Plasma or LCD HDTV?

[[]V[]essenjah]

So, what's your take? I haven't owned a serious HD TV of any kind. Just big crappy 19-20\" boxes for me. Anyway, looking at upgrading before I move in the next couple of months. First time I'll actually have enough room for something larger. Looking at maybe a 42\" flat screen.

[CDN_Merlin]

My dad bought a Samsung LCD HD 120hz 46\" and it's great. Would not complain at all. Your best bet is to read up on them. The difference between the two is about what type of shows you watch as one is suited more for action compared to the other.

[Testiculese]

I tested every model on the floor, the $10000 plasmas were shoddy compared to the $1000 LCD.

[Foil]

Don't know if you are considering projection LCD, but here's my experience:

My 56\" 1080p is a Panasonic LCD projection set; I absolutely love the quality. Heck, it's good enough for gaming - I even played some Crysis on it a few months ago.

The thing about projection LCDs is:

• Considerably cheaper than flat-panels for the screen size (got my 56\" for well under $1000, last year's Christmas bonus)
• Dimensions (mine comes out from the wall a little over a foot, okay for the way my livingroom is set up, but doesn't always work for people)
• Contrast (even after tweaking the black-level settings, the dark areas can look a bit gray)

[Gandalf Stormcrow]

Go for the LCD! Check out reviews. Google is your friend.

[Duper]

Go for the LCD! Check out reviews. Google is your friend.

The problem with that if you want just a general idea or something ball park is that it's like going into a library and reading an entire SHELF of books to get a short answer. BB's are good for that.

with the info he has now, Mess can narrow his search to brand and model.

Personally, I don't like browsing through 30 different web pages.

[Topher]

I have had a 50\" plasma for 3 years now and it's been awesome.

Viewing angle was an important part of the decision for me on type of TV to get.

Last I checked LCDs were harder to get in larger sizes. Depends on what's important to you. Read reviews.

[Plague]

Plasmas in general have better picture quality, although LCDs are rarely set correctly in-store. I'm probably pickier about image quality than most people though. I have a 42\" Panasonic Plasma and I love it! It's great for games, movies, and sports. Not so great for constant viewing of TV channels with tickers (there is image retention but none of it is permanent).

Amazon has one listed for $1100, $0 shipping.

[AceCombat]

plasma is still experimental if you ask me, they still need to tweak and tune it before ill go Plasma. where as LCD has been around long enough for them to fine tune it so that it lasts long enough that you arent spending 1000's every few months.


i also heard that plasma has about half the screen life of a LCD due to the higher voltages in the plasma screen itself <-- True?

[Krom]

i also heard that plasma has about half the screen life of a LCD due to the higher voltages in the plasma screen itself <-- True?

Sounds like bs to me, yes plasma screens have much higher power draws than LCDs, but the technology is entirely different and is like comparing apples to potatoes.

[AceCombat]

i was wondering about that if it was true or not

[Top Wop]

Im looking to get a Samsung Series 4. Sound sucks but can be mitigated by hooking it up to your 5.1 DVD system or what have you.

And if you sweat the resolution, dont. Unless you go beyond 50 in, 720 (aka 1366×768) will do you fine even for Blue Ray.

[[]V[]essenjah]

The problem with that if you want just a general idea or something ball park is that it's like going into a library and reading an entire SHELF of books to get a short answer. BB's are good for that.

with the info he has now, Mess can narrow his search to brand and model.

Personally, I don't like browsing through 30 different web pages.

Yep, not only that but if you want exact opinions of experienced consumers, you ask people, not a website with a review. Reviews tend to be a little biased and based on what a certain group of people are looking for. In fact, I have consulted a few webpages via Google before posting here.


Ace, I actually heard that rumor from a few of my friends as well. I was actually curious about if that was true or not. While I respect my friends, my own brain tells me it sounds like utter BS.

Personally, just from looking at them, I love the clarity of plasma TV's over LCD's along with viewing angle. The glare doesn't bother me that much since all my TV's are currently analogue.

The thing that scares me, is that I have read that static images can end up getting permanently burned onto a plasma TV if you leave the static image on it for too long. I'm a heavy XBox 360 gamer and I'm buying this TV mostly for that and so that I can have friends and maybe a girlfriend come over to watch movies with me sometime down the road. I really don't watch that much TV, I'm generally more of a gamer/DVD movie fan unless there is an election going on.

The price on plasmas also is a bit more attractive. I'm actually looking at buying something within the 42-46" range around Thanksgiving. My friend bought his 42" Samsung last year for around $500-$600 during a holiday special and almost every year there is a nice LCD or plasma going for around that price range.

As I'm moving and going to college, I'm trying to spend the least amount I can on one of these, but at the same time, I figure that I would rather buy one before I move into an apartment. I'd rather do it now while I'm not worried about money concerns that much.