LCD or PLASMA TV?

[sdresdre]

for:

 

movies and video games.

 

budgetish ones. $1000-$1500 42"

 

giver :poke:

[wmcjhi]

How bright is your room and how is your lighting control?

 

If it's dim or you have good control and can MAKE it dim (and want to always do so), plasma tends to have the edge over LCD on image quality and will tend to be a few bucks (but not so much anymore) cheaper.

 

If it's a well-lit room, LCD is the best overall choice as plasma is reflective and tends to "wash out" a bit with much ambient light.

 

Burn-in shouldn't be too much of an issue with games and the plasma, but still perhaps a small consideration.

[Zappa74]

Plasma

Panasonic 42PX80u. Can be had for $899 or if you need 1080p, get the PZ80u for about $1099.

Can't go wrong there.

[Gloryboy1981]

Neither. LED DLP FTW.

[SylphCo.]

Get the cheapest one at the size you want and ignore the differences.

[Zappa74]

Neither. LED DLP FTW.

 

 

Ew, no.

[DanJep]

DLP TV's are frickin killer. give them a look.

[wmcjhi]

No no no to all the DLP talk. They are good for a big screen for low price, but that's it. Image quality does not compare to a good plasma (or even LCD), sorry.

 

I work in a high-end custom home theater store and stare at these things all day every day, so I'm advising based on what I and all my colleagues know and have experienced, not just shooting from the hip nor recommending based on what I own.

 

edit:

 

Although it of course goes without saying that the TV is for YOU, not me nor anyone else in this thread. If you like how a $600 house-brand's picture looks, then (reliability aside) that's the right TV for you.

[pinkzep52]

I only use tube powered TVs. It saturates amazingly when you turn it up!

[Mistersuperfly]

Plasma ftw... check out the samsung pn50a550

As far as LCD's go, I really like the new sony V series, the W series is even better too.

[ChrisFFTA]

general rule is - if above 42" go plasma, anything smaller go lcd

[THeLoveGun]

Yeah, like the earlier post dude said, it really depends on the lighting of your room (of choice for the TV). I just pulled the trigger on a 50incher Pionneer Kuro (Plasma), and never looked back. I would have considered a 46" Samsung 750 series but it was just over 3K so...uh,choose what works best for your pocket.

It comes down to bang for buck really after the room lighting.

[L_Z_nut]

general rule is - if above 42" go plasma, anything smaller go lcd

 

 

Could you give more technical info on why this is a general rule? Where did you hear this from/who told you this?

[Jbrazz]

DLPs are great, super light and dirt cheap.

 

only downside the colors are a little dark and it takes a while to bootup, plus you need to replace the bulb every couple of years.

 

 

 

 

 

stay away from plasma, unless you want to raise your budget up a couple thousands of dollars. plasmas at that price will give you burning and wont last more than a few years.

 

 

 

LCDs are great, but you kind of at the half way point in terms of resolution.

 

with anything under 42", it really wont make a difference whether you go 720p or 1080p. over 42" is when the 720p starts to distort, and 1080p will look a {censored} load better.

 

 

 

 

what i would do, is wait for a good sale, and get a samsung 42" LCD 1080p.

 

you should be able to get that for under $1500

[wmcjhi]

stay away from plasma, unless you want to raise your budget up a couple thousands of dollars. plasmas at that price will give you burning and wont last more than a few years. LCDs are great, but you kind of at the half way point in terms of resolution. with anything under 42", it really wont make a difference whether you go 720p or 1080p. over 42" is when the 720p starts to distort, and 1080p will look a {censored} load better.

 

This is simply misinformation.

 

Plasmas at that price are NOT especially susceptible to burn in (which was originally a larger issue because of impurities in the phosphors which have largely been sorted out), nor will they only last a few years.

 

In addition, 42" is NOT a tipping point for 1080p. Resolution is a product of both screen size AND seating distance. 42" 1080p at 14 feet would be silly. The OP really just needs to go see some TVs and stand back about how far he'll realistically be and make his choice. A bit of research beforehand on the specific model is always a good idea to rule out any specific or persistent issues with that particular model.

 

Finally, I'm not trying to be an ass, I'm really not, but believe me I hear some CRAZY stuff at work (have to recharge plasma gas , etc.) and I like to stop misinformation right away.

[Jbrazz]

thats wierd?

 

i thought i sold tvs at best buy?

 

hmm.

[L_Z_nut]

You think you do. But I'm pretty sure it's just a wonderful magical dream.

[wmcjhi]

 

thats wierd? i thought i sold tvs at best buy? hmm.

 

 

As I've mentioned, I work in a high end custom home theater store. I can nearly guarantee I've been through significantly more training and have more experience than you do (I've also worked in circuit city many years ago and am well aware of the general knowledge level and experience there -neither of which are BAD, per se, but are very different from knowledge of someone whose average sale is in excess of $10,000). Not saying you're ill-educated, just relaying my experience.

 

In addition, if you take exception to any of my stances or reasoning, you're welcome to point those things out and present evidence to the contrary.

[Jbrazz]

i dont see a point, if your budget is $1000 - $1500, to spend that money on a low end plasma, and if you plan on playing video games, in about half a year, you will start to see some burn in.

 

and again im just going from my experience and training, which may no be better than yours, but its far better than what circuit city will give you.

 

 

 

and i just wanted to know, what do you mean 42" 1080p at 14feet away would be silly?

[L_Z_nut]

This "high end custom home theater store" wouldn't be walmart would it?

 

I kid, I kid. Out of curiosity... what store do you actually work at BTW?

[wmcjhi]

i dont see a point, if your budget is $1000 - $1500, to spend that money on a low end plasma, and if you plan on playing video games, in about half a year, you will start to see some burn in. and again im just going from my experience and training, which may no be better than yours, but its far better than what circuit city will give you. and i just wanted to know, what do you mean 42" 1080p at 14feet away would be silly?

 

Burn in would not be an issue, barring mis-use (leaving a menu on for days at a time, etc).

 

And I mean that at 42" from 14 feet, 720p and 1080p would not be a discernable difference for nearly anyone. But, again, that's why I'm always insistent on the customer (OP in this case) choosing for him/herself. This is a VERY subjective discussion and things like "1080p", "120hz" and a whole host of other terminology (particularly on the audio side) can be strong placebos. I had a customer the other day tell me while listening to a $140,000 pair of speakers through about $60,000 of speaker cabling that he wanted to come listen again when the wire was "broken in". Thing he didn't know is that the wire was a traveling demo and was more broken in (if you even believe in such things) than anything he had in his home. He just assumed it was new because the speakers were.

 

Just because I've been wanting to whore some pictures of it out, here's a picture of the speakers set up in our store, if anyone cares. Google "Kef Muon" for more info. Crystal cable Dreamline was the wire being used.

[sdresdre]

good info dudes.

IMHO. plasma indeed FTW. blacks are blacker and the picture is just better. LCD does look MUCH better in high light situations. im a {censored}ing vampire so no biggie with that one.

the whole burn in thing is a total myth. if you leave a image over-night.... maybe.... but most plasmas have a good defense for the ol burn in(if it happens).

it REALLY lame to admit but i have a EDTV i bought it like 2.5 years ago. its got mega red and green snow. good news is i get $1200 to put to wards a new TV(extended service dealie). {censored} {censored} yeah. im pulling the trigger tomorrow.

i might want to use the monitor for a PC monitor one day. thats why im thinkin LCD maybe





what i do know. i {censored}ing HATE futureshop!

ohhh and HEY wmcjhi and others

is 1080P worth it? i cant really see a BIG difference myself.

[Jbrazz]

Burn in would not be an issue, barring mis-use (leaving a menu on for days at a time, etc). And I mean that at 42" from 14 feet, 720p and 1080p would not be a discernable difference for nearly anyone.

in that case, burn in wont be much of an issue, but with video games, there are parts of the game that are displayed all the time through out gameplay.

we get a tv returned maybe once a week now from call of duty 4, and the burn in they get from the radar, and score.



as far as the 720p/1080p thing, while watching cable/satalite tv it wont make a difference because its all broadcasted in 720p, but when you start watching bluray movies or playing videogames that display in 1080p, then you will see a difference.


but i think we can both agree on one thing, for that price range, get an LCD.

[wmcjhi]

is 1080P worth it? i cant really see a BIG difference myself.

 

Depends on the distance and screen size. There is a HUGE difference in resolution, but that doesn't mean you'll notice. Most broadcast tv is 720p or 1080i, blu-ray and some games and downloadable content via movie services like "vudu" are 1080p, but simply having a source 1080p does NOT mean you'd notice the 1080p if the above two criteria (distance and screen size) don't necessitate it.

 

Of course, you don't want to pay for anything you can't see and if you can BARELY notice a difference and stand to spend, say $500 more, then that's a decision that's up to you and your wallet

[sdresdre]

stay away from plasma, unless you want to raise your budget up a couple thousands of dollars. plasmas at that price will give you burning and wont last more than a few years.

 

 

what do u mean by this dood? because of burn in? i dont find that to be an issue...... at all. or are you saying plasmas just dont last period?