Need Help with Plasma Burn In vs. DLP Decisions

Rysa4,

You made some very good points. Particularly with the big LCDs, uneven lighting is an issue, and this is the case even if a light has not burned out.

I can see the screen door effect on a 42" plasma set easy at ten feet, but, unless I am really looking for it, it is really not a problem.

I still do think that greens are not quite right on plasmas, even one that is ISF calibrated. I agree that with most sets, red push is a problem. I also think most sets don't actually give you red, but something more like red-orange.

Yes, there is a difference in the heat put out by plasmas. I noticed that some of the newer Pioneers seem to put out less heat than other sets. It is easily noticeable just by standing in front of the screen.

Thanks for the reply. I use DVE essentials to calibrate with the filters. My green and red are spot on and I just dont see the push you are mentioning. The set is also spot on d65 as far as light. The only criticism I have is that my yellows, while good, are not quite as brilliant as they should be. My reds are not the typical red-orange you are describing, but true reds. I havent had the color decoder adjusted because I do feel that the red I have will indeed become more orange if I brighten up the yellow.

I havent yet seen an LCD I would want to replace my Plasma however. Their images are razor sharp but the looking through the window result I see on my plasma just cant seem to be reproduced by the LCDs I have seen, despite their striking clarity and sharpness of picture. I tried checking everything out at CES this year as far as this discussion and nothing I saw really changed my opinions, which of course, is all this is, just my opinions.

ISF calibration is another discussion. My comment; not all equipment is created equal, although the idea of standardization in approaching adjustments does make sense. ( not everyone agrees on this)

There is a thread on power heat and plasmas and LCDs at avsforum.com near the top. It restates what I have said. Some poster measured the power consumption on his plasma as averaging 140 watts but varying; being higher in all white snow scenes and lower in darker scenes. LCDs apparently consume energy at a more even regular rate. ( I dont know much about LCD power consumption firsthand myself).

I've had my 42" Panasonic plasma for nearly two years, and have no evidence of burn in. We watch about 50% high def 16:9 material, and the rest standard 'TV' in non-stretched 4:3 mode with dark gray bars on the sides (this was a setup option on this model). I can't stand stretched images. With this setup and viewing pattern, burn in isn't an issue. I also second the earlier recommendation of turning down the brightness and calibrating the monitor - better picture and longer life.

I have absolutely no regrets on the quality of the picture, and no desire to upgrade to anything else - - - except a larger plasma! :-)