Let's talk TV's. Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED

[Toothpick]

My tax refund is going towards a new TV. I've been watching a 32" LCD for 7 years and recently sold it. So now I am without a TV and ready to buy.

But what technology should I go for?

I want a 50"-55" screen size. I'll be sitting about 10-12 feet away so the size screen I want should be somewhat ideal given the standard rule (3x the inches away as the size of the TV)

I've seen great prices on Plasma (51" Samsung for $600). I've seen high prices on LED (55" LG for $999) and about the same for LCD.

If a plasma TV is $400-$500 cheaper for roughly the same size as a LED/LCD why wouldn't I want to do it? These are basic TV's as well, no smart TV, no 3D, both 1080p.

Any input from plasma owners? any TV gurus here that can way in on the pros/cons of LED/Plasma/LCD

 

[ouch]

Hey, the game starts in a few hours- better get cracking.

 

[BigKev77]

Tax refund?? What's that??

I am no tv guru. I have had a 49in lg plasma for a couple of years and I can't see being any happier that I am now. Of course I haven't checked out the new stuff in a while. That and as bad as my eyes are I don't think it matters

 

[xillion]

This guide may help.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-EFqOCsyYU1S/learn/learningcenter/home/tv_flatpanel.html

I'm a happy plasma owner. I've had my Panasonic for about four years. I've had no issues and
the quality of the display still blows my mind.

 

[DonN]

know nothing about plasma but couldn't be happier with our 46'' Sony Bravia XBR LCD ; 6 years old and can still see the whiskers on the quarterback's face !!

 

[tommyguns]

i cant express my love enough for my led tv.

 

[Toothpick]

This guide may help.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-EFqOCsyYU1S/learn/learningcenter/home/tv_flatpanel.html

I'm a happy plasma owner. I've had my Panasonic for about four years. I've had no issues and
the quality of the display still blows my mind.

Thanks that guide helped a lot. i think i know what i want. still very interested in what others think though.

Hey, the game starts in a few hours- better get cracking.

I know! Puppy Bowl IX!!!! can't wait to see those hedgehog cheerleaders! oh and lets not forget the kitty half time show. spectacular!

 

[oakeshott]

I work with engineers in the media business and they're all TV geeks. When I went through this decision making process a few years back, the answer was overwhelming: PLASMA. Truer colors and the the problems that used to plague plasma screens were worked out years ago.

All that said, the average person will be happy with any of the modern sets.

 

[Toothpick]

I work with engineers in the media business and they're all TV geeks. When I went through this decision making process a few years back, the answer was overwhelming: PLASMA. Truer colors and the the problems that used to plague plasma screens were worked out years ago.

All that said, the average person will be happy with any of the modern sets.

Thanks to the article i read posted earlier here I think that's what i'm going to go with. Mainly because I watch tv 80% in low light, during the evening/night with just a lamp on. I can't imagine that the energy used is THAT MUCH MORE than LCD/LED. Plasma seems to be cheaper than the other options as well.

but on the other hand the LED's are super thin and sexy sleek.

 

[imbored2deth]

Plasma TVs used to have a reputation of "image burn" if the set was left on too long. This issue has seemed to have been cleared up (no pun intended). Image quality tends to be very good. One downside is that plasma TVs will draw more power. If you care about that aspect, check the specs and get the best you can for your needs. They also tend to be heavier so have good wall support. For the size you want, 1080p is the choice.

LED/LCDs are nice but in the past had issues of when the picture was looked at an angle (does anyone really do this?). I believe this has been fixed but I suspect the more you spend the better the image. I also saw instances where you would get more pixelation (kind of like a portion of the image gets all blurry) if you had a fast sequence happening. Just like a computer monitor for gaming, it should have a fast response time.

Either way you will probably be ok but if you are a hardcore movie guy i would go with plasma as the coloring will probably be better. You do need to set the TV up correctly to get max benefit. There are probably youtube videos that show how to DIY.

 

[jmsodpc]

i had a plasma that broke in about 6 yrs....swapped it out with an LED....i can notice the reduction in my monthly electric bill! the tv is on for hours everyday since i have two small kids in the house all day.

i also have an LCD in my bedroom.


personally i think the LED is the nicest....the LCD is decent too....the plasma was good when it was new...after a few years i noticed i had to change the volume and brightness settings just to be like it used to be.


overall i would do LED....GREAT colors, super light weight and has a nice edge to edge picture

 

[Fatboy]

I went cheap on mine. I wanted a Samsung 51" plasma, but wound up getting a 50" LCD instead. I was worried since our 7 year old Olevia was an LCD, that I wouldn't see that much difference. It was like night and day. The new LCD technology is so much better I can't believe it. And it was only $450 so the price was fantastic.

Plasma's are better IMO, but I couldn't be more satisfied for the $150 less I paid with the LCD I brought home. Wasn't worth the price for the upgrade for me. Plus I figure I'll be buying another one 4-5 years from now as prices come down, so this one is just fine.

 

[Toothpick]

i had a plasma that broke in about 6 yrs....swapped it out with an LED....i can notice the reduction in my monthly electric bill! the tv is on for hours everyday since i have two small kids in the house all day.

it was wondering bout this. I figured a plasma couldn't be that much more in energy, but maybe so. for me the TV will likely be on up to 5 hours on a normal day. less if i have things to do.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

I have a 64" Samsung plasma TV. Fantastic picture quality, but it generates a lot of heat.

 

[ksb63]

Just wemt through this and picked plasma, better color deeper black and much better motion.

 

[DC_MPA]

I'm not gonna read everyone's replies so I can give my personal experience to you. We bought a big house, I get my own private room just for my game room / man cave. I went shopping for a 50-55 inch as well as we have a 54 inch plasma in the living room.

Here is what I found out after exhaustive multiple month research.

Your viewing distance is perfect for a 50-55 inch. Is this tv going to be ricocheting against any windows or kitchen/hallway lighting? If so, LED is the way to go. If not a plasma is definitely the way to go. Plasma will ricochet the glare off the glass and can sometimes be annoying. Go to a store and see what I'm talking about. LED will not do that. Plasma will give better flows and deeper blacks. This makes a huge difference with fast paced movies, and video gaming. Do not get anything under a 120hz and consider investing more in a 240 hz. The difference between a 60,120,240 hz is the speed of processing. You don't see it until you compare on the refresh/processing and you will see a huge difference. Now with plasma just get a 600hz and you will be golden. On both don't get a 720 screen, get a 1080. You will greatly appreciate the depth of HD in that size of tv and 10-15 feet spread on the viewing distance.

Do you have a home theater this tv is going compliment? If not I would greatly steer you to play with sound bars. $250-300 can get you a sound bar that will have you wondering why you listened to factory speakers for so long.

Lastly, the difference between LED and LCD is the lighting - that's it. LCD uses traditional lighting to display the picture and LED is an LCD tv where LED's display the picture giving a more vivid and even display.

Oh gosh and I forgot - all of my research told me two key brands. Stay with panasonic for plasma and LG for LED/LCD. Both have the top technology and panasonic is the master of plasma right now.

dont worry about plasma burn that concern is way in the past of technologies now. Google it and you'll see where screen burn is a thing of the past for consumers. Now businesses who run 12 hour days on scrolling bars or set menus or announcements - yeah then it becomes a problem but guess what, same thing happened on old tube TV's too!

 

[Toothpick]

I'm not gonna read everyone's replies so I can give my personal experience to you. We bought a big house, I get my own private room just for my game room / man cave. I went shopping for a 50-55 inch as well as we have a 54 inch plasma in the living room.

Here is what I found out after exhaustive multiple month research.

Your viewing distance is perfect for a 50-55 inch. Is this tv going to be ricocheting against any windows or kitchen/hallway lighting? If so, LED is the way to go. If not a plasma is definitely the way to go. Plasma will ricochet the glare off the glass and can sometimes be annoying. Go to a store and see what I'm talking about. LED will not do that. Plasma will give better flows and deeper blacks. This makes a huge difference with fast paced movies, and video gaming. Do not get anything under a 120hz and consider investing more in a 240 hz. The difference between a 60,120,240 hz is the speed of processing. You don't see it until you compare on the refresh/processing and you will see a huge difference. Now with plasma just get a 600hz and you will be golden. On both don't get a 720 screen, get a 1080. You will greatly appreciate the depth of HD in that size of tv and 10-15 feet spread on the viewing distance.

Do you have a home theater this tv is going compliment? If not I would greatly steer you to play with sound bars. $250-300 can get you a sound bar that will have you wondering why you listened to factory speakers for so long.

Lastly, the difference between LED and LCD is the lighting - that's it. LCD uses traditional lighting to display the picture and LED is an LCD tv where LED's display the picture giving a more vivid and even display.

Oh gosh and I forgot - all of my research told me two key brands. Stay with panasonic for plasma and LG for LED/LCD. Both have the top technology and panasonic is the master of plasma right now.

dont worry about plasma burn that concern is way in the past of technologies now. Google it and you'll see where screen burn is a thing of the past for consumers. Now businesses who run 12 hour days on scrolling bars or set menus or announcements - yeah then it becomes a problem but guess what, same thing happened on old tube TV's too!

great info thanks! I'll be watching TV mostly late afternoon and evening with a lamp. low light, so plasma is the way for me i'm thinking.

good tip on the sound bar, I don't currently have a surround sound and actually not interested in running wires or mounting speakers, but the sound bar sounds simple.

my LCD i had was LG and i was actually looking for a plasma LG but they dont seem to make many....like 2 in the size i want. Samsung and Panasonic seem to be the major players in Plasma.

 

[OldAF]

My 73" Mits projection TV is still going strong and has a great picture (one bulb replacement). I'd be very tempted to buy another as a bang for the buck value. Plasmas always look soft to me. Having said that, the very best I ever saw was a plasma... a Pioneer Elite. What a shame they quit making them. Pioneer has again started making Elite TVs but they are LED. The price for a 60" is about $5,500.
In the price range you seem to be thinking about, I'd go Plasma. If you are considering LED this might help: http://reviews.cnet.com/2795-6482_7-399.html
The article is a couple of years old but it explains why some LED TVs are way more expensive than others. Best of luck in your search.

 

[DC_MPA]

Sounds like a 600hz, 1080 panasonic plasma is the way for you to go. Soundbars are fabulous for those who, like you, don't want to invest a few thousand into a true Dolby theater like experience in their house. I bought this soundbar http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HTCT550W...&qid=1359926275&sr=8-3&keywords=Sony+soundbar for my man cave/game room and the black bar blends under the tv and stretches the length of the 50 inch tv. It comes with a tiny receiver box that's easy to hide and what I love is the wireless subwoofer. That wireless subwoofer mirrors the sound extremely well. It was an easy $300 to spend and took all of 15 minutes to hook up to my panasonic plasma.

 

[Toothpick]

tax refund can't get here fast enough now! I should have waited till i had the money to post this