Plasma vs LCD

I am shopping for either a plasma or a LCD tv within the next few months. I have read all sorts of reviews on both. The general concensus is that the plasma is better over all. I am currently leaning towards getting a plasma but I have heard that the picture can burn in easier on a plasma. But I have also read that with new developments plasma tv's can go just as long as LCD's now. Maybe some of you technical guys/girls can give me a little more insight on this. Thanks

Someone told me a story once about a plasma tv that was mysteriously broken while the guy was vacuuming his house.

Turns out he was enjoying a dvd while his wife was at work, paused it to "go to the bathroom" and when he came back the image was burned onto the screen.

^^ Yeah I have heard the burn in pics easily. But from a lot of reviews I have read they have made that problem much more uncommon. Was he shittin a bull? lol

I myself at this moment prefer DLP....

LCD TVs do not suffer from burn-in, but can have a "retained pixel charge" which may also produce ghosting. Stuck pixels are also possible with an LCD display.

Apparently the first commercial Laser HDTV will go on sale in 2007. This is new technology that is supposed to destroy all the others out right now.

If you do alot of gaming, stay away from plasma. They can't handle too much of that type of input.

Hmm, I have never heard that. Why can't they handle a lot of gaming?

I dunno exactly. But according to the owner of a very reputable electronics chain in chicago, thats the case. He also said something about a new technology coming out soon thats better than LCD and plasma and it wasn't laser. I think its some advancement on current LCDs or something.

plasma......gaming tends to have the same pic, at least in one area(like ur characters life gauge, etc...) and thats what tends to burn into it, ive seen it myself...

When it comes to gamming the LCD is the best you can get. Plasma looks like shit, trust me I've owned both. You will however have to pay Big$$$ for a nice LCD. I have a 32" Phillips HD LCD operating at 1080i. I can't remember the refresh rates but its damn good, no flicker at all in high res!!!!

If you wan't more info on this TV I will go home and get the model etc for tommorow...........

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.do?cat=548998
sick deals on lcd's!

^^ Haha I work at Best Buy so I can get them even far cheaper. I did end up going with a 32" Philips LCD HDTV (funny thing is, is that I did not even see Ralliart's post before I bought it). But you are right its a great TV and we have ordered HD service and my roomate is going to keep one of his 3 PS3's. Thanks for the help. :thumbsup:

Right now, I'd still stay with LCD, more reliable and more stable, until plasma shows better long-term longetivity. In the long run, everything I've read shows plasma is still weak in the long-run, with burn-in/fade-out issues. Granted they are getting better, but LCD already has a long-term track record, where plasma does not yet.

I'm going nuts trying to figure out to go plasma or LCD myself. With so many mixed reviews, I just think I'm going to stick with my 46" Toshiba projection for now, squeeze the life outta it for the next few years. I play XBox 360 on it a lot, no issues yet. Definitely was an upgrade from....uh...having NO tv, lol, so I'm not really complaining.

However, I saw cable on my cousin's 50-something" plasma, I could not believe how crappy the image quality was. Now, I'm not sure if he had tuned the TV correctly or not, but the images were skewed, cartoonishly colored, and substantially blurry during scenes of rapid movement on camera. It looked expensive as hell, and with a really sweet finish, but the quality was shockingly poor.

I too have heard that the plasma life-span and the burning-in of images is a problem that they've corrected by now, but with an aggregate of reviews going around, I would probably go for LCD myself. Actually, the safest way to check stuff out is to physically go to a big retail store and see these TV's in action to weed out image quality issues, and then see what kind of warranty etc they have, and do some research on any known issues with that particular TV.

Don't buy from walmart, at least RCA, it's all of the bottom-line stuff, nasty.

If you want a flat panel then LCD is the only option IMO. While Plasmas do offer batter black level than LCDs they don't last very long and suffer from burn-in. They also are cheaper to get in larger sizes which is why they have been more popular but the industry is heading with LCD and I feel plasma will be phased out. If you have the money look into the newer OLED backlit LCDs. They are expensive but very nice.

Since you work at Best Buy I would suggest you take a look at the 42" Westinghouse LCD you should have on your floor. It has 1080p and it is only $1,300.

^^ I already bought my Philips LCD TV. The Westinghouse is an incredibly cheap TV that is not very high quality at all. We had one on display and after about 2 weeks it crapped out. LCD is far better than plasma I would definately have to say. There is no glare on the LCD unlike the plasma where it has the glass in front of it and glares just as bad as a tube TV. Plus I think the picture looks better on the LCD especially up close. Up close plasmas look like garbage IMO.

if plasma's are junk then y are they so expensive?
im savin up for a ps3 so i might also be looking at an LCD. i can't get one bigger than 32inch (can't be wider than 31.5 inches. needs to fit in a cabnit i have). i did see one of those philips 32's on ebay but i thik it was refurbished. any one want to recomend any other LCD thats under say $600? just trying to get ideas at this point.

if plasma's are junk then y are they so expensive?
im savin up for a ps3 so i might also be looking at an LCD. i can't get one bigger than 32inch (can't be wider than 31.5 inches. needs to fit in a cabnit i have). i did see one of those philips 32's on ebay but i thik it was refurbished. any one want to recomend any other LCD thats under say $600? just trying to get ideas at this point.

If you're getting the LCD so you can watch Blu-Ray then make sure the T.V. you get is HDCP compliant.

If you're getting the LCD so you can watch Blu-Ray then make sure the T.V. you get is HDCP compliant.
i would only really get one if i did get a ps3. i would get it to use the full potential of the graphics it can put out.

i would only really get one if i did get a ps3. i would get it to use the full potential of the graphics it can put out.

Ok, but know this. If the T.V. you buy is not HDCP compliant then if you watch Blu-Ray movies the quality will be worse than DVD. Just thought you should know.

if plasma's are junk then y are they so expensive?
im savin up for a ps3 so i might also be looking at an LCD. i can't get one bigger than 32inch (can't be wider than 31.5 inches. needs to fit in a cabnit i have). i did see one of those philips 32's on ebay but i thik it was refurbished. any one want to recomend any other LCD thats under say $600? just trying to get ideas at this point.


What they use to make them is expensive such as rare gases inside. Plasmas tend to have more distinct colors if you have a side by side comparison but if you go up to them from a somewhat short distance they do not look all that great at all. And a same quality LCD TV will easily cost more than that same quality (brand and the quality of the TV) plasma television. They aren't bad at all if you sit a ways away from them. Also I do not like how the plasmas glare like tube TV's whenever there is any light in the room. LCD's do not do that.

k thanks for the info guys.

I thought this was pretty relevant to anyone researching this thread.

Seems like the new technology will not be plasma or LED
but rather OLED. This might be something to consider if you are in the market in the future for a television.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/sonys-1-000-000-1-contrast-ratio-27-inch-oled-hdtv/

he Westinghouse is an incredibly cheap TV that is not very high quality at all. We had one on display and after about 2 weeks it crapped out.

I noticed that Westinghouse products were well below the regular market price...I picked up a beautiful LCD 17" flat panel widescreen monitor for only $110 new, from BestBuy. No compromise on quality yet, hope it stays that way. It was just to cheap to resist.

best deals are on tigerdirect and ebay. i found a 37 inch sharp aquos for 750 refurbished. 90 day in home warranty, 1 year manu.....

best deals are on tigerdirect and ebay. i found a 37 inch sharp aquos for 750 refurbished. 90 day in home warranty, 1 year manu.....

Dame that beats me I got a 30 inch Samsung HD flat open box for $650, and that was with bullshitting the guy to go lower.

im the refurb, open box man. i never pay full price for much.... refurbs are factory tested, and usually have the same warranty. i wont settle for anything smaller than a 37, im replacing a 36 flat screen sony wega...