So all this time I have been thinking LED-LCDs until...

[GTaudiophile]

I clicked on the Plasma thread...and now I am going...hmmmm

It seems like I can get more TV for the money with a Samsung or Panasonic Plasma?

And the more I read the more I prefer the attributes of Plasma like smoother motion, black levels, etc.

I have pretty much decided on the Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-Ray player, and I assume this will match up nicely to a 50" or 55" 1080p plasma.

So I am now scratching my head...why is LCD all the rage?

Edit: Should mention that said TV/Blu-Ray combo would be for TV/BR/DVD/Streaming video only. No gaming.

 

[MJinZ]

All the plasmas I've seen on Store Display always seem to look crappier... and like it had ghosting effects or somethign as well...

 

[GTaudiophile]

So, looking at Plasma, my top two options are the following:

Samsung PN50C6500 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

vs.

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50G25 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

 

[GTaudiophile]

All the plasmas I've seen on Store Display always seem to look crappier... and like it had ghosting effects or somethign as well...

Yeah, I will go take a look at these in person before buying.

 

[Patranus]

If you have the other components I would HIGHLY recommend the Panny professional line. Would probably never buy a different TV product line for the foreseeable future.

Best monitor hands down.

Stores like Best Buy are the worst place to see products in action.

 

[Drako]

All the plasmas I've seen on Store Display always seem to look crappier... and like it had ghosting effects or somethign as well...

Probably because most stores seem to set the TVs in torch mode, and LCDs can go brighter. A lot of people think brighter picture is better.

 

[RockinZ28]

Probably because most stores seem to set the TVs in torch mode, and LCDs can go brighter. A lot of people think brighter picture is better.

Even I think, "wow, all the LED LCD's look amazing compared to the plasmas" when I'm walking around at Best Buy. And that's pretty much why LCD is the rage imo. I had a Samsung tech evaluating my 2010 58" plasma (got a replacement, long story short) who said he had just bought a Samsung 55" 3D LED. He kindly asked if he could view my tv in 3d cause he'd never seen the new 3d plasmas. He said it looked amazing, and then he asked the price I paid. He was astonished by the price, obviously he paid way more for his.

So you need to go to a tv store that has dim lighting.

Currently own a Samsung PN50B650 50" plasma, PN58C7000 58" 3d plasma, and a Sony Bravia NX810 55" 3D LED, which I sold an LG 47LH90 47" LED for.

To me LCD's excel at two things, viewing in a bright room, like Best Buy, or for pc desktop use.

When I get home, the LED's don't even come close to rivaling my plasmas when watching movies, in the freakin dark like you're meant to. Same with games, playing games on the 58" plasma is spectacular.

Samsung makes some very nice plasmas at more affordable prices compared to Panasonic. Biggest downside for Samsung is the hit or miss buzz. Panasonic does offer the best picture though.

You'll find TONS of users with whatever model you're considering on AVS forums. Huge wealth of info over there.

 

[Ken90630]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MJinZ View Post
All the plasmas I've seen on Store Display always seem to look crappier... and like it had ghosting effects or somethign as well...
Yeah, I will go take a look at these in person before buying.

That's incorrect. Plasma TVs don't ghost -- LCDs ghost. Plasma response times are typically way less than 1 millisecond. LCDs can't come close to that.

As RockinZ28 said, the advantage of LCD is brightness. You should not get a plasma if you're going to be watching the TV in a brightly lit room. But dim the lights and plasmas are much better (particularly for fast action/motion). And I've never liked LCDs for TV use because unless you sit far away, you see the pixels and "dot crawl." It doesn't bother some people, but it annoys the heck outta me.

It also used to be that LCDs were capable of much better blacks, but plasmas have come a long way in that dept. and you can now get plasmas with excellent black levels. And I haven't followed the details of this, but I heard about a year or two ago that Pioneer & Panasonic were gonna get together in some capacity. Since the high-end Panasonic plasmas are said to offer excellent blacks now, I wonder if maybe Pioneer shared some of their Kuro technology (best blacks ever) with Panasonic. Anyone know?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

So, looking at Plasma, my top two options are the following:

Samsung PN50C6500 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

vs.

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50G25 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

I have the P50G25 and posted some notes about it here.

 

[GTaudiophile]

If you have the other components I would HIGHLY recommend the Panny professional line. Would probably never buy a different TV product line for the foreseeable future.

Best monitor hands down.

Stores like Best Buy are the worst place to see products in action.

What is their professional line?

 

[JackBurton]

What is their professional line?

Panasonic's pro line

 

[Aharami]

It also used to be that LCDs were capable of much better blacks, but plasmas have come a long way in that dept. and you can now get plasmas with excellent black levels.

ummmm, isnt it exactly the opposite? Plasmas used to have much better blacks, and it's LCDs that are catching up to Plasmas in that dept

 

[s44]

LCDs have more "pop" to colors even when both are calibrated.

LCDs use less electricity and generate less heat.

LCDs don't wash out horribly in the light.

LCDs have less hilariously dedicated true believers.

That said, a comparable picture is more expensive in LCD than in plasma. But if you can afford a 55" local dimmer, go for it.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I guess the only way to be sure is to try to some direct comparisons.

That said, I have not yet found an HDTV on Amazon that comes as highly rated as this one. 4.5/5 stars with 102 reviews must be something good.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I guess the only way to be sure is to try to some direct comparisons.

That said, I have not yet found an HDTV on Amazon that comes as highly rated as this one. 4.5/5 stars with 102 reviews must be something good.

I bought mine from Amazon. I've been very pleased with it. The only thing that annoys me somewhat is Netflix bypassing the TV's picture processing, which I mentioned earlier. Not a showstopper though.

 

[Anubis]

I guess the only way to be sure is to try to some direct comparisons.

That said, I have not yet found an HDTV on Amazon that comes as highly rated as this one. 4.5/5 stars with 102 reviews must be something good.

I have one as well, its not perfect but i very much like it and and happy with my purchase, i got mine at the end of April. get the 54 if you can spend 300$ more

in about 3 days ill be able to tell you how it compares to a backlit LED LCD TV as the 55in Vizio XVT3SV should be here at the end of the week

Pannys pro line is nice, however the lack some features and cost a ton, if you are spending that kind of money you might as well search for a KURO

 

[Drako]

Pannys pro line is nice, however the lack some features and cost a ton, if you are spending that kind of money you might as well search for a KURO

Yeah, for 99% of consumers, the Panny Pro line is not the way to go. The Pro Line are simply monitors - no TV tuners are audio/speakers. The input options are more limited as well.

The TC-P50G25 and the TH-50PF20U share the same glass and much of the image processing hardware. You can get the G25 for about $1000.00, while the PF20 will set you back $1600.00.

The pro series are nice for places like bars, etc. A friend of mine co-owns a sports bar, and they have 9 of the TH-50PH20Us (720P) in a 3X3 matrix over the bar area. The displays can be matrixed so you can have on huge picture (3x3 for 150" diagonal), or one large picture (2X2 for 100" diagonal) and 5 50" pictures. It's great for this time of year when you have football, basketball, and hockey games all on at the same time .

 

[jtvang125]

It use to be that plasmas were all the rage a few years ago. That was when LCD technology hasn't matured yet so to go big and flat back then you had to go plasma. Now the situation has reversed. Plasma technology has matured to the point were there's not that much advancement anymore. Little advancement means companies can't keep pushing new models out to attract the early adopters, who will pay more for the new technology. That's why there's such a big marketing push for LCD displays but hardly any plasmas. However a good plasma can hold it's own even against some of the best LCDs out there.

 

[RockinZ28]

It use to be that plasmas were all the rage a few years ago. That was when LCD technology hasn't matured yet so to go big and flat back then you had to go plasma. Now the situation has reversed. Plasma technology has matured to the point were there's not that much advancement anymore. Little advancement means companies can't keep pushing new models out to attract the early adopters, who will pay more for the new technology. That's why there's such a big marketing push for LCD displays but hardly any plasmas. However a good plasma can hold it's own even against some of the best LCDs out there.

My 2010 Samsung 58" 3d plasma, at 73lbs and 1.4" thickness, weighs the same and is less than half the thickness of my 2009 Samsung 50" plasma.

The 58" plasma also weighs 14 lbs more and is .02" thicker than my 55" Sony NX810 3d LED that was released in September this year.

Those seem to be aspects many LCD consumers are concerned with.

Besides the less important physical attributes, the plasma is far superior in both 2d and 3d picture. LCD's have made a lot of advancements, but I have yet to see an LCD come close to matching even a decent plasma. And if it's possible, you're going to be paying a whole lot more to get an equal picture.

Plasmas just get a bad rap because of power consumption exaggerations, lingering image burn rumors, and they look worse in most general electronic stores compared to lcd's. That is fine by me though, makes the superior display cost less because of less demand.

 

[0roo0roo]

I clicked on the Plasma thread...and now I am going...hmmmm

It seems like I can get more TV for the money with a Samsung or Panasonic Plasma?

And the more I read the more I prefer the attributes of Plasma like smoother motion, black levels, etc.

I have pretty much decided on the Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-Ray player, and I assume this will match up nicely to a 50" or 55" 1080p plasma.

So I am now scratching my head...why is LCD all the rage?

Edit: Should mention that said TV/Blu-Ray combo would be for TV/BR/DVD/Streaming video only. No gaming.

people hear led and think its an entirely new panel tech
and as said, people pick the brightest screen at the warehouse store.

 

[JackBurton]

My 2010 Samsung 58" 3d plasma, at 73lbs and 1.4" thickness, weighs the same and is less than half the thickness of my 2009 Samsung 50" plasma.

The 58" plasma also weighs 14 lbs more and is .02" thicker than my 55" Sony NX810 3d LED that was released in September this year.

Those seem to be aspects many LCD consumers are concerned with.

Besides the less important physical attributes, the plasma is far superior in both 2d and 3d picture. LCD's have made a lot of advancements, but I have yet to see an LCD come close to matching even a decent plasma. And if it's possible, you're going to be paying a whole lot more to get an equal picture.

Plasmas just get a bad rap because of power consumption exaggerations, lingering image burn rumors, and they look worse in most general electronic stores compared to lcd's. That is fine by me though, makes the superior display cost less because of less demand.

Yep.

 

[GTaudiophile]

What is the general consensus at AVSforums in terms of LCD vs Plasma?

If I go Plasma, it will most likely be the Panasonic VIERA TC-P50G25 (ca. $1000).

vs.

If I go LED, it will most likely be the Samsung UN46C6500 (ca. $1400).

 

[thescreensavers]

But dont plasmas have a certain amount of time till the burn out? LCDs will last a lot longer?

I seem to think Plasmas are bad, they suck blah blah, but I keep hearing they have good picture quality and good blacks., good response time for games..ect

So I dont see why I still have a bad picture in my head about Plasmas? They are definitely cheaper.

 

[Eug]

Finally did the proper calibration of my LG 42PJ550 plasma (42"). Doing random tweaks wasn't cutting it, and was just making everything look worse. With the calibration disc it took me a couple of hours (because there are too many settings to fiddle with), but it was most definitely worth it.

I've seen LCDs look nearly as good... but they cost 2-3X as much. I paid $450 CAD for this thing. It's actually a resolution downgrade at 1024x768 compared to my previous LCD, but the image on this is way better than that 3 year-old Toshiba LCD ever could give me. Beautiful rich blacks, nice shadow detail, and good contrast. Skin tones off of Blu-ray are very nice. Plus, I don't get that slightly uneven backlighting (with grey blacks) like I did with the Toshiba, cuz, well, there is no backlighting on a plasma.

BTW, it uses about the same amount of power or sometimes less than the LCD (according to my Kill-A-Watt), and it's actually thinner too. I know that current LCDs are even lower power and are even thinner, but it's not as if I'm killing more trees using my new plasma as compared to my 3 year-old LCD.

My one acknowledgement to a potential plasma drawback with this new setup is that I've, for the time being, changed the pillar boxes colour on my cable box. With the LCD I left it as black boxes on the sides, because there is no risk of burn-in/image retention. With this plasma, my GF left it on a 4:3 channel for several hours when the TV was new and I noticed slight image retention. It went away in less than half a minute after I switched it to a 16:9 HD channel, but it was enough for me to change the pillar box output from the cable TV box to grey instead. I'll leave it like that for a few months before I switch it back to black.

 

[thescreensavers]

hmm What about Logos like TBS if you watch TBS alot? Will that get burned in?