Thinking about going Plasma for my next TV

[tommy_ed]

I've always liked LCDs because of the reduced glare, but man it seems like the picture quality of Plasma is unmatched in low light. I don't really care about energy efficiency or weight/size, and the more I think about it, I really only watch TV at nighttime.

Should I go plasma?
I'm looking for a 55-60 inch and am wanting to spend under $1,500.

 

[DaSchmarotzer]

If you use it for gaming then I would advise against a plasma, because burn-in does occur (it's temporary, but it can be annoying!). Burn-in also occurs when shows/movies/games do not "fill" the entire screen (if black bars are present on the screen).

I have a 50 inches plasma. As far as picture quality goes, I can't really help you there, since all I can compare with is my computer LCD.

 

[Dark Jedi]

I can just go by why happened to my in-laws plasma. Lasted 5 years and like the person above me said if the picture don't fill the whole screen then you get burn in and when the picture did fill the whole screen you could see the two blocks on the side as would be a different brightness than the center. They got rid of it and got a led or was it LCD TVs and it looks better and has lasted longer than that plasma. I have a 52in I think Samsung LCD and the picture is bright enough in low low light.

 

[330D]

I've had a 42 inch Panasonic plasma for 5 years. I game often, as does my son. I have never had a problem with burn in. In my opinion, the picture quality is far superior to any LCD I've seen. (just my opinion) It is relatively old tech, so usually they can be had way cheaper than anything that would compare. And they can't be destroyed as easily as an LCD with a light hit to the screen...

 

[Vihzel]

I've owned 4 different plasmas over the past few years and haven't had any issues with burn-in. I do know that burn-ins can happen for sure if you, for example, watch TV using the full screen 4:3 mode instead of using up the entire widescreen. My parents do have a Samsung plasma (a bit older though) that has permanent burn-ins (I believe) because they ALWAYS watch in 4:3 mode since my parents don't watch anything that requires widescreen except perhaps some movies but they rarely watch movies, especially my dad.

Plasmas are absolutely wonderful for gaming and movies. I decided to get an LG LCD when I moved to NYC because my living room gets a lot of light and glares always annoyed me. I felt like I was looking in a mirror with my last plasma at times during the day.

You'll be sure to find a 55-60 inch plasma for under $1,500, especially with Black Friday coming up. I highly recommend you try to find a great deal for one. I don't know how often they do Black Friday deals for TVs that huge but you're bound to find one. Thankfully, plasmas are always cheaper than their LCD/LED counterparts.

 

[Remeniz]

If your gonna go for a plasma tv then pay for a decent one. Yes your gonna have to take a little care to avoid screen burn but the upside is a far superior picture compared to the cartoony looking pictures on LCDs. The matrix LED LCDs are much better with the contrasts than cathode/LED edge lit LCDs, and are expensive, but use the same money on a full HD premium plasma and you'll have a much better visual experience.

 

[NYCHitman1]

Panasonic Viera, do it do it.

 

[pool_shark]

Plasma problems have been repeated since they're invention even though the problems have gone away.
They are more energy efficient than they were, burn in is not an issue, and the recharge myth that was started by sales personnel just isn't true.

 

[tommy_ed]

hmmm all good points! i've heard that burn in isn't really a problem these days, so I'm not too concerned about that. I looked at two different TVs in HH Gregg and I'm trying to decide between the two. They are the same exact price, $1,099. One is a Samsung 55" LED Smart TV and the other is an LG 60" Plasma. Lookin in the store I actually thought the picture on the LED was a little better than the Plasma, so I'm prolly gonna give LED a shot as long as I think it's big enough once I get it into my living room

 

[Vihzel]

Fair warning: Never compare TVs in the store at store settings. Always ask for the remotes for the TVs so you can adjust them to how you would normally watch them in your living room. Unless you always watch them at maxed out settings and use up a lot more energy, make sure you change them and mess around with the settings.

As with anything, do your research research research. I usually spend about 2 weeks before I actually purchase a TV because I research the hell out of all of my options. With Black Friday coming up, make sure that there aren't super deals coming up where you can save several hundreds for an equivalent TV.

If you're planning on having it delivered, I would recommend getting some kind of store warranty where they will come to your home (like Best Buy's Black Tie) in the case that you need to exchange it.

 

[tommy_ed]

i'm not too worried about it because they offer a 30-day exchange policy. just gotta make sure there aren't any crazy restocking fees!

 

[gallandof]

i have both a 50" plasma(panasonic gseries) and a 55" LED(samsung 8000 series 3d LED) and i prefer the plasma 9/10 times, the LED is nice and thin, but does seem washed out still when its really bright lighting on screen, plus since my LED is 240hz games dont run as smoothly as i would like. My only issue with the plasma is the amount of heat it puts off, the room it's in doent have a heater or anything since its only used as a game room, and when the tv PC and consoles are running the room heats right up.

plus for the price of a plasma its a win/win (yes there is screen burn in but i only notice it on loading screens when there very little motion if any.)

 

[angldvl81]

An old roommate of mine had a plasma and i didn't care for the amount of heat it put off. I don't remember the picture quality off hand, but since I have a toddler that heat is a turnoff.

 

[jamor]

I have the Panasonic Viera Plasma and I absolutely love it.

No burn ins or anything weird like that.

Plasmas refresh at 600 hz while LCDs are still at 60/120/240hz which means that Plasmas are better for gaming and sports - but beyond the numbers, Plasmas have deeper blacks and richer colors too.

 

[Vihzel]

Actually, the 600Hz really doesn't make a difference when it comes to motion blur. When talking about a 600Hz plasma (standard) vs. an LCD or LED with 60Hz+, you're talking about two very different technologies. What really makes plasmas stand out in terms of handling motion blur is that they have almost instantaneous response times while LCDs and LEDs are slower.

The 600Hz is more of a marketing strategy to make it appear as if plasmas are far better than the others. Think of it as like MPs in cameras. Is a 12MP camera really better than a 10MP camera?

Now what does make a difference when comparing two LCDs with one at 60Hz and the other at 240Hz. There you will be able to physically see a difference.

 

[tommy_ed]

I'm going to give the LED a shot mainly because I'm worried the plasma will reflect too much light in the room i'll have it in. I hope I won't be disappointed!

 

[jamor]

Actually, the 600Hz really doesn't make a difference when it comes to motion blur. When talking about a 600Hz plasma (standard) vs. an LCD or LED with 60Hz+, you're talking about two very different technologies. What really makes plasmas stand out in terms of handling motion blur is that they have almost instantaneous response times while LCDs and LEDs are slower.

The 600Hz is more of a marketing strategy to make it appear as if plasmas are far better than the others. Think of it as like MPs in cameras. Is a 12MP camera really better than a 10MP camera?

Now what does make a difference when comparing two LCDs with one at 60Hz and the other at 240Hz. There you will be able to physically see a difference.

Right. Well I knew the Plasma was superior in handling motion blur but I thought it was Hz AND response time but perhaps you are right and it is just the response time. Because LCD panels take 2ms or longer to switch you get ghosting, judder, motion lag, or other motion artifacts that you normally don't see.

Add that to the superior viewing angles, richer colors, deeper blacks and lower prices, the Plasma has quite a bit of advantages.

I don't have any problems with any of my lights or things that glow reflecting off my TV either.

LED definitely has it's pros too though. The energy saving would be nice.

 

[gallandof]

it's very similar to the differences between cellphone screens, AMOLED screens are very similar to plasma, and LCD's and just like the LCD/LED tv's. if you prefer AMOLED then you will more than likely prefer plasma.

 

[Remeniz]

Guys. You gotta remember that the LED tv's are in fact LCD tv's with a matrix of LEDs to form the back lighting; the LEDs are nothing to do with the pixels and on an LED tv the pixels come from the LCD panel. It's very clever marketing and they forget to tell you that the LED part only refers to the back light technology. Because LED(??) tv's have the matrix of LEDs to form the back light behind the LCD panel you can switch on/off the LEDs according to what the LCD panel is displaying and it's this that improves the contrast and the blacks on an LCD-LED tv.

It's a big improvement from the LCD panels that had edge lit technology, that gave those grey blacks, but it still doesn't beat a top end plasma.... Each pixel on a plasma display gives of a primary colour with quick reaction times.. No back lighting... Each red, green or blue cell emits that colour and can be turned full on, full off or anything in between. All driven by a high voltage plasma engine.

You can have a true LED tv but it'll be far to big to fit in your house and very expensive.... LED monitors are the kind of things you see at huge concerts and stages.

 

[mrqs]

just to make this a little bit more complicated for you, there's another option: projectors

i've had one for quite a while and it is the best way to get a BIG picture for not much money

of course it does suffer from ambient light more than a plasma or an lcd and it doesn't have as good a picture quality either way, but you can have 3-5 times more area for the same price (depending on the size and layout of your room)