TV Makers Planning New Sizes and Backlights for 2012

[Guest]

As a multiple LCD and Plasma Owner (Toshiba Regza, Sharp Aquos and Sony Bravia and Samsung D550 Plasma) I can honestly say that LCD TVs are all garbage. I have pumped as much into those three LCD TVs as I did into my first car, and have been anything but impressed.

The Regza panel began to fail after two years of moderate use. The panel itself, not the Backlights or the various power supplies / video boards (OMG on that one, so many boards in that TV). It started with poor distribution of brightness, and ended in psychadellic madness.

The Sharp began to fail after two months (in this case bad caps, repaired myself, but still annoying on a brand new TV) and the Sony works but has a horrid picture compared to either the Toshiba or the Sharp when they were new.

After all of this I went out an purchased a Samsung PN51D550 out of sheer desperation and frustration with LCDs. So far it is the least expensive of all of the units (the toshiba took the cake, at nearly three times the price of the Samsung Plasma). I have had this plasma since it hit the market, and I can honestly say that for performance (no motion blur), color accuracy, brightness, contrast, etc it blows the other units all completely out of the water. There is absolutely no comparison.

In all honesty I think that the LCD people are nuts. I have compared this (again, relatively cheap) plasma side by side to some ungodly overpriced LCD units and after using the plasma I will never go back.

 

[mm0ety]

[citation][nom]SteelCity1981[/nom]Plasma? Stores can't get rid of them. No one wants plasma, people that defend plasma have a plasma tv. Once the gas in the plasma screen goes in 7 to 10 years or sooner so does your TV and because of that your tv screen fades over time. It's not like an LCD where you can replace the backlit bulb once every 5 to 7 years of avg use. And its def not like an LED where the picture never fades over time and is guaranteed to last 12 years of continues use 24 hours a day until the picture goes out completely which would equal prob about 25 years of avg use in a lifespan. Not to mention LED screens a more energy effient than Plasma or LCD.[/citation]
WTF!???? How many people have had the same TV for more than 5 years? Every 5 years so far there has been a new reason upgrade. I dont defened plasma or led I say get whatever looks best to you, but I do agree plasmas have better color and contrast which is why I buy plasma and in 5 years I'll probably buy OLED screen.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]h65ytrgh[/nom]bigger resolutions maybe plz?[/citation]
2K and 4K are coming. It's just a matter of time

As to everyone else, ya, there are pluses and minuses to all TV techs. I love the look of plasma, but as I do not watch TV (it's all games and web browsing for me) I avoid plasma because I would burn it in a ruin it. But I agree, if anyone thinks LED/CCFL is better for quality then they are out of their minds and dont know what they are talking about. Also, I find that the contrast on plasma screens hurts my eyes when in a dark room, but that may be because the people whose houses I watch at dont know how to adjust their TV properly.

CCFL bulbs fade just as fast as modern plasma screens, and they are not 'white' and cannot display a true black. They just suck all around (granted it is what I have in my monitor, but when I bought it 4-5 years ago there were no other options).

LED is awesome for people like me who have a lot of static image time, and if you get up to the 240Hz range then they have excellent motion (though not as good as the plasma), and while it is true that the LEDs will last some 12+ years, it is highly unlikely that anything else in the TV will last that long. Also, the white on an LED is really white, and the dimmability of LEDs is much better so you can get a much better black (on a screen that supports localized dimming) than CCFL could ever dream of (though again, plasma is still better). Plus the LCD portion of the screen will break down over time (though slower than plasma), and I imagine that after 12 years you will have lost most of your contrast anyways. But for people like me who make a life pact with their monitors (had my mitsubishi CRT for over 10 years before it went blurry, and hoping my current screen lasts at least as long), then LED is the way to go.

But if you are stuck in the stone age and still watch television, or if you have a nice home theater and do not want to go with a projector (LED projectors are finally coming out! woot!), then plasma is the choice for you. Personally I still rock an old "HD" (meaning 480p) CRT, and it work find for the whole 3-4 hours of use it gets per month when there is something worth watching on TV.

 

[CyberAngel]

Quad-HDTV for me! (3840x2160 or 4K)
I watch Full HD videos and use the net (not much gaming)
I'm hoping that Blue Ray can fit 4K videos/movies
When o they come to end users?

 

[pocketdrummer]

[citation][nom]SteelCity1981[/nom]Plasma? Stores can't get rid of them. No one wants plasma, people that defend plasma have a plasma tv. Once the gas in the plasma screen goes in 7 to 10 years or sooner so does your TV and because of that your tv screen fades over time. It's not like an LCD where you can replace the backlit bulb once every 5 to 7 years of avg use. And its def not like an LED where the picture never fades over time and is guaranteed to last 12 years of continues use 24 hours a day until the picture goes out completely which would equal prob about 25 years of avg use in a lifespan. Not to mention LED screens a more energy effient than Plasma or LCD.[/citation]

This isn't entirely true. The color reproduction still goes to crap on an LCD, they aren't lifetime devices. Besides, I had to solder new capacitors into my LCD because they blew after about 5 years of normal use. Plasma may have additional problems, but LCD definitely isn't perfect.

 

[fb39ca4]

as long as it is not crt-thick, i do not give shit about how thick a tv is. you do not spend all your time looking at the side of the screen, you look at the front, from where you cant tell the thickness.

 

[Guest]

As long as its not more then 4" thick i dont care about thickness.

Ill take a 4" thick TV over a 1" thick one any day if it has better picture quality for a cheaper price.

 

[freggo]

Too bad, I was looking for higher resolution.

 

[WyomingKnott]

Where do they get these strange, seemingly arbitrary sizes? Is there a stock sheet of glass and they figure out different ways to cut one up without waste?

 

[SteelCity1981]

You do realize that LED = LCD right? Manufacturers essentially just swapped the CCFL backlights for LED ones. Yes, they are cheaper to run than CCFL based screens and plasmas, but just like CCFLs they still fail in many areas compared to plasma panels.

no kidding sherlock.

 

[SteelCity1981]

[citation][nom]zybch[/nom]You do realize that LED = LCD right? Manufacturers essentially just swapped the CCFL backlights for LED ones. Yes, they are cheaper to run than CCFL based screens and plasmas, but just like CCFLs they still fail in many areas compared to plasma panels.But to answer your ill-thought and incorrect comments, plasma STILL offers the best image quality in large size panels. LCD (I'm including the LED based ones here too) still are unable to produce a black black without special filters on the panel which screw about with the accuracy of the rest of the color gamut.No matter what the advertised refresh rate is, you can still always see fast moving objects leaving a trail, especially sports. Its a LOT better than it once was, but its still there and you're an idiot if you claim its not. Speaking of refresh rates, plasmas operate differently but are equivalent to a minimum of 600Hz and usually much higher.Because the CCFL or LED backlights are not uniformly distributed across the area of the screen (not any more anyway), you get hotspotting and light leaks, and because of the various polarizing filters you have a more limited viewing angle. Ever noticed how when you move away from a perpendicular view of an LCD the colors shift? NOT good.Because a plasma's pixels are self illuminating rather than relying on a hard-to-uniformly-control strip of LEDs at the side of the screen passing though several filers to 'spread' the light out smoothly, the colors remain more consistent across the entire panel at much greater viewing angles.Yes, you can get many plasmas cheaper than LCDs, but anyone who is serious about quality is NOT going to go to the budget end of the market. Starting at the 52" size and upwards, LCDs are one hell of a lot more expensive as they are more difficult to produce in those sizes than plasmas and any dead pixels render the entire panel unsuitable for anyone who is shopping for quality.A representative site I just looked at has a 46" 3D LED at just under twice the price as a 50" 3D plasma from brand name manufacturers. However the 46" specs disguise a LOT of specs, using "Clear Motion Rate: 400" instead of just being upfront about the real Hz and "Dynamic Contrast Ratio: Mega contrast" instead of an actual number like the plasma specs list.When they have to fudge the specs to trick people into believing the panel is as good as a cheaper model you can be sure that its NOT as good.Even with TVs from the same maker that differ only in the panel they use, the plasma will look 'better'. When I bought mine I compared it (samsung 58") to the equivalent sized LED based LCD TV also from Samsung and there was no comparison (and the LCD was pricier).I spent a good 3 hours trying to match them in the showroom with a calibration bluray and colorimiter (I know the owner of the store and so did it after closing time) with 'torch mode' turned off and none of the many other sets switched on. The plasma always looked more realistic having a better reproduction of all the test pasterns, no light leakage along the sides, and in winter I can use it as a space heater Longevity? Seriously, who keeps a TV for more than 4-5 years any more? I certainly don't.Now if you like to think LCD is better then I'm not going to be able to convince you otherwise, but if you get a 'proper' plasma panel, not just a $200 42" from walmart or wherever, you might be a little surprised. As with everything, you have to pay to get quality, and in the serious sized TVs you can pay a lot less to get a significantly better picture by choosing plasma over LCD.For what its worth I have an LCD in the bedroom and its just fine, but in the lounge the set I bought just knocks it out of the field.[/citation]


No kidding but one uses eletrodes and the other uses a backlit bulb. You have to me out of your mind are you seriously saying that plasma has a better pciture then an led? LOL led have a sharper and cleaer picture than plasma. Who cares about the refresh rate if the qualit of the picture isn't that good. Plasma's use more electrcity and are old technology with a dimmer picture than LED Who keeps a TV more than 4 or 5 years? Are you that out of touch with the avg tv user? You think people buy bran new tv's every 4 or 5 years? got news for you they don't. Herll many people still have tube tv's still let alone plasma or led screens; Again if plasma was really that good eletronic stores wouldn't have sladhed their prices trying to get rid of them.

 

[SteelCity1981]

[citation][nom]Pocketdrummer[/nom]This isn't entirely true. The color reproduction still goes to crap on an LCD, they aren't lifetime devices. Besides, I had to solder new capacitors into my LCD because they blew after about 5 years of normal use. Plasma may have additional problems, but LCD definitely isn't perfect.[/citation]

no one said they didn't lcd uses a back light bulb led don't so no it's not untrue. Well you must have gotten a crappy lcd tv then, Cause my sony lcd still works fine after 8 years never once had an issue with it.

 

[SininStyle]

Seems the argument for plasmas is forgetting their biggest drawback. Its not the picture quality at all. They do in fact have the best blacks and best colors there is no argument at all. The true issue with plasmas and why most people walk away from them is they are huge mirrors. Anyone with a plasma in a room with a window will tell you that. Those perfect blacks are also perfect for reflecting your couch or your rug or those red drapes your wife had to have.

So ya, great picture in your hole but for those of us that watch in a living room those blacks dont matter because they appear the same color as the shirt being worn by the 12 yr old in front of it.

 

[nebun]

plasma is still king....i will wait a while before getting something new

 

[SininStyle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2_9gnCHDbc
just look at the glare from this video. huge red blotch on the right side.

 

[SininStyle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2_9gnCHDbc

 

[SininStyle]

link wouldnt post

 

[sesante2000]

Wow, SteelCity, I'll follow your comments from now on just to watch you look like a clown you sound like. Kinda like waiting for you to realize you had your zipper down all day.

Clearly you have access to the internet and know how to type. Try going to a review site such as CNET and see who makes the best TVs every year. They are usually plasmas. Ever heard of the Panasonic VT-30 or Samsung PND8000? Probably not since you're staring at your "LED" TV too much.

One more thing. When another person said "LED = LCD" they meant that the 2 panels are the same. Meaning both LCD. LED Simply refers to the back-light system used.

 

[f-gomes]

[citation][nom]zybch[/nom]Sorry, but I'll be sticking to my 1.5" thick 58" plasma. LCD just doesn't hold a candle to the quality plasma can deliver, especially motion (there is STILL blur even with the top LCD sets).LED illuminated screens showed some promise till the makers got cheapass and switched to an addressable grid of individually dimable LEDs behind the LCD panel, to a couple of strips of LEDs at the sides. They look no better than CCFL LCD displays.[/citation]

True, so true. The cheapest plasma TV mops the floor with any top LCD model, in terms of image quality. Period.

 

[f-gomes]

[citation][nom]memadmax[/nom]meh, when i'm shopping around for a TV I usually goto Best Buy and stare at all the TV's for an a hour, all the while telling the salesmen to buzz off..... Then when I find the one that I like, I leave the store and order it off the internet for cheap =D[/citation]

You should be ashame.