WHich is best? PLASMA vs. LCD vs. LED

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Nedeljkovic

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Oooo boy. Female wanting television, not knowing MUCH AT ALL.:confused:
Ok, I know its a tall order but here goes.
Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED (every other sales person gives me their spiel -always the best being the most expensive...tisk tisk)
With plasma's and this burn-in thing, after how many hours viewing does this happen.
General TV suggestions:
Will be using it for - Playstation -DSTV viewing -etc etc
PLEASE HELP...HAVE TO GET THE SET ON THE WEEKEND!!
 
Eish this might become a contentious topic.

Also depends on your budget.
 
Modern plasma will only burn in if it repetitively is left on while displaying static images, i.e. permanent images that don't move.

For DSTV and PS3 you want plasma. This is because plasma, specifically 42/43", handles standard definition feeds (99% of DSTV channels, DVDs, avi/divx rips) the best. It's also excellent for gaming and HD DSTV. You have virtually 0% chance of burn. I advise a lot of people in this position and they always end up taking plasma, due to their reliance on good TV picture quality. Plasma also handles sport well and there's less of a need for expensive "100Hz LCD technology", which helps them handle motion better.

The only down side is if you have a really bright room and/or with direct sunlight on the TV; if you watch in the day this will be a problem because entry level plasmas are reflective (like old box TVs). So LCD/LED backlit LCD is recommended for bright conditions.

Samsung:

R4,999 PS43D450 43" HD Ready plasma
R5,999 - R6,500 PS51D450 51" HD Ready plasma
R9,000 - R9,999 PS51D550 51" Full HD 3D plasma

R5,499 LA40D550 40" Full HD LCD
R7,999 LA46D550 46" Full HD LCD
R7,999 LA40D6000 40" Full HD LED-LCD 100Hz
R12,499 LA46D6000 46" Full HD LED-LCD 100Hz

I myself use 42" HD Ready plasma as I have a reliance on SD TV and sport, whatever's I'm lucky enough to get on the HD channels also looks excellent. 42" plasma = best of both words (SD and HD).

The worst thing you can do is go to a mass mart store and judge TVs under excruciatingly bright shop lights from 1m viewing distances in aisles. To compare accurately, you need to go to a proper AV store that has a test room, so you can better replicate your home conditions.
 
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Walk into a shop and look at the TVs, ask them to put on a bluray or something and make your pick... Then using your phone google the model number followed by review to make sure you're not missing anything..

Never listen to salesman.
 
I have no budget constraints, I am creating a media room. With all the bells and whistles, however to the specs of TV's I AM CLUELESS!
 
Plasma will use at least 2-3 times more power than LED using price as the gauge is not always the best.

What size inch TV you looking at ?
 
If you're creating a media room - and can get it dark enough... get a full HD projector :)
 
You will never get a right answer ... Probably the best is to simply go view for yourself

Most people are going to punt what they bought
 
Dolby said:
You will never get a right answer ... Probably the best is to simply go view for yourself

Most people are going to punt what they bought
Click to expand...

I disagree.

1) Needs/sources
2) Lighting conditions
3) Viewing distance

Easy to come up with answers once those are known. ;)
 
Geez - in my time here you recommended a plasma for everything ;) No matter the answer to the question, you recommed plasma
 
Once needs, lighting and distance (and budget) are known, it's easy to come up with answers based on pros/cons of either tech. I take it you then deny that HD Ready plasma, particularly SD, suits TV as per the OP's request. Oh wait, how could you deny that? You don't even watch TV (at least in the time you last were here). Please consider the OP and read properly. ;)
 
Which is better depends on a number of factors/requirements...

If screen-size vs price is a key issue, then plasma offers bigger screens for less cash.
If dark blacks and overall colour balance in lower ambient light levels are factors then, once again, plasma wins out
If full HD at smaller screen size is an issue, then LCD/LED are the only real options
If live sport and motion-intensive video material are a major usage, then plasma offers less motion smearing at realistic prices.
If the viewing area is brightly lit then LED backlit LCD offers the best solution

Taking the options...

Plasma: Pro: Size:Cost ratio, good motion reproduction, good blacks & colour; Con: Heat generated by panel, Full HD only on larger panels, best in lowish ambient light levels
CCFL-backlit LCD: Pro: Costs dropping due to LED, Full HD on small panels, low heat generation, work well in highish ambient light levels; Con: CCFL lamp(s) blows = replace panel, motion smearing on cheaper panels, blacks not black
LED-backlit LCD: Pro: Prices improving due to volumes, Full HD on small panels, low heat generation, low current consumption, work very well in high ambient light levels, should last due to LEDs; Con: Motion smearing on cheaper panels, blacks not back

The best plasma panel I've ever seen was the latest design level TV from Pioneer but it was pricey. The picture at full HD on a 46" panel was the best I've ever seen on any flat panel.
CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) panels usually have lamp integrated into panel, so if lamp packs up, then the panel can be thrown away. One or two manufacturers (Sharp? Toshiba? I'm not sure which) use replaceable CCFL "modules" but these are also quite pricey.
LED-backlit panels come in two flavours:

1) Direct-illuminated where LEDs are located across the full screen area. These allow individual area LEDs to be turned off completely for better blacks, but the cost is higher and panels tend to be thicker
2) Edge-illuminated where LEDs are located around the edges. Blacks not as black as direct-illuminated, but panels can be very thin and the cost tends to be lower

Motion smearing has been recognised as an issue in LCD panels and manufacturers have reacted by offering faster refresh rates (up to 400fps) and interpolative software to plug in the additional frames over and above the typical video standard of 25fps

Another common misunderstanding lies in the size vs viewing distance equation. Many people ignore the mix of programme material and the resultant mix in source resolutions viewed. Selecting a humungous panel based only on HD program material at a given viewing distance provides a set-up that optimised for HD, but is NOT optimised for lower resolution material, which becomes very grainy and over-pixellated. When selecting panel size, REMEMBER to take into account source programming to be viewed!

So, what it all comes down to is that it's a case of horses for courses - depending on your requirements balance or priorities - where one technology will best address your specific needs. To attempt to define one as "the best" in all circumstances is likely to be misleading.

Late last year, a nearby lightning strike on the power line caused a surge that took out our old CRT TV sets so we decided to move to flat screens. Wife and I have very different tastes in viewing materials, so we did not go for one large (42" or larger) panel but chose, instead, to opt for 2 x 32" TVs. After much activity viewing options, we settled for 2 x Samsung 32" Full HD LED-backlit LCD TVs (UA32C5000). After almost a year, I have no regrets whatsoever - viewing distance is just under 3m in both cases and 32" is a good compromise size at this distance when viewing a mix of terrestrial analogue material (SABC/eTV/MNet) and HD movies.

Finally, DO TAKE THE TROUBLE TO RTFM AND GET TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO OPTIMISE THE COLOUR/CONTRAST/BRIGHTNESS/GAMMA SETTINGS! Also, switch the set from "Showroom" to "Home" (or whatever terminology is used) before carrying out adjustments to picture. If you want to get the best out of any panel - be it plasma or LCD - the picture settings need to be optimised for the environment(s) in which the TV will be used. You may well need to set up two or more sets of settings - one for daytime viewing and another for nighttime viewing.

A Tip: Rather than approach picture settings from scratch, I went web-surfing and Googled the make/model and "picture settings" and then read the posts found and selected one set that seemed to match my needs and setup the Samsung TV to the settings shown in the post. This gave very good results and a fine picture that only needed a few minor "tweaks" to optimise for my tastes. Much quicker and less frustrating than starting from first principles!

Have fun!
 
PostmanPot said:
Modern plasma will only burn in if it repetitively is left on while displaying static images, i.e. permanent images that don't move.

For DSTV and PS3 you want plasma. This is because plasma, specifically 42/43", handles standard definition feeds (99% of DSTV channels, DVDs, avi/divx rips) the best. It's also excellent for gaming and HD DSTV. You have virtually 0% chance of burn. I advise a lot of people in this position and they always end up taking plasma, due to their reliance on good TV picture quality. Plasma also handles sport well and there's less of a need for expensive "100Hz LCD technology", which helps them handle motion better.

The only down side is if you have a really bright room and/or with direct sunlight on the TV; if you watch in the day this will be a problem because entry level plasmas are reflective (like old box TVs). So LCD/LED backlit LCD is recommended for bright conditions.

Samsung:

R4,999 PS43D450 43" HD Ready plasma
R5,999 - R6,500 PS51D450 51" HD Ready plasma
R9,000 - R9,999 PS51D550 51" Full HD 3D plasma

R5,499 LA40D550 40" Full HD LCD
R7,999 LA46D550 46" Full HD LCD
R7,999 LA40D6000 40" Full HD LED-LCD 100Hz
R12,499 LA46D6000 46" Full HD LED-LCD 100Hz

I myself use 42" HD Ready plasma as I have a reliance on SD TV and sport, whatever's I'm lucky enough to get on the HD channels also looks excellent. 42" plasma = best of both words (SD and HD).

The worst thing you can do is go to a mass mart store and judge TVs under excruciatingly bright shop lights from 1m viewing distances in aisles. To compare accurately, you need to go to a proper AV store that has a test room, so you can better replicate your home conditions.
Click to expand...

I took this exact advice and got the 43' Plasma.... was on special

Perfect decision for me, I have a wii, Media center and and aerial. Everything looks amazing even the SABC channels.
 
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