I've when it comes to flat panels, you guys prefer LCD. Why?

[karmaman]

That's a myth. The newer models don't get nearly as hot as the old ones did. We have a Panny 42PX80U and no heat radiates off the front, the back only gets warm to the touch. It's only a 720p plasma, and those run cooler than 1080 plasmas, but to say that the amount of heat they put out is "scary" is an overstatement.

I think each technology has its place. LCD for monitors, CRT for kitchen/bedroom TV's, Plasma for the main/living room set IMO.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by karmaman

That's a myth. The newer models don't get nearly as hot as the old ones did.

The same may be said for solid-state TVs vs. tube-powered sets. SS TVs run a lot cooler than tube-type sets; SS sets use much less power than older tube sets did as well. For example, my RCA XL-100 CTC185 barely gets warm in operation and draws under 100 watts of power from the line; ditto for my Zenith Sentry 2. Compare this to the old tube sets that drew upwards of 300 watts (some big 3-way consoles, such as Magnavox's stereo-theatre sets of the '60s, could draw more than 400 watts, with a few going as high as 500 depending on audio output power) and got very hot when left on a few hours, especially around the horizontal-output and audio output stages. This could be one of several reasons the Maggie 25" theatre consoles don't show up very often on eBay; another is the sheer size of those consoles--they would either have to be listed as pickup only or freight, the latter being very expensive. Let's not forget that shipping one of these sets carries with it a huge risk of damage, to the CRT and other components as well if it isn't handled properly.

[Robert Grant]

ROTFL story:

Some relatives of mine recently bought a Panasonic 1080p 42" plasma (fantastic picture, IMO). As they were unpacking the set from the carton, the wife said "Well, I'm glad we won't be using that old set anymore, it was really costing us on the electricity bills!"
At this point, I checked the boiler plates on both the plasma and their old set (32" color analog-only CRT with solid-state chassis). The plasma uses almost 600 watts, but the CRT only 140!


I wonder if anyone could offer their opinion on two rumors I've heard (I have nothing to back these up).:

1) (per a ham radio operator): "Plasmas produce a huge amount of RFI, LCDs are much (RF) cleaner".

2) (per someone who works in a shop that does TV repairs): "all flat screen TVs need a repair within three years, EVERY brand, ALL of them!!"

[andy]

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