HD Picture Only on CRT vs Plasma vs LCD TV's

[hershon]

Out of curiosity, on picture quality alone- no other factors, is there going to be a significant difference between the HD picture quality on a good HD ready CRT Widescreen TV versus a Plasma and LCD Widescreen HD Ready TV? If so, would you say the differences are minor and not immediately noticed or significant night and day differences you'd notice immediately? Again, I'm not talking the life of the actual picture tube but just how an HD TV Show looks like when watching on an equal sized CRT, Plasma & LCD HD ready TV.

If there are picture quality differences, if you had the choice would you rather spend $700 on a name brand HD Ready widescreen CRT TV or say $1200 on a no name HD ready widescreen plasma or LCD HD ready TV of the same size/

[edtyct]

The quick answer is well, kind of, sort of, sometimes, possibly . . . . To create an imaginary landscape, all things being equal (and these things can hardly be eliminated from the equation under real conditions), the good CRT set will have an advantage in color fidelity and grey scale over plasma and LCD panels. But a lot depends on execution, as well as on subjective matters. Not all CRTs are created equal, but the fact that the technology has been around a long time tends to flatten the differences between sets made by reputable companies. However, when watching brightly colored, daylight images on HD, any set worth its marbles will look good. But when darkness and shadow is integral to the programming, the game changes. No two displays, even of the same type and at the same price, will necessarily handle all of the contingencies exactly the same way. The LCD might not be able to render black better than dark (or light) grey; the plasma's black might look a little more convincing, though it may have a hint of false contouring, even at HD resolutions; and one or the other of the displays' colors may leave something to be desired once the user controls have been exhausted. Some people may find any such differences minor in the scheme of things (when other, inevitable variables intrude), even if they are unmistakeable (they often are, even to the untrained eye); others may find them unbearable. So, once again, there's no easy answer to questions like this one. You look, you read, you get opinions, and you take the plunge, weighing your options in a manner that no "objective" simple approach can encompass.

Your second paragraph creates an unrealistic choice. But all of the above points apply to it. I agree wholeheartedly with what Woodman had to say several months ago about purchasing cheap, obscure products. Don't do it. You'll be sorry, and not just because you'll be sending a message that it's okay to cut every conceivable engineering corner, to use the worst possible parts, and to exploit labor (not to mention sullying the name of once-great companies that bear no relation to the ones abducting their names--like Advent). In no time, you'll either be griping that your cheap TV (#) isn't quite what you expected an HDTV (#) to be, or you'll be itching to buy the replacement that you should have bought in the first place.

Ed

[enrique]

Well without a technical answer for you i will tell you this.I have 3 brothers we all have hd sets.1 has an lcd (lg/zenith),1 has a dlp(samsung),1 has a crt 34" sony ws,and i have had mine the longest which is a panny 36"crt that does the ws conversion.We who have the crt's have a better picture than the others.I dont know the technical answer but they are obviously better than the dlp or lcd that my other bros have.And in any kind of light or angle.

[oliver kuo]

I have a 42" Sony lcd, and a 51" Toshiba rear projection. The lcd seems brighter, and does bright scenes better, the rear projection seems to do dark scenes better, but the projection's viewing angle is limited (ie, if im standing, or too far to the sides theres a lot of glare). The projectin also seems a little bit sharper, especially when viewing non-hd programming. For me though, if I had to choose just one, I could live with either just fine.

[hershon]

From your normal sitting position on a couch, which would have a better picture to you the rear projection or LCD?

[oliver kuo]

From my couch If the room were dark, or dimly lit, I think the rear projection would have better picture. If the room were lit, I prefer the lcd.

Keep in mind though, I sit about 10 feet away when I watch tv on the rear projection. While I only sit like 6 feet or so when I'm watching the lcd.

[edtyct]

In a well-lit room, the LCD's inability to show black (that is, to shut out its light) would be minimized. People who watch TV (#) mainly with the lights on, or in broad daylight, will find LCD easy to watch--front and center, anyway. But many people who buy their displays mainly, or primarily, to watch movies in a dark room, would find the CRT's ability to show black a distinct asset. But variables like size, scaling, deinterlacing, coolness, etc. could easily overrule this advantage in many cases, without detracting from the viewing experience. Unlike a lot of people, I can be quite happy with the picture from an LCD flat panel (#) or rear projector, even though my preference would be to have a CRT's mind in an LCD's body. As I said in another thread, people might want to look into the new SED technology from Toshiba, expensive as it will be.

Since we're talking variables, the issue of burn-in can't be overlooked, especially in relation to brightness. CRTs can't be driven hard without risking the life of the tube or etching the screen. If brightness, or 4:3 viewing, is important to you, CRT might not be the best choice. A little care may be all that's needed, but over time, it's easy to forget about it. Also, convergence with a CRT can be a pain in the neck, especially if the set doesn't allow the user to adjust it extensively. Plasmas have the burn-in issue as well, though arguably not as much, given manufacturers' recent techniques to counteract it. Nonetheless, it can't be ignored. Otherwise, plasma has a great viewing angle and ever-improving black level--the light not emanating from a perpetually illuminated lamp--as well as decent brightness for viewing under less than optimum circumstances.

Ed