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Eric Z
02-19-2006, 07:08 PM
Hello, all-

I've read plenty of threads regarding differences and opinions on plasmas, CRT, LCD, DLP, etc. My question is specifically surrounding plasmas. I heard (not sure from where) they are on the way out- is that true? I also heard plasma's life may not as long as the others and there's the possibility of burn in. I also heard some manufacturers have even stopped producing plasmas- is any of this true?

My brother is in the process of buying an HDTV and I think it's between DLP and plasma- he likes the plasma because of the hanging on the wall (he lives in a small condo).

Thanks.
Eric

orgasmdonor
02-19-2006, 07:32 PM
hi Eric....The plasmas have by far the best picture....Originally plasmas were expected to have a 20,000 hr run time before you would have to start looking for service..."myth" probably because no one really knew at the time. I know 2 people close to me that owned plasmas and they are the only ones that I know that do. One is my brother...He had it for his main veiwing in his living room 50" Hitachi widescreen. The tv crapped out on him totally. Luckily he bought from Sears abd they gave him a new one. He made the trade and got a DLP. the dlp in my opinion is great but the picture detail when all the hd goodies are hooked up is not quite as good. Another friend of mine just got a dell 52 inch or so plasma and hates the picture. I told him not to buy you are going to watch alot of movies capable. I personally will not buy an HD tv until HD is a standard (local sat cable etc) Right now they are hardly worth it. I bought a Toshiba 60 inch theather view non hd 4 years ago from best buy for 999. I could not be happier about that purchase presently. I live in a small town in the midwest and getting hd now is a pain in the ass. About the only way you can get it is through the dish network or direct tv and it is not worht the money at this point.....im rambling again..........

edtyct
02-20-2006, 06:06 AM
I'm not sure I'd agree that "plasmas by far have the best picture." I do, however, think that of all the "new" digital technologies, plasmas were the first to mature; their growing pains certainly paved the way for the competition. Plasma's strengths are a generally good black level, good color rendition, and good light distribution across the screen that allows for a wide viewing area. The drawbacks are uneven wear and, inch for inch, a comparatively stilted pixel count (as well as many panels' inability to take full advantage of plasma's potential strong suits), neither of which need be considered terribly serious. Determining the life span of plasmas was a thoroughly mundane affair: measure the loss of light over time in the lab. Many companies also relied on perpetually running commercial plasmas in the field for data on longevity. Barring the odd horror story here and there (I have suffered one), most plasmas will last longer than most people tend to keep a TV.

As plasmas gained ground in the market, new companies got into the act and sometimes adulterated quality for the sake of price. In general, however, plasma prices have drastically reduced because of the competition and decreased production costs. Fujitsu had a hand in almost all of the first plasmas, but it has since cut back. I don't think that Sony is involved any more. Panasonic, Pioneer, and Hitachi are still active and dedicated to the technology. Nonetheless, the days when plasma was thought to be without peer as CRT's replacement, in terms of both popularity and performance, have long since passed. Plasma is now just one option among many, and even LCD is starting to impinge on some of its vaunted strengths. It still can represent a solid buying decision, but it's not a slam dunk any more.

Ed

jocko_nc
02-20-2006, 06:54 AM
In the end, I think DLP projectors will rule. Desired screen sizes will get bigger and bigger, projection is the only route that makes sense. It is the only technology that does not require scaling-up of display panels. Is a cost-effective 100 inch plasma or LCD in the works? I don't see how. Projectors will become better and better while cost will come down. The only real drawback I see to projectors right now is that fact that existing homes are not made to accomodate them very well. That, however, will change.

jocko

bobsticks
02-20-2006, 07:49 AM
I have ben a very happy plasma owner for two years, however, let me give you a little background. First and foremost, I'm much more into this hobby on the audio side of things and so I'm undoubtedly more forgiving of certain faults than others here. Further I'm rarely home so most of my viewing is movies. Garbage in, grbage out is not merely a computer term, and any faults a film has will, in point of fact, be exacerbated by more sophisticated viewing technologies. That is to say, until HD movies become mainstream you are as limited by the quality of source material just as in audio.
I also live in a small condo and the space saving features were nice. That having been said, jocko's correct. Projectors probably are the next big thing. Retractable screens are definately convenient and I'm sure bulb life will become longer making it even more practical. Two years ago, however, projectors were still five or six grand on average. I walked out of a store closing with a NIB plasma for SIGNIFICANTLY less than that.
I have experienced the burn-in thing firsthand--sort of. I fell asleep watching a Law and Order DVD and of course at the end of the show the disc reverted back to the MENU screen. The dreaded static image! I am fully confident that the image was on the screen for over an hour and possibly up to an hour and a half. I turned the DVD player off and much to my shagrin the title logo was still very clearly visible. I turned the tv off and paced frantically. I turned it back on an hour later and it was still there. Next morning, nothing, poof, gone, picture good as new. Now I'm not recomending this as a general practice or even an experiment but I think the burn-in issue may be slightly over emphasized.
I admit that are a lot of great technologies out there. I think as LCDs continue to improve their reaction time and coloration that they will remain a viable option as well. Ultimately, I suppose I would recommend that your friend sample as much as possible and find the best solution for him but I wouldn't rule plasma out.

Eric Z
02-20-2006, 08:19 AM
Thanks for the replies, everyone! It's interesting because there are so many options- I like having the options to make a decision, but sometimes it gets overwhelming- especially because I'm the type of person who looks back on decision and does a lot of second guessing (my brother is the same way).

I just want him to make a good decision since it's a decent amount of cash (regardless of type of HDTV).

Thanks again
Eric

westcott
02-20-2006, 11:00 AM
The gases used in plasmas have come a long way and burn in and short life spans are pretty much a thing of the past.

For rooms with uncontrollable light, a large LCD or Plasma flat panel may be the perfect solution, and I know many that use them in conjunction with a front projector for a more cost effective solution and fewer lamp hours.

Rear Projection is really the technology that is in danger as flat panel prices continue to fall. RP had never really overcome the off axis picture quality issues and their large size is becoming less marketable.

OLED and SED technologies are something to keep an eye on but are still a year or so out, minimum.

Good Luck and send us pictures when you are finished.

Eric Z
02-20-2006, 12:57 PM
Good point about the light, westcott! My brother's condo is in Chicago and it faces east so there's tons of light in the morning hours- it's nice because there's pretty much no heating costs and there's a great view of the lake and the rest of the city. He has blinds, but there's still a decent amount of light that makes it through.

jocko_nc
02-21-2006, 07:46 PM
I'm about 14 months into a 52 inch HDTV set. Funny thing is, it no longer seems large to me. 60. 72. So what? I want the whole stinkin' wall, baby. That's the effect we all want. That is where the projector comes in. Once the prices, come down (they will, it is the technology with the lowest manufacturing cost for such a display) we'll deal with concepts like electric-polarized screens for our windows. Put them on the remote control as well.

The real drawback is the design and layour of our homes. That will change. My new place has a big wall that I am leaving a space for 100 inch (or so) of future screen. When the time comes, I already have conduit traces and a location for the projector. It really won't be expensive at all. The cost will probably seem cheap compared to a current plasma.

jocko

westcott
02-22-2006, 10:17 AM
That is where the projector comes in. Once the prices, come down (they will, it is the technology with the lowest manufacturing cost for such a display) we'll deal with concepts like electric-polarized screens for our windows. Put them on the remote control as well.
jocko

Light control can be FAR more expensive than the displays themselves. I did not use polarized screens but I did use roller hurricane shutters that are on RF remotes. Current LCD panels for this purpose do not get dark enough but someday.

tdst
02-24-2006, 02:16 AM
Just a little info to pass on to potential plasma buyers- DO NOT BUY A ZENITH PLASMA TV! We bought one a little over a year ago, and man what a picture! Of all the plasmas we looked at, this Zenith 42" had the best picture. We just couldn't be any happier. Well,
that's when the trouble started. We'd had it about 6 months, and all of a sudden there was a 1" wide vertical black line about 1/3 of the way over from the left. After a few weeks it went away. So we forgot about it. Then it came back, but this time there was 3 vertical lines! Then there were 4! I think this was around April. So we called for service, and they sent a local guy out with parts 3 different times. He couldn't fix it; actually it was worse. So Zenith, or LG Electronics as it turned out, said they would take it to administration and decide whether to give our money back or replace it with an up-graded LG 42" plasma. So around September, after numerous phone calls (they never ever returned one single call!) they decided to go with the replacement. Which again had to be approved. Skip forward to 2006. Still no TV as of February. Finally, on Feb. 5, about 6 hours before the Super Bowl, our new TV arrived. On a Sunday, believe it or not. It had taken so long, I was beyond being mad. Just get the damn thing in the house and on the wall so I can watch the game. So the guy who delivered it (there was supposed to be 2 professionals to
deliver and install; 1 showed up) helped me put it on the wall (all connections he made were incorrect) and took off. Well, let me tell you- that LG 42" plasma looked like sh_t!! Even fine tuning w/ Digital Video Essentials didn't help much. Then I got to looking at
the new warranty- it was a goddammed refurbished model with a 90 day warranty!!! So later on today (Friday) we'll be making a little phone call to LG Electronics. Oh yeah- we paid 3K for the Zenith; I think you can get the LG for about $1400.00. Also, our Zenith was
black w/ no speakers- we have our own home theater setup- and was real clean looking. This piece of crap LG has built-in speakers and is silver. Ugly thing. So that's our story, and we're sticking to it! One more piece of advice for what it's worth. They say buying
extended warranties for most things is a rip, but it's almost an essential for plasma tvs...Good luck.

P.S. Even with all the problems, I would still only buy a plasma.
(Sorry for all the ranting and raving...)

westcott
02-24-2006, 06:21 AM
Hello, all-

I've read plenty of threads regarding differences and opinions on plasmas, CRT, LCD, DLP, etc. My question is specifically surrounding plasmas. I heard (not sure from where) they are on the way out- is that true? I also heard plasma's life may not as long as the others and there's the possibility of burn in. I also heard some manufacturers have even stopped producing plasmas- is any of this true?

My brother is in the process of buying an HDTV and I think it's between DLP and plasma- he likes the plasma because of the hanging on the wall (he lives in a small condo).

Thanks.
Eric

Just make sure that if you decide on DLP that you sit down and watch it for a good 30 minutes to an hour. Rainbow effects and other related problems affect a small percentage of people. Just make sure your brother understands this before making a large financial investment and he is not afflicted like my family.