TV: Plasma vs LCD

[rick@garage16.ca]

What are some Pro's and Con's about "Plasma vs LCD" TV's?

[seelsy]

LCD tvs generally have a higher contrast ratio and can handle faster picture speeds, meaning you get less motion blur, however are generally more expensive than plasmas. Plasmas still offer great picture, but give off a lot of heat, so not great for a small room generally. Suttle differences in picture if you really look hard and compare side by side

[cwp_sedan]

Power consumption is much higher on Plasmas also.

LED > LCD > Plasma

[M&D Executive Auto]

LCD tvs generally have a higher contrast ratio and can handle faster picture speeds, meaning you get less motion blur, however are generally more expensive than plasmas. Plasmas still offer great picture, but give off a lot of heat, so not great for a small room generally. Suttle differences in picture if you really look hard and compare side by side

Contrast ratio has to do with colours not picture speeds. Plasmas are way better than LCD's in terms of motion blur, plasmas are typically 600HZ and LCD's are 60HZ and 120HZ the new ones that came out a while back are 240HZ still not even close to plasma's 600HZ. That is what deterrmines motion speed not contrast.
Aslo LCD's typically use colour enhancement the colours are brighter but you won't get the deep black colour you would get with plasma. Plus LCD's are better for a brighter room less glare, plasma'swill give off alot of glare in a bright sunny room.

If you want to see the differences and learn more go to 2001 Audio/Video and ask a sales guy some questions they are usually pretty good at knowing TV's and show you the differences right there. Just don't go there with your wallet, because you are looking for a TV already they are prety good a selling people to make impulse purchases. Get your info and then look around for the deal Centre HI-FI in Dufferin mall always has the same TV's at a way better price.

[seelsy]

Contrast ratio has to do with colours not picture speeds. Plasmas are way better than LCD's in terms of motion blur, plasmas are typically 600HZ and LCD's are 60HZ and 120HZ the new ones that came out a while back are 240HZ still not even close to plasma's 600HZ. That is what deterrmines motion speed not contrast.
Aslo LCD's typically use colour enhancement the colours are brighter but you won't get the deep black colour you would get with plasma. Plus LCD's are better for a brighter room less glare, plasma'swill give off alot of glare in a bright sunny room.

If you want to see the differences and learn more go to 2001 Audio/Video and ask a sales guy some questions they are usually pretty good at knowing TV's and show you the differences right there. Just don't go there with your wallet, because you are looking for a TV already they are prety good a selling people to make impulse purchases. Get your info and then look around for the deal Centre HI-FI in Dufferin mall always has the same TV's at a way better price.

i didnt say contrast meant motion blur, i said contrast and picture speed. That seems odd though cuz my step dad has a plasma and he gets a lot more blur during games than i do on my lcd.

[SwiftStorm]

See this page (http://www.best-3dtvs.com/guides/what-does-600hz-sub-field-drive-mean/) for an explanation of the whole plasma (600hz) vs LCD (240hz) mess. They're actually referring to 2 different things (due to the fundamental differences in technology), but simply put LCDs inherently do have more motion blur and less motion-resolution than plasmas.

Because of that, a plasma (Panasonic in particular for 2010 models) is a better choice for people who don't like motion blur. They also have levels of input lag more similar to a CRT without requiring the use of a "Gaming Mode". LCDs are generally have more lag because of the extra processing required to get good picture quality.

This is very obvious if you compare a 3D Panasonic plasma to any 3D LCD. The LCD will have much more crosstalk (caused by the image intended for the left eye not disappearing fast enough before the image is displayed for the right eye and vice versa). This is a direct measurement of "motion blur" that you don't need specialized tools to detect.

Aside from the above, plasma TVs have advantages in other key areas: static contrast ratio, black level, colour accuracy, viewing angles.

Some disadvantages include: buzzing noise (depends on brand, model, and luck of draw), heat, image retention (not significant anymore, and this is not burn-in), power consumption (varies depending on brightness, don't expect over 200 watt on average).

Also just to note, a completely unbiased shootout between the top TVs of 2010 was recently performed and plasmas came out on top: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20016466-1.html

They had professionally calibrated TVs, and voting was performed by "executives and senior engineers from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), National Association of TV Broadcasters (NAB), and manufacturers including LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony, as well as "serious a/vphiles and leading members of their respected user forums."

[rick@garage16.ca]

well Im more of a sports guy when it comes to watching tv then anyhing. Plus I have the HD box from rogers that helps the picture.

I see many Plasmas at only 720p, will the better model at 1080p make a diff? I hear the "eye" can only catch/see stuff at 720p anyways and that the 1080p will look the same

Anyone can post on that?

[SwiftStorm]

Resolution of the screen depends on several key factors: your visual acuity, size of display, and seating distance from display.

See this chart: http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

[rick@garage16.ca]

Resolution of the screen depends on several key factors: your visual acuity, size of display, and seating distance from display.

See this chart: http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

Thanks for the link :)

[CoolColombian]

As for the 720 and 1080p dilema I think that all that matters is the native resolution, i.e; my LG is a 720p but displays 1080p in native mode when hooked to an hd source such as an hd receiver or a ps3 so there is no need to espend the extra money on a 1080p over a 720p, always look for the 1080p display mode if it says "native" instead of "not supported" thats what you want. Remember regular tv content is always displayed in 480p res amd regular DVD players will do it in 480 also unles it upconverts to 1080 or is a blue ray or is an Hd receiver and you are watching the HD channels, these will be display in 1080i. Hope that helps.

[m_bisson]

1080p is definitely noticable... Spend enough time in front of both and you'll clearly see the difference.

[bman13]

I got a 52' Samsung LCD and no issues/complaints

[PCLoadLetter]

- Rogers cable broadcasts high def at 720p.
- Don't worry about a high contrast ratio, unless you plan on watching your TV outside.
- Make sure the TV you want has plenty of inputs.
- Also, read lots of reviews if you think you found the TV you want.

[Noisy Crow]

An excellent Canadian site for current info:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/

[SwiftStorm]

An excellent Canadian site for current info:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/

This is definitely a good source of information. If you have time, it is better to research on a site such as digitalhome and I would actually visit http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/ as well.

[rick@garage16.ca]

Just checkout this weeks flyers from bestbuy and futureshop, great deals but when I called HI-FI at dufferin mall, they had ALOT better pricing then bestbuy or futureshop for the same tv.

and the warrenty is half the price of bestbuy/futureshop

[XTOTHEL]

think 720 vs 1080 as small picture blown up to big picture size. smaller picture = less pixels, larger picture = more pixels = more clarity. but of course it all depends on the media that's being played. I would go 1080 if you plan on owning a blu ray player.

[m_bisson]

think 720 vs 1080 as small picture blown up to big picture size. smaller picture = less pixels, larger picture = more pixels = more clarity. but of course it all depends on the media that's being played. I would go 1080 if you plan on owning a blu ray player.

xbox, ps3, and most computers now display in 1080p as well. All new games are (LEAFS JUST SCORED!!!! GO LEAFS GO!!!) coming out in 1080p... it's more than just bluray. Also, my parents have a 720p/1080i TV and there is a HUGE difference for HD media. 1080i looks more like 720p than 1080p.

[rick@garage16.ca]

Thanks for all the help guys

got myself a 50" Plasma from Samsung :)