Plasma vs. LCD

[kennith]

Scott, your bullet points are about emissive displays being better than LCD transmissive displays. It may be an esoteric distinction, because LCD is pretty much the mainstay for a transmissive display, but it is not the only technology (part of my work was to develop a wide-field-of-view optical switch with response time less than a nanosecond).
Also, don't assume emissive displays have wide viewing angle because the emitters are isotropic - they are not. And contrast ratio is both overrated as a preference factor (because of stray light) and limited (because of anti-glare coatings).

For the practical purposes, I don't understand the nature of burn-in pattern in plasma screens. I thought this was something done away with - apparently not.

EDIT: looks like OLED TVs have come down in price to just somewhat higher than LCD models, that does it for me.

Burn in can never be done away with completely. It was the same with a CRT. We are at a point now, though, that a top tier Plasma isn't really any worse than a late model CRT was in that respect. It's just that with all the LCD computer monitors out there, people have forgotten about burn in. That can leave people to complain about image retention, which can most often be cured within the televisions utilities menu, or by playing something that takes up the whole screen for a few minutes.

Field of view issues have similarly been reduced in the LCD market. They are still there, just like burn in on a plasma, but not to a great degree.

The point is: If you want to leave a PC desktop on your monitor, completely idle for hours on end, you will need to use a screen saver, and if you've got a very wide viewing room or an expensive in-home theater, those little field of view issues can upset all that work.

Those are indeed deciding factors. I know someone who doesn't have HD programming, and leaves his television on from 8am to 1am every day, to keep the dogs company. Leaving that 4:3 crap on the screen fucking eternally is going to burn something in no matter what you do. Yeah, I know you can expand it, but he won't do it.

I made sure he bought an LCD...

So, those are still points worth noting.

If you want to get into what makes the point about movie theaters different, that's a different can of worms, and I just can't keep that post short while getting the point across.

A movie theater uses one of two technologies: Film projection or DLP projection. Each is vastly different than your personal display, and one cannot effectively defend an LCD by referencing movie theaters, no matter how much we discuss the apparent similarities.

Knewsom:

I've got 20/10 in both eyes, as well as a nasty case of hypersensitivity to light. Calibration is a bit of a unique process for me, and I've got to have a damn good display to pull it off. I can do a crossword by the bleed from an LCD displaying a black image in a totally dark room. The idle illumination from a plasma annoys me, as well, but not nearly as much.

That's why I was pissed that I couldn't afford a Kuro... :banghead:

I'm going to have to compromise one way or another, though, and I don't want a projector. Even if I did, they merely provide me with different irritations.

Sucks having eyes that sharp, doesn't it?

The very tiny stuff doesn't matter to most people, but my visual world is different than theirs. I live in a world of thunderous light and splitting headaches during the day. I've got many expensive (and some silly looking) solutions for getting through the day. Without those, I'm a fairly nocturnal creature.

The light overpowers any of my problems with cell arrays in plasma displays. It's never going to be perfect for me.

And I know LED illumination generally comes from the sides.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[Blue]

Lol

 

[kennith]

Lol

?

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[kennith]

That was my shortest post ever, which I have ruined by making a note of it.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[jim-00-4.6]

So i think it's a safe bet that knewsom knows what "pluge" is.
Who else?
And going to wikipedia to look it up doesn't count.

I had a sony 1272 CRT projector in the basement for years.
diagonal lines on CRTs vs. any digital version is apples and snowballs.

Of course, anything bigger than a 7.5'x10', and i could count the (525) scan lines from that projector!

 

[Mike_Rupp]

60" Panasonic Viera Plasma is on its way. The previous homeowner installed in wall speakers for 7.1, so I bought a relatively inexpensive Onkyo receiver. We'll see if that is acceptable. If not, It will get moved to the family room and I'll have to start over with new speakers. At a minimum I'll probably use a better center channel speaker.

AMZN was over $200 less than Best Buy. I walked into Best Buy just to get an idea of what the TVs were like and was reminded why I prefer shopping online.

 

[bovw]

I have the Panasonic in 42", I think you will like it. I would have liked to have gone bigger, but all of the rooms in my house are fairly small.

 

[d2dave]

50" panasonic plasma. lcds are too slow when watching sports

 

[Big Papa]

I just bought a 51 inch Samsung Plasma 3D on sale at Best Buy, also came with 2 free 3d glasses. Very nice picture. Looks so much better than my LG LCD.

 

[Axel]

While the discussion about the technology behind plasma and LCD TV's is an interesting one, in the end a purchase decision comes down to personal preference and budget. When I was in the market for a flat screen TV earlier this year, I went to my local Best Buy, and looked at a number of display models in the size I was looking for (42 inches) and picked the one that in my subjective view had the best picture within my budget. I ended up with a LED/LCD model from LG.

I was not interested in the sound, as I was also getting a new Yamaha A/V receiver and a Polk 5.1 speaker system. The main criteria for the A/V receiver was good sound, and as many HDMI inputs as I could get. (six). I miss the days when receivers just had volume, bass and treble dials though. This model sounds great, but you need a degree in engineering to take full advantage of all the sound processing options. I actually do have a degree in electric engineering, so maybe I will sit down and read the entire manual some day - but I digress.....

Didn't need any Internet connectivity on the TV, as my DVD player and HD Tivo box already has it. This setup also has a small media PC from Dell, which for now holds my CD's and DVD's on a couple of external hardrives. A NAS will be added later, but I have not decided on which one yet. I also use the media pc with the LG flatscreen as a monitor to stream Netflix, OnDemand from Comcast and Norwegian news channels occasionally. I also use it for Skype video chats every now and then.

All components are connected to the Yamaha with HDMI cables, except for my XM receiver, and the whole system is connected to a big APC Ups with enough capacity to run the whole system on battery backup for about 40 minutes. The reason for this is not that I need to watch TV in the dark, the main purpose is to provide clean, regulated power to the whole system in order to minimize damage from brownouts and power surges. Electronic components appreciate that.

I am happy with my setup. To me, the picture quality on the LG is great. Someone else may prefer a plasma, but that is their choice.

 

[p m]

I just bought a 51 inch Samsung Plasma 3D on sale at Best Buy, also came with 2 free 3d glasses. Very nice picture. Looks so much better than my LG LCD.

I hate to bring up this comparison, but... I often do.

Jews: it is silly and sinful to imagine a God in human form. Leave it to your imagination.
Christians: God comes in a triad - God proper, just like God but in human form, and something we are unclear about. Here are your two-dimensional representations, feel free to relate.
Catholics: ... and if you're incapable of imagination altogether, here's your 3D piece on every corner that you can come and touch so you know for sure what's where.

Blows my mind every working day how much effort I spend on things like showing in 3D that there's an overhead wire somewhere in the sticks, while every image analyst sees it right off the bat in grayscale imagery.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

I'm staring at a 60" Plasma screen that has a nice crack running down the middle.

FUCK!

 

[Big Papa]

I hate to bring up this comparison, but... I often do.

Jews: it is silly and sinful to imagine a God in human form. Leave it to your imagination.
Christians: God comes in a triad - God proper, just like God but in human form, and something we are unclear about. Here are your two-dimensional representations, feel free to relate.
Catholics: ... and if you're incapable of imagination altogether, here's your 3D piece on every corner that you can come and touch so you know for sure what's where.

Blows my mind every working day how much effort I spend on things like showing in 3D that there's an overhead wire somewhere in the sticks, while every image analyst sees it right off the bat in grayscale imagery.

There was no way in hell, my wife was going to look at anything else, when there was two free Samsung 3D glasses included. Believe me, I tried. I know I'll put them on once, and that's about it.

But a new plasma does look better, than my over priced 5 yr old LCD. The old gets older I guess.

 

[SGaynor]

I'm staring at a 60" Plasma screen that has a nice crack running down the middle.

FUCK!

So how's Amazon.com workin' out for ya?

Actually, that sucks. I'm assuming it was done during shipping and not when you were installing it?

 

[p m]

There was no way in hell, my wife was going to look at anything else, when there was two free Samsung 3D glasses included. Believe me, I tried. I know I'll put them on once, and that's about it.

No worries, just had to rant on this subject.

Mike - it sucks. Hope you get a replacement.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

So how's Amazon.com workin' out for ya?

Actually, that sucks. I'm assuming it was done during shipping and not when you were installing it?

Well, we'll see. I called AMZN's customer service and they are shipping a new one out and picking up the old one at no cost. Problems happen; what matters is how the company deals with it.

Years ago, when I moved from one house to another, I bought a satellite dish so that it could be installed at the new house. When I called up Directv to let them know of the new address, they informed me that they'd install a new dish for me at the house at no charge. Once the move was done and things settled down, I took the dish that I bought from Best Buy back to return it.

The pimpled face douche replied that since it was past 30 days, they wouldn't take the dish back. No store credit, no refund, nothing. I told the guy that I was literally walking in the store to return the dish and then going to buy a bunch of stuff. Didn't matter. I even asked him if he could take it back, but simply wouldn't. The answer was yes.

Since then, I don't buy things at Best Buy anymore. It has been about 7 years since that happened and the only thing I've bought there is a cell phone charger because I left mine home while on a trip. The one thing that gives me joy is walking into a Best Buy and having a salesperson show me various things so I can make a good purchase decision and then go buy it at Amazon. Normally, I think that behavior is pretty crass, but they deserve it.

 

[SGaynor]

Well, we'll see. I called AMZN's customer service and they are shipping a new one out and picking up the old one at no cost. Problems happen; what matters is how the company deals with it.

They're shipping one out and not waiting for the original one first? That's nice of them. I hope you get a good one this time.

NB: Always keep your plasma vertical - don't lay it down on it's back/front. Check to see how the shippers sent it, too.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Axel]

Well, we'll see. I called AMZN's customer service and they are shipping a new one out and picking up the old one at no cost. Problems happen; what matters is how the company deals with it.

In my experience, Amazon's customer service has been stellar. I have had a couple of items arrive DOA over the years - shit happens - but Amazon has always taken it back at their cost, for a replacement or refund.

 

[no694terry]

ill sell you a 47" phillips lcd cheap so i can go buy a 55" panasonic plasma