Plasma vs. LCD

Arthur McDonald · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:54 am **Posts:** 2052

DickRasmussen wrote:

RodneyWright wrote:

RobLupella wrote:

Gwen Baake wrote:

I’m sure we’re like the last “family on the block” to go HD.

2nd to last. Still don't have HD :-)

same here....

Our idea of "flat screen" is a 24 inch Sony with a "flat" (relatively) front CRT. Our other TV is a 20 inch CRT.

Dick

I will likely be the last person to get an HDTV. I haven't seen one yet - LCD or plasma, that didn't suffer from jerky motion and an overall "fake" look. My 27" Sony will never die anyway.

Kevin Harvey · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:29 am

I'll be another one to throw a DLP into the mix. We have had our 60" Samsung DLP for over five years and really like it. With an HD signal from the DVD player or the DTV box, it is great viewing. As others mentioned, if you are getting a commercial or channel in less than HD, the TV "makes up" the missing pixels and the picture is ok, but not great.

We also have a 30-odd inch LCD from Best Buy for the girls playroom. It is the Best Buy house brand, I forget the exact name. We don't have a HD receiver on their TV and it still looks great.

Whichever you go with (LCD, CLP, Plasma) you will be happy as long as you feed it a high definition signal. That is the key.

-Kevin

clinehall · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 10:52 am

I have become an HD snob. I have a moderately priced Samsung down stairs and a a cheap Westinghouse from sams upstairs (about $400) both have tremendous quaility. If something is not on one of the few HD channels my cable stystem has then I just don't watch it, might as well be amish!

Matt McGrain · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:47 pm

I can't really speak on the benefits of LCD other than fact that burn-in is a non-issue supposedly, but, I can say that I love our Panasonic plasma that I bought last year.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-xgMrXSx218 ... P50X1.html

I never was into high-tech tv's, but for under $1k it looks great and I don't quite see how folks spend thousands more for all the gadgetry.

Making the transition to HD is such a huge change, I regret getting caught up in all of the specs (720, 1080, etc...) while doing my research, especially coming from a 26" Sylannia.

It's funny because I originally installed the set and flipped to the HD channels and it really didn't look too hot. In fact it was very grainy, so I just figured that was the result of buying a budget plasma because TWC verified it was in fact an 'HD box'.

I ended up bringing the box in to the Atlantic office and they give me another one to try out, hooked it up, flipped to any channel over 200, and WOW! No regrets from not spending double for the 1080 or a few hundred more for the same size tv in LCD.

After doing way too much research, the biggest two drawbacks of plasma are glare and burn-in. Personally, I haven't had an issue with either, but it would be a good idea to not pause a movie or watch a program for an extended period with a "ticker" (i.e. the Dow scroll) during the first 100 hours or so.

As far as getting a fair price & service I'd go the same route again when the time comes; the bedroom could use a 36" so that I could remove the wall/arm mounted Sony 20" artifact. Basically, I found the best price from a certified online retailer that included a free wall mount (those ain't cheap either) and politely asked Crutchfield to match or beat it. Crutchfield's service has always been top-notch and they certainly are no small operation.

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:59 pm

Thanks to all who have given so much great advice. I'll post what we decide to do.

Thanks.

Gwennie

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:08 pm

I have a 50" Panansonic plasma as well and have no regrets.

Gwen, on the wall mount....DO NOT buy one anywhere other than monoprice.com. Nobody can touch their price...not even Wal-Mart...not even close. The same goes for the HDMI cables. Do your research (cnet.com for more info) and you'll find the cheapest ones peform exactly the same as the high dollar ones. I had to buy two 20 foot HDMI cables for my home theater setup and you don't want to know what Best Buy and others wanted to charge.

Frank Catena · **Joined:** Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:08 pm **Posts:** 418

Vincent's advice about monoprice.com is perhaps the best post in this thread. Pricing for HDMI cables is borderline criminal in most retail outlets.

Frank

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:00 pm

I'll third the recommendation for Monoprice.com

6 - 6' HDMI cables for ~$25 shipped!!!! You can't beat that with a frozen chicken breast.

Kevin Harvey · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:18 pm

Todd Breakey wrote:

You can't beat that with a frozen chicken breast.

Interesting visual... that may be signature worth.

Brad Mackey · **Posted:** Fri Aug 14, 2009 1:32 pm

I have two 1080P LCD sets. Both Samsung. I think they are great. The blacks are not grey and both sets have been trouble-free.

But I have been looking at the new Samsung LED sets.

Anyone know anything about these? The price is more than the LCD varieties, but the picture quality is pretty amazing.

Frank Catena · **Joined:** Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:08 pm **Posts:** 418

"LED" sets still use a LCD front panel but they replace the flourescent backlight with LEDs. Advantages can be better blacks (selectively turning the LEDs off) and more saturated colors (if using colored LEDs). The LEDs should have a longer life too.

The next step is to replace the LEDs with Lasers. Similar game but even better color purity with a laser.

Then the 3D sets ... where does it end?

Frank

MarekRozanski · **Posted:** Sat Aug 15, 2009 11:44 am

One important factor to consider is the glare you get with a glossy screen. In our case the TV is in a family room that gets a lot of light during the day. This steered us away from plasma screens toward LCD -- more specifically, matte screen LCDs (many LCDs these days come with glossy screens). You get slightly better contrast and darker blacks with a glossy screen, but if you're seeing your own reflection while trying to watch a movie, none of that matters.

As far as resolution, it all depends on the screen size. With our 46" screen my eyes can't tell a difference between true 1080i and 1080p content (HDTV vs. Blu-Ray), but there is a HUGE difference between 720p and 1080i/p. If you're planning on getting a Blu-Ray player, don't skimp on the resolution (yes, I'm an HD snob). If you're only watching TV or downloaded content, 720p may be good enough.

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:18 pm

<- Nicely played. :golf clap: :lol:

Michael Westerfield · **Posted:** Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:53 pm

MarekRozanski wrote:

As far as resolution, it all depends on the screen size. With our 46" screen my eyes can't tell a difference between true 1080i and 1080p content (HDTV vs. Blu-Ray), but there is a HUGE difference between 720p and 1080i/p. If you're planning on getting a Blu-Ray player, don't skimp on the resolution (yes, I'm an HD snob). If you're only watching TV or downloaded content, 720p may be good enough.

If under 50" I disagree with that. If farther away than the recommended 6-10' anything more than 720 is a waste IMO. A great majority of the networks don't broadcast more than 720 either.

MarekRozanski · **Posted:** Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:34 pm

Michael Westerfield wrote:

MarekRozanski wrote:

As far as resolution, it all depends on the screen size. With our 46" screen my eyes can't tell a difference between true 1080i and 1080p content (HDTV vs. Blu-Ray), but there is a HUGE difference between 720p and 1080i/p. If you're planning on getting a Blu-Ray player, don't skimp on the resolution (yes, I'm an HD snob). If you're only watching TV or downloaded content, 720p may be good enough.

If under 50" I disagree with that. If farther away than the recommended 6-10' anything more than 720 is a waste IMO. A great majority of the networks don't broadcast more than 720 either.

Just speaking from my own experience. The difference IS quite noticeable. But that's my TV, Blu-ray, and DirecTV set up in my small room. Yours may be different.

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