Plasma or LCD? Price trends? New technology?

11/22/05 | Don't_Tread_On_Me_888

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

Please offer your expertise and research into the "State of the High Definition TV".

Is plasma or LCD the way to go?

I heard that most of the makers bring out new models in the April-May period next year. Will prices for 2005 models plunge then after New Year's?

What manufacturers offer superior quality?

Should one wait a year or two due to rapid change in technology?

When will the technology advancement in HD TV slow?

Best Buy has a 42 inch plasma from Panasonic for about $2900. What types of prices are you seeing out there for various size LCDs and plasma?

Why would anyone buy a rear projection DLP?

What regualtory changes are happening re the government involvement over spectrum and HDTV standards?

For those of you in the industry, please offer your expertise on these and other questions one should consider before purchasing.

For others not in the industry, please offer your research into these andother need to know issues re HDTV.

[The South Texan]

I would go LCD becuase it is much less than Plasma which means you can get more TV for your buck.

I bought a 23 inch LCD HDTV for our master bedroom. I looked at Sony, Panasonic, Zenith, LG and Toshiba and the Samsung I bought had the best picture quality of all of them. Nice TV with great sound for about $800 at Sams Club which is part of the most hated Wal-Mart corporation.

[KC Burke]

In the late 60s, I recieved a nice 19" black and white TV that I kept for many years. By the late 70s people would come by on the weekend and see me watching a football game and ask in amazement, "why?" I asked them, "haven't you heard, black and white is coming back?"

I think I saved a lot of money on the early color set editions that were not yet technically ready and durable and also still premium priced. I think the same about the current state of the wide format HDTV pretenders. If you have to have home theater, get a DLP projector and a big screen and have cinema, otherwise wait another year, IMHO.

[BigSkyFreeper]

If you want a really good picture and not willing to shell out a bunch of cash, LCD is the way to go.

Plasma falls victim to the image burn problem on screens that have station logos placed in the viewing area that never change, like CNN for example, or MSNBC, or any other station that uses a logo on the screen at all times during a program. LCD doesn't have that problem.

[MindBender26]

Was TV reporter 30+ years, so I know how to spell HDTV. That's about the end of my tech exp., but asked local TV station chief engineer because we are in market for HDTV.

LCD is now a bit of old tech. Plasma has some problems with "burn-in" If picture or picture segments (such as the network "bug" in lower right of screen) remain on too long, they can create ghosted images.

Best picture we saw was Sony's answer to DLP. Some new set of initials. Incredible.

Remember, with 16 - 9 HDTV you need larger screen to get same diagonal as the older 4 - 3 width to height ratio NTSC (older) sets.

Regulatory tech standards are well set. Prices will be down markedly after Super Bowl.

[HAL9000]

Check out the new Samsung 1080p DLPs, if you can find them. Mitsubishi is also shipping 1080ps.

See www.dlp.com for more info on the technology.

I like DLPs because you can hook up a media device, like a Mac mini, and not worry about screen burn-in or convergence problems. The lifespan of DLP projectors should be excellent, with only a single-bulb replacement required periodically.

[aft_lizard]

Stay clear of Plasma. It has to many downfalls to be worth money. I you do get it, get a extended warranty for it. Get LCD and probably the company providing the best value for your buck is LG.

[Petronski]

If it is true that DLP relies on tiny moving parts, I'd steer clear of it.

[aft_lizard]

Darn my f button keeps skipping on me.

[aft_lizard]

I thought DLP was a chip.

[MikefromOhio]

I love my LCD screen.

Great picture. Everything and it's probably going to end up lasting longer and being cheaper than any plasma screen will.

[Petronski]

Seems flaky to me.

[Petronski]

LCD is the only way to go.

[kvanbrunt2]

My buddy works for LG and they have already lowered their prices for the current 7XXP stuff. I think the next is 9XX his price on the 37 LCD was $1670. LG owns some of the Texas Instrument Patents on the technology, i think. I believe the contrast ratio is higher on the LG stuff and even tho the kid at circuit city raved about the Sony box. it was clear to me the LG next to it had far more detail even in the darker areas. that's about all i know.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

That is true in the smaller sizes, but in the larger sizes plasma is less than LCD.

I am looking for a 4245 inch for our master bedroom as the new armoire we bought can fit a 46 inch wide TV, and a 90 inch on another. Since the 70 inch plasmas are running about $9,000-$12,000, I think I will wait until the price comes down just a tad.

:)

I think plasma and LCD are about even in price in the 35 inch or so range. Above that, LCDs get very expensive and plasma is the way to go. LCD may be the way to go int he 35 inch and smaller sizes.

I know plasma uses more power than LCDs, but over a course of one year, I would like to know how much $ cost we are talking about. Normally, if one could afford a $4,000 plasma or LCD, then electricity cost is not a concern, but I would be curious as to the difference.

I also heard Samsung has a very rich color saturation. The guy at Best Buy said that Samsung may even be a little "too rich" in color saturation. I also heard one maker (maybe it was Sony) has come out with a new technology (surprise) that combines the best features of projection, LCD and plasma.

I don't have a Sam's Club membership but I do for Costco and Costco had some prices that were about $1,000 less than Best Buy for the same sizes.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

I heard about that, but I understand some makers are now compensating for that by having a image that floats in a very small, imperceptible way but enough to prevent image burn. I am sure that the next generation will all have that image burn problem solved.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

Best picture we saw was Sony's answer to DLP. Some new set of initials. Incredible.

Hey, I heard about that. I mentioned that in post #15. I would like to know more about that. I am wondering if this will be unique to Sony or if it is a big enough advancement that other makers will adopt it as a standard.

Who out there knows what we are talking about? It is supposed to be another leap forward in image quality technology.

[boatbums]

We also debated the plasma vs. LCD purchase 3 or 4 years ago. At that time, only plasmas were over 30 inches and LCDs were in the < 20" range but were much cheaper. We were looking for something larger than 20" so we nearly went ahead and shelled out $5000 for a Sony 37" plasma. We decided to wait and then we ended up buying a Sharp Aquos 30" LCD for $3400 about 2 years ago. Now, they sell for a lot less.

What convinced us to go with the LCD instead of plasma was the hours of use factor (50K hours vs. 200k) and the burn factor previously mentioned. We love the LCD and the High Definition is amazing.

[MississippiMan]

Based on my observations in various retailers, plasmas look better but cost considerably more. Within plasma, the Panasonics I've seen impress me as the best bang for the buck. That said, I've seen a Pioneer Elite plasma that's simply breathtaking in picture quality, but it's double the cost of many plasmas. I've also seen Sony's new high end and it's a thing of beauty, as well.

Back in the mid-80s, I was one of the first stocking dealers for Pioneer big screens in the South. When they first released their 40" RPTV, nobody else came close, and they've kept products in the top quality range since then.

I'm waiting a bit longer myself. I have a Mitsubishi Diamond Series 65" RP HD that has an incredible picture. In fact, I recently bought a 30" flat-tube Samsung HDTV with a great picture, for an apartment, and when I got home I was surprised to realize that the 65" Mits has a picture that's superior to the 30" in every way, including detail.

MM

[aShepard]

We've had a 37" Sharp Aquos LCD for the past year, mounted on wall with a Bose surround sound. Priced about $1500 above comparable sized plasma, but we understand that the longevity, plus the picture quality is well worth it.

Check the on-line prices. Saved about $600 including shipping, and no sales tax - two day FedEx delivery.
Highly recommmend Sharp.