42" LCD vs Plasmas

[rykerabel]

Originally Posted by jojoyeee

Some advantages for Plasma over LCD are: Plasmas have bigger screen size, and with better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks. better color accuracy and saturation. Better motion tracking (little or no motion lag in fast moving images).

LCD television ADVANTAGES over Plasma include:

1. No burn-in of static images.
2. Cooler running temperature.
3. No high altitude use issues.
4. Increased image brightness over Plasma.
5. Longer display life (about 60,000 hours - at which time all you may need to do is replace the light source, not the entire set). This can vary according other environmental and use factors.
6. Lighter weight (when comparing same screen sizes) than Plasma counterparts.

Hope this helps anyway.

1. current panasonic and pioneer plasma do not suffer burn-in.
2. current panasonic and pioneer plasma's run cooler than many LCDs
3. panasonics never had high altitude use issues.
4. current panasonic plasmas are brighter than most LCDs.
5. current panasonic and pioneer plasmas have 100,000 hours or more life
7. some LCDs are heavy too.

welcome to 2008

[rex]

In 42" you can get a Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV from Amazon for $730 delivered, which is a remarkable value. IMO for this size, there is no reason to get a 1080p model (unless you plan on sitting less than 5' from the screen).
Another seller even has them for $450: http://www.easy2buy.us/panasonic-th-42p4280.html
Amazon is an authorized dealer and has an excellent return policy. They even pay for the return shipping. I don't know anything about this other outfit; but if they are legit, it has got to be the deal of the century. An excellent choice for that spare bedroom, etc. I wouldn't even consider any other manufacturer for plasmas. Panasonic is the industry leader with the best PQ. Pioneer Kuros are overpriced. Anyway Pioneer doesn't have any in the size you want. You won't regret getting a plasma. Superior blacks, and greys. No motion blur. And superior viewing angles. Better in every way. As rykerabel says most of the supposed drawbacks are non existent on current models. Good luck.

(BTW, Costco has a dumbed-down version (Panasonic THC42HD18) for $699 + tax. It has one less HDMI input, comes in matte instead of high-gloss finish, and lacks digital noise reduction; but it is otherwise identical to the TH42PX80U, just fewer bells and whistles. Costco gives you an extra year warranty; but IMO it is worth the extra $30 to get the standard model. You can always buy an extended warranty if you want one.)

[Loves2Watch]

Originally Posted by jojoyeee

Some advantages for Plasma over LCD are: Plasmas have bigger screen size, and with better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks. better color accuracy and saturation. Better motion tracking (little or no motion lag in fast moving images).

LCD television ADVANTAGES over Plasma include:

1. No burn-in of static images. Most plasma TV's have eliminated this.
2. Cooler running temperature.
3. No high altitude use issues. None with plasma TV's either, anymore.
4. Increased image brightness over Plasma.
5. Longer display life (about 60,000 hours - at which time all you may need to do is replace the light source, not the entire set). This can vary according other environmental and use factors. Actually Plasma TV's have a much longer life expectancy than LCD TV's do.
6. Lighter weight (when comparing same screen sizes) than Plasma counterparts.

Hope this helps anyway.

[glocksout]

jojoyee was definitely helpful, but it would make more sense in 2003 than in 2008.

When we're talking about a half-life of 60,000 hours we're talking 8 hours a day for 20 years until the display is at half-brightness. The average TV is on 4 hours a day, so we're talking 40 years. Regardless of how much it costs to replace the light engine, by the time you need to replace the light element of an LCD you might as well buy that new $50 TV in 2035.

The high-altitude issue only matters for people living in Colorado for the most part. And most manufacturers have high-altitude sets, except now they've defeated the need for nigh-altitude sets and most every plasma is fine at high altitudes.

The LCD technology is inherently limited because of the nature of the color crystals. These open and close to pass light. The fastest panels open at 2ms, and it takes another 2ms to close. The human eye can notice 4ms changes, so the very best LCD displays will always have motion blur. This is because these crystals open and close to pass light. Plasma pixels are activated at the speed of light, so there is no motion blur.

[whatchel1]

Originally Posted by glocksout

jojoyee was definitely helpful, but it would make more sense in 2003 than in 2008.

When we're talking about a half-life of 60,000 hours we're talking 8 hours a day for 20 years until the display is at half-brightness. The average TV is on 4 hours a day, so we're talking 40 years. Regardless of how much it costs to replace the light engine, by the time you need to replace the light element of an LCD you might as well buy that new $50 TV in 2035.

The high-altitude issue only matters for people living in Colorado for the most part. And most manufacturers have high-altitude sets, except now they've defeated the need for nigh-altitude sets and most every plasma is fine at high altitudes.

The LCD technology is inherently limited because of the nature of the color crystals. These open and close to pass light. The fastest panels open at 2ms, and it takes another 2ms to close. The human eye can notice 4ms changes, so the very best LCD displays will always have motion blur. This is because these crystals open and close to pass light. Plasma pixels are activated at the speed of light, so there is no motion blur.

Well stated and correct. Also a good reason to go w/1080 models has to do with compatibility w/ sources. An example are the Dish network VIP sat receivers that output 1080p "On Demand" movies. If you don't have a compatible TV then sometimes it just won't play the movie. In future Blue Ray players may also do this as well and only output 480p if it doesn't see the 1080p ability.
Now one thing about available sets there is a new Vizio that should be out in many locations that is being compared to the top 4k buck plasma's that are out there. It is retailing at 1600 & bet it will soon be discounted below that.