And now for something completely nonpolitcal--plasma vs. LCD?

[raisindot]

Folks--

I may be one of the few people left in America who hasn't "gone HD" yet.

It will be awhile or a winning megabucks ticket before I get the large-screen TV of my dreams, but I do often stop in the TV section of my local electronics-things-that-guys-must-get emporium and look piningly at the latest 50" wide screens on display.

Anyway, I've concluded, for my eyes at least, that, in general I prefer plasma vs. LCD. Mainly because I find that fast motion on LCD is very jerky.

But, after looking at plasmas again, I began to notice that they were all "flickering," like a computer monitor at a lower resolution. It's not blatant or anything, but even though I'm blind as a bad distance-wise, I've always been sensitive to flickering displays.

At first I thought it was just me. But then I went down the aisles, looking at TVs without looking at the descriptions. In every situation, just by getting my 'flicker reaction,' I could tell whether one was an LCD or a plasma.

My question to you: Do any of you have the same 'flicker sensitivity,' and, if so, have you found a plasma model that either flickers less or not at all?

Thanks!

Jeff

 

[luvmysuper]

I never noticed the flickering. Could it just be the refresh rate that this particular store had everything set to?

I went with LCD myself, largely because the difference in resolution of the two displays now days is so small as to be insignificant.

What pushed me to LCD over Plasma was the whole "screen burn in" issue with video games on Plasma TV's.

Ok, I know the Plasma has a darker black than LCD, but overall I am quite content with the LCD.

 

[tg16]

I have LCD. My living room has two large 72" x 72" windows and due to this I chose the LCD. No matter how you cut it, glare can be a problem.

 

[mmack66]

If you watch a lot of sports or other fast movement television programs, the conventional wisdom says to go with plasma. But, plasma televisions are about to go the way of the dodo, so I wouldn't wait too long.

 

[Lynchmeister]

I have a 46" LCD Sharp Aquos with a 120hz refresh rate and I love it. Awesome picture while watching TV/DVDs as well as when it doubles as my computer monitor, which I've connected via HDMI.

I suppose I don't really know enough about the differences between the two to recommend one over the other, but the consensus I've always received was that LCD was superior to plasma. As far as the motion blur/jerk, with the 120hz refresh rate, I've never experienced it with my TV.

 

[Unknownsoldier]

LCD all the way, my previous telly a plasma, doubled up as a central heating system (FYI a 42 inch plasma can heat a three bed semi with no problems LOL).

My Samsung LCD knocks spots of my plasma...... hands down, cheaper to run, buy and gives a better picture, no contest

Tom

 

[Unknownsoldier]

I have LCD. My living room has two large 72" x 72" windows and due to this I chose the LCD. No matter how you cut it, glare can be a problem.

Don't have this problem with my LCD, it just blocks out both of my windows LOL No light anywhere........

Tom

 

[ratcheer]

When I bought my 50" two years ago, I researched all the pros and cons and models and chose a Panasonic Viera plasma. It has been great - excellent picture and no technical problems at all.

The biggest drawback of plasma was power consumption. I am sure that this has been cut by over 50% with no loss of picture quality.

So, if you want a top quality picture, I would still give my recommendation to plasma. Make sure a set in the 50" range consumes less than 350 watts. Mine uses 700 - it is like a space heater, which is great in cold weather but awful in the warm months.

YMMV,
Tim

 

[gaseousclay]

What pushed me to LCD over Plasma was the whole "screen burn in" issue with video games on Plasma TV's.

Ok, I know the Plasma has a darker black than LCD, but overall I am quite content with the LCD.

+1. I bought my lcd a few years back before they started dropping in price but this was the main reason I went to lcd over plasma. plus, technology has gotten to the point where lcd's look just as good as plasmas. although, I was told that lcd's are just as susceptible to ghosting as plasmas.

 

[Ron Gallant]

If you can find a Pioneer Kuro Elite Plasma. Most high end auio/video forums consider these to be the best picture available. Amazing black levels. Pioneer sold this line a few months back (I cried), so good luck. I
I have had my 1150 Pro for about a year and I still find it hard to look at anything else. Nothing really compares.
Some will say LCDs are brighter. Well, you will have to turn down the brightness significantly on most better TVs, not a real world issue.
And for TVs over 50", plasmas are usually cheaper.
Don't just like it, love it.

 

[xpavar]

Plasmas made within the last couple of years have no issues with burn-in. It's a thing of the past. However, they do use more electricity than a similar sized LCD. LCD's are good for brightly lit rooms, plasmas have always had and continue to have deeper blacks. I have a Panasonic plasma and love it. Great for sports, gaming, etc.

 

[Ron Gallant]

Plasmas made within the last couple of years have no issues with burn-in. It's a thing of the past. However, they do use more electricity than a similar sized LCD. LCD's are good for brightly lit rooms, plasmas have always had and continue to have deeper blacks. I have a Panasonic plasma and love it. Great for sports, gaming, etc.

Again, LCDs are brighter sometimes, but they are both brighter than you will usually ever need. Even in a brightly lit room.

Just so that's clear.

 

[ratcheer]

Again, LCDs are brighter sometimes, but they are both brighter than you will usually ever need. Even in a brightly lit room.

Just so that's clear.

+1

One of the major adjustments I made to my plasma was turning down the brightness.

Tim

 

[Tacheless]

LCD for me !!

 

[tgarza]

The new LED tv's look real sharp!

 

[Ron Gallant]

Regardless of WHAT you buy. Buy a good calibration disk and LEARN how to adjust your settings. Sharpness = Mach3

 

[Phog Allen]

Hey chaps. I too am still trudging along with an old analog 27" crt tele. One thing I been trying to learn about is the new OLED tvs. According to the youngster at our local Best Buy(always reliable yes?) the OLED should overtake both LCD and plasma in the next few years. He said it was mostly due to reduced manufacturing costs, less weight, less long term issues with picture quality, and a couple of other things. I don't know if this is correct but I know I can't get much information about OLEDs actually being in production. At least at any kind of reasonable costs. Just wondering.

Regards, Todd

 

[Ron Gallant]

Hey chaps. I too am still trudging along with an old analog 27" crt tele. One thing I been trying to learn about is the new OLED tvs. According to the youngster at our local Best Buy(always reliable yes?) the OLED should overtake both LCD and plasma in the next few years. He said it was mostly due to reduced manufacturing costs, less weight, less long term issues with picture quality, and a couple of other things. I don't know if this is correct but I know I can't get much information about OLEDs actually being in production. At least at any kind of reasonable costs. Just wondering.

Regards, Todd

May take a few years, but yes, he's right....for once.

(Wow, just read this again. I didn't mean Todd was right for once. Actually, I don't recall typing "for once", Sorry Todd.)


However, right now your paying a premium for it while some of the current offering are better. That being said, it wont take long, the technology is capable of more than either LCD or Plasma. I will miss you plasma.

 

[Kratos]

Plasma still has better picture, and no slowdown. But even with video games, I still haven't caught any slowdown on my LCD. Longevity was one of the deciding factors in my decision, as was resolution. They had larger plasma screens for the same price, but they were only 720p. I prefer DLP to either, but those are getting hard to find. Great picture, and still the best screen-perdollar ratio. I'll replace a bulb every couple years or so. That's no big deal. Unlike dead pixels(LCD) and the screen going out(plasma). But I needed my flatscreen NOW, so I went with a 42" LCD.

OLED is still a ways off from competing with the current crop. It could go the way of the fabled SED.

 

[CJayhawk]

The plasma "flicker" problem would not be a store-by-store problem, as these stores do absolutely nothing aside from plug the TV in, tune it, and leave it alone. (I was a Home Theater Supervisor for Best Buy a few years back.) As mentioned previously in this thread, these TVs come out of the box adjusted so poorly that it will be hard to look at once you get home. No matter which type of set you choose, your first step should always be to run a calibration setup disk (Even if it is as simple as the THX Calibration on every Pixar DVD.)

If you are seeing the flicker at the store, you're going to see it at home. While I personally view that Plasmas are much cleaner when it comes to fast motion, most people will not notice the LCD blur *once they get used to it*. I have a 42" 1080p LG LCD 60Hz that will occasionally blur, but I barely notice it anymore. One reason is because I have adjusted it so the picture is not so bright that it would blind a cat.

If you are worried about blur on an LCD, you could look at the 120Hz technology. I can tell you that my dad has a Panasonic Viera Plasma, and it looks amazing. (He had his professionally calibrated.)

And of course, the best thing that you can do to make sure you get the best picture possible is to buy the correct size television. The closer you are to a TV, the more imperfections you can see. The average I have found best is for best results is for every inch of TV, you should be 3x the distance away. (For 42" TV, you would be 126", or 10.5 feet. I sit about 9 feet away from mine, and it is great.)

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. I miss talking about televisions all day.