Plasma- what's the future?

[Eric Z]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.