LCD or Plasma?

LCD is superior. Plasma gets burn in too much on video games especially ones that have the same display up on the screen for a long time i.e. health bars, Character names or Guitar Hero bars. The Burn-in goes away eventually but its a pain when you can see this on your brand new TV display. There are many other reasons that LCD is better but this is the biggest reason for gaming.
 
Unsure whether the problem is still present in todays Plasma but they have (or used to have) light mirror reflections so something to think about if you like to keep your window open during sunny times or have bright lights in front of the TV.

Think you'll be happy either way though. The mirror reflections isn't really bad, in most cases still watchable. And the color differences isn't really that different (in my experience). If you put them side by side then sure, you'll see a difference. However my brother has a LCD and whenever we go to our aunts place who has a Plasma, we have yet to think of the difference in colors and/or image quality in general.
 
[quote name='i_bent_my_wookie']LCD is superior. Plasma gets burn in too much on video games especially ones that have the same display up on the screen for a long time i.e. health bars, Character names or Guitar Hero bars. The Burn-in goes away eventually but its a pain when you can see this on your brand new TV display. There are many other reasons that LCD is better but this is the biggest reason for gaming.[/QUOTE]

One of the issues I have with lcd is the motion blur that is present in some faster moving games, so for me plasma was a better solution. But yeah, you really can't go wrong either way.:) Good price on the Sharp though, doubt you're going to find a much better deal then that on a name brand.
 
I have a Panasonic 800u series plasma and have had no issues with image retention (which is commonly referred to as burn-in) and I typically game for 4-5 hours at a time. Right now I've been playing a lot of Resistance 2 and Rock band. I personally went with the plasma over LCD because the picture quality in my opinion was better. Don't be fooled by things like dynamic contrast ratio as these are not standardized measures. I would recommend finding a couple of models of each that fit into your price range and find a store that has a decent TV section that will allow you to play with settings so you can decide with your eyes which set looks best. For setting recommendations, I would suggest checking out AVSForum.com.
 
[quote name='i_bent_my_wookie']LCD is superior. Plasma gets burn in too much on video games especially ones that have the same display up on the screen for a long time i.e. health bars, Character names or Guitar Hero bars. The Burn-in goes away eventually but its a pain when you can see this on your brand new TV display. There are many other reasons that LCD is better but this is the biggest reason for gaming.[/quote]

If you get a low quality plasma, you may get burn in...however, a good name brand will see little to no burn-in. I've been gaming on my Panasonic 42'' 720P Plasma for hours, playing games like COD:WAW which has certain stats on the screen...I've yet to get even a temporary burn in. IMO, plasma is superior in every way over LCD, but maybe that's just because I have one of the best Plasmas out :)
 
I've had a Panasonic 46" 720p plasma that I've used primarily for gaming for the past 2 years & loved it. I just decided to replace my main set in the den, which was a 55" mitsubishi projection (480p/1080i only). Went TV shopping with the wife, and we both agreed that we just liked the picture on the plasma sets more - went with a 50" Panasonic 1080p, and I absolutely couldn't be happier. The picture is absolutely gorgeous.
 
Yeah, plasmas do use more power. As for burn in most models have pretty much eliminated that with pixel shifting. I constantly game. I've also fallen asleep on the couch and woken up to a dvd menu plenty of times! No burn in here. Plasma has truer color and less aliasing than lcd.. at the end of the day though, they're both rad
 
Still prefer Plasma but would have went LCD if it weren't for the ghosting I saw on the PS2, this was over componnent and S-Video. However, from what I heard HDMI makes this a non issue but that doesn't help with my older systems (XBox, PS2 and Wii although it isn't old doesn't support HDMI).
 
LCD technology has advanced so dramatically in the past couple years that newer sets are nearly identical in terms of both contrast and screen response time.

If you really want to enjoy HD, you should focus on grabbing a 1080p set (the highest possible screen resolution).
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']Still prefer Plasma but would have went LCD if it weren't for the ghosting I saw on the PS2, this was over componnent and S-Video. However, from what I heard HDMI makes this a non issue but that doesn't help with my older systems (XBox, PS2 and Wii although it isn't old doesn't support HDMI).[/QUOTE]

Ghosting isn't caused by what type of connection you use, it's caused by slow response time. My LCD has a 5ms response time and never had any issues with my PS2 (or any non-HDMI system). Even on my older LCD with 8ms response time, I've never had an issue with ghosting.

Burn in with plasmas is pretty much a non-issue as of now. You get any sort of burn in, you'd need to leave the TV displaying the same image for years. Plasmas do use more power and are generally heavier but they provide better color and contrast and overall picture quality.

But I prefer LCDs over plasmas because plasmas have the glossy screen and I absolutely cannot stand glare. I know some newer plasmas have anti-glare screens or something but I haven't checked those out yet (and heard they don't work well at all).
 
I went with LCD, but it all depends on what you're going to use your HDTV for most of the time.

Some say:
LCD for games
Plasma for movies & sports

Plasmas have better blacks, generally, but LCDs are catching up in tech and price.

Seriously, you could read about the two formats for a month and still be unsure. I know I was. In the end I got a KILLER deal on an LCD HDTV and I'm very pleased with my purchase.
 
[quote name='Vinny']But I prefer LCDs over plasmas because plasmas have the glossy screen and I absolutely cannot stand glare. I know some newer plasmas have anti-glare screens or something but I haven't checked those out yet (and heard they don't work well at all).[/QUOTE]

Vinny has a great point here. If you have a dark window-less room, Plasma might be the better bet. Personally, I have a huge sliding glass door that lets in a ton of light into the living room. LCD was the obvious choice after seeing how much glare can impact a Plasma set.

You'll have a lot to factor in when deciding which tech to go with, to say the least.
 
It's a tough call though I went with my LCD for 4 reasons:

1. Lightweight - my LCD is much lighter than any tv I have ever owned. Plasma's are heavy(not rear-projection coffin box heavy but heavy).
2. No glare - I hate glare and LCD's are known for not having any.
3. Price - I got a great deal on a open box item at CC a few days after the Super Bowl.
4. 3 hdmi, 2 component, 2 composite a/v, 1 s-video and 1 VGA connections.

I have not experienced any ghosting or blur either.

By the way I didn't just decide this overnight. I had been researching and weighing the pros and cons of each for several years.
It's definitely something you want to do your homework on first.
 
[quote name='evildeadjedi']

By the way I didn't just decide this overnight. I had been researching and weighing the pros and cons of each for several years.[/quote]

This is totally true. Go to a store with the models that you are looking at and compare them face to face. It really the only way to make the decision. I got mine after going to BBY and looking at all of the models that are available and then going online to find the best deals. Also there are some good prices for Open box TV's at warehousedeals.com
 
I've been researching them for a while and I don't really have the size room for anything bigger than a 32 inch...and I don't think its worth it to go for full 1080p cause I won't notice the difference unless my nose is touching the screen....lol...I've heard that in LCDs It goes something like this Sony
 
[quote name='tlester2']I've been researching them for a while and I don't really have the size room for anything bigger than a 32 inch...and I don't think its worth it to go for full 1080p cause I won't notice the difference unless my nose is touching the screen....lol...I've heard that in LCDs It goes something like this Sony
 
plasma=more screen for your money, no option of matte screens, deeper blacks than lcd, chance of image retention if not careful, no motion blur.

LCD= higher contrast (brighter whites that plasma), not as deep blacks unless you go big and get a high end Sammy, possible motion blur, no chance of image retention, matte screens available for bright rooms to stop glare, less screen for your money.

I have a samsung lcd and love it, I have a bright room and a glossy screen wasn't an option. I hardly notice image blur (but 120hz and AutoMotionPlus help, a 720p lcd won't have those features), even when gaming, and the colors and whites just pop off the screen. blacks could be darker, but it's pretty dang close to plasma. now you decide what's best for you...
 
If you are careful with your TV, I would go with a Plasma.
The colors and brightness just look better, very close to a CRT TV.

If you are a little more careless, like me, I would get a LCD.
They cost a little more for the same size but you can do a little more with it.

I first purchased a plasma. The games looked amazing. The colors looked amazing.
Well sometimes I stay up late and I fall asleep, I didn't want to worry about burning in the NXE to my TV. At first I didn't notice much Image Retention, but after a little while it started happening even after only a short play period. Keep in mind that I broke my TV in for 200 hours. Well, in short I didn't want to worry about that, plus I wanted to be able to one day use the TV as a monitor. Bad Idea for a Plasma. Also has glare like someone said, not good for a room with constant lighting. Weighs more, uses more energy, and extremely hot(great for winter though).

Now I have a 1080p LCD, which I returned my Plasma for. The LCD's colors are not as vivid as the Plasma. The blacks are not as dark as I wish them to be, but with a Xbox 360 you can turn on the extended black level and make them darker, I believe. I can tell between the 1080p and 720p on a 42" TV, distance matters, I game about 4-5 feet away from my TV though. At 32" it probably won't matter. I can now use my LCD as a Computer Monitor which also displays at 1080p through DVI=>HDMI. I can now fall asleep watching a movie and not worry about burn in, I can watch sports channels or News channels with a constant static ticker without worry. The screen has no glare on a bright sunny day. Weighs less, uses less energy.

Both types are wonderful.
 
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