LCD HDTV or Plasma HDTV??? Help!

[princessariel]

It's been years since I've bought a new TV. I'm not very knowledgable about the newer ones. But I've been researching price, brands, models. The only thing I'm confused about is the difference between plasma and LCD . What would you suggest? TIA

 

[MAH4546]

It's been years since I've bought a new TV. I'm not very knowledgable about the newer ones. But I've been researching price, brands, models. The only thing I'm confused about is the difference between plasma and LCD . What would you suggest? TIA

LCD.

Plasma uses significantly more electricity (sometimes as much as 5x the power), is more fragile and does not last as long.

 

[bicker]

That's going to become a big issue, in some states, soon. Plasma television manufacturers are scrambling now, trying to find ways of cutting their power consumption.

Do keep in mind that the 5x number is "peak power consumption". With plasma, power consumption is very much dependent on what is being shown on screen, while that is not the case for LCD (or DLP for that matter).

Plasma does have its place, though: LCD is not good in a glary room. However, if you have lots of control over light getting into the room, LCD is probably the best choice at this point.

Regarding brands... stick with Samsung or Sony. They are head-and-shoulders better than the others in terms of performance, quality, reliability and service.

 

[TTFN]

We recently got a Toshiba LCD, which we love. I could get you model numbers if you're interested. It has a no glare screen; we can have lights on in the room and they are not reflected by the tv!

 

[wall*e2008]

I would get a DLP projector. That will be our next TV, but not for a few more years.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

"Regarding brands... stick with Samsung or Sony." We have Samsung and Sony and think both are great, LCD HDTV.

 

[TinklednPants]

LCD. And I would add Sharp (particularly the Aquos) to Sony and Samsung as good options.

 

[bicker]

I would get a DLP projector. That will be our next TV, but not for a few more years.

I have a DLP, and I strongly advocated DLP, for screen sizes larger than 36", back in 2006, when we bought ours, and even 2007. However, since then, LCD and plasma have come down in price by a substantial amount, and at this point I think DLP has had its day. The only thing DLP has going for it over plasma (at least) is power consumption -- indeed, most plasma televisions currently on the market would be banned from sale in California under a new state law there. However, LCD, while incurring greater power consumption then DLP on average, is a decent compromise, and the vast majority of (though not all) LCD HDTVs would comply with the new California state law.

You still get more television for your dollar with DLP, but that advantage is much less than it has been in the past, and the space and weight advantages of LCD over DLP are significant.

 

[chewbacca]

When we had to get our rear projection tv fixed we asked the repair man what kind he prefers. He said that his next tv would be a LED or another rear projection (do they even make them anymore?). He said that the LCD & Plasma do not last very long.

 

[tennisfan]

My aunt used to work for an electrical shop. She has nothing good to say about Plasma, they use more power & tend to only have a working life of about 5 years which is not good for the money they cost. She would recommend LCD everytime. I also agree with buying Samsung or Sony as they are very good quality. If you buy a Panasonic be careful as they tend to be older models (made in 07/08) but are sold now.

 

[wall*e2008]

I have a DLP, and I strongly advocated DLP, for screen sizes larger than 36", back in 2006, when we bought ours, and even 2007. However, since then, LCD and plasma have come down in price by a substantial amount, and at this point I think DLP has had its day. The only thing DLP has going for it over plasma (at least) is power consumption -- indeed, most plasma televisions currently on the market would be banned from sale in California under a new state law there. However, LCD, while incurring greater power consumption then DLP on average, is a decent compromise, and the vast majority of (though not all) LCD HDTVs would comply with the new California state law.

You still get more television for your dollar with DLP, but that advantage is much less than it has been in the past, and the space and weight advantages of LCD over DLP are significant.

I have a rear screen HDTV DLP now. I am talking about the projectors on the ceiling that can do 110" pictures. When we got our HDTV in 2001 the projectors were 20K plus, had a short bulb life and needed a dark room. Now the costs is competative, the bulbs have a longer life and they are brighter.

 

[bicker]

Here's a good summary of the four choices (let's not forget LCOS), updated as of this past September:

http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108443-1.html?tag=bg;bg_l

Both LCD and plasma are described, "Life span (hours until brightness fades by half): Typically 60,000 hours, or about 20 years if used 8 hours per day".

Note that manufacturers are beginning to drop out of the Rear Projection market; "Heavy hitters Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi no longer manufacture rear-projection sets, leaving only Mitsubishi and Samsung with significant lineups among major names."

 

[Dan Murphy]

......Plasma does have its place, though: LCD is not good in a glary room. However, if you have lots of control over light getting into the room, LCD is probably the best choice at this point.....

My experience, and all I have read, if I recall, is that LCD is quite superior to plasma in a room with a lot of light, because of the reflective nature of the plasma screen. No? We have a Sony LCD, and the potential for a light of outside light, windows/sliding door, and have never experienced a problem.

 

[bicker]

Screens can be made anti-reflective of course, but my understanding is that the biggest difference between LCD and plasma, as it pertains to light infiltration, is black level and contrast, which have tended to be better on plasma than LCD. Of course, a good LCD could be better than a bad plasma.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

My experience, and all I have read, if I recall, is that LCD is quite superior to plasma in a room with a lot of light, because of the reflective nature of the plasma screen. No? We have a Sony LCD, and the potential for a light of outside light, windows/sliding door, and have never experienced a problem.

We have an LCD also and our living room has lots of glare. We chose the LCD because it has basically a "flat" non-glare surface. All of the Plasmas we looked out had more of a glossy screen (for lack of a better term) that really reflected any glare in the room. We went cheap and bought a Vizio from Walmart - so far so good

 

[princessariel]

Thanks for all your help! I knew this was the place to ask this question. The tv is for my bedroom which is very dark because I'm a third shift worker. So there won't be a lighting problem. Looks like most of you think LCD would be better. I appreciate all your comments, they really helped!

 

[goofysk8]

We bought our 46" Sharp AQUOS(lcd) about 15 months ago. It is absolutely the best tv we've owned. No problems whatsoever. The HD channels are spectacular to watch. Too bad every channel wasn't HD. We do not have a glare issue and it is viewable from just about any angle. We just bought a 32" Sharp lcd for the bedroom and have it mounted on the wall. I would never buy a Sony product since I have had 3 and all were junk.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I'll be the first from the "other team." We purchased a 50 inch plasma late July. I didn't know if I would like it to be honest but I love it love it. I have not noticed an increase in power consumption in our electric bill. We watch alot of movies and the colors are just gorgeous and the black is extremely black.

As for glare, we have two large windows not more than 5 ft from the television and I see no glare like in old glass bubble television fronts.

However, I will say that when you purchase a television, be prepared to have to pay HDMI cables, hd cable, a big super duper power strip, and anything else you need to have HD. I rolled my eyes initially but now that it's all in place, I wouldn't go back for anything.

My advice is to just go to a store, don't talk to the sales people, but just look at the screens. Stand back where you would normally sit in your television room and just look at the screens. You'll start noticing differences I think.

 

[hemispheredancer]

You don't need to buy HDMI cables to view HD. You can use more affordable component cables (red, green ,blue). That is what we use and our HD is great and the sound is put out thru the Onkyo home theater set-up we have. The only HDMI cable we DID buy was to hook up the AQUOS blu-ray player to the tv. In order to get a true 1080p (progressive), the only way is thru the blu-ray player. Otherwise, most HD channels come in 1080i (interlaced).

 

[bicker]

Before purchasing any cables, be sure to check the prices at monoprice.com. Especially for HDMI cables.

Here's a quick guide to HDTV power consumption:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6475_7-6400401-3.html
As you can see, plasmas are almost universally poor, DLPs are almost univerally good, and LCDs are a mixed bag. Do keep in mind the proviso I put in earlier, that this is peak power consumption.