Plasma v LCD v LED

[DWdrummer]

Plasma is still the king of display technologies. Though all of the newer panels really do look exceptional these days. Plasma has a more lifelike picture and not being backlit at all has the best blacks and viewing angles.

Many people mistake a brighter panel as being a clearer or sharper panel. That is not the case. I have a three year old Panasonic plasma that I calibrated to professional levels and it is like looking out a window with quality source material.

You can't really buy a bad panel these days for the most part whether plasma or LED. Enjoy your new TV!

[MortgageGuy]

Never have owned a plasma however I have had LCD for years and LED for about 2 years now and the LED takes the cake IMO, it is so thin it is like a picture hanging on the wall rather than a TV

[conrail]

My vote is plasma. Most natural looking colors and if you need viewing angle, forget about it! Plus, because it is a technology on the way out as retailers make room for LED TVs - you can get some amazing deals. I have a 42" 1080p Panasonic plasma and love it. I got it on sale last year for around $600 - LCD/LED prices cannot beat that.

[TheDude]

You guys do know that LED is LCD right? LED is just the backlighting that is used vs CFL. In the land of LCDs, dynamic LED backlighting is king.

Plasma is cheaper and has better temporal resolution. The OP can use his budget to get a 51" Samsung Plasma, which will look incredible.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN51D4...0803864&sr=8-3

[conrail]

Originally Posted by TheDude

You guys do know that LED is LCD right? LED is just the backlighting that is used vs CFL. In the land of LCDs, dynamic LED backlighting is king.

Plasma is cheaper and has better temporal resolution. The OP can use his budget to get a 51" Samsung Plasma, which will look incredible.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN51D4...0803864&sr=8-3

What he said. I think A LOT of people think LED is a separate monitor technology. It is just LCD backlighting. And it is beautiful, but not at current prices. At that size, or even at 42" that I have, I'd personally go 1080p. You will notice the crispness on 720p vs. 1080p source content.

[Rolex Junky]

Something else to keep in mind. If you do not have 20/20 eye sight it won't make a difference what you choose. If so the cheapest least power consuming option is the best!

[TheDude]

Bumping this thread for the US folks since TVs are being heavily discounted for the holidays here.

Apparently, room is being made for new models with all the connected streaming stuff.

Also, Samsung is reported to be releasing OLED televisions, which is truly next generation technology, rather than the technologies listed in the subject thread.

Anyone contemplating a cheap TV purchase?

[egzbuen]

Best to go to nearest electronics shop and test all three side-by-side playing the same media.

This is how I did it when I had the same dilemma before.

Went for the 42" Pana plasma.

[NYC6]

I have a 42" Pana plasma also. Fantastic picture but as said earlier that thing puts out some BTU'S! You walk by the set and feel the heat radiating off it.
Looking for a new TV for the family room in the 50"-60". Hearing good things about the Samsungs. Just checked Costcos site and they're sold out of alot already with the X-mas rush,
This one will be a LCD or LED. Keep this thread going, good to hear others opinions and advise.

[rr-nyc]

Plasma if you want the very best picture. You will sacrifice thickness but if you have a large screen or home theatre set up, its hardly noticeable.

LCD/LED works for most of us. The motion blur some people complain about can be avoided by going with a higher refresh rate. I would suggest looking at 240Hz. LED's have aesthetic appeal because they are wafer thin

[lavaman]

About two weeks ago I wound up buying an open-stock (display model) Sony Brevia 1080/120 LCD 40"

for $500 out the door.

Very happy.

[TheDude]

No one interested in talking about OLED and AMOLED??

Rumors are that we're going to see those next year.

[masterserg]

Originally Posted by TheDude

No one interested in talking about OLED and AMOLED??

Rumors are that we're going to see those next year.

At what price?? That's the big question!!

[azguy]

Buying Plasma is like buying a car from the early 1990's, they run hot, weight a ton and suck seriuos energy.

Nobody considering a new TV should buy one reguardless of the price

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by azguy

Buying Plasma is like buying a car from the early 1990's, they run hot, weight a ton and suck seriuos energy.

Nobody considering a new TV should buy one reguardless of the price

Right, if you buy a plasma from the 90's. Please do some research before posting something like that.

They use the same amount of electricity as LED's of the past couple years, they are less than an inch thin now and run just as cool when calibrated or on the correct viewing settings.

Next....

[cedargrove]

Originally Posted by azguy

Buying Plasma is like buying a car from the early 1990's, they run hot, weight a ton and suck seriuos energy.

Nobody considering a new TV should buy one reguardless of the price

Anyone doing any decent amount of research will conclude plasma is the way to go.

[conrail]

Originally Posted by azguy

Buying Plasma is like buying a car from the early 1990's, they run hot, weight a ton and suck seriuos energy.

Nobody considering a new TV should buy one reguardless of the price

Haha, what a nonsense analogy

And, unless you're sticking your face right on the back/top of the TV for any decent period of time, how are you even noticing the heat from a TV in 2011, soon to be 2012

Does anyone really care about the weight of TVs these days either?! Unless you're doing some light-weight wall mounting unit, the TV just sits on your stand or table....easily carried up however many flights of stairs.

[sea-dweller]

LED is the way to go. There are many great deals out there!

[Mickey®]

A year ago I'd say LCD...as the price gap narrows LED will be the way to go soon.

Plasma's have a good picture but not in a room with "lots of light"...right?

[Mac-Apple]

I just bought 55 'led Smart Samsung for 1099 at HH Gregg last week ,and the picture is absolutely amazing. Led is definitely the way to go, my 40' lcd never looked this good.

[scarhead]

I bought a Samsung 46" LED last night. Got a pretty good deal on the telly and when the associate rang it up a deal popped up that included a blu ray player and two 3D glasses.

I spent a lot of time going from store to store looking at the televisions and researching them online. I think I did well and will be happy. I haven't unboxed it yet, but when I do I will post some photos.

[HyperM3]

I will chime in as a previous high end home theater retail salesperson. Take my opinion with a grain of salt if you will.

All the different technologies have their pluses and minuses. With that in mind, I will still say for "Picture Quality" the plasmas still reign supreme. The ability to process deeper blacks and motion is still way ahead of any LCD/LED. If you want the thinnest TV possible then you need to go with LED. However, even the Plasmas are getting wickedly thin these days.

Forget about any glare issues, they will all pose a problem if you have direct light. However, most people only have direct light for a couple minutes a day(when the sun passes that area). Otherwise, floor lamps or ceiling lights shouldnt be too much an issue.

Regarding the energy usage, obviously LED uses the least amount but even today Samsung and Panasonic Plasmas use only the same amount of energy that the best LED's did just a year ago.

Lastly, anyone complaining that their plasma is giving off too much heat has their set in "Vivid" mode and thats not the correct viewing mode. Put it in standard or better yet have it professionally calibrated, and youll have no heat coming from the TV whatsoever.

After all that, hopefully you get my passion around Plasma.

[conrail]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

I will chime in as a previous high end home theater retail salesperson. Take my opinion with a grain of salt if you will.

All the different technologies have their pluses and minuses. With that in mind, I will still say for "Picture Quality" the plasmas still reign supreme. The ability to process deeper blacks and motion is still way ahead of any LCD/LED. If you want the thinnest TV possible then you need to go with LED. However, even the Plasmas are getting wickedly thin these days.

Forget about any glare issues, they will all pose a problem if you have direct light. However, most people only have direct light for a couple minutes a day(when the sun passes that area). Otherwise, floor lamps or ceiling lights shouldnt be too much an issue.

Regarding the energy usage, obviously LED uses the least amount but even today Samsung and Panasonic Plasmas use only the same amount of energy that the best LED's did just a year ago.

Lastly, anyone complaining that their plasma is giving off too much heat has their set in "Vivid" mode and thats not the correct viewing mode. Put it in standard or better yet have it professionally calibrated, and youll have no heat coming from the TV whatsoever.

After all that, hopefully you get my passion around Plasma.

x2 to plasma. I have a 42" Panasonic 1080p plasma (I sit very close to it so that was a must), and there are no glare issues from direct sunlight, the viewing angle is incredible, and the picture quality and natural lighting in movies, sports, tv shows, etc... looks as good as any of the new top of the line LCD-LEDs. And this TV is pushing 1.5+ years old now, which is a lifetime in TV land.

[Lion]

I just bought a 46" Samsung LED Smart TV 3 weeks ago and thoroughly enjoy it. It did cost a bit over your stated budget as I got it on sale for $900.00 from one of those big box stores. It's the 6000 series and has a great picture with 1080p and 120hz!!!

[conrail]

Originally Posted by Lion

I just bought a 46" Samsung LED Smart TV 3 weeks ago and thoroughly enjoy it. It did cost a bit over your stated budget as I got it on sale for $900.00 from one of those big box stores. It's the 6000 series and has a great picture with 1080p and 120 mhz!!!

That's not a bad price at all for a 46" LED!

[KJM11379]

I only buy Plasma from the first set of Top of the line Pioneers years ago to todays Samsung top of the line Plasma, that is all I buy. For me there is no comparison when comparing a top of the line Plasma vs. an LED or LCD...

[wantonebad]

All kidding and expert opinions aside, I would never buy a plasma. Ever! There are points here that are subjective however go to any retailer with a side by side display of all the sets, low, medium, high-end, there is no comparison on picture quality, plasmas are ALL a step behind LED. All you can say is that plasmas are brighter, period.

[cedargrove]

Originally Posted by wantonebad

...however go to any retailer with a side by side display of all the sets, low, medium, high-end, there is no comparison on picture quality, plasmas are ALL a step behind LED.

Before buying anything, and having no loyalty to either, I went and compared them side-by-side, and had the exact opposite experience from yours. I was comparing relatively higher end models, and the plasmas were better.

Furthermore, it has been my experience (at friends' places) that there is often a noticeable delay on fast moving images with LED/LCD. I don't get this at all with my plasma.

[wantonebad]

Originally Posted by cedargrove

Before buying anything, and having no loyalty to either, I went and compared them side-by-side, and had the exact opposite experience from yours. I was comparing relatively higher end models, and the plasmas were better.

Furthermore, it has been my experience (at friends' places) that there is often a noticeable delay on fast moving images with LED/LCD. I don't get this at all with my plasma.

That's the subjective part I guess, lag time improves with refresh rates 120Hz vs. 240Hz, and is less important to me then a sharp picture. Can't stand plasma, not sharp enough for me.

[conrail]

Originally Posted by wantonebad

All kidding and expert opinions aside, I would never buy a plasma. Ever! There are points here that are subjective however go to any retailer with a side by side display of all the sets, low, medium, high-end, there is no comparison on picture quality, plasmas are ALL a step behind LED. All you can say is that plasmas are brighter, period.

The problem with this approach generally, is that 99% of the retailers don't calibrate any of the TVs properly and you don't know how any of the TVs have been setup or where they are getting their input source from. So going in and looking and two side by side will give you a skewed impression of the TVs, especially since they most likely want to push the newer, expensive LEDs, so they might make them "appear" nicer, while making the "dying technology plasams" seem like garbage, because their profit margin isn't there anymore.