LCD vs. Plasma?

[BKSinAZ]

I was wondering which would be a better picture?

Other than construction, what would be some of the differences?

I ask these questions because I have a very tight budget of only $2200.00 to spend on a television and want the biggest bang for my buck. I have been looking at the Panasonic and Hitachi plasmas. I have a feeling that everyone will say go with the plasma, however I am not impressed with fast action scenes, sports, normal television channels, and even satellite tv. I feel the only time Plasma tv look great is when there is a DVD for the source. DVD is only 15% of my veiwing. I am reconsidering a different television altogether. I was not impressed with the DLP ether.

Advice please

[peterS]

most hd tvs look suprisingly bad in SD
pioneer plasma and sony xbr are two that are the least offensive

keep in mind that much of what you see on display in stores has limitations due to there source material (my educated guess would be a bit rate issue)
thus, differentiating between processing issues and source issues is difficult
generaly speaking it will only look better at home

i am not a fan of dlp either....

some questions:
what size do you want, are there windows (ie light reflections), do you play video games, would you mostly be watching SD tv?

plasma: around 50", no, rarely or no, rarely
ed plasma: 42",no, rarely, a lot
lcd: 42 or less (32 seem to be the best bang for your $ / performance imo), yes, yes, some


in short to do it all you have to pay more, in my opinion the panasonic, samsung, toshiba, and lg plasmas are not very good on SD... so much so i cant imagin anyone watching such channels

lcd's preform better on SD but cost more in similar sizes, lcds also dont reflect since there is no glass (an often overlooked advantage)

in your price range id recommend the sharp and samsung 37-40"lcds if the 32" are too small

beyond that not much fits the budget that id recommend and you may just want to buy a <1K tube to hold you over until prioces and performance improove

[BKSinAZ]

Good advice!

My goal was to get a 42 inch. Right now I watch standard TV and will buy satellite dish shortly. I currently have a Toshiba 32 tube television which is razor sharp. The only thing I want to improve on that television is the size of the screen. Do you know if tube televisions come in sizes larger than 32inch?

I agree with you. Everyone is telling me how great the plasmas are. I was even looking at the Highest end Toshiba and Hitachi and was not impressed. I feel you are also correct about waiting till technology improves.....and price.

most hd tvs look suprisingly bad in SD
pioneer plasma and sony xbr are two that are the least offensive

keep in mind that much of what you see on display in stores has limitations due to there source material (my educated guess would be a bit rate issue)
thus, differentiating between processing issues and source issues is difficult
generaly speaking it will only look better at home

i am not a fan of dlp either....

some questions:
what size do you want, are there windows (ie light reflections), do you play video games, would you mostly be watching SD tv?

plasma: around 50", no, rarely or no, rarely
ed plasma: 42",no, rarely, a lot
lcd: 42 or less (32 seem to be the best bang for your $ / performance imo), yes, yes, some


in short to do it all you have to pay more, in my opinion the panasonic, samsung, toshiba, and lg plasmas are not very good on SD... so much so i cant imagin anyone watching such channels

lcd's preform better on SD but cost more in similar sizes, lcds also dont reflect since there is no glass (an often overlooked advantage)

in your price range id recommend the sharp and samsung 37-40"lcds if the 32" are too small

beyond that not much fits the budget that id recommend and you may just want to buy a <1K tube to hold you over until prioces and performance improove

[aud19]

This thread will be moved to TV's but.....

Your more likely looking at RPTV's in your price range. On the plus side they're cheaper, bigger and generally higher resolution than flat panels :T There's the DLP/LCD RPTV's mentioned as well as good old CRT's.

A good CRT RPTV from Hitachi or Mitsubishi, including a professional ISF calibration, will keep you well under budget and handily outperform any other display tech out there other than in a bright environment. It will just take up a few extra inches of floor space

As for which is better between LCD/plasma, neither is, they both have strengths/weaknesses. LCD have a more visible pixel structure but generally better detail.... They both have pixel refresh problems on fast motion... Plasma usually has better black levels etc... And even then all those things are very display/make/model dependant. A poorly excuted plasma might have worse black levels than a well executed LCD....etc

FYI, if you want to see good quality plasmas, check out the Pioneer Elite models Just be warned they're WAAAY beyond your budget.

[Audiophiliac]

I fell in love with the 40" Runco LCD when I first hooked it up and ran some HD through it. I would take it over the Marantz 42" HD plasma. But it does cost $5495. Worth it in my opinion.

I would love to get a Pioneer Elite CRT RPTV. But I dont want to move it.

[BKSinAZ]

ok...which is better now

Ok. Taking your new info, which is better? A Mitsubishi DLP or a CRT for picture quality and response time? 2nd question,,which is better, a Mit DLP or a Sony XBR Tube television?

This thread will be moved to TV's but.....

Your more likely looking at RPTV's in your price range. On the plus side they're cheaper, bigger and generally higher resolution than flat panels :T There's the DLP/LCD RPTV's mentioned as well as good old CRT's.

A good CRT RPTV from Hitachi or Mitsubishi, including a professional ISF calibration, will keep you well under budget and handily outperform any other display tech out there other than in a bright environment. It will just take up a few extra inches of floor space

As for which is better between LCD/plasma, neither is, they both have strengths/weaknesses. LCD have a more visible pixel structure but generally better detail.... They both have pixel refresh problems on fast motion... Plasma usually has better black levels etc... And even then all those things are very display/make/model dependant. A poorly excuted plasma might have worse black levels than a well executed LCD....etc

FYI, if you want to see good quality plasmas, check out the Pioneer Elite models Just be warned they're WAAAY beyond your budget.

[aud19]

Well first of all a tube CRT is out of the question if you want anything larger than a 34" widescreen set. For 42"-50" if you don't mind the larger cabinet I'd get a Mits (or Hitachi) CRT-RPTV. Sony's SXRD sets are quite nice for digital displays (and the closest thing to CRT PQ of any chip based displays available IMO) but are about 1.5X your budget.

http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/televisions/details.asp?id=181

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/projection/16-9digital/51F59.shtml

[BKSinAZ]

Thank you...now I am even more confused. Hahaha

Questions to clear things up. What is CRT RPTV? How does picture quality and responce time compare with a normal tube television and plasma? What sets a CRT RPTV apart from other types of rear projection televisions? Finally, how is CRT RPTV different from DLP as far as picture quality? I will be watching mostly satellite tv with local channels. Watching satellite tv, would a DLP be the better over a plasma?

Darn I am so confused on what to get. :W I am wondering if I should go out and just buy Sony's - FD Trinitron WEGA XBR 34" Widescreen Flat-Tube HDTV KD-34XBR970. Would ANYTHING give me a better picture than this Sony?

Well first of all a tube CRT is out of the question if you want anything larger than a 34" widescreen set. For 42"-50" if you don't mind the larger cabinet I'd get a Mits (or Hitachi) CRT-RPTV. Sony's SXRD sets are quite nice for digital displays (and the closest thing to CRT PQ of any chip based displays available IMO) but are about 1.5X your budget.

http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/televisions/details.asp?id=181

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/proj...al/51F59.shtml

[aud19]

CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube. There's one CRT in any direct view CRT set like the Sony Trinitron you mentioned. CRT RPTV's use three tubes (red, green and blue) to re-create the image rather than just one tube.

RPTV stands for Rear Projection Television. It simply describes any set where the picture source is reflected from a mirror on to the screen. RPTV can use LCD, DLP, CRT or SXRD/LCOS to produce the reflected image on to a screen.

A CRT (RPTV or otherwise), when calibrated will have what is still considered the standard in picture quality with good resolution, refresh rates, the best black levels available and superior colour rendition.

[Audiophiliac]

If you can find a diamond series Mits CRT RPTV or a Pioneer Elite....as long as you dont mind a set so large and heavy, that would be ideal. And then get it professionally ISF calibrated, you will be in video heaven. At least until the whole HD DVD/BluRay, 1080P, HDMI HDCP, etc...crap gets sorted out.

If you want the next best thing, and still in the same budget, a DLP set or the SXRD will probably be your choice. I like the Mits stuff....the SOny is nice too. Those are the only ones I really have any experience with. Mits is working on some really trick new stuff that may be available late this year, probably after CEDIA.

[EastCoaster]

I have a very tight budget of only $2200.00 to spend on a television and want the biggest bang for my buck.

Try the Sharp 37" LCD display, the LC37D4U. It was just discontinued a month ago, but you can still buy it online (or maybe a local retailer) for between $1,600 to $2,200 (depending on the seller). It is HD, cable-card slot, HDMI, etc. It is in the piano black style - and the picture quality is fantastic. I bought one, and couldn't be more pleased (of course I'll toss it out when a good 1080p screen is out).

LCDs are better for watching in bright rooms (e.g., during the day). Also, no glare on the screen. They are also lightweight, so easy to move around. No worries about burn-in like the plasma. finally, if a plasma lamp dies on you, you have to toss the plasma out. If a bulb dies on the LCD, just replace it...

LCD Downsides: more expensive per inch than plasma, more limited angle of viewing for friends and family, less black level.

I wouldn't touch a plasma these days...