PLASMA or CRT TV?

Question

I am planning to buy a 42 inch TV, should I buy LCD or Plasma. Which brand is good, price ?. And what spec should I really look for.

Answer 1

LCD Has Better Visuals, Is More Reliable Since It Doesn't "Burn" Images Into The Screen Like Plasma Does, And Is Cheaper In Price. Do The Math.

Answer 2

Both types of sets as well as DLP can provide excellent pictures, and the differences are minor as well as a matter of taste. Here is a summary of key differences:

Picture quality of plasma is brighter, better color, better blacks than LCD.
But LCD pictures can look quite good; we’re not talking huge differences.

Sharpness is the same for equivalent pixel counts. Some newer LCDs have 1080 x 1920 resolution, most plasmas still in the 768 x 1024 range.

Plasma is heavier and uses more power than flat panel LCD.

There are reports that plasmas are not as reliable or they don't last as long, but that is no longer true with the latest models. (Both LCD and plasmas have 60,00hr expected lifetime.) Plasma phosphors dim slowly over time (but not as fast as CRT phosphors); but direct view LCDs use flourescent lamps which also dim and eventually burn out (some are replaceable). Projection LCD sets have bulbs of limited life, but are replaceable and the lifetime is a few thousand hours of viewing.

Plasmas are subject to burn-in. A stationary image left on the screen for a long time could produce a permanent ghost image. The most risk is when viewing a lot of 4:3 ratio pictures (non-HD), which are displayed with vertical dark areas on the left and right to fill in the wide screen. Newer plasma designs have minimized this problem and here are ways to avoid it: many sets have a "stretch" mode which widens the picture to fill the whole screen, or will use gray bars instead of black bars. Burn-in also be a problem with extended playing of video games if there is a background image that remains stationary.

Plasmas come in larger sizes, although large flat panel LCDs are coming out, but they are expensive. LCD projectors can be 70".

LCD contrast and brightness can be reduced when viewing from off-center (both flat and projector, but sets will vary). At present, plasmas have very reflective front surfaces which could be a problem in room with lamps and windows that can be reflected by the screen. LCDs look better in bright environments, while plasmas look better in darker rooms.

As far as DLP is concerned:

At present, DLP provides higher brightness and more contrast than most LCD. An exception is the Sony SXRD, which can match DLP contrast and black levels. You have to be wary of the "rainbow effect" in DLP displays: before buying a DLP TV, look at a picture with bright areas and scan your eyes across the screen. If you see a trail of colors, you can see the "rainbow" and you may want to avoid this set. Many people (including me) cannot see these, but some can. For all sets, check off-center viewing of the screen. LCD flat panel in particular can lose brightness and contrast in off-center viewing. Both LCD projectors and DLP projectors are available in "1080p" resolution (they display 1920x1080 pixels on the screen). However, only the Sony SXRD is true 1080p; the DLP sets simulate this resolution with a tecnique called "wobulation". See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wobulation...

These DLP sets do provide a high resolution picture that is a little "softer" than the LCD units, but some people find that preferable (more "film like").

You should go look at the set and decide what you like better.

Answer 3

While LCD and plasma are quite good, also consider DLP. However all these technologies only have half the life cycle of traditional CRT's. There are still 20-30 year old CRT's out there still kickin, Try and get 15 years out of a LCD, Plasma or DLP!