LCD or Plasma???
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- ********0
dont by a plasma the ends of the image get distorted, lcd is by far the better choice
- mbr0
Anyone that says that "...is by far a better choice" is misinformed.
As some noted above, they both have pluses and minuses.
LCD
pros: very bright, great contrast ratio
cons: ghosting (even on the best), which is annoying, lesser LCDs have lower quality chipsets, which contribute to this, colors can be offOverall: good choice up to about 40", beyond that too expensive (at least for now).
Plasmas:
pros: great colors, no ghosting (smooth shadows/dark motion areas)
cons: none, really, although they don't last forever (neither does lcds).
Resolution was a very, very slight issue, but they have 1080p models now.overall: best choice beyond 40", in a cost/performance
http://www.plasmadepot.com - great resource with lotsa info. Good prices, too, I think.
Notes: I bought a Sony LCD because I got a good deal (Sony's are damn expensive, but very nice). I went with a LCD because I only needed a 32" and I need to take it on planes (plasmas should not go on planes).
My folks bought a NEC plasma (look into it, high ly rated but gets marks off for not including speakers, but most won't want them at the high end - read the fine print, not just which won ed's choice, although NEC did).
If you are watching in a dark room, with no sunlight consider a LCD projector. They'll give you the largest screen, very high quality and can be moved.
But if you have any direct sunlight, it'll wash out quickly.
Rules of thumb:
LCDs: Samsung (although I hate the cases, the quality is superb), Sony (some of the best, but waaay expensive, particularly the XBR line), Sharp (best value)
Plasmas: Pioneer's Elite line are probably the best, but pricey, NEC, Panasonic
- vwsung18t0
plasmas
con: burn-in issue. this is when you leave a tv on for awhile and there's something on that's static like a tv station's logo, that image will be burned into the screen.companies have said that they fixed this issue by doing little tricks like shifting the pixels once in awhile but people still have problems.
plasmas also have to be recharged every few years. i think this costs around $100 now. it used to be $1000 when the first ones came out. but whenever i see a plasma that's been recharged, they don't look the same. movie theaters that had plasmas around for advertising just get new ones when they need to be recharged.
- mbr0
I should note that I have not seen an LCD that I really liked (and I"ve seen them all). The closest would probably be Sony's XBR line. The technology will surpass plasma, but it hasn't yet.
'couse, we've got a bunch of other tehnologies that will surpass LCDs on the near horizon.
NEC's and Pioneer's plasmas have the best picture, imho. Pioneer's mid range models have the same internals as the Elite series, just don't look as good.
- Raniator0
Sony LCD.
Don't scrimp on good quality cables though – it's like putting a lawnmower engine in a Ferrari.
- karlo0
So to sum up...
Plasma Panasonic 37 inch Viera
LCD Philips 32 inch 1080p
LCD Sony 40 inch 1080pIMHO 40 is too big, I want Panasonic, philips is probably best size
Tell me FFS!!
Many thanks for your comments today
Ta
Karlo
- mbr0
Yeah, I second the cable. I used my old DVD cable and it looked horrible - colors, static, everything.
I then played it off my laptop dvd player with a HDMI cable (about $150) and it was a world's difference!!
The quality of the DVD player will make a big difference, too.
- vwsung18t0
quality of the cable only matters for analog cables like composite (rca's), vga and component or if you're running the cable a big distance. but if you're going to use a digital cable like hdmi or dvi for less than like 15', it won't matter what brand you use. with digital, it'll either work or not work.
goto monoprice.com and save money on digital cables. places like best buy will try to sell you a $150 hdmi cable that'll work the same as $8 hdmi cable at monoprice.
- -sputnik-0
there are no more burn issues w/plasmas...all models sold nowadays have that issue solved.
couldn't be happier w/my panasonic plasma, which doesn't mean that i wouldn't have liked an LCD. based on the room we have it in, lighting and use we went with a plasma. under different circumstances we might've gotten an LCD.
saying one is better than the other is just like the mac vs. pc argument.
- Meeklo0
Plasmas will run up your electric bill significantly.
Go LCD..
Larger, darker, blacker, lighter. they both look the same.
- Meeklo0
I then played it off my laptop dvd player with a HDMI cable (about $150) and it was a world's difference!!
mbr
(May 29 07, 08:08)Dude.. is your HDMI cable 350ft long, or did it came in a bag full of cocaine?
- chossy0
for fooler isn't it aren't they oooohh.
- mitsu0
i personally went with a 56" dlp. it has great contrast ratio, and most importantly, doesn't have those chunky artifacts during high-motion scenes common with other technologies.
the only downside is you can't hang it on a wall and the viewing angle isn't as wide as lcd/plasma.
- Nairn0
"those chunky artifacts during high-motion scenes common with other technologies."
Are those not a product of the encoding of the source data, rather than from the TV itself?
- mitsu0
almost every lcd/plasma i've seen in stores has had this problem. the only one that wasnt' that bad was the high end pioneer plasma's. but tv isn't important enough for me to spend $5k.