well,I did it...projection big screen went out bought a 50 inch plasma

[John_Locke]

suprised the whole family.

our Big Projection screen bit the dust, and I brought the 27 inch to the living room and told the family that they woudl have to be satisfied with this for now becasue there jsut wasn't money in the budget for a new TV.

They handled it like troopers and I went to the tv store and got a 50 inch plasma



betting I don't get "aftershave" for valentines day
Dad got hosed
(from the verizon network commercial)

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Dallas Chief

All fanboy tactics aside, I would scour the warehouse clubs if I were in the market for a new set right now. There is a small price war going on right now in both DLP vs. LCD-PJ/SXRD, and plasma vs. LCD. It will get even better for the consumer in 2007. The product is infinitely better as is the pricing.

Just got a Sam's Club membership. How convenient.

[svuba]

Originally Posted by ChiefFan31

The TV you described above I have. I have no complaints.

I also agree, anything 40" and under LCD all the way. They will get bigger and cheaper just as Plasmas will be going the way of the Do-Do bird. Plasma is an outdated technology, for reasons already covered in this thread. They sure do look good for the first couple of years though.

I don't understand all the plasma hatred. just don't get it.
People spread misinformation about plasma because they have some love affair with LCD?

How about checking a few fact before posting nonsense? Is that too much to ask?



1. Plasma and LCD technology - what's the difference?
Plasma and LCD panels may look similar, but the flat screen and thin profile is where the similarities end. Plasma screens, as its name suggests, uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture. LCD screens (liquid crystal display) are in layman's terms sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount electrical charge applied to the crystals. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, as you'll read below.


2. Is there a difference in picture quality between plasma and LCD screens and normal CRT TVs?
It's not what's happening behind the screen that's important - it's how the screen performs as a television that matters the most. In that regard, both plasma and LCD sets produce excellent pictures, although many home entertainment specialists and gamers still say CRTs produce the best overall images (although plasmas and LCD sets are quickly catching up in terms of quality).


Those same home entertainment specialists will tell you that for basic home theatre-like usage, plasma screens have a slight edge over LCDs. This is because plasma screens can display blacks more accurately than LCDs can, which means better contrast and detail in dark-coloured television or movie scenes. The nature of LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, means it's hard for it to achieve true blacks because there's always some light leakage from between pixels. This is steadily improving with every new generation of LCD, however.

3. What advantages does plasma have over LCD?
Apart from better contrast due to its ability to show deeper blacks, plasma screens typically have better viewing angles than LCD. Viewing angles are how far you can sit on either side of a screen before the picture's quality is affected. You tend to see some brightness and colour shift when you're on too far of an angle with LCDs, while a plasma's picture remains fairly solid. This is steadily changing, however, with more and more LCDs entering the market with viewing angles equal to or greater than some plasmas. Plasmas can also produce a brighter colour, once again due to light leakage on an LCD affecting its colour saturation.


Plasma pundits will also tell you that some LCD screens have a tendency to blur images, particularly during fast moving scenes in movies or in sports. While that was true for older generation LCD screens, newer models have improved significantly - so much so that the differences in performance between LCDs and plasmas in this regard is almost negligible (here's a tip -- if you're shopping for LCDs, check the refresh rate. The lower it is, the better the image quality in fast moving scenes).

Perhaps the biggest advantage plasmas have now over their LCD cousins is price, particularly in the large screen end of the market. Plasmas typically come in larger sizes than LCDs at a cheaper price. Plasmas being sold in Australia generally run between 42-inches and 63-inches wide, with the cheapest 42-inch selling for approximately AU$3,000 (although you can expect to find sets cheaper than AU$3,000 in real world prices). 60-inch and above plasmas can go for as much as $20,000. LCDs, on the other hand, top out around the mid 40-inch mark, and are more expensive than similar-sized plasmas. Sharp's high end 45-inch LC45G1XSYS LCD, for example, retails for AU$8,999, while Pioneer's top of the line 43-inch PDP-436HD plasma goes for AU$5,999.

4. What advantages does LCD have over plasma?
It's not all doom and gloom for LCD though, as it has the edge over plasma in several key areas. LCDs tend to have higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which means more pixels on a screen. If you're a true high-def junkie who's keen to see every pixel of a high-res 1080i/p image reproduced pixel-by-pixel (providing you have a source that high, of course), then LCDs are the way to go.


LCDs also tend to consume less power than plasma screens, with some estimates ranging that power saving at up to 30 per cent less than plasma. LCDs are also generally lighter than similar sized plasmas, making it easier to move around or wall mount.


LCD pundits also point to the fact that LCDs have a longer lifespan than plasma screens. This was true of earlier plasma models, which would lose half of their brightness after more than 20,000 hours of viewing. Later plasma generations have bumped that up to anything between 30,000 and 60,000 hours. LCDs, on the other hand, are guaranteed for 60,000 hours.

You might have also heard that plasmas suffer from screen burn in, an affliction not as commonly associated with LCDs. Screen burn in occurs when an image is left too long on a screen, resulting in a ghost of that image burned in permanently. Newer plasmas are less susceptible to this thanks to improved technology and other features such built-in screen savers, but we still hear anecdotal reports here of burn-in with new plasmas.


5. Which is better value for me right now: plasma or LCD?
If you're in the market for a big screen television -- and we're talking 42-inches and above -- then we'd suggest plasma as a safe bet. Plasmas give you more bang for your buck at the big end of town, and while LCDs can give you better resolution, the price difference is currently too wide. However, if money's not an issue and you want the sharpest image in town, then a large LCD is for you. At the smaller end of things (15" to 36" TVs), LCD is the only way to go if you want something slim and tasteful. And the best thing is that LCDs are getting cheaper all the time.


BTW 60,000 Hour life is 4 hours per day for 41 years, so please cut the crap about replacing a plasma in 3 years

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

My fear about response times comes from personal experience with LCD monitors and games. It's a legitimate concern from my experience, although I don't have experience with newer LCD screens.

On ISF calibration:

1) I'm very tired of calibrating the set myself. I don't have the time or ambition to deal with it.

2) I have Avia, I use it. It is NOT the same as an ISF calibration, particularly when it comes to anything more than 9-point convergence and geometry adjustments.

What is LCoS? I'll probably wait for LCD if given my druthers...

New LCD monitors have a response time of 8ms which is far, far less than the old Computer Flat Panels. I've played the 360 on a 46" LCD and there is no stutter, lag or artifcacting whatsoever.

2) I told you to look up the service menu codes for your TV online so that you can access the service menu which will give you a 56 point convergence check. That, combined with Avia, will get you said calibration.


LCoS is "Liquid Crystal on Silcon", it's a reflective technology that uses aluminized silicon rather than mirrors (a la DLP)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCoS

[TinyEvel]

All you have to do is pull in a big salary, something like 200K+ and if your Plasma goes out, you go buy another one.
(mine's two years and still going strong)

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by svuba

I don't understand all the plasma hatred. just don't get it.
People spread misinformation about plasma because they have some love affair with LCD?

How about checking a few fact before posting nonsense? Is that too much to ask?

BTW 60,000 Hour life is 4 hours per day for 41 years, so please cut the crap about replacing a plasma in 3 years

Response time is completely imperceptible now. At 8ms, you aren't going to be able to notice any artifacting or blurring in a fast moving image, particularly in a TV with a well-built scaler

The viewing angle argument is COMPLETE HORSESHIT. Nearly all LCDs have a viewing angle of 170+ degrees.

So to sum up, LCDs will last twice as long, will have better native resolution, don't suffer from artifacting anymore, but cost more, yet are available in smaller sizes, and won't have gas pixel burnouts and leakage over the lifetime of the set which will drastically reduce PQ.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by Dallas Chief

Let me clarify, I meant both formats- Plasma and LCD are able to achieve both 1080i and 1080p. That being said, not all models are able to achieve 1080p. In my experience, when I look at a 1080p side by side with a 1080i unit, I can't see the difference, even when the 1080p unit was being driven by Blu-ray. There may be a difference but to me it does not equal the additional cost.

Right, but what I'm saying is that they aren't displaying the signal as interlaced, even if they source itself IS interlaced. They always display progressive.

[crazycoffey]

big screen = little D**K


J/K

[crazycoffey]

cool

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by 'Hummus' Jenkins

New LCD monitors have a response time of 8ms which is far, far less than the old Computer Flat Panels. I've played the 360 on a 46" LCD and there is no stutter, lag or artifcacting whatsoever.

2) I told you to look up the service menu codes for your TV online so that you can access the service menu which will give you a 56 point convergence check. That, combined with Avia, will get you said calibration.


LCoS is "Liquid Crystal on Silcon", it's a reflective technology that uses aluminized silicon rather than mirrors (a la DLP)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCoS

2) You do realize that the instruments required to do a "real" ISF calibration cost about 1000x what the Avia DVD costs, right? And that entering the service menu on my TV voids the warranty?

[Fairplay]

Reading through these tv threads leaves me scratching my head sometimes.

One question. Would most of you recommend getting extended service contracts on them? Seems like a few people have had issues. Generally im not a believer in them but with a LCD/Plasma tv it sounds like it might be the thing to do.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Fairplay

Reading through these tv threads leaves me scratching my head sometimes.

One question. Would most of you recommend getting extended service contracts on them? Seems like a few people have had issues. Generally im not a believer in them but with a LCD/Plasma tv it sounds like it might be the thing to do.

I can't speak to LCD/Plasma, but the extended warranty on my RPTV was the best investment I ever made. I can't imagine the horror if I didn't have one.

I've had both the red and green guns replaced, plus my extended warranty covered once-a-year calibrations (9-point and color only, no advanced services).

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

2) You do realize that the instruments required to do a "real" ISF calibration cost about 1000x what the Avia DVD costs, right? And that entering the service menu on my TV voids the warranty?

If you are still under your goddamned warranty, then why are you being such a vag about having it calibrated? A 56 point calibration may not be as quite as precise as ISF, but you won't be able to tell the difference. It will be imperceptible. You are talking about a margin of error far more slight than the ability for the human eye to pick up, and the service monkey isn't going to know that you did it.

You need to admit that there are some things that you do not know .

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Fairplay

Reading through these tv threads leaves me scratching my head sometimes.

One question. Would most of you recommend getting extended service contracts on them? Seems like a few people have had issues. Generally im not a believer in them but with a LCD/Plasma tv it sounds like it might be the thing to do.

Only if it is 20-25% or less of the total price of the TV.

[88TG88]

i recently bought a vizio 32 inch (i assume its LCD but im not sure). its the costco brand for those who don't know the name and the price was pretty good. i watched the two champioships games on it and it the picture looked nice. anything i should know about it like reported prblems or anything ?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by 'Hummus' Jenkins

If you are still under your goddamned warranty, then why are you being such a vag about having it calibrated? A 56 point calibration may not be as quite as precise as ISF, but you won't be able to tell the difference. It will be imperceptible. You are talking about a margin of error far more slight than the ability for the human eye to pick up, and the service monkey isn't going to know that you did it.

You need to admit that there are some things that you do not know .

Because my warranty covers dust removal and 9-point convergence. It doesn't cover ANY OTHER CALIBRATIONS. And if a 56-point convergence and/or geometry adjustment isn't done by an ISF-CERTIFIED technician, it voids my warranty. I've used the warranty THREE TIMES for mechanical defects that needed parts replacement, so I can't afford not to have it. They know when the service menu has been utilized because of a timestamp. I have to have it serviced by my warranty provider and only my warranty provider.

In addition, I'm guessing you simply failed to read the part about me NOT WANTING TO DO THIS STUFF MYSELF.

For someone telling other people to practice humility, you might want to take your own advice. Or at least READ the posts that you're responding to...