Thoughts on Plasma, LCD, DLP and which way to go

The other interesting thought I have is; " Why would anyone buy a plasma and watch 4;3 stuff on it? At least I might consider a zoom mode to maintain the aspect ratio yet minimize the bar area; it is after all a widescreen display- however, I have no doubt that you could get burn in if left in 4:3 viewing mode for days and days on end.

Hmm. Ok. A very general question;

1. If smaller, then 37 inch screen-- LCD definetly.
2. If 42 inch or larger Plasma definetly.
3. At 37 inch, its a toss up.
4. If DVDs in the dark or minimum light- Panasonic 42 ED Plasma.
5. IF HD content is primary- them a wide selection of plasma brands including Pioneer, Pansonic, Fujitsu, and Hitachi; this assumes ambient light and size 50 inch or greater.
6. DLP is a substandard video technology, and there are already interesting new alternative technologies just now coming out. Rainbow effect is a problem. The foot print is too large as well. Used to be called a "Poor Man's plasma"- but with authorized online plasma reseller pricing at 1500 now for 42 inch, even this isn't true anymore.
7. LCD pics these days are razor sharp and good color too. COntrast ratio still not great- I want a set with good black levels so I can see the shadow detail in darker scenes, in movies like Sin City for example. Cost isn't competitive at larger sizes due to sheet glass size production cost issues.
8. The comment about plasma lives and throw-aways is misleading. Panels these days are 60,000 hour to half-brightness; and thats with the picture setting at max. Most of us have that setting way down. But calculate how many hours a year you spend on viewing and do the math. The result may surprise you.

Yes a FP provides the most cinematic experience. JohnMcfarland poster- just go to visualapex.com and consider a Panasonic plasma. Best prices for what you get in the Flat screen world from the best online reseller and no state income tax. I would Strongly urge the 42 ED or the 50 HD. The 42 HD has a noticable black levels changing issue beyond the scope of this discussion.

AS far as better plasmas, Fujitsu really was the best lo those years ago ( 2003 and onward) but the gap has closed and Fujitsu is expensive and no longer makes their own glass. $$$/value ratio isn't so good. Pio 6th generation is a big step up for them no doubt. Black levels still a bit better on a Panny, but in a room with ambient light a Pio 6th Genration is a good choice. My only comment is that the company is highly restrictive on dead pixel return policies relative to Panasonic, so you would want to get a Pio set from a brick and mortar store with a safe return policy just in case.

visualapex.com is worth a look.

A few thoughts...

1. JohnMcF- I didn't respond to your first inquiry about LG because you asked for owners and I don't own one. LG as a plasma brand isn't very good. There is a chain in Florida that runs colorful ads and sells them, as well as larger distribution channels. I don't know who sources their glass ( maybe they do inhouse) but their electronic processing doesn't provide clarity of imaging in the way that other mentioned brands do.

2. Burn in- The great urban myth. No residential owner of a plasma I know has burn in. None. I have seen burn in ( uneven phosphor wear) in plasmas used for 24/7 static displays- like bus station/airport schedules. And then not too frequently and only plasmas that have been on for years. Usually older ones like NECs from three or more years ago. Despite reports to the contrary, including the latest edition of consumer reports--it just isn't all that much of a risk.

3. Altitude- well-- all I can say is mine flew on an airplane from Seattle to Houston. It was perfect and remains so- over 2.5 years later ( no burn in BTW).

4. Yes that 50 inch from VA is a good bet. Most of the other newer options mentioned aren't price competitive and have almost no track record as far as repairs etc-- yet still lots of promise there for sure.

My plasma has no fans and a perforated back on the top and bottom. It gets warm, but not hot.

AS far as burn in, we would have to separete burn in from after image retwntion--two different things. So if the bars remain lightly in the background after very prolonged 4:3 use and then disappear after the set is off and then used for other purposes that would be after image retention.

if on the other hand it was true burn in, you use the reverso inside out function on a 4:3 screen to even the phosphor wear and elimanate theuneveness; the picture setting would then be adjusted to DVE or AAVIA or calibration standards.

Holly. Thanks for the link. originally there were far greater concerns about plasma and altitude. And in fact some folks report buzzing plasmas even today, although I havent seen it connected to altitude in those posts on avsforum.com ( just plug in buzzing plasmas into a search).

What I would say is that when these type of threads come up ( meaning this one) all kinds of stuff like the altitude thing, burn in, high power consumption, and other pseudo-myths are mentioned regarding plasmas, but in reality none of them actually occur for like 99.9% of in home residential users

Hi. On altitude, thats why I said " Pseudo-myth". The issue does exist, like burn in for instance. These are factually correct possibilities, but with little practical impact in reality, as almost no one has problems with plasma and altitude, burn in, plasma lifespan etc.

You just get these huge emphasis in periodicals as these being some type of major negatives about Plasma, followed by the ole " Plasma is obsolete" and Plasma is dying" type comments.

On pricing, with decent 42 inch plasmas at 1500 and 50 inchers at 3000, they are becoming more in reach for more and more folks than a few years back.

My guess is the next step up will be to 55 inch true 1080P displays. I see 55 inch as the next standard.

Interestingly, if you go to ecoustics.com, the lead article, clickable on the upper left of the screen, is Top Ten HDTV myths or something similar, and covers some of the exact stuff we are talking about here. Its a reprint from the just released PC World Reviews