Plasma versus LCD

dorourke07
dorourke07 Posts: 298
edited November 2010 in Electronics
Ok, I have narrowed it down to two different tv's to get my father for his man cave this Christmas. I cannot figure which way to go since the price is the same ($580) so I need some opinions on what might be better.

1) 50inch Panasonic Viera Plasma 720p 600hz refresh

or

2) 47inch Vizio LCD 1080p at 120hz refresh

Will be used for mostly sports. There is no direct sunlight in the viewing area and none that will be on the tv, its in a finished walk-out basement. If the specs are a toss-up, I guess you would go with the size, cause it always matters. Thanks for your help.
Mains - LSi9's
Center - LSiC
Surround - pair of TL3's
Amplification - Parasound 2125
AVR - Onkyo 706
CD/SACD - Onkyo DV-SP506
SUB - MartinLogan Abyss
55" Panasonic Viera TC-P55GT30 3D
Bluray - DMP-BDT310 Panasonic
Post edited by dorourke07 on
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Comments

  • LeftCoast
    LeftCoast Posts: 409
    edited November 2010
    Panny has larger screen, better blacks, but....

    LCD looks better for sports or concert watching. Can you adjust the refresh rate on the Vizio? Some sets can be adjusted. The advantage would be that you could get the really great look for concerts and sports with the 120 hz, then adjust the set when watching movies so that the movies don't have that "soap opera lighting" look
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  • grif32
    grif32 Posts: 267
    edited November 2010
    LCD's are not better for Sports. Plasmas are.

    Panny is the better TV in this case.
    (3) PS3's, Xbox 360, (2) Wii's and Nintendo NES
    (2) Panny DMPBDT110 3D Standalone Players
    Panny 60" 3D Plasma TC-60ST30
    Panny 50" Plasma TC-P50G10
    Panny 50" 3D TV TC-P50GT25
    Denon AVR-891
    Harmoney One Remote
    Polk Monitor 70's,Polk CS2, Polk Monitor 40's
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,996
    edited November 2010
    grif32 wrote: »
    LCD's are not better for Sports. Plasmas are.

    Panny is the better TV in this case.

    +1. Love my Panny plasma...
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 18,014
    edited November 2010
    Plasma!!!!
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  • LuSh
    LuSh Posts: 887
    edited November 2010
    LCD's strengths certainly aren't motion like sports...

    Having said that Panasonic has a very unique assortment...some good some not so good. If you're not looking at the G/GT or VT series it's a lot closer then you think...
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  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,505
    edited November 2010
    I my experience it also depends on the amount of light in a room....bright room LCD seems to perform better darker room plasmas do...IMO
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
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  • angelsfann02
    angelsfann02 Posts: 589
    edited November 2010
    I love my Pioneer pdp-6070hd. I get so many rave reviews by my guests. It looks and performs excellent. When comparing it with the more expensive pioneer pro-151fd, at 10ft. away I was hard pressed to see a difference. Gaming on it is awesome, no burn-in issues to speak of. Movies look sick! Just make sure to break it in correctly. Plasmas do run hotter, but boy do they looks awesome!
    LIVING ROOM:
    Pioneer PDP-6070HD, Pioneer Elite SC-25, Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD,
    Emotiva XPA-5, Emotiva USP-1, Polk LSI15's, Polk LSiC, Velodyne 12", Mirage Nanosat Prestige rears, MIT AVT Speaker Cables, Audioquest King Cobra Interconnects, Panamax M5300pm Surge Protection/ Power Conditioning
    BEDROOM: VIZIO 32" LCD, Pioneer Elite VSX-23txh, Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD, Parasound HCA-2205A, Mirage Nanosat Prestige Speakers 5.1, Mirage S8 Sub, Monoprice cables, APC Surge Protection.
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  • angelsfann02
    angelsfann02 Posts: 589
    edited November 2010
    P.s. My sports and gaming dont experience any lag time...
    LIVING ROOM:
    Pioneer PDP-6070HD, Pioneer Elite SC-25, Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD,
    Emotiva XPA-5, Emotiva USP-1, Polk LSI15's, Polk LSiC, Velodyne 12", Mirage Nanosat Prestige rears, MIT AVT Speaker Cables, Audioquest King Cobra Interconnects, Panamax M5300pm Surge Protection/ Power Conditioning
    BEDROOM: VIZIO 32" LCD, Pioneer Elite VSX-23txh, Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD, Parasound HCA-2205A, Mirage Nanosat Prestige Speakers 5.1, Mirage S8 Sub, Monoprice cables, APC Surge Protection.
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  • dorourke07
    dorourke07 Posts: 298
    edited November 2010
    Thanks for all the opinions. I was leaning to the plasma because its a darker room and had the higher refresh rate. I think I know what to do now. The Panny it is.
    Mains - LSi9's
    Center - LSiC
    Surround - pair of TL3's
    Amplification - Parasound 2125
    AVR - Onkyo 706
    CD/SACD - Onkyo DV-SP506
    SUB - MartinLogan Abyss
    55" Panasonic Viera TC-P55GT30 3D
    Bluray - DMP-BDT310 Panasonic
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited November 2010
    Lcd.
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  • angelsfann02
    angelsfann02 Posts: 589
    edited November 2010
    I still think the Pioneers kill the Pannys.....if you can see one, you'll know what I mean.
    LIVING ROOM:
    Pioneer PDP-6070HD, Pioneer Elite SC-25, Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD,
    Emotiva XPA-5, Emotiva USP-1, Polk LSI15's, Polk LSiC, Velodyne 12", Mirage Nanosat Prestige rears, MIT AVT Speaker Cables, Audioquest King Cobra Interconnects, Panamax M5300pm Surge Protection/ Power Conditioning
    BEDROOM: VIZIO 32" LCD, Pioneer Elite VSX-23txh, Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD, Parasound HCA-2205A, Mirage Nanosat Prestige Speakers 5.1, Mirage S8 Sub, Monoprice cables, APC Surge Protection.
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  • dorourke07
    dorourke07 Posts: 298
    edited November 2010
    ^^^^^I will take a look and see if there are any in my price range to look at.
    Mains - LSi9's
    Center - LSiC
    Surround - pair of TL3's
    Amplification - Parasound 2125
    AVR - Onkyo 706
    CD/SACD - Onkyo DV-SP506
    SUB - MartinLogan Abyss
    55" Panasonic Viera TC-P55GT30 3D
    Bluray - DMP-BDT310 Panasonic
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  • angelsfann02
    angelsfann02 Posts: 589
    edited November 2010
    Try pawnshops, its crazy what you will find sometimes.
    LIVING ROOM:
    Pioneer PDP-6070HD, Pioneer Elite SC-25, Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD,
    Emotiva XPA-5, Emotiva USP-1, Polk LSI15's, Polk LSiC, Velodyne 12", Mirage Nanosat Prestige rears, MIT AVT Speaker Cables, Audioquest King Cobra Interconnects, Panamax M5300pm Surge Protection/ Power Conditioning
    BEDROOM: VIZIO 32" LCD, Pioneer Elite VSX-23txh, Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD, Parasound HCA-2205A, Mirage Nanosat Prestige Speakers 5.1, Mirage S8 Sub, Monoprice cables, APC Surge Protection.
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  • Knucklehead
    Knucklehead Posts: 3,602
    edited November 2010
    Panny all day..Pioneer if I could afford it.
    Polk Audio Surround Bar 360
    Mirage PS-12
    LG BDP-550
    Motorola HD FIOS DVR
    Panasonic 42" Plasma
    XBOX 360[/SIZE]

    Office stuff

    Allied 395 receiver
    Pioneer CDP PD-M430
    RT8t's & Wharfedale Diamond II's[/SIZE]

    Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music. ~Ronald Reagan
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  • cnoat
    cnoat Posts: 315
    edited November 2010
    Plasma has the better picture in that price range.IMO
    Parasound Avc-1800
    Mains-Rti 12 -Parasound 1500a
    Center-Csi5-Parasound 1000a
    Rears-Rti 8-Parasound 750a
    Sub SVS Ultra Tv 12
    Diamondback and King Cobra IC's
    AQ T4 SC
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,069
    edited November 2010
    As far as over all picture quality, todays LCD is real close to plasma and in certain light conditions may even be better. But I still can't get past the motion blurr on LCD when watching sports, or the soap opera look they give to broadcast TV. I'm a plasma convert with no regrets, can't ya tell?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited November 2010
    dorourke07 wrote: »
    ^^^^^I will take a look and see if there are any in my price range to look at.

    Pioneers wouldn't have been anywhere near your price range even when they were still in production. I think they started shutting down the lines in 2009.
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited November 2010
    tonyb wrote: »
    As far as over all picture quality, todays LCD is real close to plasma and in certain light conditions may even be better. But I still can't get past the motion blurr on LCD when watching sports, or the soap opera look they give to broadcast TV. I'm a plasma convert with no regrets, can't ya tell?

    Isn't there still a range of LCD quality though? The OP's asking about a Vizio compared to a Panny plasma. Would those still be close?
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  • grif32
    grif32 Posts: 267
    edited November 2010
    cheddar wrote: »
    Isn't there still a range of LCD quality though? The OP's asking about a Vizio compared to a Panny plasma. Would those still be close?

    Vizio is not a bad brand but the Panny is still Better even tho it's 720P. Because of the lag of LCD/LED TV's. Plus the bad viewing angles alone on lcd's make me pass on them every time.
    (3) PS3's, Xbox 360, (2) Wii's and Nintendo NES
    (2) Panny DMPBDT110 3D Standalone Players
    Panny 60" 3D Plasma TC-60ST30
    Panny 50" Plasma TC-P50G10
    Panny 50" 3D TV TC-P50GT25
    Denon AVR-891
    Harmoney One Remote
    Polk Monitor 70's,Polk CS2, Polk Monitor 40's
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  • grif32
    grif32 Posts: 267
    edited November 2010
    angelsfann02 wrote: »
    I still think the Pioneers kill the Pannys.....if you can see one, you'll know what I mean.

    They are also double the price of Panny's so they should kill them.
    (3) PS3's, Xbox 360, (2) Wii's and Nintendo NES
    (2) Panny DMPBDT110 3D Standalone Players
    Panny 60" 3D Plasma TC-60ST30
    Panny 50" Plasma TC-P50G10
    Panny 50" 3D TV TC-P50GT25
    Denon AVR-891
    Harmoney One Remote
    Polk Monitor 70's,Polk CS2, Polk Monitor 40's
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,069
    edited November 2010
    cheddar wrote: »
    Isn't there still a range of LCD quality though? The OP's asking about a Vizio compared to a Panny plasma. Would those still be close?

    No, the panny plasma will kick butt on a Vizio. I'm talking the higher end LCD's that come close to plasma from Sony,LG, or even Samsung. Thing is, the price difference, to get plasma like picture quality in an LCD your spending maybe 30% more on the LCD. But like everything, certain things fit the need of certain people. Lcd is better for very bright rooms with alot of sunlight. Plasma is better for lower light rooms, maybe with less windows, no overhead lights shineing down on the screen.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited November 2010
    That's what I thought. So for the OP's question, seems like the answer is pretty solidly the plasma from the two models listed. A lot of the other discussion about plasma vs. LCD might be confusing him 'cause he may not know they might be talking about comparisons between sets out of his price range.
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited November 2010
    grif32 wrote: »
    They are also double the price of Panny's so they should kill them.

    Ironically, they were double the price of the Pannys, and that's what probably killed the Pioneers...:wink:
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  • dorourke07
    dorourke07 Posts: 298
    edited November 2010
    Like everything else it always seems to come back to the dollars.:rolleyes:
    Mains - LSi9's
    Center - LSiC
    Surround - pair of TL3's
    Amplification - Parasound 2125
    AVR - Onkyo 706
    CD/SACD - Onkyo DV-SP506
    SUB - MartinLogan Abyss
    55" Panasonic Viera TC-P55GT30 3D
    Bluray - DMP-BDT310 Panasonic
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  • grif32
    grif32 Posts: 267
    edited November 2010
    cheddar wrote: »
    Ironically, they were double the price of the Pannys, and that's what probably killed the Pioneers...:wink:

    Lol so true, but you an still find them at BB's.
    (3) PS3's, Xbox 360, (2) Wii's and Nintendo NES
    (2) Panny DMPBDT110 3D Standalone Players
    Panny 60" 3D Plasma TC-60ST30
    Panny 50" Plasma TC-P50G10
    Panny 50" 3D TV TC-P50GT25
    Denon AVR-891
    Harmoney One Remote
    Polk Monitor 70's,Polk CS2, Polk Monitor 40's
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited November 2010
    I didn't know that. Still stock after all this time. Are they new, displays, refurbs? I picked mine up last year when the top models were getting hard to find. Got the boutique shop to match an internet sale price...couldn't be happier with it.
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  • grif32
    grif32 Posts: 267
    edited November 2010
    cheddar wrote: »
    I didn't know that. Still stock after all this time. Are they new, displays, refurbs? I picked mine up last year when the top models were getting hard to find. Got the boutique shop to match an internet sale price...couldn't be happier with it.


    I was in NC couple months back and they had them new in stock. There are still some that carry them with a nice fat price tag.
    (3) PS3's, Xbox 360, (2) Wii's and Nintendo NES
    (2) Panny DMPBDT110 3D Standalone Players
    Panny 60" 3D Plasma TC-60ST30
    Panny 50" Plasma TC-P50G10
    Panny 50" 3D TV TC-P50GT25
    Denon AVR-891
    Harmoney One Remote
    Polk Monitor 70's,Polk CS2, Polk Monitor 40's
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • angelsfann02
    angelsfann02 Posts: 589
    edited November 2010
    cheddar wrote: »
    Ironically, they were double the price of the Pannys, and that's what probably killed the Pioneers...:wink:
    Back then I just wanted the best television period. The only reason I didnt spend more is.because I couldnt tell the difference between mine and the higher end Pioneer. I spent so many darn hours doing side by side comparisons between plasmas and lcd- all brands. I always kept going back to the Pioneers. To this day, I still think my plasma outshines the new tv's out today. Sorry I didnt mean to derail this thread by throwing in the Pio plasmas as an option.
    LIVING ROOM:
    Pioneer PDP-6070HD, Pioneer Elite SC-25, Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD,
    Emotiva XPA-5, Emotiva USP-1, Polk LSI15's, Polk LSiC, Velodyne 12", Mirage Nanosat Prestige rears, MIT AVT Speaker Cables, Audioquest King Cobra Interconnects, Panamax M5300pm Surge Protection/ Power Conditioning
    BEDROOM: VIZIO 32" LCD, Pioneer Elite VSX-23txh, Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD, Parasound HCA-2205A, Mirage Nanosat Prestige Speakers 5.1, Mirage S8 Sub, Monoprice cables, APC Surge Protection.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • grif32
    grif32 Posts: 267
    edited November 2010
    angelsfann02 wrote: »
    Back then I just wanted the best television period. The only reason I didnt spend more is.because I couldnt tell the difference between mine and the higher end Pioneer. I spent so many darn hours doing side by side comparisons between plasmas and lcd- all brands. I always kept going back to the Pioneers. To this day, I still think my plasma outshines the new tv's out today. Sorry I didnt mean to derail this thread by throwing in the Pio plasmas as an option.


    He was looking at $580 TV's I think that is why no-one brought up Pioneer as an opiton. Pioneer makes the best sets out there or they did I should say. They are amazing sets but just to dang pricey.
    (3) PS3's, Xbox 360, (2) Wii's and Nintendo NES
    (2) Panny DMPBDT110 3D Standalone Players
    Panny 60" 3D Plasma TC-60ST30
    Panny 50" Plasma TC-P50G10
    Panny 50" 3D TV TC-P50GT25
    Denon AVR-891
    Harmoney One Remote
    Polk Monitor 70's,Polk CS2, Polk Monitor 40's
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  • love2listen
    love2listen Posts: 172
    edited November 2010
    between the two in the OP, I would pick the Panny!! In my opinion, dollar for dollar, it is difficult to find a better value/dollar than a panny!!
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