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

[Sam Cogley]

Originally Posted by MRX37

I actually saw a Samsung LCD HDTV not too long ago that had surprisingly good black levels. Black looked, well, Black.

My Philips looks black except in a few areas closer to the light sources where it gets somewhat dark-grey-ish. I'm very happy with it, and I'm sure that by the time I'm ready to replace it, my career will be progressing nicely and I'll be able to get a really, really big laser set.

To my eyes, the LCDs with the worst black levels (at least among the "name" brands) have been Sony models. And they're expensive for their rated diagonal size.

[Greg B.]

I've had both, first a Sony 42" LCD, currently a Panny 46" plasma. To me there is no comparison. The plasma is just better. The LCD can put out a brighter picture, and did not reflect room lights like the plasma. But the last issue is a non-issue with proper setup in the room, and the brighter LCD picture is a very mixed bag. LCDs look better in the big box store under the fluorescent lights but I found that once set up at home everything looked unnatural.

Yes, it throws off a bit of heat (nothing bad, and half the year its welcome anyway) but the picture quality makes it all worth it.

[old_tv_nut]

Plasmas: had bad reds (orangy) - now improved; had burn-in problems - now fixed; had artifacts due to strobing used to create gray levels - not fixed, but maybe improved depending on the gray-scale processing and driver circuits; had motion smear - not fixed, although may be improved in some models

LCD: had trouble with contrast ratio -now fixed (at least for viewing from near head-on, some may be degraded when viewed from a steep angle); had color/gamma problems, especially in highly saturated colors - now fixed; had motion smear - fixed in 120 Hz models

Personally, I have always liked the rendition on LCDs over that of plasmas given their state of improvement at any given time.

However, until recently, I felt that the best non-CRT HD display was the DMD projector. LCD flat panels may have caught up with that.

LCDs these days may be designed to produce the HDTV primary colors exactly. There have been some introductions of wider-gamut LCD displays, particularly high-end computer displays, but there have been some reviews counseling against these as being more variable when viewed off-axis. There are standards in place that would allow coding DVDs or Blu-rays with this wider gamut; otherwise, having it is a waste and an invitation to exaggerated and innacurate color if the panel is not set to a normal-gamut mode.

[Nakdoc]

I repair both plasma and LCd. I prefer plasma.

[andy]

000

[slow_jazz]

The heat those plasma screens put out is scary...

[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.

[tboat4]

I've had a Panasonic TH-42PZ700U (Plasma) since March, and love it. I shopped for over a month, looking at a lot of different products and the Panasonic plasma was best IMO.

[piece-it pete]

Originally Posted by andy

So, I guess to sum things up, we don't agree on which is better.

Tubes! S/S! Vinyl! Cds! Horns! Direct Radiators! Cables!

And now: TV's! Life is good.

Whatever you do, DON'T ask about favorite vegetables

Pete

PS - no heat probs with mine, but it's been I think -20 since I got it 2 months ago.

[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]

000

[Kiwick]

One of my friends bought a 32" Samsung LCD last christmas, and i had a chance to watch a movie on it, what a terrible viewing experience! halfway through the movie i had bad eye strain and some dizziness... the picture looked so unnatural, harsh and shallow, i just can't understand why so many people think FP sets are so much better than CRTs!

Well, maybe that's because i've spent 30 years watching CRT sets.

[colortrakker]

I agree, it's hard to give up a tube. I use NEC plasmas at work, and except for the pixel size, they look just about exactly like CRTs. You get real blacks, the whites are really white (not silvery), and I see no blur. I almost want one for home.

I don't yet know an LCD that can give you true black, or the off-axis performance of a plasma or CRT.

[karmaman]

NEC's are VERY good plasmas from what I've heard.