LCD or OLED? - The TV Thread

[Alextricity]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

They still make plasma TVs?

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

They still make plasma TVs?

Yep. They are actually more popular than they were 5-6 years ago. More people are getting over their "burn-in" phobia. Even with a small market share, they aren't going anywhere.


If any tv tech were to fall, it would be DLP. Mitsubishi is one of the few DLP manufacturers left.

[Alextricity]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

My dad got a DLP about 5 years ago. I knew it was a bad idea even then. It already seemed dated.

Hey, I have an LCD with a burn-in, so. It's not just plasmas. Good thing I have a warranty though.

[Giants4Natic]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

The gap in PQ between Plasma & LCD has tighten so much (especially LED) that right now it's all about personal preference & what looks best in your viewing space.

Not enough, until led or lcd get the same uniformity excellence of plasma, it is jot in the same field. But they have improved just not enough to match plasma greatness.

[Splitter77]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

Not enough, until led or lcd get the same uniformity excellence of plasma, it is jot in the same field. But they have improved just not enough to match plasma greatness.

i watch alot of hockey and on the plasma it just flows so much better than my lcd in the bedroom.

And its true about lcd's getting burn-in as well. I work at a cable company and at least 3 of the tvs in our building have burn-in side bars.

[bigfnjoe96]

Not enough, until led or lcd get the same uniformity excellence of plasma, it is jot in the same field. But they have improved just not enough to match plasma greatness.

And until Plasma can match the peak white of a LED/LCD it also has catching up to do.

See what I did there.
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[Giants4Natic]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

And until Plasma can match the peak white of a LED/LCD it also has catching up to do.

See what I did there.
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Its your preference and that is fine. But for movie watching inky blacks are better then peak white and the fact that Plasmas do not suffer from motion blur or off angle viewing, makes them the better choice for me.

But if you prefer brightness then LED is what you should go


Plasma
Advantages - All around best hometheatre viewing quality because of excellent black levels, wide viewing angle and the best motion resolution available. Best pricing points available for screens above 46 inches in size, which gives you the most bang for your buck.


Disadvantages - Reflective screen that can cause glare when around ambient lighting. Potential for burn-in if you are careless. Eats energy like cops eat donuts! Okay so that statement was for dramatic effect. They are not that bad but they are the worst of the bunch. The average user will spend about $40/ yr where as the LCD and LCD/LED will run you closer to $10/ yr. When it comes to power consumption, this is the area where plasma is slacking the most, manufacturers just can’t seem to make a unit that is as energy efficient as an LCD or LED.


Bottom line – It’s tough to give a plasma too much crap when it comes to their flaws especially considering their excellent price point in larger sizes. Most of the original issues with plasma such as burn in and lifespan have been addressed adequately for a long time. Almost all plasmas have built in burn in prevention features as well as a few tools to help correct burn in if it does occur. As far as lifespan, your average plasma could be left on 8 hours a day and last for 20+ years! However if you’re a tree huger (not that there is anything wrong with that) you’ll hate the energy ratings on these TV’s and if you plan to put this TV in an area with a lot of ambient lighting, may I advise against that? The glass screen will have way too much glare!



LCD
Advantages – Recent improvements to LCD’s such as 120 and 240 hz as well as LED edge lighting has helped LCD catch up to plasma in the race for best picture quality. A matte finish on the screen allows the TV to be placed in a room with a lot of ambient lighting and still be watchable. Available in the largest size range. Consumes less energy than a plasma.

Disadvantages – Viewing angle does is not as wide as plasma. Image quality is lower on LCD than plasma and sometimes the motion technology created to help with motion blur can cause judder (a choppy and jerky look). Price point in larger sizes can become outrageous when looking at a “price per inch” scale. Black level and color depth are weaker than a plasma.

Bottom line – If you need a TV for the bathroom or closet, LCD is the way to go because of the several options of sizes. Starting at around 15 inches it’s perfect for smaller areas and if you are planning on putting a 50 inch in your closest, can I borrow some money? Another consideration is room lighting, if you have ambient lighting you can’t avoid or possibly wear glasses that do not allow you to watch TV with all of the lights off (due to glaring of the TV when looking though the lenses of your glasses) then LCD may be the way to go for you too. If you happen to be a tree hugger (which there is nothing wrong with) you may want to consider LCD if you cannot afford the more energy efficient LED’s yet as LCD’s are still much more efficient than plasmas.



LED
Advantages – Improved technologies over standard LCD such as local dimming and the use of LED’s instead of cathode florescent lamps have helped make LED a valid combatant in the HDTV war. These TV’s use the least energy out of all of the TV types and the are the slimmest available as well. About as close as you can get to plasma’s picture quality without buying a plasma.


Disadvantages - PRICE, PRICE, PRICE!!! The most expensive technology. Lacking the size options of it’s little brother, the LCD. Still lacking the viewing area of a plasma. Struggles with motion just like a LCD, there have been no significant improvements in an LED in this category sadly.


Bottom line – I cannot imagine LED not replacing the LCD , they are essentially the same television with a few different “upgrades”. The only thing stopping it right now that I can see is price and sizing options. the only reason I would recommend spending your money on a TV that is unquestionably more than either of the other two technologies is if you want an energy efficient TV, need a slim design for some reason or just want a slightly improved TV over an LCD without the disadvantages of a plasma.

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

Its your preference and that is fine. But for movie watching inky blacks are better then peak white and the fact that Plasmas do not suffer from motion blur or off angle viewing, makes them the better choice.

But if you prefer brightness then LED is what you should go

Sorry but inky blacks are just 1 equation of the picture. What good are inky blacks when it's crushing your shadow detail? People get caught up in black level as if it's the only equation to picture quality. You do know that right?

As for motion blur, yes plasma's are mostly blur-free, but if blur doesn't bother someone is it an issue? Same way many people can't/won't own Plasma because of phospher trails. It's an issue to some, but a non-issue to others.

As I've said it's all about a person's viewing experience, not always about what is considered the BEST Tech available

[Blzer]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

I thought the whole point of "inky blacks" was that black levels get so deep, not only would they more truly replicate actual levels of blackness, but that you can discern the difference between two different left-side spectra readings much more easily than you could with an LCD. In other words, I figured it would prevent black crush.

[Giants4Natic]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

Sorry but inky blacks are just 1 equation of the picture. What good are inky blacks when it's crushing your shadow detail? People get caught up in black level as if it's the only equation to picture quality. You do know that right?

As for motion blur, yes plasma's are mostly blur-free, but if blur doesn't bother someone is it an issue? Same way many people can't/won't own Plasma because of phospher trails. It's an issue to some, but a non-issue to others.

As I've said it's all about a person's viewing experience, not always about what is considered the BEST Tech available

It also matters which models you get. I have both the Panny and Samsung for this year in Plasma and both have great blacks and the whites do not deter from the pq.

I own both techs and I love both but plasma to me has more going for it if you are a movie buff and into sports.

I do agree that it is what you prefer

Not everybody is an videophile

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

I thought the whole point of "inky blacks" was that black levels get so deep, not only would they more truly replicate actual levels of blackness, but that you can discern the difference between two different left-side spectra readings much more easily than you could with an LCD. In other words, I figured it would prevent black crush.

Black Level alone doesn't really prevent Black Crush. What prevents Black Crush is a combination of Brightness (Black Level) & Contrast (Gamma) On displays now a days you get a seperate setting for Gamma setting (usually in Advance Picture Modes)

Black Level is really measured with some sort of Calibration meter. The lowest black level you can get is .0001 measured.

[NC State-31 UNC-27]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

I got a Samsung 59d6500 plasma on Friday. Happy with it, though it buzzes pretty loudly.

[Blzer]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

Black Level alone doesn't really prevent Black Crush. What prevents Black Crush is a combination of Brightness (Black Level) & Contrast (Gamma) On displays now a days you get a seperate setting for Gamma setting (usually in Advance Picture Modes)

Black Level is really measured with some sort of Calibration meter. The lowest black level you can get is .0001 measured.

I understand that, but basically what I meant was this:

With my LCD screen, if I lower my brightness level then I will get deeper blacks (not saying much), but the trade-off is that those blacks will really crush so that I can't discern shadow detail. I could always just raise the brightness, but then there go my "deep" blacks.

With a good plasma screen, I can still have my brightness setting relatively higher than I would need with an LCD, and yet have much deeper blacks. Raising this brightness will allow for good shadow delineation, while I can still have inky blacks (maybe not to .0001 standards, but still very dark).

[Giants4Natic]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

Black Level alone doesn't really prevent Black Crush. What prevents Black Crush is a combination of Brightness (Black Level) & Contrast (Gamma) On displays now a days you get a seperate setting for Gamma setting (usually in Advance Picture Modes)

Black Level is really measured with some sort of Calibration meter. The lowest black level you can get is .0001 measured.

BFJ is correct on this:

Even the best black levels would wash out the image if the incorrect gamma point is not set forth.

Gamma is a key component in getting things correct.

[Giants4Natic]

Re: Plasma or LCD? - The TV Thread

I understand that, but basically what I meant was this:

With my LCD screen, if I lower my brightness level then I will get deeper blacks (not saying much), but the trade-off is that those blacks will really crush so that I can't discern shadow detail. I could always just raise the brightness, but then there go my "deep" blacks.

With a good plasma screen, I can still have my brightness setting relatively higher than I would need with an LCD, and yet have much deeper blacks. Raising this brightness will allow for good shadow delineation, while I can still have inky blacks (maybe not to .0001 standards, but still very dark).

Blz on your LCD, have you tried lowering the gamma instead of brightness? maybe this would help you get the level that suits you.