9 Reasons We Should Save Plasma TV

[maxnix]

When the worst plasma has better color reproduction than the best LCD, that should tell you something.

My 3 year old Panasonic still puts to shame the best LCD when it comes to color, motion, blackness and off cangle viewing.

Bunch of computer geeks who look at artifical graphics all the time think tha LCD is fine, but if you ever see a 1080p BluRay originally recorded in HD format and has natural landscape as it's subject, there is simply no comparison.

It's like when all the young ones listen to distorted base boom speakers or iPods with lossy MP3 format and think that is real musical reproduction, but they never have heard an acoustic instrument unamplified or - god for bid - a symphonic orchestra.

 

[SlyNine]

Ok, now give me 9 pages on why its better then a Laser TV and I'll be sold. Because I really want mitsubishis' laser tv.

From my experience my 24inch LCD S-IPS panel is better then pretty much all the LCD and Plasma TV's I've seen. Of course this cost me 850$.

 

[Guest]

These "picture style" articles are annoying because they're not implemented in a way that makes smooth transitions between the pages. I'd rather see everything in one long list and scroll it. THG is going way downhill both in terms of writing quality and page design.

 

[c_l_roberts]

Don't Plasma screens have a problem with Image Burn In? I know that at work there was someone that left a plasma screen on and the image burned into the screen which destroyed it. LCD does not have near the issues with image burn in that Plasma does. I know that you are not supposed to hook up video games to Plasma TV's, but people do that anyway. I suppose if you are careful about it then it might not be as much of a problem, but this is a definite downside with plasma.

 

[mpasternak]

please tom's. i've been reading you for so many years now. Why are you resorting to posting "opinion" pieces such as this trash? at one point you used to be a well respected site that would post reports on hardware and technology that could be objectively verified and backed up.

Now you're allowing such crap as "in my opinion the picture looks better, so you are all wrong to dismiss the technology" to be a reasonable article.

I could write such meaningless opinion pieces as this about any topic i'm not an expert on. Please hire me!

what it comes down to Tom's. is that you really need to resort back to your investigatory days of hard factual information instead of this new direction. Toms now seems to cater to the "Newbie" and "tech-new" crowd.

 

[Guest]

Most of you should be educated on the topics you decided to open your mouth about...I agree that the author of this 'rant' went about it the wrong way but he does have some points...It is a FACT that plasma has truer blacks, better color reproduction, and sharper images. the newer plasmas last 100,000 hours, and prevent color burn if you leave a game on pause. The reason why most manufacturers are bailing on the technology is the power consumption. For those who flamed plasma and did their own uneducated 'side-by-side comparisons', save it for your own personal blogs. These are the FACTS so please use this great tool called GOOGLE and do some research before making your selfs look stupid!!

 

[mpasternak]

in that case. Lets forget LCD or Plasma. Lets go back to Rear projection tube displays.

Their black levels are superior. Their colour reproduction is better. They in thoery could have better pixel count and definition And the overall picture quality on a tube far outweigh any of the new digital means.

BUt, In the end, we sacrifice some "goods" in return for other "betters"

In the end, its the power consumption (On par of CRT tubes) in an ever growing "greening" of technology that will aid the death of Plasma. That and the relatively young technology. Plasma has been around for a long time, But the use of it in large displays are fairly new. The fact is the estimated life expectancy of these panels is estimated as it is fairly safe to say that no one has long term tested plasma. In the life of CRT, it was common to own the same set for 10 plus years. (my family still owns 3 sets bought in early 80's that work like the day they were delivered). Early PLasma couldn't deliver that, And its unsure if new ones will either.

LCD's on the other hand have proven that. I still have a couple 386 laptops from early 90s in which the LCD's work flawlessly. And i am not the only one to note this. LCD technology, with historical perspective is tried and tested. Using this, you can hopefully accurately predict that an LCD TV you buy today, should still function the way it's designed to 10 years from now.

Ad in the low cost to power an LCD and you've got a good reason why people would prefer it. Mix in the fact that LCD's have been in mainstream computing for decades

 

[m1ch4L]

This site used to be my favorite resource for IT news and in-depth technology reviews... however for quite some time now... the lack of quality is just too much to take.

Tom's used to be a professional IT website... now it seems more like some columnists are writing articles. There are only very few real in-depth articles lately. It's very sad.

 

[Xenophage]

#1 reason LCD's are better: They're cheaper to make.

Is the difference in picture quality worth the difference in price? The average consumer says, "No." That's why plasma is on its way out.

There will still be a market for plasma, but expect it to be very small and willing to pay exorbitant prices. Its not like the technology will disappear from the face of the earth, and as long as there are people who want "the best" and are willing to pay, someone will make it.

Eventually, both plasma and lcd will be replaced by something superior. The next big thing will probably be three dimensional.

 

[00101010]

I would argue that a majority of the readers of this site are much brighter than this article makes them out to be, and have read enough about the pros and cons between plasma and LCD to dispute or at the very least doubt the validity of the material noted.

Mr Reisenger, If you were to have Jon Stewart and the Daily Show inspect this article like they did with CNBC, do you think it would stand the satire test? Doubtful.

One basic rule of thumb when reporting: Facts, facts, facts. Stay away from opinions or personal experiences unless your article states it is an opinion column, or your are a acredited and respected professional of the subject. Your readers and I will question your validity of statements and consider the article glib and without basis.

 

[onu]

Don is 100% right in every aspect.
I bought recently a Samsung 50P plasma, and it delivers - side by side - a far superior and more naturally looking image than a Philips PFL7403D/10 (the later is more expensive, and full HD compared with 720 p on the Samsung plasma.
Conclusion: Plasma beats LCD in image quality by far; it's only weak point is the energy consumption.

 

[Guest]

The power companies need plasma panels to keep the share holders happy. Plasmas are power pigs !

 

[solymnar]

not quite onu (and consider that comparing a single TV to another single TV is hardly a comprehensive analysis of a technology comparison)

Its weak points are:
Very heavy (wich partially defeats the purpose of a flat panel as it sometimes can't be safely wall mounted)
Very high energy requirements
Burn in (can't be used as secondary monitor)
Lifespan (brightness and picture quality degrade over time from the moment you start using it)
Viewing distance (hard on the eyes if viewed up close, reason no2 why you shouldn't use it as a computer monitor)

That would be 5 weak points.
Two of them ear mark plasma as not gamer/computer friendly.
Two of them make it a poor over time investment as it cost more to oporate and its picture degrades.
One of them is a "potential" saftey hazzard unless the person mounting it really knows what they are doing, locates the studs properly and gets a certified mount.

To me its like comparing a music CD to vinyl. Yeah, vinyl has initially better quality. But the quality difference is pretty marginal for all but the elitist audio snob. I've got sensitive ears and can hear the difference too, but when you're talking 2% who gives a care? Plus vinyl degrades every time you listen to it. Digital audio stays as good as it was from day 1.

LCD % DLP are the same. I like samsung's DPL with the LED light system better than plasma or LCD for the money (esp since I do plan on going 3D). But if I had to go flat screen its a no brainer.

I'm a gamer and computer user so LCD would be the only choice for me. I don't want to spend $1,300+ on a TV only for the picture to fade notably in the next 4 years. And I want to hook up a computer to it.

 

[demonhorde665]

This article lost me on the title

if you need 9 reasons for something... then your case is already lost. Persuasive essays use a general rule of "3 reasons " only for a reason.
first off a persuasive essay is intended to NOT bore it's auidence.
over long triades with amilion reasons "for" the argument will and does get old to most every oen that reads the persuasive essay

Secondly a persuasive essay is not supposed to ever appear desperate to win the argument. Listing off to many reasons "for" an argument makes the essay come off as a desperate attempt to keep the readers interested in what you have to say, not very professional

Lastly, Persuasive essays never want to come on to strong. Listing more than three reasons for an argument , can seem extremely overbearing to a reader. this kind of overbearing attitude, can and has lost many an arguments.


So you see it is good to always Keep persuasive incline articles and or essays to a "3 reasons " rule (plus your introduction and conclussion). After all you dont want to seem desperate , boreing and overbearing to your audience, and definitely not all three at the same time.

 

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]00101010[/nom]I would argue that a majority of the readers of this site are much brighter than this article makes them out to be, and have read enough about the pros and cons between plasma and LCD to dispute or at the very least doubt the validity of the material noted.Mr Reisenger, If you were to have Jon Stewart and the Daily Show inspect this article like they did with CNBC, do you think it would stand the satire test? Doubtful.One basic rule of thumb when reporting: Facts, facts, facts. Stay away from opinions or personal experiences unless your article states it is an opinion column, or your are a acredited and respected professional of the subject. Your readers and I will question your validity of statements and consider the article glib and without basis.[/citation]
This article states it is an opinion column. See the top page title on Page 1.

 

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]m1ch4L[/nom]This site used to be my favorite resource for IT news and in-depth technology reviews... however for quite some time now... the lack of quality is just too much to take.Tom's used to be a professional IT website... now it seems more like some columnists are writing articles. There are only very few real in-depth articles lately. It's very sad.[/citation]
Thanks for your input m1ch4L. Please keep in mind that Tom's Guide is intended for a different audience than Tom's Hardware.

 

[demonhorde665]

as a gamer who eventually wants to get a hdtv , i got one word for you b...b...b...burn in


plasma's DO get burn in LCD's DON'T

 

[demonhorde665]

i meant one phrase

 

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]demonhorde665[/nom]as a gamer who eventually wants to get a hdtv , i got one word for you b...b...b...burn in plasma's DO get burn in LCD's DON'T[/citation]
I think what you mean to say is that Plasmas "can" get burn in while LCDs "can't." Right? Because obviously a smart owner can prevent a plasma from getting burn-in (even though it rarely even happens by accident these days).

 

[Guest]

I largely agree with the article. I'm a huge fan of my plasma, but it has serious issues with phosphor trails. The article neglected to mention this, and it's a serious problem with plasmas. I wrote about it here:

http/amoddinghomecompanion.blogspot.com/2009/02/phosphor-trails-scourge-of-plasma.html