plasma versus lcd

We work a lot with both plasma and LCD. I can summarize the differences as follows:

1) Typically plasma screens have very poor black levels, and poorer black level retention. This generally results in a poor sense of depth and detail, and also gives the picture a less film-like quality and a more washed out "digital" look.

2) Generally speaking plasma screens exaggerate noise and artifacting and look more "digital" and pixelated. This is particularly noticeable with inferior source material such as VHS, broadcast, etc. It is also noticeable on a budget DVD player which does not have high video bandwidth or particularly good video processing.

3) Plasma displays are not subject to the viewing angle problems that LCD displays are, particularly with respect to vertical viewing angle. If you stand up and then sit down while looking at an LCD display the picture will change radically. This is not so with a plasma display.

4) For reasons attributed to resolution discrepancies, watching cable and broadcast material on a plasma TV is not recommended. The quality is usually poor and of course these sets virtually never include tuners. LCD sets often include tuners and they usually look much better than plasma when watching broadcast or cable TV.

5) LCD's tend to have better brightness and contrast in the sense that they can light up a dark room better.

6) LCD's usually have totally messed up colors - which is to say that they bear no relation to NTSC or SMPTE standards. Generally the color temperature is way off and the colors are not correct as compared to a good CRT. Plasma sets are also guilty of this but less so.

7) Many plasma sets have fans which can be loud. Be sure to check and see if the model you are interested does or not.

8) Viewing distance from an LCD need not be anywhere near as great as from a plasma set, even of the same size.

Now to plug some of my own product lines... I believe the ReVox LCD and plasma TV's we sell are the finest I have ever seen. They both have very accurate colors, and by far the best black levels and black level retention on the market, period end. There is no competing set I have yet seen which comes anywhere close. ReVox has released a 32" widescreen plasma set which retails for $9000 and is superb and in every way superior to the LCD competitors. ReVox also makes a 15" LCD (4:3) panel which is better than any other LCD panel I have seen. They are coming out with a widescreen LCD panel of larger size soon which our customers are anticipating eagerly.

For less money I believe the best looking plasma set on the market is the Zenith. They do not yet make a 32" widescreen plasma display but we sell their 42" which retails for $6000 along with their 50" and 60". It is the best looking plasma for under $10k I have seen and I have checked all of them out. Nowhere near as good as the ReVox but in every way superior to the other plasma's I have seen in the under $10k for 42" category. The ReVox 42" is $12,500, and the 50" is $16,000. The 60" is forthcoming and will likely retail for approximately $30,000.

The Sharp LCD panels are good but vary in quality and as they get larger their black levels and color accuracy begin to degrade.

Freel free to email evan@symphonysound.com with questions or comments.

Both have Pros and Cons. Plasma has a better viewing angle (160 degrees), has a faster refresh rate when viewing video, durable screen, and is less expensive in this size range. On the negative side, possible phospher burn-in, reflective glare, altitude issues about 4,000 ft., fan or power supply noise.

LCD does not burn, better picture quality than plasma in this size range and has no refective glare problems. On the negative side, LCD cost more, does not have a protective screen, does not process video as well as plasma, and has a out board power supply.

Hope this helps.

When I've been out looking I thought the Pioneer Elite plasma 50"was better than the Zenith. I also liked the Sony rear projection LCD but it was so expensive and the colors were not quite as saturated as the crt competitors (in the same price range, like Pioneer Elite).

I have bought a new plasma - Pioneer 433CMX. I think plasmas, especially the last generation are much improved. They do not look 'pixelated' except with a really poor source, such as regular cable. I think progressive scan DVD's look nothing short of amazing. Better than a movie theatre. Yes, black can be a little washed out (see info. on calibration below) - often times the plasmas come adjusted too bright, etc from the factory.

As far as burn in is concerned, if you vary your sources, use different aspect ratios, etc - it's a non-issue.

Plasmas also need to be adjusted, using the Avia DVD and maybe even have a professional calibration done by an ISF tech, but all of these screens should have that done.

If plasma prices keep coming down, RPTV and LCD screens will be dead. Go with the plasma - you can even get a 42" plasma probably cheaper than an LCD. Look at Panasonic, Pioneer, and NEC. Although many nice things have been said about the new Sampo model.

Dave

Mr. Johnston, you may want to check out this forum: avsforum.com. There are chat rooms for both Plasma, DLP, and LCD/rpt displays. Be sure to read the FAQ sections in each room. They are very helpful, and will answer a lot of questions that you may have. I am looking at 42/43" plasmas and the Sony GW XBR LCD/RPT 50" that is to be released this Ocotber. Onecall.com has the specs on the sony.

I have looked first hand at these displays and have to say that the Plasma's get the nod in picture quality over DLP and LCD/RPT sets, which are both nice. The plsama's when fed a quality progressive scan or HD sat image are breathtaking.

Hackmaster pointed out that one of the flaws with plasma is poor black levels. The older generation sets indeed suffered this. However the current genreation sets have outstanding blacklevels. The knock I have with LCD/RPT's is that the black level's are a real weakness. Currently Panasonic has a 40" and 45" LCD/RPT that suffers from weak black levels. The new Sony XBR's are said to have improved blacks due to inovative circuit designs. Only time will tell.

Pixelation in plasmas has been greatly reduce and in most of the sets from NEC, Pioneer, Panasonic, and Fujitsu, the onboard scalers do excellent jobs at presenting smooth images without image fragmentation.

Signal source is a key to good viewing on plasma's, as they really show the flaws inherent in poor signal quality provided by most cable companies. Beware the digital cable tag, as the signal is not a true digital feed comnpared to that of Direct TV, Dishnetowrk, or your local over the ari broadcasts (where available). This holds true for both LCD and DLP displays as well.

The consensus at the avsforum.com site is that the Panasonic's are the sets to beat, followed closely by the NEC's, Pioneer, Fujitsu, in no particular order. I am a couple of months out from pulling the triger on a plasma, and the time I have spent on avsforum.com has been invaluable consdiereing the capital investment.

Lastly, prices have fallen dramatically in the last 4-6 weeks on 42" plasma displays. The Pioneer 433CMX can be had for around $4,000 shipped from a number of very reputable on line retailers. I'll send you some links that you may find helpful.
Best of luck,
Rodney