Plasma TV's? Good, bad or ugly?

[EddieWalker]

When I was looking last year, I spent a lot of time reading up on the different types and brands. Then I looked at them at the different stores to see what I liked the best. I know that they have them set up at the store for display and you have to use different settings at home, but I still figured that they would have them set to the best picture they could get at the store to sell them.

Plasma has an issue with all the heat it generates, which means it used a lot of power. I didn't dismiss plasma just for that reason, but when looking at them at the store, I felt that plasma was always the dullest screen with the fuzziest picture in the 55 inch size.

LED/LCD always looked the best to me. I spent half a year looking, and then another month after my big, giant box tv died.

What really decided it for me was reading the reviews on Amazon.com Every brand, every style and every size had a complaint, but some consitantly had a majority of people who liked theres compared to some brands with a lot of complaints.

Read the reviews, take notes and then go look at whats out there. Ignore those who say you have to set it up just right to get the best picture. And if you don't have a great picture, it's your fault, not the TV's. Mine was super easy to set up. No reason to hire anybody and no reason to stress over it.

Buying the TV is the easy part. Buying the speakers and receiver is where I really stressed. Who knew that Bose is outdated and not even middle of the pack? Same with receivers, depending on what you want, one brand is better then another, but then changes at the next level up.

Only easy thing was the bluray player. They are all similar and you pay for more features, if you need them. A low end unit will give you just as good a picture as a high end unit.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[BIG DOOLEY]

I know a few people that sell tv's at major retailer's - ABC Whse. and Sears.
have had discussions with them and did a lot of on line research.
i own 3 large screen tv's
a 46" sharp lcd and 2 samsung 42" plasma's.
I personally think plasma is the best value for the money.
"samsung plasma tv's" i have been told by the salespeople are the best value on the market.
deep blacks and vivid reds much better than the lcd.
there is anti glare glass on the plasma's and there is a reason for the small amount of glare in bright sunlight.
the screen is made of glass. this has a benefit.
it doesn't attract as much dust day to day as the lcd which has a plastic screen.
the plastic screen on the lcd is scratched very easilyand needs to be cleand more often.
burn-in issues are resolved and half life hours are 100,000 hours plus before plasmas start to dim and loose their brightness.
the wider viewing angle from all areas of the room is by far superior with the plasma.
both of my 42" plasma only cost $500 w/tax and delivery.
my 46" lcd was just over $1359.00 delivered.
the sound quality from the samsung televisions is very....... good also.
take a road trip and view the differences and sound quality in the stores.
i found the best deals online.
warranty in the store or online is the same.
don't think a store bought tv will be easily returned to the store with a warranty issue.
it won't happen.
you must deliver or ship to a certified repair shop for warranty work weather you purchase online or from the store.
research and test them out.
tom

 

[troutsqueezer]

I think you are the Apple owner here......OP asked about Plasma's I own a 37" LG lcd and 42" Sony lcd but he never asked about lcd's ...Did he

Now that would depend on how well one can read and understand the implications of the Op's query. I can look beyond the words as they are printed and apply some level of interpretation that falls under the umbrella of the topic at hand. Apparently, this is not a universal trait.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Panasonic Viera plasma. Yes, it puts out heat but that is good for wintertime.
Picture is beautiful and did I mention we hardly ever turn it off. We sleep with TV on, sound low.
It is almost 4 years old, so that's about 34,000 hours of use so far.

 

[ljohnson778]

This is my take:

Plasma owners, this is a general slam in your direction. Feel free to rebut if you must, I know how much you love your plasmas.

Have you noticed most of the posts are suggesting plasma? I do believe there is a reason for that and it is not because plasma is "better" (all things considered, I don't think it is) but rather I get the feeling plasma owners are a lot like Apple computer owners (this includes my own brother). They paid a little more for their unit (read "materialistic" here) and this generally leads to a certain amount of bragging, usually to deaf ears as most people aren't that nit-picky on the super-fine details. Folks who bought the LCD TV's probably are less inclined to "keep up with the Smiths" or do them one better. A lot like PC owners. We just want to get the computing job at hand done so we can move on to the bigger picture, we don't have hang-ups about Apple vs. PC.

I have a top-of-the-line Sony LCD and no matter what anyone says, it is a mighty fine picture.

That is my opinion and I'm sticking to it. So here's my advice: Save your money, buy an LCD, then spend the money you saved on a tooth bar for your tractor.

Um, are you sure your comments are keeping pace with reality? First, plasma is generally less expensive than LCD... Second, plasma refresh rates generally mean the picture quality is superior. Yes, a plasma tv will generate more heat, nature of the beast.

 

[3rdtime]

I have a samsung plasma and lcd both the same size. Both have good pictures and alot has to do with your settings.. I had both tvs on same amount of time and really didnt think the plasma was that much warmer. . Price was much cheaper for the plasma thats the only reason we got it. . Go by price and brand. We only have samsung tvs, but lg and sony are my next choice if I couldnt get a samsung..

 

[alchemysa]

Comparing picture quality in the store is very difficult. They all look great. They are often playing a Blue-ray disc, and they often have them have set on a 'store display' or 'vivid' mode that might look sensational at first glance but is entirely unsuitable when you get it home. I think you have to really live with a set for a while to work out if its got a good picture FOR YOU. (Thats why I prefer my plasma over my 2 LCD's.).

When you go into the store you should have a very specific idea of what you want in a picture, then try and compare sets that are displaying that type of picture. For example, I wanted good skin tones, and good sporting pics. I hated seeing (on the LCD) glowing 'pink' skin tones during studio interviews, and I hated seeing grass turn into a blur every time the camera 'panned' during a sports telecast. I also didnt like the 'jumpy' images you sometimes get during sport scenes on LCD's.

 

[TripleR]

We have three big screen plasmas LG, Panasonic and Samsung; don't know they are better or worse than LCD. LED, but we like them, no problems noted. I don't know why people are getting so bent out of shape and it has to turn into a Ford/Chevy debate good grief.

 

[powaw]

My vote is for Panasonic plasma. Our 50" Veira is almost 10 now. In the end though it is a personal choice based on your impression of the best picture that your willing to pay for. My info might be a little dated, but be aware that each of the techs have short comings and pluses that you don't want to find out after the purchase. Plasma's can produce a lot more colors than other sets and have better blacks although they use more power and almost always have a gloss screen. Lcds often have a screen door appearance that you may not notice until later and their blacks are more grey when compared side by side, they usually have matte screens. Dlps have rainbow flicker due to their color wheels and can be very annoying once you begin to see it. And an led is just a lcd lit by leds instead of some other type of bulb. Be sure that if you choose a tv that uses a bulb that you factor in the cost of replacing it periodically. They run several hundred dollars per bulb. The main thing is pick the picture you like best. Once it is home you won't have the others to compare it to and it will look fine.

 

[Alien]

I can't afford a big one yet, but I have a 32"LCD and a 32" Plasma and both consume exactly 175 watts. As far as burn in goes, I think this applies to some games folks play, not normal useage. I believe you can lay down a LCD for transport, but not a Plasma.