Which Plasma To Select

I am of the belief that plasma is a better picture and that is my main priority. The LCD screens I have looked at seem to quite bright. My selection is also limited (brands) in my location.

And how far away is the 1080p world from being the dominant feed via cable or satellite? I know in Canada we are not talking the near future (that being a couple of years).

Here are some facts I found just to complicate the decision process.

LCD TV disadvantages :

One problem with LCD tv screens is that they have a inherent delay problem. This is something that cannot be overcome. " It is the nature of the beast" When a fast moving object moves across a LCD screen the delay of LCD technology causes "artifacting" Basically there are trails or blockiness of the image since the screen cannot keep up. There are newer LCD panels that have lower m/s ( millisecond) times but there still is a delay. The good news is that with a good name brand LCD tv the artifacting is minimal and really wont be noticeable until you get a screen over 30 or 35 inches. At that point the delays will be noticeable and in some cases extremely annoying. Expect severe artifacting on "no name" units to the point of making the tv basically unwatchable .


Black levels: A LCD display has a backlight which shines through the lcd panels. The panels allow or block light depending on what is required to produce an image or a color. Most , if not all, LCD tv's tend to have difficulty going fully "black". Blacks tend to have a very very dark grey. This is especially true on no name units.


Field Of Vision: Even the best LCD tv has field of vision problems. When you look straight on the picture looks great, as you move to either side the picture quality diminishes and eventually disappears. Some LCD tv makers claim up to 170o field of view. This is a complete lie. To quote one major manufacturer " well it doesn't mean you have a great picture for 170 degrees, but you do have a picture" . Realistically a good LCD tv such as a Sharp Aquos will have a a 90 degree (45 each side) usable picture.


Single Usage: There are many LCD screens on the market but very few have good video processing. If a LCD screen is made as a computer monitor, it is usually very poor as a video display. If you are planning to use the unit as a tv, do not buy a computer monitor with a tuner upgrade. Stick to a unit designed for video such as a Sharp Aquos. For dual purpose, buy a lcd tv with a computer input, not a computer screen with a tuner


Extremely expensive over 35 inch,


Unbelievable amounts of no name junk units on market. Stick to name brands with proper warranties


16/9 widescreen units expensive


Cheaper no name LCD tv's have very poor picture quality and generally poor video performance


Pixel failure: This can be a problem with no name LCD screens. All the major brands have pixel policies which may allow one or two dead pixels. These are not noticeable unless you are right in front of the screen. A 20 inch lcd screen has over 300,000 pixels. so one or two dead could not be seen. No name lcd screens have extremely poor policies which can allow higher then 10%. This would make the unit unwatchable.

Digital looking picture: Many LCD screens tend to have a "digital look " to the image and therefore don't seem to reproduce colors naturally.

LCD TV Advantages:

Good for still images such as computer display, Fairly reasonable pricing below 30 inches.


Quality units have good brightness levels


No real estate: A LCD tv screen hangs on a wall and takes as little space as a picture.


Low operating cost per hour ( over 35 inch extremely expensive acquisition cost)


Long Life. Expect 30 to 50,000 hours bulb life according to Sharp ( Please note that the picture can fade over time on a LCD TV. I would expect prime performance to last closer to 20 to 30,000 hours maximum ( 13 years at 6 hours per day). Expect substantially less on a no name.

Plasma TV Screen Disadvantages:

Image retention: Plasma screens can suffer image retention ( burn in) if a still image is left on the display for a extended period of time. For example, you would not want to use a plasma screen for a computer display constantly. If you were to use a Plasma tv for Video Display and occasional use it for computer, burn in would not be a factor. Also if you were to leave the plasma tv screen on a station such as CNBC, which has constant ticker tape across the bottom, for 24 hours a day, there would be noticeable burn in when you switched to a different channel. If by error you were to burn your screen, proper name brand plasma screens do have a "white flash" utility which eliminates the burn, however it will shorten the life of the plasma. If your primary use of the plasma screen is for TV viewing and dvd, image retention will not be a factor.


Size: Plasma screens are not available below 37 inches. There were some 32 inch units available but have been discontinued. Also 60 inch and above can be very pricey but prices are coming down. For example a Zenith 60 is below 7500 now.


No tuners: Most plasma screens do not have tuners and if they do they are expensive upgrades. Some cheaper plasma tv's have optional tuners however they usually are not the best. This is not a disadvantage in most cases. Almost everyone who can afford a plasma will be using satellite, digital cable or external HD boxes. So the built in tuner would be redundant and a waste of money.


Many no name junk units on market. Stick to name brands.


Pixel failure: This can be a problem with no name plasma screens. All the major brands have pixel policies which may allow one or two dead pixels. These are not noticeable unless you are right in front of the screen. A 50 inch screen has over 983,000 pixels. so one or two dead could not be seen. No name plasma screens have extremely poor policies which can allow higher then 10%. This would make the unit unwatchable. If the plasma screen has a orbiter function, this will greatly reduce the chance of pixel failure. We have sold tens of thousands of Plasma tv screens and can count the number of units which we have had pixel problems with on one hand. It should be noted we do not sell no name units.


Early models had poor contrast. the first generation plasma tv screens had poor contrast and brightness. Do not buy a used plasma screen from a online auction such as Ebay. The units that have been out for the last two years outperform the older units by miles.

Plasma TV Screen Advantages:

Long life: the average name brand plasma tv will last 30 to 50,000 hours to half like ( brightness is 50% of original, it will still be 2 to 3 times brighter then a regular tv) This is around 20 years at 6 hours per day. Expect substantially less on a no name


Field of vision: A plasma screen tv has a field of vision of almost 180 degrees without loss of picture quality. From any angle you will have a great picture


Brightness: Plasma screens are very bright. 4 to 5 times brighter then an average tv.


Great contrast: The last two generations ( two years or so) of name brand Plasma screens have great contrast ratios. Look for a rating of 1000 to 1 or more Please note: certain manufacturers claim levels of 3 or 4000 to 1, That is a false rating and is achieved by using non standard measurement methods.


Low operating cost: A name brand plasma is cheap to operate due to long life with virtually no maintenance ( No you cannot recharge a plasma, and they don't leak gas). The cost of a nice EDTV 42 inch is well below 3 k and a 50 inch is around 5 k. 60 inch plus are still highly priced per inch. This is substantially less then a LCD TV. 42 inch plasma tv screens cost almost half of a 40 inch lcd.


Instantaneous picture response: There is virtually no delay in any name brand plasma and therefore no artifacting that is experienced on LCD screens.


Natural looking picture: A plasma screen reproduces a picture in a similar manner to a standard tv .Name brand plasma tv colors tend to be natural looking and more accurate. Mo names can tend to be weak or soft on colors.


No real estate: A plasma screen hangs on a wall and takes as little space as a picture.


Wide screen, All but one or two plasma tv screens are 16:9 wide screen. format


Upgradeability: Many plasma screens have upgradeable video cards that "future proof " your plasma