I'm buying a TV in the coming weeks.
I've heard that one or the other doesn't deal well with video games like my Xbox. Which is better, Plasma or LCD? the 40" Plasma is one dollar cheaper than the 37" LCD.

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RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

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FACEBOOK: PANZER450

Personally, I think in 3 years, the must have TV is going to be LED or fiber optic.
So I suggest whichever is cheaper.

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1984 300TD

Plasmas have really come down in price. When I bought my TV about 18 months ago LCD was MUCH cheaper. I got a 32" LCD for about $550, was a good deal at the time. I think Plasmas have better, brighter pictures with higher contrast, are heavier, and use more electricity. I'm GUESSING they have faster response time, which I guess is better for gaming, but I really don't know.

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1987 W201 190D

the plasma has better blacks and is the only way to go if you have small kids,as they have a glass screen.because you know they are gonna poke it with their fingers.

I understand plasma's get rather hot, so that may tip the scales.

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83 SD

84 CD

what do you want it for, HD TV, movies, video games?

i got a plasma as i only watch DVDs and don't have cable. the quality is amazing, looks great. you have to be more careful with burn in and there is glare. then i bought a wii and that looks amazing as well and has a setting to deal with avoiding burn in.

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1985 300D - 1984 Euro 280E AMG Clone (SOLD) - 1978 280CE (SOLD) - 1983 300D (SOLD) - 1981 300D (SOLD)

Plasma and LCD are so close now there is very little to help choose one over the other. Plasmas used to have heat and energy usage issues and burn-in; LCDs had slow response times and poor deep black color.

Those issues have all but been eliminated. Stay away from Sharp LCDs - they have banding (screen uniformity) issues.

The new LED LCDs look amazing. Along with being thinner, this new technology brings a lot with it. They don't have the screen uniformity issues that most LCDs will inherently have (some more than others, Sharp being one of the worst), the contrast is amazing, and you won't get those pesky 'stuck' pixels. They are also all 120 Hz.

They are expensive now since it's the top of the curve, but if you wait 6 months or so, they should drop in price once the next iteration of models is released.

That is where I would put my money.

If you are looking to spend less than $1K, I would recommend a Samsung LCD, 5 series or higher.

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Chris
2007 E550 4Matic - 61,000 Km - Iridium Silver, black leather, Sport package, Premium 2 package
2007 GL450 4Matic - 62,000 Km - Obsidian Black Metallic, black leather, all options
1998 E430 - sold
1989 300E - 333,000 Km - sold
1977 280E - sold
1971 250 - retired

"And a frign hat. They gave me a hat at the annual benefits meeting. I said. how does this benefit me. I dont have anything from the company.. So they gave me a hat." - TheDon

My big problem with plasma is the highly reflective screen so if you have lots of windows or light fixtures it could be really distracting. Secondary considerations are the extra weight and power consumption, compared to LCD.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

LCD is the superior technology. Eventually plasma will be completely on the way out.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Not to mention that you have to have your plasma recharged with gas every couple of years. Just ask the "experts" at Best Buy.

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99 ML320
94 SL600
92 SL500
95 E320 Cabriolet
87 560SEC
86 300SDL Grease Car
80 380SLC Euro

13 Fiat Abarth
02 Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa
00 BMW Z3
90 Rolls Royce Silver Spur
80 Ferrari 308 GTSI
88 Jaguar XJS12 H&E Edition
99 Land Rover Discovery

I've never been a fan of either but i'll stay out of it so that this thread doesn't go into a TV argument....

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

LCD is pretty good, but I predict that LED will be king in just a few years. LED has all the advantages of plasma with little to no hazardous waste (and LCD production currently involves fluorocarbon emissions).

LCD tends to be cheaper. Got my 32 inch Toshiba at Fry's for $299. I could care less about the TV tuner in it since I use it as a computer monitor.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

But now they started putting glossy overlays on LCD's! I asked the Samsung rep why they would do that and she said it is so they appear to have more contrast. I think the whole contrast issue is completely overblown. I think the matte overlay is much better.

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

I never heard of that one.....

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra