Foo - Plasma or LCD?

me and the wifey are going to get a new tv for the bedroom. :) but the problem is we can't decide on what kind. here are some of the parameters on deciding a tv that we wan. we like to sleep with the tv on, which tv would be best for that? which produces less radiant heat? what about electricity, which uses less energy?

its between this lcd
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200658+400092&Ne=400000&product_code=345239

and this plasma
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200658+400092&Ne=400000&product_code=345243

thanks for stopping by!

If i may suggest...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889234002

42" instead of 40
1080p instead of 720p
$1200 instead of $1400

Plasmas are great and all, but they have their downsides.

me and the wifey are going to get a new tv for the bedroom. :) but the problem is we can't decide on what kind. here are some of the parameters on deciding a tv that we wan. we like to sleep with the tv on, which tv would be best for that? which produces less radiant heat? what about electricity, which uses less energy?

its between this lcd
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200658+400092&Ne=400000&product_code=345239

and this plasma
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200658+400092&Ne=400000&product_code=345243

thanks for stopping by!


I just bought the plasma that you are looking at! I absolutely love it! You can't really go wrong with either TV! Just make a decision and love it!

i've always been iffy about westinghouse b/c it isn't a huge brand like the sonys or the samsungs. plus at comp usa i get a HUGE discount :wink:

I wouldn't worry, westinghouse is more popular then you think (if thats possible), regardless, they get great reviews.

but...get whats best for ya

http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv-plasmavslcd.shtml

If i may suggest...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889234002

42" instead of 40
1080p instead of 720p
$1200 instead of $1400

Plasmas are great and all, but they have their downsides.

Wow tv's are cheap now. Really is amazing. Can't go wrong with much of any tv out there. If it's just for generic bedroom tv I say go for the cheapest.

i've got a 50" panasonic plasma.

it blows away any lcd i've ever seen.

I dug on my 32" viewsonic LCD until it crapped out on me. Waiting on warranty service now.

Go with the plasma.

Sleeping with the TV on? Way to go, sporto, you're some freaking hero.

I would go with a LCD, probably Sharp since they make around 90% of the LCD screens to begin with. So all of the other LCD manufacturers are using Sharp screens.

Plasma suck, they use to much power and are to heavy and while they have improved their fast motion video reaction time, I still don't think it is that good. And since you are putting in the bedroom you need something that can handle fast motion for all the porn you will be watching on it.

i've got a 50" panasonic plasma.

it blows away any lcd i've ever seen.

Me too. ;)

Go with the plasma.

Sleeping with the TV on? Way to go, sporto, you're some freaking hero.

To each there own but I must agree. How can you sleep with a TV on? Doesn't it program your brain at night?

I would definitely go with the LSD. The colours are so much better man.

To each there own but I must agree. How can you sleep with a TV on? Doesn't it program your brain at night?

I would definitely go with the LSD. The colours are so much better man.

It's called a SLEEP TIMER. Use it! :rolleyes:

i've got a 50" panasonic plasma.

it blows away any lcd i've ever seen.
FYI the new 10th gen Panasonic Plasmas now have anti-glare screens as well as the anti-burn-in technology that you're currently using; nice choice!

I would definitely go with the LSD. The colours are so much better man.I'll have to take your word for it. I've never tried LSD myself. :D

--J

Go look at both types, they provide different pictures based on how well they do black levels and different price points. The only real problem with plasma is that it uses a glass screen which makes the picture look very good but if you have a lot of windows or lights in the room the reflections can be quiet annoying. When you go looking try to find a higher end store, they will have them setup better and you will get a more representative picture. Note the picture you get at home once you adjust the setting will always be better than what you see int he showroom. Also for questions or research go to avsforum.com don't listen to the guys in BB or CC they know very little about what they sell.

cnet reviews are also very good.

Definitely make sure you get 1080i, the difference is muy noticeable.

I have the most recent Sony Bravia 40 or 42 inch (I forget which) LCD and it is completely brilliant. Light, energy efficient, and can be viewed at almost any angle. Way superior to the plasmas I've seen (which are cheaper). Discount price on the 1st generation version of this set is now around $1600, and you'll never regeret it. I paid close to 3K for mine a year and a half ago, and I've never regretted it for a second.

which produces less radiant heat? what about electricity, which uses less energy?


The answer to both of these questions is, by a large margin, LCD.

Definitely make sure you get 1080i, the difference is muy noticeable.

I have the most recent Sony Bravia 40 or 42 inch (I forget which) LCD and it is completely brilliant. Light, energy efficient, and can be viewed at almost any angle. Way superior to the plasmas I've seen (which are cheaper). Discount price on the 1st generation version of this set is now around $1600, and you'll never regeret it. I paid close to 3K for mine a year and a half ago, and I've never regretted it for a second.

1080i sucks for anything with any sort of motion, 1080P...there is no replacement

1080i sucks for anything with any sort of motion, 1080P...there is no replacement

+1 1080p!

+1 1080p!

The set I refer to is 1080p, not "1080i." Don't have my manual handy.

The ONLY 1080p signal that you are going to feed your 1080p display is going to be from a high def DVD player like the Sony Playstation 3 that is playing a disc that IS HIGH DEF. It will be MANY years before a 1080P signal is sent via satellite or cable due to it's huge bandwidth.

So when you buy a 1080p set REMEMBER you are never going to get a 1080p signal on it, unless you are using a High Def DVD player like Blu Ray. There is a lot of fuss over 1080p in the market place right now, but it is not that big of a deal. Many claim to discover very little difference between 1080p and 720p so even then there is not that big of a deal.

The ONLY 1080p signal that you are going to feed your 1080p display is going to be from a high def DVD player like the Sony Playstation 3 that is playing a disc that IS HIGH DEF. It will be MANY years before a 1080P signal is sent via satellite or cable due to it's huge bandwidth.

So when you buy a 1080p set REMEMBER you are never going to get a 1080p signal on it, unless you are using a High Def DVD player like Blu Ray. There is a lot of fuss over 1080p in the market place right now, but it is not that big of a deal. Many claim to discover very little difference between 1080p and 720p so even then there is not that big of a deal.

+1 - Cable providers do broadcast in 1080i though.

The ONLY 1080p signal that you are going to feed your 1080p display is going to be from a high def DVD player like the Sony Playstation 3 that is playing a disc that IS HIGH DEF. It will be MANY years before a 1080P signal is sent via satellite or cable due to it's huge bandwidth.

So when you buy a 1080p set REMEMBER you are never going to get a 1080p signal on it, unless you are using a High Def DVD player like Blu Ray. There is a lot of fuss over 1080p in the market place right now, but it is not that big of a deal. Many claim to discover very little difference between 1080p and 720p so even then there is not that big of a deal.

This true but the 1080p TV will upconvert all signals to 1080p, if the signal coming in is less then the advantage is less noticeable. The key for picking between 720p/1080i vs 1080p is how big your screen is and how close you will sit. The bigger the screen and the closer you want to sit the more difference 1080p makes. I have a 67" 1080P DLP and I sit 8' away and it looks better than my 720p 42" set that I was sitting 10' away from. This is mainly because I am more immersed into the bigger screen by sitting closer and with 1080p I don't get the pixel discrimenation you would get sitting that close to 720p or 1080i set. I also have a PS3 so games and HD movies are quite nice on the 1080p set.

I traded off screen size and technology for price. I could not afford a 67" Plasma or LCD and the DLP set looked only marginally less nice than those technologies but the difference between 42" and 67" is a huge difference.

I vote LCD. A close friend has a plasma and it builds up heat pretty quick. He's had to install a fan in his entertainment center to keep it from overheating.

I'll save my opinion on sleeping with the TV on and just mention that Plasmas use huge amounts of energy compared to LCD. So much so that England is considering banning plasma TVs.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007420012,00.html

This true but the 1080p TV will upconvert all signals to 1080p, if the signal coming in is less then the advantage is less noticeable. The key for picking between 720p/1080i vs 1080p is how big your screen is and how close you will sit. The bigger the screen and the closer you want to sit the more difference 1080p makes. I have a 67" 1080P DLP and I sit 8' away and it looks better than my 720p 42" set that I was sitting 10' away from. This is mainly because I am more immersed into the bigger screen by sitting closer and with 1080p I don't get the pixel discrimenation you would get sitting that close to 720p or 1080i set. I also have a PS3 so games and HD movies are quite nice on the 1080p set.

I traded off screen size and technology for price. I could not afford a 67" Plasma or LCD and the DLP set looked only marginally less nice than those technologies but the difference between 42" and 67" is a huge difference.

You can "upconvert" all you want but when you display something in it's non native resolution then you gain nothing. Also 1080i is basically the same as 720 p, most cable providers transmit 1080i. The fact remains, a 1080p will really only be of benefit when there are a lot of Blu Ray or HD movies available and you own a blu-ray or high def player.

Depends on the room.

LCDs are good for dimly lit rooms, Plasmas work better in rooms with sunlight streaming in, etc.

Also size-- smaller than 40" LCDs kick it, larger than that and go plasma.

Buy a Panasonic, either way

which produces less radiant heat? what about electricity, which uses less energy?




Those are really the same question.

According to the LN-T4042 user's manual (http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200705/20070515083727984_BN68-01167A-01L02-0331.pdf), it uses 195 watts.

Unfortunately, the HP-T4254 user's manual (http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200702/20070227202632859_BN68-01192E-02_0226_book.pdf) doesn't give power consumption.

Depends on the room.

LCDs are good for dimly lit rooms, Plasmas work better in rooms with sunlight streaming in, etc.

Also size-- smaller than 40" LCDs kick it, larger than that and go plasma.

Buy a Panasonic, either way

Wow, this thread is full of bad information. Actually a plasma is better in a dark room. In well lit rooms the glass panel will reflect light and interfere with the picture. LCD is not as bad about this. Any type of screen is good in a dark room.

The thing I don't like about plasmas is the screen-door effect. They have a large amount of dead space between the pixels and this causes the image to look like you laid a screen-door over the panel. Even from far away, the image looks gritty, like there's sand on it.

LCD panels on the other hand, have full color to the edge of the pixels. With recent LED backlighting, LCD panels are getting brighter and more power-efficient.

The thing I don't like about plasmas is the screen-door effect. They have a large amount of dead space between the pixels and this causes the image to look like you laid a screen-door over the panel. Even from far away, the image looks gritty, like there's sand on it.

LCD panels on the other hand, have full color to the edge of the pixels. With recent LED backlighting, LCD panels are getting brighter and more power-efficient.


i've seen lcds and plasmas with this effect, it isn't limited to plasma it is a result of the construction of the television.

my panasonic th-50px77u that i got 3 weeks ago does not have this problem, it has anti-glare glass to combat the brightness of the room and the fast reaction time does not produce the shadow effect of fast moving object images on the screen. i haven't seen a lcd i've liked yet; this tv is one of the best especially at this price-point for 50 inch.

http://images.panasonic.com/static/LargerPhoto/TH-50PX77U_500.jpg

You can "upconvert" all you want but when you display something in it's non native resolution then you gain nothing. Also 1080i is basically the same as 720 p, most cable providers transmit 1080i. The fact remains, a 1080p will really only be of benefit when there are a lot of Blu Ray or HD movies available and you own a blu-ray or high def player.

Not true at all, upconverting cannot additional detail that does not exist but it can provide a better viewable picture. Try comparing a SD 480p DVD on a standard progressive player vs the upconverting that say the PS3 does or other upconverting 1080p DVD players. You still only have 480p of resolution but if you can actually tell me you don't think the picture looks better I would be quite surprised. I know I can see a difference.

But I will say again the smaller the screen and the farther you sit back the less your eyes can discriminate differences. So even with a 1080p source if you sit further than 10' away from 65" screen you cannot discriminate between 720p and 1080p.

CRT all the way
Can’t knock a technology that has been around for that long.
Slim TV's are a gimmick, what space are you saving? Most Slim Panel TV's I have seen
still have some sort of cabining below them with components in them
It’s just a cool factor people are looking for.
You can not beat the picture of a HD CRT.
Not today anyway.

LCD. Plasmas burn out a lot faster.

It depends on what you are looking for out of a tv. Games? Movies? Sports? I opted for an LCD tv (samsung lnt375h) due to the weary "burn in" and the problem with plasma. Although you can have stuck pixels on lcd's, most companies have a guarantee and return policy that make it unproblematic.
Heres a little guide (http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv-plasmavslcd.shtml)