Plasma vs LCD | GTAMotorcycle.com

Plasma vs LCD

professor

professor

Well-known member
I tried a search and don't believe this has been talked about. If it has i apologize. I'm in the market for a couple more tvs. I'm looking for a 55-60 for my living room. Predominantly it would be used for movies and sports. And occasionally the odd tv show here and there. But mostly sports!!

Now the second will just be for my son in his playroom. He's 5 and into animation movies still, and of course cartoons. Looking for a 37-42 for him.

So basically that will be the uses for both.
Now the reason I started this was because i remember the bad reviews on plasmas. Now this was years ago of course.
How are plasmas to date?
Do they "burn out" as easy before?
Short life?

I'd like personal experiences, but also looking for someone(s) who are knowledgable in this area.

I also noticed the plasma are super cheap. Is this because of the LCD/led?

Is LED really worth the money or lCD sufficient?

I'm more concerned with the larger tv, as my son will be happy with whatever.

Of course best bang for my buck. But still want a brand that will last.
I'm very impressed with one of my samsungs I bought 3 years ago. LCD and great picture.

Anyway thanks in advance. Any info and answers to my questions would be great. With that I'll cram the info and come to a decision.
Feel free to lead me to deals makes, models etc.

Ciao
 
The Short:
Get an LCD/LED for your sons bedroom, and a Plasma for your living room.

The Long:
Plasma has better motion for sports and better colour(especially blacks) overall. LCD/LED is better for brighter rooms, lower energy consumption.

Burn-in has not been a problem for a looong time. It can still happen if you watch something with a stock ticker or similar for extended periods(days) on end.

Good Plasma's(Panasonic) are not super cheap.

The TVs current marketed as "LED" is actually an LCD panel with an LED backlight, so the difference between the two is not huge. If it's just a bedroom TV i would pick up a cheap name brand LCD.

Good brands: Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Sharp.

If you are looking at a Samsung, consider it's sony equivelant. All the Sony's(except the XBR models) are Samsung panels, but you'll get better warranty/service from Sony.

Avoid LG, Insignia, Vizio, etc.

I work in the industry so feel free to ask me any other questions you may have.
 
If you're watching mostly sports and movies and want great picture quality and excellent bang for the buck - look no further than a Panasonic plasma.

Check out the VT60 series and if you have enough cash - the ZT60 series. Even the middle of the road ST60 is awesome.
 
flameboy182 said:
If you're watching mostly sports and movies and want great picture quality and excellent bang for the buck - look no further than a Panasonic plasma.

Check out the VT60 series and if you have enough cash - the ZT60 series. Even the middle of the road ST60 is awesome.
Click to expand...
Even the S60 is great bang for buck if you don't want 3D/internet features. The picture quality is still top notch.

I forgot to mention to go watch as many TVs as possible. All the independent and big box stores have boatloads of TVs on display. Don't buy something without watching it first.
 
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I know this doesnt particularly pertain to you but,
I bought a 55" Samsung LED 3D tv - 120Hz. Great TV, not as bright/vibrant as the 240hz, but that was well more expensive.
Used the 3D feature 5 times. So annoying, that I will never use it again. $1,700 (2011)

Bought a 40" Samsung LED TV on kijiji for $250. Never been happier. But that was a steal and i literally saw it 2 mins after he posted it, by sheer luck
 
N3WMAN said:
Even the S60 is great bang for buck if you don't want 3D/internet features. The picture quality is still top notch.

I forgot to mention to go watch as many TVs as possible. All the independent and big box stores have boatloads of TVs on display. Don't buy something without watching it first.
Click to expand...

You mention to look at as many tvs as possible which I have been doing. Now why is it they have them so damn clear and then you bring it home and not the same.?
I'd assume they have top notch cables and such hooked up to it?
I will forsure look into the tvs mentioned.
Any info on the life span of plasmas?
 
Sorry but all the tvs mentioned above are crap. Look into Pioneer Kuros...you won't regret it!
 
professor said:
You mention to look at as many tvs as possible which I have been doing. Now why is it they have them so damn clear and then you bring it home and not the same.?
I'd assume they have top notch cables and such hooked up to it?
I will forsure look into the tvs mentioned.
Any info on the life span of plasmas?
Click to expand...

Also remember - at the store - they BLAST the color/brightness levels to the maximum setting. Also the lighting in the stores is set up perfectly. You cannot replicate that at home (nor do you want to since you will go blind!)
 
Dresden said:
Also remember - at the store - they BLAST the color/brightness levels to the maximum setting. Also the lighting in the stores is set up perfectly. You cannot replicate that at home (nor do you want to since you will go blind!)
Click to expand...

Damn them! And jewelry stores!
With this being said, it's why I liked looking at Costco because no light tricks. And plasmas were on one side and LCD on the other. Musta looked like an idiot rubber necking back and forth trying to find the differences!
 
It's quite simple nowadays.

Modern plasmas do not have burn-in (quality ones at least), life is also great. Some no-name, cheaper brands of LCDs experience serious failures with power supplies. Cheaper plasmas experience failures of driver boards mostly.

Plasma:
- Needs a room with controlled light environment (i.e. you have to be able to close the drapes to fully enjoy plasma experience).
- Offers much better contrast, color depth, deeper blacks than LCD/LED.
- Pretty much suitable for home theater environment.
- The king now is Panasonic - GT, VT, and now ZT. ST is still good if you're on a tight budget. Higher-end Samsungs are pretty much almost as good.


- LCD
- First of all, "LED" is still Liquid Crystal Display, but with LED (light emitting diode) backlight (vs. CCFL lights).
- LED ones should have less bleeding on the sides and more even/controlled brightness/contrast/color. Any good modern LCD with have LED backlight
- Great for rooms with uncontrolled / brightly-lit rooms and everyday / sports watching
- The king is nowadays Sony NX, HX, XBR. Higher-end Samsung LED-backlit LCDs are also great.


Brightly lit living room with mostly sports watching = LCD TV. So I'd go with a mid to high-end Sony or Samsung for the living room. For 2nd small TV, you are pretty much stuck with LED/LCD, as brand-name plasmas start at 42".

Oh yeah, to those who mention Pioneer Kuro. Yes, Kuro was great, Kuro was the best. It has been YEARS since Kuro was the king. It was discontinued, and all you can get is a used one without warranty. High-end Panasonic - VT or ZT - will beat Kuro head to head. And don't fall for Sharp quad-colour Kuro - it's not that great.
 
ViperZ said:
It's quite simple nowadays.

Modern plasmas do not have burn-in (quality ones at least), life is also great. Some no-name, cheaper brands of LCDs experience serious failures with power supplies. Cheaper plasmas experience failures of driver boards mostly.

Plasma:
- Needs a room with controlled light environment (i.e. you have to be able to close the drapes to fully enjoy plasma experience).
- Offers much better contrast, color depth, deeper blacks than LCD/LED.
- Pretty much suitable for home theater environment.
- The king now is Panasonic - GT, VT, and now ZT. ST is still good if you're on a tight budget. Higher-end Samsungs are pretty much almost as good.


- LCD
- First of all, "LED" is still Liquid Crystal Display, but with LED (light emitting diode) backlight (vs. CCFL lights).
- LED ones should have less bleeding on the sides and more even/controlled brightness/contrast/color. Any good modern LCD with have LED backlight
- Great for rooms with uncontrolled / brightly-lit rooms and everyday / sports watching
- The king is nowadays Sony NX, HX, XBR. Higher-end Samsung LED-backlit LCDs are also great.


Brightly lit living room with mostly sports watching = LCD TV. So I'd go with a mid to high-end Sony or Samsung for the living room. For 2nd small TV, you are pretty much stuck with LED/LCD, as brand-name plasmas start at 42".

Oh yeah, to those who mention Pioneer Kuro. Yes, Kuro was great, Kuro was the best. It has been YEARS since Kuro was the king. It was discontinued, and all you can get is a used one without warranty. High-end Panasonic - VT or ZT - will beat Kuro head to head. And don't fall for Sharp quad-colour Kuro - it's not that great.
Click to expand...

Very informative. Thanks alot. Most of my tv is watched in the dark. No matter what time of day. Thinking plasma may be the way to go with the information given.
 
Hi Josh I got a 60" samsung plasma 3d smart tv the pic is great especially for sports no blur at all crisp pics and my son plays COD 24\7 no burnin yet.
 
I've had Panasonic plasma before. Definitely spend the cheddar for a top model. They're fantastic. That said I have led's from samsung this time. Love them, same advice though.
 
rg0r said:
Sorry but all the tvs mentioned above are crap. Look into Pioneer Kuros...you won't regret it!
Click to expand...

The Kuro is an extinct dinosaur. Pioneer's been long out of the plasma tv game. Panasonic bought many of their patents and hired the ex-Pioneer engineers that were laid off.

The new Panasonic ZT is the result of that fusion of knowledge.
 
Personally, I say buy the cheapest tv in the size that you like. That's of course assuming you're using a Rogers/Bell tv feed or watching burnt movies, if you're actually watching blu-ray then it probably makes sense to spend the money on the nicer tv. If not though, are you really going to appreciate the "quality" difference from a cheap tv to an expensive one?

I actually like the cheaper 60hz tv's more, 120hz makes my eyes really tired and gets annoying quick.

Current tv is a Phillips 42" lcd I bought off Kijiji about four years ago for $300, super happy with it. Only reason why I would want to upgrade would be for a slimmer bezel.
 
regder said:
Personally, I say buy the cheapest tv in the size that you like. That's of course assuming you're using a Rogers/Bell tv feed or watching burnt movies, if you're actually watching blu-ray then it probably makes sense to spend the money on the nicer tv. If not though, are you really going to appreciate the "quality" difference from a cheap tv to an expensive one?

I actually like the cheaper 60hz tv's more, 120hz makes my eyes really tired and gets annoying quick.

Current tv is a Phillips 42" lcd I bought off Kijiji about four years ago for $300, super happy with it. Only reason why I would want to upgrade would be for a slimmer bezel.
Click to expand...
You own a philips. Your opinion is invalid.

You don't need to watch Blu-ray to see the difference between something good and something *****.

My personal favourite demo video is the GoPro 3 video on Youtube.
 
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