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new TV!! LED or Plasma?

I had a huge row about the difference between LCD and LED. Fact is, they are all LCD, the difference is the backlight. I have a new Sony 46" LED model (Bravia) which until I actually registered it thought it was an LCD model...It is, but the backlight system turns it into an LED set.

The give away is in the thickness of the set. My old LCD was around 5-6 inches at the rear, this newbie is an inch wide.

I only settled the argument when I registered it with Sony, where it's correctly identified as an LED set. I actually didn't want an LED model, but have to admit when set up properly the quality is superb. Got a 3d Sony Blu Ray to go with it, just waiting for Amazon to deliver the new DVD's....I went for Natural stuff, Ocean 3D, African Safari and The Seven Wonders of the Universe. From the demo content on the TV it seems to be the best use of 3D at present.
 
After a lot of research,

the best newish LEDs:
HX853 (ridiculously good reviews, a lot of people saying marginally as great as plasmas.. heralded ATM as sony's return to form after being knocked off the number 1 spot post-flatpanels)
D8000 (again fantastic reviews but light bleed and general consistency in quality of sets is not great along with a bunch of gimicky features to pay a premium over the sony)

Plasmas:
Panasonic (known as the best, except green blob gate, motion gate +input lag (for a plasma thats not great) this year with the GT50/ST50 etc.)
D8000 .. no consistent negative feedback apart from a bit of IR


Once again, I don't feel what I'd do to my set is abuse. If I want to press pause on my £1000+ TV, then I should be able to.

If I paid £200 for a TV and I could only game for an hour on it then need to change channel, I could put up with it. However, paying a premium for more problems makes little sense to me.

A TV is also something I'll only buy once every 5 years so spending a bit extra for something which is a lot more versatile (I move flat/apartment every year) makes sense to me.



Backlit LED > Edge lit LED but once again, according to reviews and reviewers I've messaged personally, the HX853 has proven near equal to some of the best back lits for a lower price, thinner design etc. The tilt (i like it) and glass panel are negatives though.
D8000 still looks ridiculously beautiful tho.
 
aoaaron said:
After a lot of research,

the best newish LEDs:
HX853 (ridiculously good reviews, a lot of people saying marginally as great as plasmas.. heralded ATM as sony's return to form after being knocked off the number 1 spot post-flatpanels)
D8000 (again fantastic reviews but light bleed and general consistency in quality of sets is not great along with a bunch of gimicky features to pay a premium over the sony)

Plasmas:
Panasonic (known as the best, except green blob gate, motion gate +input lag (for a plasma thats not great) this year with the GT50/ST50 etc.)
D8000 .. no consistent negative feedback apart from a bit of IR


Once again, I don't feel what I'd do to my set is abuse. If I want to press pause on my £1000+ TV, then I should be able to.

If I paid £200 for a TV and I could only game for an hour on it then need to change channel, I could put up with it. However, paying a premium for more problems makes little sense to me.

A TV is also something I'll only buy once every 5 years so spending a bit extra for something which is a lot more versatile (I move flat/apartment every year) makes sense to me.



Backlit LED > Edge lit LED but once again, according to reviews and reviewers I've messaged personally, the HX853 has proven near equal to some of the best back lits for a lower price, thinner design etc. The tilt (i like it) and glass panel are negatives though.
D8000 still looks ridiculously beautiful tho.
Click to expand...


I'm sure your set is a s good as all the branded stuff....Remember that these electronics are largely manufactured in the same group of factories in the same region of the world. I had a HUGE gripe with Sony over 10 years ago, and these two are the first products I have purchased from them. I didn't really buy the set for it's 3D capabilities, thinking that lack of content etc. would be a gimmick. If you want main-stream films...Avatar / Sanctum etc. then yep, it costs, but I've just watched the 3D ocean reef dvd, and it is incredible. they don't overdo the 3D aspect...they just hit you in the face with it from time to time. Sharks in my living room? Yes, and right at you too. I have a couple more to watch later too. For a technology that I thought was a bit of a toy, may well turn into a great hobby...The natural stuff in the UK seems to be around the £ 10.00 mark. Blockbuster films? A lot more, but I haven't seen one I liked yet. For something I considered an afterthought when buying the TV, I am very impressed!
 
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Primejimbo said:
Says the person who has a Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX listed in their signature.....
BTW Apple gives Samsung money also for parts that Apple uses...
Buy what you like and what works best for you, don't buy something because they are a competitor of an other company.

Samsung has probably over all the best TV's out there. Probably the only TV I would recommend to people also. LG is CRAP for TV's also, the don't last as long and just not as good. Doing home entertainment, cable, satellite, and other fun stuff, Samsung are just easy to work with also.
Now I would also go with an LED, over all I think they are the best "in the middle" of all the types of TV's out there. Plasma has awesome blacks, but I am not a fan of them.
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I own a Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX because I want 4G LTE and an awesome battery without some bizarre ugly extended battery. No one else seems to offer that so that's why I own it.

Sorry to burst your bubble but Samsung isn't all their cracked up to be. You say LG is CRAP for TV's, however if you research repair history or reviews you will see that LG is right up with Samsung and some of their models are even rated higher then Samsung. Samsung has all sorts of issues with panels that are not uniform and flash lighting is also a big concern. Go do some research and read some forums and then come back and tell me Samsung is perfect. They are not. I'm not saying that LG is the best either, but I have had very good luck with my LG TVs. There are a lot of decent LEDs on the market today by a lot of different brands and even some of the generics are stacking up pretty well for the price.

People think Samsung is the best because they are number 1 in marketshare. Well General Motors was number 1 in marketshare for years and years. Need I say more?

I just think it is ironic that all these Apple fans will slam Samsung for being such a bad company in the legal battle posts and then come back and defend them as the best ever when we are talking about TVs. I find that ironic.
 
What about a projector?

kagharaht said:
I was so close to buying a Plasma 60" screen. The only problem I had was all the reflections the screen kept displaying. Specially in dark or evening scenes. It was just too much. Even though we usually watch TV in the evening, the silly thing still shows way too much reflection. Ended up getting a LED TV Matte screen. Much better and if you do have to watch a game during the day, the reflection is minimal compared to Plasma....
Click to expand...

This is TV-specific. For example, my Kuro has a highly-effective, anti-reflective coating that works just as well as a matte screen. I can't see any reflections when it's on, even on black scenes with a halogen pool table light right on in front of it.

And, unfortunately, most TV manufacturers are moving to glass displays for many reasons. It's just something that you'll need to get used to.

By the way, OP, have you ever considered going with front projection? Believe it or not, an entry-level front projection system is very, very easy on the wallet if you do a little research.

You can get a very decent projector, cheap screen, and cheap speakers (my first setup only cost $1600 or so) and you'll have an amazing viewing experience. Most entry-level projectors put out about 1,000 to 1,600 lumens, which should be enough to light a screen up to 150" (assuming a 1.0 gain). In my mind, there's nothing that comes to close to watching a HUGE picture-- it's so much more immersive. Also, it's the only way to properly view 3D content as you don't have the bezel of the TV breaking the illusion.

Of course, you've got to have the environment for it (space, light control, projector placement, etc.) but if you do, little can beat watching an HD football game with your buddies on a screen that takes up an entire wall.

Just be warned though, the world of home theater is an addictive hobby!
 
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projector = bulbs
project = more maintenance
project = can't just bang it on and play
projector = needs mega control of light conditions


i did think about it, i did really want one. :(


well the sony tv itself im researching is good at 3D too.

but no, 3D aslong as its with glasses and you need to view from certain angles or whatever is not for me. im more of a casual and active person personally.

LED vs plasma is an interesting one, the latest hx953 from people are saying some uniformity issues.
the newest plasmas from panasonic are leaving greenblob gate but still getting other faults like banding.
 
My 5 year old Panasonic plasma still looks good and has no burn in problems. My primary usage is watching sports, the occasional movie but little to no 4:3 content. I've also gone through periods of fairly heaving FPS gaming.

The only thing that might get me to upgrade is 1080p as I bought mine before it was widespread on plasmas. The only real trouble I have with mine is glare / reflections from the windows as Plasmas are best in dark environments.
 
I have 2 Panasonic Plasmas and an Insignia LCD. My main living room TV is the Panny ST50 - 3D, 50" screen. It has anti-glare technology that rivals anything I've seen. We have a lamp on the opposite side of the room, and once the TV is on, you can't see its reflection at all. Burn-in / image retention is absolutely, positively NO concern. I debated on whether or not to do the 100 hour crap when I bought it, but circumstances dictated that I couldn't. It's been an absolute non-issue. On top of that, it's hands down the best image I've ever seen on a TV. Every time I sit down to watch something on it I'm taken aback by the picture quality. It's like seeing HD for the first time, every time. I've never had any of the issues you are all talking about (green glob, whatever.) I *did* use the calibration settings suggested on another forum as a baseline, and tweaked for personal taste.

This prompted me to buy the 2nd set for our master bedroom, a 42" "S" class panasonic plasma. It's the 2D version of the set. While still a great set with great image quality, I can definitely tell a difference. Even though I don't watch 3D on the main set, I think the capabilities of the TV are vastly superior, even for normal 2D viewing. The image seems a little less vibrant, and image retention has occurred - but only for a split second after several hours of static text on the screen.

The Insignia was purchased more as a gift, but it functions well for what it is. The screen is decent, but... it's too bright. I don't mean in a way that can be fixed by just adjusting the brightness. It's just the nature of LCD. You're shining light through the screen for illumination, so even your blacks have light coming through them. Again, it doesn't look bad, but it's nowhere NEAR as crisp or as clean as the plasma. We use it for the kids' room - cartoons look great on it.

If I want to watch movies or play games, however, I'd go with the panasonic plasma every time. I can't speak for too many other brands (although I know several people who have had bad Samsung experiences), and I have not messed with projectors - they sound great if you have the flexibility for a very specific setup type - but once you find something that takes your breath away every time you use it, there's little incentive to keep looking.
 
aoaaron said:
projector = bulbs
project = more maintenance
project = can't just bang it on and play
projector = needs mega control of light conditions


i did think about it, i did really want one. :(


well the sony tv itself im researching is good at 3D too.

but no, 3D aslong as its with glasses and you need to view from certain angles or whatever is not for me. im more of a casual and active person personally.

LED vs plasma is an interesting one, the latest hx953 from people are saying some uniformity issues.
the newest plasmas from panasonic are leaving greenblob gate but still getting other faults like banding.
Click to expand...

Well, there really is no "maintenance" with projectors, and startup typically takes less than 20 seconds. Also, bulbs are rated now for about 3,000-4,000 hours. That means that if you use it for 2 hours each day, it'll last you five-and-a-half years. Also, bulbs are only about $180-300. The light control is the biggest issue.

If you research TVs, there isn't one out there that is 100% free of issues/complaints. All TVs from all manufacturers will have upsides and downsides. Everything in technology is a tradeoff and that's not going away anytime soon. Simply choose the TV with the fewest and least severe complaints and dive in.

kelub said:
and I have not messed with projectors - they sound great if you have the flexibility for a very specific setup type - but once you find something that takes your breath away every time you use it, there's little incentive to keep looking.
Click to expand...

Well, imagine a picture that takes your breath away, but at 180 inches wide in full cinemascope. For the last three years, I've been on the search for a projector that rivals my Kuro plasma and have always fallen short. The "holy grail" for home theater nuts is still a "plasma-like picture" on a large screen, and I had never seen that kind of quality. With the Sony VW1000ES, however, I've finally found a projector that best the highest-end plasma display. It's truly the best display I've ever seen, hands down.
 
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plasma has no refresh rate, blacks are black & the picture destroys lcd.

only a fool would buy an lcd.

watch a hockey game on an lcd.....look at the blur.
now turn on that fake 240hz enhancer aka soap opera look and kill your picture, yet STILL have blur

the 600hz subfield on plasmas is a marketing ploy.......plasmas have no refresh rate issues, never will.

and please, dont ever ask a best buy, hh gregg employee what to get. those people are worthless.

and never look at a tv in the store and make a decision by what looks the best.
i can make a $300 insignia look better than a 3k plasma in a store :D
 
donrsd said:
plasma has no refresh rate, blacks are black & the picture destroys lcd.

only a fool would buy an lcd.

watch a hockey game on an lcd.....look at the blur.
now turn on that fake 240hz enhancer aka soap opera look and kill your picture, yet STILL have blur

the 600hz subfield on plasmas is a marketing ploy.......plasmas have no refresh rate issues, never will.

and please, dont ever ask a best buy, hh gregg employee what to get. those people are worthless.

and never look at a tv in the store and make a decision by what looks the best.
i can make a $300 insignia look better than a 3k plasma in a store :D
Click to expand...

I'm a plasma guy I guess but when I was shopping for a new TV I looked into the LED LCD's. Both have their pro's and con's. I would say to choose the TV with the con's that you can live with.

Also price was a factor for me. I mean for the same plasma I was looking at, an LED was around $500 more.
 
donrsd said:
plasma has no refresh rate, blacks are black & the picture destroys lcd.

only a fool would buy an lcd.

watch a hockey game on an lcd.....look at the blur.
now turn on that fake 240hz enhancer aka soap opera look and kill your picture, yet STILL have blur

the 600hz subfield on plasmas is a marketing ploy.......plasmas have no refresh rate issues, never will.

and please, dont ever ask a best buy, hh gregg employee what to get. those people are worthless.

and never look at a tv in the store and make a decision by what looks the best.
i can make a $300 insignia look better than a 3k plasma in a store :D
Click to expand...

True, but the newer LCD-LEDs are getting better and better. I bet if you added up all the energy savings comparing an LED lit set to a Plasma you would have enough saved in 10 years to pay for a new TV.

Plasma will soon be outdated. LG and Samsung just came out with new 55" OLED TVs and once that technology comes down in price that is where everything is heading.
 
Sounds like you have a good feel for the picture tradeoffs with plasma vs. LCD.

Just looking at your requirements though, the one thing I see on your list that concerns me with plasma is the fact you plan to move four times a year. That alone would push me away from plasma. A plasma screen is more likely to break when shipping. If it is a short move and you are doing it yourself, probably not as much an issue.
 
DakotaGuy said:
True, but the newer LCD-LEDs are getting better and better. I bet if you added up all the energy savings comparing an LED lit set to a Plasma you would have enough saved in 10 years to pay for a new TV.

Plasma will soon be outdated. LG and Samsung just came out with new 55" OLED TVs and once that technology comes down in price that is where everything is heading.
Click to expand...

Laser TV is the only thing i would upgrade to, from a plasma.

everything else is glorified LCD. atill has refresh rate issues & cant produce 'true blacks'.

doesnt matter if a sheep has zebra stripes on it......its still a sheep :)
 
With my now-old Panasonic, the only problem is glare. It is horrible in a sunlit room, the only room we have for this. Glad to hear the new models have less glare, but I would have to buy from a place that would allow for an exchange if it wasn't good enough.

Oled promises a lot, but it will be a few years before it is affordable, unless...Apple bought up a bunch of it and got a deal.

There is a way to make a fabulous Applesque set, well beyond the IQ itself.
 
I work at a TV station

And I do not watch tv at home. I have a TV, watch Friends or Pocoyo from time to time and that is it!
 
I Recently purchased an LED Samsung from Best Buy and love it. They even threw in a free Galaxy Tablet (which quickly became somebody else's via Craigslist).
 
I would always go for plasma.. pioneer were the best and if you kin get a second hand kuro go for it... the sound of pioneers were immense.. Alas they are no longer in the game but they had an intellectual property share with panasonic and i would rate them as the best on the market at the moment for plasma...
 
I have one of the "better" Panasonic plasmas in the bedroom (50"). I also have a 42" LCD in the den, and a 60" LED in our living room. For movies, the plasma has an amazing "warmth" to it. The LED is super bright, and the LCD is in the middle. Honestly though, spend a couple of mins on each one and you forget the other characteristics. I'm satisfied on any of them.

With that being said, here's the bigger concern for me. My plasma heats the heck out of the room. I think it pulls around 580 watts or something like that. They're damn hot. The LCD is also pretty darn hot, but not nearly as bad. The LED is as cool as can be. I live in AZ and right now it's like 110 degrees out. My electric bill is high enough in the summer. I'm glad I only occasionally use the plasma. I love the picture, but I wouldn't like it as my full time set.

If you have kids here's another thing to consider. A plasma has a glass screen, at least all the ones I've seen. Makes it super sturdy, especially if you have kids that like to throw dog Kongs and have them bounce off the screen (I'll get to that in a minute). The glass is also nice to clean as, well, it's glass and very sturdy.

LED's are amazingly fragile. I'm afraid to even clean the screen or even brush up against it. It's also not very kid friendly. The 60" I have now was a replacement for the same model 60" I only had for 5 weeks before the kids broke it. The kong only had to take one bad bounce and half the screen was out. I bought that TV from Best Buy on the "No interest payments" plan. It pains me to say I'm STILL paying it off. I had to buy the replacement for cash because I didn't have enough credit left on the card for another one. Every month when the check is written I know it's for a TV that I only got 5 weeks use out of. If you have kids that rough house either put them up for adoption or get a LCD or a plasma.... LED is almost too fragile to have in a house with small kids.
 
I am a proud owner of a 55" Samsung LED and love it. That being said, I do notice some shadow effect when watching Hockey or old footage of Football games. When I went to purchase a new TV, I went in with the old assumption that the life of a Plasma still seems to be short. After reading nearly every post in this, I have not come across any proof of this, or even mention for that matter?

I may be in the market to purchase another television at some point in time, so I am curious to see what the verdict is on the life span of some of the Plasmas out there. :eek:
 
My new LG plasma has a claimed half life of 100,000 hours. Even if you halve that and assume using it a crazy 12 hours a day every single day the half life is 11.4 years. Double it if the 100,000 hours is true. 25 percent more if you only use your tv 8 hours a day. If my tv gives me a half life of ten to 15 years I am more than satisfied. Plasma has come a long way recently.

Heat is a non issue, it only consumes around 330 watts and costs about $36 a year in energy costs.

Not as low as led but still the bad rep the early gen plasmas had no longer holds true really.
 
entatlrg said:
The higher end Panasonic Plasma's are still the best out there. Not the Best Buy models rather the ones sold by higher end audio/video retailers.

We have three, a 65 and two 55", no burn in, don't need to baby them at all ... Better for watching action such as sports, more realistic colors, better detail, easier on eyes.

Only way to really find out what suits you is to visit a good TV retailer, most often they'll have the TVs properly calibrated and Plasma's beside LEDs and LCD's so you can judge for yourself. Often they have good knowledge as well.

You'll find the people who work at these higher end retailers ALL have Panasonic Plasma's in their homes ... that says a lot in itself.

Insigna's are built to suit a budget and for that they're good but they are not quality TV's with a good picture.
Click to expand...

Hi all my customers working in a color- important company, where - for example- photoshop work ist the main part, and colorcorrected and relevant output is most important for they (and me) is no doubt to use Plasmeas (most pansanic after the pioneer time) they are unbeatable in example- skintones. I never want to change my Plasma to a LED or LCD, (but they get better and better) :eek:
 
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