[Some cautions for anyone considering Plasma/Large LCD displays]

Hi,
Following article was on CNET :

By David Carnoy
Executive editor, CNET Reviews
(February 4, 2004)      

Recently, a friend sent me the following e-mail:

Random question, oh tech guru: I'm looking for a new TV, what are your 
thoughts on plasma vs. LCD? Moved to a loft, so I can get a decent-size 
"tube," but don't want to go broke. Also, looking at a 20-inch Sharp 
Aquos for the bedroom. Right way to go? Again, your thoughts.

The question wasn't as random as he supposed; I've been receiving 
similar queries from other friends and readers regularly for the past 
month. The great marketing machines of Philips, Sony, and Samsung have 
combined with those Best Buy and Circuit City weekend circulars to work 
everybody into a flat-panel frenzy--even people who say they don't watch 
TV. The only problem, of course, is that there happen to be two kinds of 
flat panels, and both have their pluses and minuses. With that in mind, 
I've put together a quick rundown of what you should know before going 
the plasma or LCD route, along with a few pointers. Next month, I'll go 
over the differences between LCD and DLP rear-projection sets.


Price-to-size ratio

While neither LCD nor plasma TVs are a bargain, on a 
price-per-square-inch basis, plasmas currently have the edge. Look at it 
this way: technically, a 42-inch plasma gives you almost twice as much 
screen real estate as a 30-inch LCD panel, but they both go for about 
$3,000. By 2005, you may see 37-inch LCDs hitting that price, but larger 
versions (50 inches or more) won't cost the same as their plasma 
equivalents for a while.

The reason my friend is looking at a 20-inch Sharp for his bedroom is 
that prices for smaller LCD panels are dropping the fastest, with a 
20-incher coming in at a little more than $1,000. Plasmas aren't 
available in that size; 32 inches is their lower limit. Just remember 
that a 20-inch screen is pretty small, and you'll have to sit rather 
close to it. It may be fine for viewing CNN, Jay Leno, and sitcoms in 
bed, but it's obviously less than ideal for enjoying movies. And a 
17-inch model should be reserved for use as a kitchen television or a 
computer monitor in a home office; while you work, you can watch TV in a 
little picture-in-picture box in a corner of the display.

Bottom line: 22-inch LCDs and 42-inch plasmas offer the greatest value 
among bedroom sets, and your best bet for the living room is a 42-inch 
or larger plasma.


Performance

A general rule of thumb is that plasmas deliver better home-theater 
performance than LCDs. Our video guru, Senior Associate Editor David 
Katzmaier, says that the difference is due mostly to the fact that LCD 
TVs typically can't display black as well as plasmas; it ends up closer 
to dark gray. That shortcoming decreases the amount of detail you can 
see in the shadows and ultimately leaves the picture looking--as 
videophiles would say--less three-dimensional.

The picture quality of both LCD and plasma panels is improving each 
year, but it can vary significantly from manufacturer to manufacturer, 
so check our lists of top products. We're nitpicky about performance in 
our reviews--it's our job--and you should seriously consider our 
evaluations if you plan on using your set for home-theater viewing. But 
if you're buying a smaller LCD (26 inches or less) for the kitchen or 
the bedroom, don't agonize too much over performance.


Life span

Life span, the number of viewing hours a television provides before 
dimming to half brightness, is one of the biggest advantages LCD has 
over plasma. Though the numbers vary among the different brands, plasma 
displays generally offer around 20,000 hours, while LCD sets last for up 
to 50,000 hours.


Burning issues

One of plasma technology's known issues is something called burn-in. It 
happens when your television shows a still image or an icon for so long 
that its "ghost" remains on the screen. For example, if a stock ticker 
or a news crawl continuously runs along the bottom of your display, that 
strip may be burned into your set. The same applies to watching an 
excessive amount of standard TV (4:3) on a wide-screen (16:9) model; the 
vertical bars to either side of the picture could become permanent. 
Manufacturers have taken steps to prevent burn-in, building in 
screensavers and other technologies. And you can virtually eliminate the 
danger by not leaving still images on the screen and reducing your 
contrast setting to 50 percent or less.

To their credit, LCDs don't suffer from burn-in, nor do they have 
troubles at high altitudes, where the air-pressure differential causes 
plasmas to emit an irritating buzzing sound. So, if you live in Denver, 
we don't recommend that you get a plasma, though some manufacturers are 
selling special sets that they claim are immune to the problem.


Viewing HDTV

Most plasmas and LCDs can display a high-def signal. However, you'll 
need a model with a resolution of at least 1,280x720 to enjoy full HDTV. 
Most 50-inch plasmas and nearly all 26-inch and larger LCDs offer this 
resolution. Very few 42-inch plasmas do, but when you're watching HD 
feeds on a lower-resolution television of that size or smaller, you'll 
have to sit very close to notice much of a difference between true HD 
and what you're seeing. Take, for example, Panasonic's TH-42PA20U, which 
is arguably the best 42-inch plasma we've seen to date in its price 
range. Even though the set provides only EDTV resolution (852x480), HDTV 
looks really good on it.


Computers and video games

Most plasma and LCD TVs can double as computer monitors; many even offer 
a DVI port for optimal video quality. They'll also hook up to a game 
console without any problems. So which technology is better for these 
purposes? From a performance standpoint, it's hard to pick a winner, but 
because of plasma's burn-in risk, LCD is the safer choice for computer 
work and gaming.

Hope that was informative ;-)

-- 
Regards,
Mike

Failed the exam for
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MCSE - Minesweeper Consultant and Solitaire Expert
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