Plasma or LCD TV
 

I know this has been discussed here before and I have searched the forum. But it's such a dynamic topic I think it's worth a new thread.

I'm in the market for a new flat panel TV. Plasma or LCD -- it doesn't matter to me based on what I've read about the differences. This TV will be in a basement rec room so ambient light is not a problem. I am limited to overall width of 42" which means I am looking at 42" diagonal (or 40" if I have to). (Convenient rule of thumb derived from my research: Almost all 42" diagonal measurment flat panel TV's have an overall width of about 42". Exceptions are those that put the speakers verticlaly on the sides.)

I would love to have the latest and greatest 1080p TV, but my budget tops out at about $1200.

Sears is having a Columbus Day sale right now and you can get a 42" Hitachi plasma 1080i flat panel TV for $899. If you buy with a Sears credit card (which you can apply for and use on the spot), they knock another $150 off the price. Model is P42H401. $749 is a pretty good price for a 42" name brand plasma if you ask me.

http://www.hitachi.us/Apps/hitachicom/content.jsp?page=products/plasma_tvs/details/P42H401.html&level=2&section=products&parent=plasma_tvs&nav=left&path=jsp/hitachi/forhome/ubcg/&nId=iD

I've been reading up on it and I gather 1080i is closer in resolution to 720p than to 1080p. But lots of sources say the difference between 720p and 1080p is negligible on screens smaller than 50".

Just want to make sure I'm not going to be disappointed. Anyone care to share an opinion on this particular Hitachi TV or 1080i v. 1080p and 720p? Or plasma v. LCD?

Go to www.highdefforum.com

I would rate LCD above Plasma. Also uses a lot less electricity which can add up on a big set if you watch it much. Also LCD is half the weight. A 42 LCD will be about 50# and a plasma about 100#. That is a big difference if you are picking it up. Sony and Samsung are best (IMHO). Consumer Reports can give you a basic idea of what is good and bad but as usual don't read TOO much into what they say. A lot comes down to specifics like the menus, inputs, cabinet design etc that are personal preference. I don't think you would go wrong with the 40" Sony.

Thanks for the comments and the link. Great site with so much info I now feel really stupid.

I'm still leaning towards buying the Hitachi. $749 is tough to pass up.

On the argument between plasma and LCD, I hear your points, but my research is showing a slimmer margin. 42" plasma weigh in around 77 pounds and 42" LCD's around 55. On power consumption, cnet.com rates them even and another site I read (sorry, can't reference) said LCD's use 30% less than plasma. Significant, but probably not a deal maker yet.

You have an Xbox or Playstation hooked up to it?



I burned the HUD from Forza 2 into my dads Pioneer Elite Plasma....



If you game, I would reccomend the LCD, as its damn near impossible to buen an image in.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8386285&type=product&id=1181831586462



Thats a good deal on that TV. Its 1080p and its 42 inches, and its an LCD.


I liked it so much.... I bought it and put it in my dorm room....

No gaming for me. But I have a 7 year old who loves his Gameboy (portable) so I guess a Wii, Xbox or the like is in the future.

I read that newer plasma's are less susceptable to burn in and even if you do burn it, the image fades over a few days of normal TV. I could also hook any future game up to my exisiting Sony 35" tube TV.

That is a good price on the Westinghouse 1080p. So my decision point is:

$749 for one of my preferred brands (which aslo include Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Sharp), but 1080i resolution.

or

$989 for a 1080p from a brand I hadn't earlier considered.

I went into CostCo the other day and up front they had all the LCD/Plasmas lined up. I was not looking at the signs to see what was what on purpose and when I looked at them I noticed that some were brighter ten others. Each one that I thought was brighter and had a better picture was a Plasma. The LCD's did not look bad my any means but the Plasmas seemed to have a more appealing and eye catching picture.

When I get in the market, I think I'll be going for Plasma unless something changes in the next nano-second.

I'm sorry, but I have to chime in. There is no or very little weigh difference between the two. Power consumption on the newer models is about the same. They both also throw a bit of heat but the plasma throws a little more. i stands for interlaced which is the "old" tube sets display the picture. p is for progressive scan which is a better picture. Most cable and sat services are broadcasting in 720p. You will have a little pixelation on fast moving objects on a LCD as opposed to a plasma. The top seller in the US is Vizio followed by Samsung. Sony is at the bottom mostly because of price to value. I have a 60" LG plasma, a 50" Philips Plasma, a 42" Philips LCD and a 23" Philips LCD among others. I also have held a broadcast engineer's license for the past 30 plus years. The best advice I can give you is buy the one that looks best to you that you can afford. While viewing them, make sure you set everything to the factory default. Hope this helps.

Generally note from some readings.


As LCDs improve and drop in price, Plasmas will go away.

I have read there are only a few (3 or 4) Plasma Manfacturing plants remaining, and one has annouced a close date late next year / early 2009.

1) You cannot tell anything from looking in the store since none of the sets are adjusted correctly. They just set them on "neon" to catch your attention.

2) Everyone in the world seems to agree that in general LCDs are "brighter" than plasma, although some are not as bright such as Sharp. The main knocks on LCDs are: motion blur (I never saw any on my Sony rated at 8mS), contrast ratio/black level (this is something that some people believe they can see, like some people think vinyl records sound better, I always thought my set had good black levels).

Mike

try an old led zepplin disc and album.the album will kick the discs ass.

I worry most about the lighting for the LCD. How long do the tubes last, and can they be replaced? I see nothing about this about any of them.

both improving
 

From what I've read, both types are getting better.....

Plasma better on fast motion, but new 120hz LCD's improve to match

Plasma better on angled viewing, but new LCD's are matching that also

LCD better for screen life, but Plasmas improving

From my observations the Plasma picture is a bit better, but all are nicer than what I have at home.

LCD won't have burnin issues with games

LCD pricing may be better, particularly under 50"

Your video source will probably be more important, such as an upconverting DVD player or cable/sat.

Shop around and see. The good news is there are a lot of good choices now. Good luck

Chuck

All the specs I have seen are 50,000 to 60,000 hours.

Agreed. Both technologies are getting better. A lot of old wives tales regarding issues that stemmed from first generation growing pains.

Since you are looking to buy right now...plasma for 42" and up viewing area, LCD for 36" and below. I don't know if anyone makes a 40" but you can go either way.

Make sure you know if your set is a monitor, tuner/monitor, etc. Otherwise you may bring something home that might not work for your application.

Beware of sets touting "HD-ready" that don't deliver beyond 720p...although most regular TV programming broadcasts in this frequency, true digital is 1080i, and some new offereings even boast 1080p.

Gaming shouldn't really harm plasmas these days, but leaving any game on pause for extended periods might cause a temporary image burn-in...that's a bad habit regardless of which type you choose. Leave the contrast setting to the default of 50 and you will significantly reduce that problem.

Pricing has become pretty competitive now that the technology is readily available to any and all manufacturers. Beyond that, I would think there might be particular features that would steer you towards one set over another.

I have a Maxent 42" plasma purchased three years ago. No issues. The selling feature was that my family room is wired for amplified output, and few sets offered anything but pre-outs.