A Digital Age Deserves A Digital Leader

LCD or PLASMA?

LCD or PLASMA?

Postby lowellabraham » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:16 am

hello guys!

whats happening here?!

as you all know, the Black Friday is this friday.. and i have shopping plans in my head.. early morning that day. I want to get an HDTV pretty badly, so i can play my XBOX 360, and watch High Def content.

But, i just do not know what to go with.. LCD or PLASMA...

im looking to get a 40 inch hdtv. Im looking for something that can last a while. let me know what your guys opinions/comments are.

thanks!

ps: im at work. so i will be refreshing this page every 20 secs :yesnod:
PRO Level 12
Posts: 585
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Long Island, New York

Postby RipFire12901 » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:49 am

I am too looking for a new TV and I found this site to be quite useful. <a href="http://www.flattvpeople.com/tutorials/lcd-vs-plasma.asp" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>

To me the Plasma looks best but I look forward to see what TV you do choose in the end.
(temporarly empty)
PRO Level 13
Posts: 699
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2004 6:29 pm
Location: Plattsburgh, NY
Real Name: Collin Banko

Postby SCgone » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:24 am

Before I purchased my 50" Visio Plasma TV a short while ago I did a ton of research on Plasma and LCD TV's. The conclusion was that there isn't much difference any longer. There used to be a shorter life span with older plasma screens, but that no longer applies.
Like I said, I purchased a Visio and I've been extremely pleased with it.
PRO PLATINUM
Posts: 6879
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2002 11:59 pm
Location: South Carolina, USA

Postby lowellabraham » Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:02 am

yea.. looks like im gonna go with Plasma..

thanks guys.

comments on any brands ... would be cool :-P
Workstation:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz 1333 MHz FSB
PCB: GA-EP45-UD3R
RAM: 4X1GB DDRII 800MHz
GPU: Nvidia 8400 GS
HDD0: WD 150 GB 10,000 RPM
DISPLAY: 24' Dell UltraSharp Widescreen
Server: Intel Pentium 4 3.40GHz HT 800MHz FSB / 4X1GB DDRII 800MHz / 1X200GB 7200rpm / Windows 2003 Server Standard R2
PRO Level 12
Posts: 585
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Long Island, New York

Postby EXTREMEoverclocker » Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:40 am

i would say go name brand....like the big 3....
my buddy got some cheapo no name brand one and the thing burned out 2 months after he bought it new...replaced it....and 5 months later it was burned out again haha....he was a bit upset ....to say the least...
Image

.....How can i soar with eagles when im surrounded by turkeys.....
PRO Level 13
User avatar
Posts: 784
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2004 5:53 am
Location: Dallas, Tx USA

Postby mnemonicj » Tue Nov 21, 2006 5:27 am

You are looking in the rage of Flat Panel TVs where LCD and Plasma TVs overlap. LCDs TVs are more popular in the smaller televisions and Plasma TVs are more popular in the larger televisions.

If you are looking in this range, consider price. A 42 inch plasma TV might cost about the same as a 42 inch LCD, but a 52 inch plasma is much cheaper than a 52 inch LCD.

But, there is a good reason for that. LCD TVs have a better aspect ratio and look much better being used by a PC.
PRO Level 15
User avatar
Posts: 1066
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 1:41 am
Location: Indianapolis, IN

Postby Michaels » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:01 am

mnemonicj wrote:You are looking in the rage of Flat Panel TVs where LCD and Plasma TVs overlap. LCDs TVs are more popular in the smaller televisions and Plasma TVs are more popular in the larger televisions.

If you are looking in this range, consider price. A 42 inch plasma TV might cost about the same as a 42 inch LCD, but a 52 inch plasma is much cheaper than a 52 inch LCD.

But, there is a good reason for that. LCD TVs have a better aspect ratio and look much better being used by a PC.
like BELL1 said already, there is no real difference between those tv. prices makes both affordable at any size. you must try to find out those little things that can make real difference.

i was faced with such dilema two weeks ago, but i went for a LCD. i can as well asure you that if you have both television of the same size side by side and ask friends to pick the best you will never get a winner.

i would say go name brand....like the big 3....
my buddy got some cheapo no name brand one and the thing burned out 2 months after he bought it new...replaced it....and 5 months later it was burned out again haha....he was a bit upset ....to say the least...


this can happen to any tv brand or any anything for that matter. i have never had a better luck with big names
PROfessional Member
User avatar
Posts: 3054
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 7:00 am
Location: NL

Postby kanaloa » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:47 pm

This was very helpful. We're also looking to get a 40" HDTV this Christmas. Figured it'd be a nice way to watch the NCAA Bowl's :whistle

Is aspect ration (800:1, 2500:1) something we really need to keep a close eye on, or should we just go by what we see in the stores? I figured the best thing was to determine the size we want, 37-42", and then find a TV in that range that was visually appealing in Best Buy, HH Greg, or another store.

Wal-mart has some good prices on some, but I've never even heard of the brand name.

Few other questions:

And with Plasma's, don't some of them have a bulb you have to replace?

We have Time Warner Cable, so we have digital channels if I'm not mistaken. But I've heard some folks experience a decrease in quality on channels that aren't digital. Is this true? I'm not talking about the HD channels (I know we'll have to subscribe to those separate).

What is the differance between LCD/Plasma and Projection screens?

Also, why do some LCD's say they have built in HDTV.
"Built-In HDTV Tuner: Add HD-capable antenna to receive over-the-air high-definition broadcasts, where available. Optional set-top box required for high-definition cable or satellite programming."
"Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline." - Jim Collins
President
User avatar
Posts: 11795
Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2002 1:18 am
Location: HI & SC
Real Name: John Derrick

Postby Michaels » Tue Nov 21, 2006 6:12 pm

Q. What is the Difference Between an LCD TV and a Plasma TV?


A. Outward appearances are definitely deceiving when it comes to LCD and Plasma televisions. Although both types of televisions are flat and thin, they employ different technology in an attempt to deliver similar results.
Plasma TV Overview

Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent lightbulb. The display itself consists of cells. Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element).

Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image, Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images.

LCD TV Overview

LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology (see also question #1 for this same explanation).

Basically, LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are "glued" together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as florescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.

Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is need for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional television. Also, because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself.

Plasma vs LCD

The ADVANTAGES of Plasma over LCD are:

1. Larger screen size availability.

2. Better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks.

3. Better color accuracy and saturation.

4. Better motion tracking (little or no motion lag in fast moving images).

The DISADVANTAGES of Plasma vs LCD include:

1. Plasma TVs are more susceptible to burn-in of static images.

2. Plasma TVs generate more heat than LCDs, due to the need to light of phosphors to create the images.

3. Does not perform as well at higher altitudes.

4. Shorter display life span (about 30,000 hours or 8 hrs of viewing a day for 9 years) than LCD. This can vary according to other environmental and use factors.

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.

DISADVANTAGES of LCD vs Plasma televisions include:

1. Lower contrast ratio, not as good rendering deep blacks.

2. Not as good at tracking motion (fast moving objects may exhibit lag artifacts).

3. Not as available in large screen sizes above 37-inches

4. Although LCD televisions do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, it is possible that individual pixels on an LCD televisions can burn out, causing small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels cannot be repaired, the whole screen would need to be replaced at that point, if the individual pixel burnout becomes annoying to you.

5. LCD televisions are typically more expensive than equivalent-sized Plasma televisions, especially when comparing EDTV Plasmas to HDTV-LCD Televisions.

source> http://hometheater.about.com/od/lcdtvfaqs/f/lcdfaq2.htm
PROfessional Member
User avatar
Posts: 3054
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 7:00 am
Location: NL

Postby mnemonicj » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:37 pm

Michaels wrote:
mnemonicj wrote:You are looking in the rage of Flat Panel TVs where LCD and Plasma TVs overlap. LCDs TVs are more popular in the smaller televisions and Plasma TVs are more popular in the larger televisions.

If you are looking in this range, consider price. A 42 inch plasma TV might cost about the same as a 42 inch LCD, but a 52 inch plasma is much cheaper than a 52 inch LCD.

But, there is a good reason for that. LCD TVs have a better aspect ratio and look much better being used by a PC.
like BELL1 said already, there is no real difference between those tv. prices makes both affordable at any size. you must try to find out those little things that can make real difference.

i was faced with such dilema two weeks ago, but i went for a LCD. i can as well asure you that if you have both television of the same size side by side and ask friends to pick the best you will never get a winner.


There is a difference. Looking at the same brand, Plasma is almost always cheaper in the same size (+ or - 2").

Also, try to find a Plasma TV in any size less than 30". LCD TVs also are capable of a higher resolution with a smaller television. This will make a huge difference watching TV and it will make a huge difference using a computer on the TV because the Plasma will not be able to display 1080i or 1080p.

I would go with an LCD unless I was looking at a TV bigger than 50", and then I would make sure that the Plasma TV is capable of displaying 1080p.
PRO Level 15
User avatar
Posts: 1066
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 1:41 am
Location: Indianapolis, IN

Next

Return to Hardware and Customizing

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests

cron
cron