Plasma 1, LCD 0

venomclan

For those who did not see my "Buying a tv today sucks" thread, in a nutshell, my 8 year old Sony Vega CRT commited suicide and I reluctantly had to jump into the flatscreen/HD arena. I bought a Sony V-series lcd and thought it sucked:

Washed out blacks
Flashlighting
Audio dropouts...

I was scolded by many members on why I did not get a plasma. I am now a proud owner of a Panasonic G15 plasma, and it blows away the Sony lcd. Blacks are back, image speed without the need for the 120/240hz bandaid soap opera effect, no viewing angle problems, flashlights, etc...

I am back in happy land.

It was almost like I started with vinyl and returned to the cd promised land...:D
Venom

leroyjr1

Nothing wrong with LCD's you just have to get the right one. My LCD shows great and the black levels are on point as well.

Congrats on your purchase.

Conradicles

You are wrong Lee...Plasma's rule. Sorry dude.

leroyjr1

Conradicles wrote: »

You are wrong Lee...Plasma's rule. Sorry dude.

Sure

vc69

You are wrong Lee...Plasma's rule. Sorry dude.

leroyjr1 wrote: »

Sure

Yooze guys....

Projectors rule.

tonyb

Congrats bro !

Welcome to the dark side.

mantis

Zero wrote: »

A good LCD will always make for a good TV. A good plasma screen will always make for a better TV. Tis just the way that it is.

That is true. LCD still to this day has issues with viewing angle and image movement. They greatly improved I have a Sharp LCD in my bedroom but I would never have one as my main TV unless I had 2.

tonyb

leroyjr1 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with LCD's you just have to get the right one. My LCD shows great and the black levels are on point as well.

Congrats on your purchase.

Unfortunately...getting the "right one" will run you 3 g's and up.Then you still have an average life span of 6 years,bulbs to buy every couple years,service calls,add it all up and 5 g's is more like it. I do like the newer LCD's as I believe their picture quality is leaps and bounds better than the sets just 2 years ago.But plasma still blows it away on picture quality,granted not all plasma's are created equal either.Plasma's are better for low light area's,lcd for bright rooms. DLP,your replacing the color wheel every year.So you have added costs to both lcd,dlp.Plasma,once it goes,it's gone,the only part that seems to need replacing is the power supply seems to go out on some more often than others.Don't know what Pioneer threw into those Kuro's,but you have to get your eyes on one to appreciate them.To me anyway,like many consumer products,their is a huge difference in picture quality between a 600 dollar lcd,plasma,and a 3,000 buck one.So getting the right one will cost you in the lcd world,and with the price of plasma's today,it's almost a no brainer.

leroyjr1

Tony where did you hear LCD's only have a six year average life span? Never said LCD are better I was just commenting on the OP that there are some good LCD's out there. Never said they were better.

Also You commented on the price of the $3k LCD being too expensive. The Pioneer will run you more than that. I was very impressed with the Pioneer Kuro set as well as the Samsung higher end plasmas but the Panasonic just didn't do it for me.

apphd

Congrats Venom enjoy

tonyb

leroyjr1 wrote: »

Tony where did you hear LCD's only have a six year average life span? Never said LCD are better I was just commenting on the OP that there are some good LCD's out there. Never said they were better.

Also You commented on the price of the $3k LCD being too expensive. The Pioneer will run you more than that. I was very impressed with the Pioneer Kuro set as well as the Samsung higher end plasmas but the Panasonic just didn't do it for me.

Talk to anyone who repairs them,the light engines will go bad,depending of coarse on how much you watch tv.Sony is terrible for it and other makers are slightly better. With the costs of a new light engine that is out of warrenty pretty much turns it into a throw away at that point. Didn't mean to come off as aggresive s.o.b,but this subject gets to me as I've been down this road of lcd repairs and had many conversations with repair people on what technology will give you cost efficient tv viewing for years to come.Lcd in many ways would be cost efficient as they use little power compared to a plasma,but when you start throwing in bulbs,light engines,any savings is eaten up and then some. I picked up a Pioneer Kuro for 1100. 50 incher,you won't find a comparable lcd for that price,period. This whole thing of my distain for LCD came when a repair dude told me that they are designed to not last longer than 6 years.Again,depending on how much you use it,may last longer,or shorter. So to me anyway,the thought of dropping 3 g's every 5 years,plus the ongoing costs of bulbs and whatnot,doesn't appeal to me as a consumer. May not seem to be alot of money to some,but I tend to like to spend money on things that will last if I choose to keep it long enough. Much the same if you dropped big coin on a fridge,air conditioner,a car,washer and dryer,and it only lasted 5-6 years,would you buy that brand again? See where I'm comming from? You think I'm being unreasonable in my thought process? For all you Lcd owners,here's another tidbit a repair guy informed me of.When you change the bulb,you are suppose to change the starter/igniter also,that fires up the bulb.Another 150 clams.By not doing so,will result in that new bulb having a shorter life span and in some cases,very short,resulting in you calling out a repair guy,costing you what? The newer LED technology is promissing,but they need to work on it,has a narrow viewing angle.Sharp just came out with a light engine that displays more color,also promissing,but they need to make these TV's last a bit longer to relieve me of 3 g's again anytime soon. I do like the newer LCD's,I just want a product that will last longer than the end of the warranty,thats all.

danz1906

Congrats-Enjoy the Plasma!

speedster2333

I jumped into getting an lcd several years ago and wondered ever since why the heck I didn't go with a plasma. I hope plasma never dies.

Sherardp

vc69 wrote: »

Yooze guys....

Projectors rule.

I have two Sony LCDs and both perform well. Granted they are on the smaller size 42" but they do a great job and display an awesome image.

On the other hand I do have a JVC PJ and lets say yeah " you can't touch it" with any 60" screen.;) I'm looking to replace my Panny DLP (PT60DL54)rear pj flat screen, with a new Plasma as well, so I definitely want to see what the technology is capable of. What size screen did you go with OP? And congrats on your purchase.

venomclan

I went with a 46". The 50" was only $100 more but for the particular room it is in, the 46" was plenty. We were using a 36" CRT up to this point.

From the things I have seen, I cannot see CCFL LCD's being on the market much longer in large sizes. The LED based models are coming down in price and destroy the LCD's in constrast and blacks levels. Not to mention that they are thinner and use less energy. The closest to a plasma performance is an LED. They are not as good as plasma, but are getting better. I checked out the $5000 Sony LED the other night and it was nice. I still prefered the plasma but they are a huge improvement over the CCFL LCD's.
Venom

thsmith

Congrats !

But my Mits 73" CRTRP 9" guns rule !;)

digitalvideo

tonyb wrote: »

Talk to anyone who repairs them,the light engines will go bad,depending of coarse on how much you watch tv.Sony is terrible for it and other makers are slightly better. With the costs of a new light engine that is out of warrenty pretty much turns it into a throw away at that point. Didn't mean to come off as aggresive s.o.b,but this subject gets to me as I've been down this road of lcd repairs and had many conversations with repair people on what technology will give you cost efficient tv viewing for years to come.Lcd in many ways would be cost efficient as they use little power compared to a plasma,but when you start throwing in bulbs,light engines,any savings is eaten up and then some. I picked up a Pioneer Kuro for 1100. 50 incher,you won't find a comparable lcd for that price,period. This whole thing of my distain for LCD came when a repair dude told me that they are designed to not last longer than 6 years.Again,depending on how much you use it,may last longer,or shorter. So to me anyway,the thought of dropping 3 g's every 5 years,plus the ongoing costs of bulbs and whatnot,doesn't appeal to me as a consumer. May not seem to be alot of money to some,but I tend to like to spend money on things that will last if I choose to keep it long enough. Much the same if you dropped big coin on a fridge,air conditioner,a car,washer and dryer,and it only lasted 5-6 years,would you buy that brand again? See where I'm comming from? You think I'm being unreasonable in my thought process? For all you Lcd owners,here's another tidbit a repair guy informed me of.When you change the bulb,you are suppose to change the starter/igniter also,that fires up the bulb.Another 150 clams.By not doing so,will result in that new bulb having a shorter life span and in some cases,very short,resulting in you calling out a repair guy,costing you what? The newer LED technology is promissing,but they need to work on it,has a narrow viewing angle.Sharp just came out with a light engine that displays more color,also promissing,but they need to make these TV's last a bit longer to relieve me of 3 g's again anytime soon. I do like the newer LCD's,I just want a product that will last longer than the end of the warranty,thats all.

Where did you get a Pioneer Kuro for $1100? Which model was it and how old is it? I'm looking at buying another Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro but I can't find one under $2000, even used ones on ebay, Craigslist, amazon are still almost as much as what I paid for mine new, they hold their value better than any tv I ever seen. Elite Kuro Pro's are going for $2300-$3300 still.

venomclan

LCD:0 Confirmed. Watched a dvd last night and there was no comparison. I am amazed now why LCD's even sell in the numbers they do. Plasma in all essence is CRT quality. I have not seen what a Kuro can do yet, but I love this Panny so far. A recent review puts this set as the best measurements from a tv yet, with a picture second only to the Kuro. PLASMA ALL DAY LONG!

reeltrouble1

I hear you Ven. Very pleased with my Pioneer Elite Plasma.

RT1

madmax

venomclan wrote: »

It was almost like I started with vinyl and returned to the cd promised land...:D
Venom

That could be taken two different ways.:D

venomclan

madmax wrote: »

That could be taken two different ways.:D

Yes, keep everyone happy. But on record, I see no place for vinyl in today's world, except for that rich guy in China with a full time assistant...

benr

venomclan wrote: »

For those who did not see my "Buying a tv today sucks" thread, in a nutshell, my 8 year old Sony Vega CRT commited suicide and I reluctantly had to jump into the flatscreen/HD arena. I bought a Sony V-series lcd and thought it sucked:

Washed out blacks
Flashlighting
Audio dropouts...

I was scolded by many members on why I did not get a plasma. I am now a proud owner of a Panasonic G15 plasma, and it blows away the Sony lcd. Blacks are back, image speed without the need for the 120/240hz bandaid soap opera effect, no viewing angle problems, flashlights, etc...

I am back in happy land.

It was almost like I started with vinyl and returned to the cd promised land...:D
Venom

Should have gotten a V, 96hz 4:4 pull-down and superior blacks courtesy of Pioneer Kuro tech driving the set.

... not to say the G isn't nice, but it's a repackaged PZ850 from last year.

venomclan

benr wrote: »

Should have gotten a V, 96hz 4:4 pull-down and superior blacks courtesy of Pioneer Kuro tech driving the set.

... not to say the G isn't nice, but it's a repackaged PZ850 from last year.

A V would have about $700 more, not worth it to me. I believe the G15 is a repackaged G10.

benr

G15 is a "slimmer" (-1") G10, they both use a previous years panel and electronics.

The point I was getting at is you likely could have saved a little by getting a PZ850, either way, it's a great set

ben62670

I'm with ya VC on the Plasma. I walk through the "affordable" displays and the plasma's are easy to pick out. Now you get into rooms with 3k+ displays the LCD's look pretty nice, but at that price I could have more a very nice projector to pull down over my $599 42" plasma. The money saved could buy a 30 pack of some sort of domestic beer, a bag of chips, roll of TP, roll of PT, and a large supply hand lotion.

ryanjoachim

I'm perfectly happy with my 65" Mitsu DLP.

Knock it all you want, it was all of $1400, and while it is obviously below Plasma's and some higher-end LCD's...to me it looks damn good.

speedster2333

go plasma

venomclan

benr wrote: »

G15 is a "slimmer" (-1") G10, they both use a previous years panel and electronics.

The point I was getting at is you likely could have saved a little by getting a PZ850, either way, it's a great set

You may be right about it being a PZ850 as I do not know the history of the G series. I believe that it uses the same panel as the V series. One thing I had heard is that the 2009 plasmas with energy star use about 40% less power. If that wre the difference between the PZ850 and the G, I am glad I waited.

Bernal

Congrats-Enjoy the Plasma!

jinjuku

I can't wait for OLED displays to hit. That has to be at least 4-5 years off for larger, mass market. So I guess I will have to wait:(

In the mean time I will be putting in a 120" 1080p projection setup. Ahh the sacrifices one has to make.

bigaudiofanatic

They are cheap enough to buy right now! If you have the money.