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Suhit Gupta
11-20-2004, 08:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://tech2.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18stat.html?oref=login&adxnnl=1&oref=login&adxnnlx=1100817071-1jf0CrTR9TGaH6vNßzVQ' target='_blank'>http://tech2.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18stat.html?oref=login&adxnnl=1&oref=login&adxnnlx=1100817071-1jf0CrTR9TGaH6vNßzVQ</a><br /><br /></div><i>"These aren't exactly flush economic times. But believe it or not, according to a new Consumer Electronics Association survey, the most desired electronic gift item for this holiday season is a plasma TV. By far the most popular plasmas are the 42-inchers, which are broad and sweeping enough to make any wall blush with pride. But if you're about to go buy one, three words of advice: Don't do it. Before you drop all that money on a 42-inch plasma TV, consider dropping it on a different kind of flat-screen TV, one that until this month wasn't even in the running: LCD."</i><br /><br />This article shows how LCDs are better than their plasma counterparts in picture quality, size, resolution, power consumption and longevity. I was at a friend's place a couple of months ago and he owns both a plasma TV and an LCD TV (good jobs lead to good gadgets :)) and he was definitely more impressed with the LCD. Has anyone else had the same experience?

Philip Colmer
11-20-2004, 08:18 PM
Interesting ... this is probably the first article I've read that might have done enough to convince me to take a more serious look at LCD.

My original intention was to replace our existing 32" TV with a nice big plasma ... although I hadn't quite worked out what size to get ... as big as possible, I think :D.

I was planning to do that next year but because Sky have announced that they'll be starting HD broadcasts in 2006, I'm now waiting until then so that I can refresh all of the key components to be HD compatible.

Hopefully, if LCDs are starting to overtake plasmas, the verdict will be more solid by then.

--Philip

mememe
11-20-2004, 09:06 PM
"But if you're about to go buy one, three words of advice: Don't do it. Before you drop all that money on a 42-inch plasma TV, consider dropping it on a different kind of flat-screen TV, one that until this month wasn't even in the running: LCD."

This article shows how LCDs are better than their plasma counterparts in picture quality, size, resolution, power consumption and longevity. I was at a friend's place a couple of months ago and he owns both a plasma TV and an LCD TV (good jobs lead to good gadgets :)) and he was definitely more impressed with the LCD. Has anyone else had the same experience?

:?: :oops: :?:

Very interesting discussion on this site, some say yes.. some say no..:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000590020860/

Me..? I think DLP is the way to go until larger LCDs come much farther down in price..

Ed Hansberry
11-21-2004, 05:25 AM
Save yourself some serious coin and go DLP, unless you just have to have a thin wall mount unit.

entropy1980
11-21-2004, 07:19 AM
I'd be most worried about getting a LCD with dead pixels... think they drive you nuts on a laptop... just wait until everything you watch has one or more! Seriously unless they come with a no-dead pixel guarentee (I know it could drive up the price) there is no way I would by a LCD TV!

Suhit Gupta
11-21-2004, 07:21 AM
I'd be most worried about getting a LCD with dead pixels... think they drive you nuts on a laptop... just wait until everything you watch has one or more! Seriously unless they come with a no-dead pixel guarentee (I know it could drive up the price) there is no way I would by a LCD TV!
Yeah, but the problem with dead pixels is apparently one that is seen less and less.

Suhit

Suhit Gupta
11-21-2004, 07:27 AM
Save yourself some serious coin and go DLP, unless you just have to have a thin wall mount unit.
Currently the price of projection is (approx) half that of an equivalent plasma TV which is slightly less expensive than LCD TVs. However, over the last few months, I am noticing that the LCD TVs are dropping in price dramatically, faster than either DLP or plasma. In fact, DLP and plasma TVs appear to be plateauing in their price drop. I think LCD TVs are, as Ed correctly points out, quite expensive right now but I would say that they will be quite competitive within 3-6 months. So instead of investing in a TV now, perhaps one should wait for a few months?!

Suhit

Felix Torres
11-21-2004, 04:32 PM
Save yourself some serious coin and go DLP, unless you just have to have a thin wall mount unit.
Currently the price of projection is (approx) half that of an equivalent plasma TV which is slightly less expensive than LCD TVs. However, over the last few months, I am noticing that the LCD TVs are dropping in price dramatically, faster than either DLP or plasma. In fact, DLP and plasma TVs appear to be plateauing in their price drop. I think LCD TVs are, as Ed correctly points out, quite expensive right now but I would say that they will be quite competitive within 3-6 months. So instead of investing in a TV now, perhaps one should wait for a few months?!

Suhit

That is my current plan because:

a- 30-32" LCD prices are dropping and will continue to drop dramatically for the next year
b- I am seriously intrigued by the dark horse tech of this race; the "thin" CRTs that are now starting to appear

That said, the 1080P SHARP lcds are jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
(I saw one in person and my chin still hurts)
Expensive but freakishly good image quality.
If those should drop even 15-20% (or come out in a slightly smaller 1080P model) I could be in trouble... :wink:

jeff
11-22-2004, 04:58 PM
Save yourself some serious coin and go DLP, unless you just have to have a thin wall mount unit.

There are many good reasons not to go with a DLP.

- The color gamut isn't as large as LCD or Plasma.
- It's projection, so there are off-center viewing issues.
- The smallest one (46", I think) might still be too large for some rooms.
- They all come with anti-glare coating that produces rainbow sparkles over bright colors. Direct view LCD's anti-glare screen doesn't have the same effect.
- LCDs have more PC-friendly resolutions, without overscan.
- Some people feel nausea and others see rainbows due to DLP's color wheel.

So it isn't just about wall mounting. My room size and usage pattern are leading me toward a 37" LCD on a regular table stand.

Ed Hansberry
11-22-2004, 06:47 PM
Save yourself some serious coin and go DLP, unless you just have to have a thin wall mount unit.

There are many good reasons not to go with a DLP.

- The color gamut isn't as large as LCD or Plasma.
- It's projection, so there are off-center viewing issues.
- The smallest one (46", I think) might still be too large for some rooms.
- They all come with anti-glare coating that produces rainbow sparkles over bright colors. Direct view LCD's anti-glare screen doesn't have the same effect.
- LCDs have more PC-friendly resolutions, without overscan.
- Some people feel nausea and others see rainbows due to DLP's color wheel.

So it isn't just about wall mounting. My room size and usage pattern are leading me toward a 37" LCD on a regular table stand.
My DLP is 43 inches, and that might be the smallest. I've never had a problem with the colors nor seeing anyting "off center."

I am not saying DLP is perfect though. It is like music files. When I mention I rip musing at 64kbps base using VBR generating files from 40-90kbps, the music snobs cringe as if I had just taken a leak on their front porch. While I have no doubt that some can hear the difference, not near as many can as they think they can. ;-) Same with TVs. For the overwhelming majority DLP is fine and actually better when it comes to fast action. I've not seen a plasma yet in a store that putting it on a football game or sticking in some Bruce Willis action flick didn't produce some artifacting. I've not seen the same effect on LCDs, but they are much smaller and any artifacting would likely be below my ability to detect.

James Fee
11-22-2004, 07:09 PM
My only issue with DLP when I was looking for my new HDTV was the color seemed too bright. It looked fake to me, but it's all personal preference. I ended up going with a CRT Projection HDTV...

Mark from Canada
11-24-2004, 05:29 PM
Have a look at the Sony Wega LCD projection TVs. We have the "small" 42" version and are very happy with it.
The off-center issue is not nearly as bad as with other projection TVs and it has a user replacable bulb if you need to.
We wanted to look at a Plasma, but ended up going this route because of the issues with Plasma (and we got a great deal on this one).
Initially we said "No Projection", but after seeing this it wasn't really an issue. And it's not that deep either.
The only issue is that all these big sizes really show if the signal you're getting is poor quality.

Mark

Gator5000e
11-24-2004, 05:33 PM
On LCD, you also need to be aware of the "screen door" effect. I see it on most LCDs. The effect is what it says. I looks as if you are viewing the picture through someone's screen door or window screen. Not sure I understand why it happens, but once you see it, it never seems to go away. I saw it big time on last years Sony's Grand Wega 60" LCD. Other than that issue, I thought the colors were excellent, especially HD. Anyway, jjust somethting to look for.