You can go ahead and buy them though and put one right beside your Vizio.

 

[sivart]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: sivart

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Cheesehead

It's really only visible when the TV is on, but it's pretty obvious. The TV has relatively little use. This is actually the second of two panels - the first one went kaput a few months after he bought it.

And you expected what from a Wal-Mart TV?

Exactly...a Wal-Mart TV....that's why I stopped buying Sony...they are sold at Wal-Mart.

Yep, Walmart stocks loads of XBR and Z series. However, find the lowest of the low end Sony models, and Walmart has you covered.

Let me put it to you this way, the Sony models Walmart sells, I'll definitely pass on. You can go ahead and buy them though and put one right beside your Vizio.

Don't be fooled, I've even seen the S and V series being pushed in the 'non-Wal-Mart' box stores. (You have to actually hunt for the XBR and Z...then again, they are about 3x the S series, so they probably don't sell as well....TV's are becoming just like MP3 where people live with inferior quality to save a buck. )

My Vizio, well, it is mainly a casual viewing TV, my theater room is for the series watching on a nice projector