Plasma or LCD and why?

 

DLP- just got the mitsubishi 55 inch DLP. Great Picture and it has a great warranty.

 

Plasma gets very hot. LCDs don't.

I got a Hitachi 60" rear projection LCD 1080i with DirecTV Hi-Def receiver. I have no complaints with it. Circuit City or Best Buy will try to sell you the 1 year extra warranty that covers the entire TV including the projection bulb (in LCDs) which is not covered under normal warranty. The cost of the extra warranty was a little less than the bulb I think and the salesman said the bulb will definitely go out and need to be replace by then. Well, that was August of 2004 and I have yet to replace the bulb in the Hitachi. I have not had one problem with it. Should've saved the extra money!

1.) Find out about the glare. Will you have a glare where you put your TV? I don't know if the PLASMAs glare, but the LCDs can.

2.) Price. LCDs were about half of the plasmas.

 

IIRC, Plasma screens are glass which make them susceptible to glare, whereas LCDs are NOT glass and much less susceptible to glare. Because of the glass, Plasma's are prone to etching (scroll bars, etc) whereas LCD burn-in rates are slower. Plasma's refresh rate and contrast ratio (is black really black) are higher, but LCDs are quickly approaching, if not matching Plasma. Plasma costs a good bit more. LCD are supposedly more reliable.

At least that's what I remember from when I was looking....

 

Thanks for the info so far folks. My 60" rear projection died and it's about due for a replacement. I am learning that there's a lot of things to take into account when it comes to TV's these days.

 

Definitely LCD....for the reasons already mentioned.
Look for ones with a high contrast ratio...like 10,000:1 and up.

 

Sony SXRD

 

I looked at 42 to 50"+ LCDs a few months back at Bestbuy.
Talk about $$$, as I was looking at the 1080i I think it was, the newest technology out that takes advantage of the Blueray DVD players.

And there was a HUGE difference between the normal LCDs and the ones that take advantage of the Blueray.

The colors in the latest Batman video about jumped off the screen and bit me.

I am not quite ready to buy yet, but like to stay on top of what is out there.

 

That would be 1080p (true HD). I picked up a Sony XBR2 a few months ago and don't regret it. LCD computer monitors have been around for years with great reliability. The major difference is the vastly higher refresh rates and resolutions.

 

Too much to take into account simply.

I like NEC for larger plasma's 55'' + or I like Samsung for 50'' or less LCD.

This question is like asking what kind of car do you like? Everyone is going to shoot there opinions at you, with the best answer being what you like. Go out look at tv's see what displays you like best.

 

LCD versus Plasma:
http://www.flattvpeople.com/tutorials/lcd-vs-plasma.asp
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv-plasmavslcd.shtml
http://tv.suite101.com/article.cfm/lcd_vs_plasma_vs_dlp
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/26...lasma-in-2007/
http://www.cnet.com.au/tvs/0,239035250,240036500,00.htm

 

Thanks, that was it.
And it certainly made a big difference.

There were not to many brands out then, and he said back then in a few weeks the next transition was coming out.

 

We use these 2 models for the digital signage we do at work.

http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/P...d-d2e85fbf6a2b

http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/P...f-3ee3a221a3aa

Really fantastic LCDs and the picture quality is amazing. Better than anything I have ever seen. They are a bit pricey, but seem to be built well. The back is aluminum...not some cheapo plastic. We've got around 60 LCDs we are putting up on campus, mostly a mixture of these two models. The 46" has a really slim frame, which everybody seems to like pretty well.

Just my $.02.

 

Just don't get a DLP just yet. It's too new, and they will have some bugs to work out. LCD would be my choice, because of the prices of plasma. Newer plasmas hardly burn in at all now. The choice is yours, just go to curcuit city, best buy, etc. and ask one of the workers, and they'll be glad to explain it for you. And you won't look like an idiot, because they literally get that all day long...

 

I faced the same conundrum leading up to Black Friday last November. Then, LCD's lacked the refresh rate needed for my primary viewing, fast moving sports. Also, I already had a wall recess that made viewing well above the optimum eye level. The only type I saw that met my needs was a plasma for it's quick refresh and wide angle viewing both horiz and vert.

I sampled two brands in home, a Panasonic and Hitachi, both top of the line sets with anti-glare, 10,000+ claimed contrast, HD tuners, etc. Though the Hitachi had more custom settings and more pixels, the Pany won the day for picture quality on both SD and HD.

There was a Pany rebate then, so I got their best 42" for $1,450 AR. Since then the price went up a bit due to demand since I'm told that there are only three suppliers of plasma screens.

Yes, it runs hot, but my Pany has two built-in fans that have never turned on. I have at least 2" ventilation clearance all around.

If you decide on a Pany, there's a free break-in VCD online that will condition the screen during the first 100 hours for optimum life before cranking the brightness. I use it every couple of weeks to quickly eliminate burn-in from those ESPN-type scroll bars that will eventually leave a ghost image.

Oh, I got the best deal at Video Only, just across the river from WA where the smart shoppers go for tax-free deals.

 

DLP is not considered new.
The are a few different lamp types and what not LCOS, LED lamps and what not, but they are not new and have no more bugs than anything else on the shelf.

Do yourself and everyone you know a favor. DO NOT GO TO A BIG BOX RETAIL STORE AND EXPECT TO GET GOOD INFO.
I'm sorry not all these people know what they are talking about.
You do not go to Auto Zone and ask the parts guy how to fix you rig do you?
(and if you do you deserve what happens)
Find yourself a dedicated Home Theater shop. Again not all of them are great so look around here also.

Generally a Home Theater shop will have the same prices as all you Big Box retailers, they do it day in and day out and go to manufacturer trainings on a regular basis to learn about new products.

They will also be able to work with you on other things.

HD picture needs Surround Sound. All HD programming is pretty much in 5.1

How much have you allotted for cabling?

Do you need to upgrade your TV service IE DirecTv, Dish network, Cable?

Everyone thinks we are expensive, WRONG, we might cost more but that's because it is getting done right!

We use to do a few Flat screen installs for the Local Good Guys before they got bought out, Reason was they in house guys they were sending out where using 2x4's bolted to a wall to mount the Displays.

A lot of times you will find these great prices on a xxxxxxx Display. Why is it so much cheaper now? Old model? Floor Model? ( and you are a fing fool if you buy a floor model display) what is it? Most likely if its not a close out and the manufacturer is doing some cool sale we are doing it too.

Good ol Costco and Sam's, and lets not forget the awesome Internet.
Most time Costco and Sam's have cheaper displays because they are stripped down versions of the ones at best buy. DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Now the Internet.

All of my prices are dictated to me by the manufacturer, on the Internet you can find better prices usually. But you will also find loooooooooong wait times, pooooor customer service, and what happens if it doesnt work or was damaged in transit? Remember that looooooong wait, guess what you be doing after you fight it out to get the Return Authorization Number to get it warrantied?

Your local shop, Well generally the distributor makes us inspect the thing before they give it to us. I have turned away Displays because of small scratches on the Back.
Turn it on and it doesnt work, off the wall and back it goes new one in hand back on wall, 1 day usually tops.

We also have your back a year later when something goes bad. Or would you like to call the manufacturer and sit on hold to get a service warranty authorization to give to the local repair facility after you sit on hold with them too?


Lots of Pros and Cons to all the different displays.
Look it up there are plenty of sites that go in to it. If you do not want to pleeeease find a local HT Installer that you are comfortable with. If you dont do one or the other i can almost guarantee you will be wasting money.

 

Sorry there champ, LCOS is what I meant. I was a little off though. Generally, it is not the most wise thing to do if you buy the first model of a new technology(the same is true about cars, and surgery, etc.) They will have some issues to address, Its just a fact of life in the industry. They are all in a race to be on the cutting edge of the technology, so they have to hurry the product out the door so that they can make $$$$$. When they start to make $$$$$, then they start to refine the product. Take a look at the first plasma TVs. Burn in, anyone???

 

LCOS has made some leaps and bounds too. Back a while ago yes you didn't want to do LCOS, DLP its competition had a better pic, LCOS had the nasty Screen Door. But in a lot of today's LCOS displays they have like you stated got the money from the initial runs and made things a little better.

Really with all the display types available the real deciding factor is you.
One of the nicest but not best Plasma displays out runs $17,000.

I personally am going for a DLP for the front room, I want size. I can get a much larger display for the same if not less than a much smaller Flat Screen. I also am going furniture based, not Wall. This allows me to budget more money to other things like a better reciever,DVD player, Speakers.

What ever a person decides remember the old rule " you get what you paid for", hold pretty much true in this category. There is no such thing as a super great deal. If its cheaper it for a reason, less functions, lesser resolution (720p vs 1080p), ect.

If anyone after they have done their homework has some questions about getting a Display, message me and I'll see what we can come up with for answers, if i dont know my brother who runs all the field work might, if he doesnt i have quite a few more people to ask.

We get the occasional " hey i bought this Display at _______________". "Can you put it up"? Yes we can, did you know it wont do _______________, or _____________. I have one customer who has already returned 2 display back to Costco, and no it wasn't for the use it for a while and return it for a better one. I guess they locked that down somehow.