Deciding on LCD or plasma tv ~ pros & cons??

Question

I want a HDTV and I'm not up on the pros & cons of LCD and plasma tv. I like to get 42" -50" screen size. Is DVI going out and HDMI port being the norm? I have HD satellite, laptop, xbox360 and HD DVD player. Any good tips or recommedations is apprecitated ...thanx :)

Answer 1

HDMI seems to be the norm now although there are lots of DVI to HDMI cables everywhere so even if your computer has a DVI output there shouldn't be a problem hooking it up. I, myself have a Panasonic Plasma 42" HDTV that I'm very happy with but I don't play video games with it so I'm not all that concerned about screen burn. However, only after I bought it did I realize how much power a plasma set consumes. (380 watts) However, I'm still sold on plasma as I like to watch sports and plasmas are better for fast moving pictures than LCD's are (although LCD's are getting better)

Answer 2

LCD and plasma are pretty close, both are capable of excellent pictures. One advantage of LCD is that it's immune to screen burn-in. Plasma screens are still vulnerable to burning any still images into the screen, such as if you leave the screen on pause for extended times, or play a video game, with a logo or other unchanging display in the corner.

I'd absolutely stay away from DLP TV's myself. They're cheaper than other HDTV's, but the picture can fade out when viewed from the side, like older rear-projection sets.

DVI is good, but HDMI is replacing it quickly. Both DVI and HDMI have the same picture quality, both digital. HDMI just goes the extra step and adds digital audio along the same cable, which not only makes hookup simpler, but also might save you a few bucks on cabling costs, depending on your hookup. Many manufacturers are already steering away from DVI, in favor of HDMI.

You mentioned you have a laptop you'd like to hookup. Many new HDTV's also have a VGA input, making it very easy to hookup a computer, and get the best picture possible from it. If you can find one with that already, that might work well for you.

Answer 3

Personally I love Plasma. Plasma to me has a more rich look to it with darker blacks. Older Plasmas used to have burn-in issues, that is better now. LCDs are getting much better. One of the problems they have had is with fast moving images being blurry. You can check that before purchasing. Costco sells a 42" Vizio plasma for $1299 that is nice. Sony sells some nice LCDs under their Bravia line. If you play alot of video games, I'd consider an LCD. If you watch tons of movies, consider Plasma.

Answer 4

Some good points have already been mentioined here... the main thing to keep in mind is that technology for both sides has come a long way in the last few years... the deciding factor will most likely come down to cost... I have both, a 50" plasma, 42" and 20" lcd and personally prefer the plasma, but that could be just because of the extra inches ;)
check out this website, tons of good info about deciding on plasma vs. lcd... the domain name makes it sound plasma biased but it argues both sides quite well... http://www.plasmatvpro.info/
Good luck and happy watching!

Answer 5

i have all of the above you have..
so in simple words....
Plasma:
-costs more than lcd
-has much better quality than lcd
-doesn't have glares on the side of the tv
-last very long if the contrast is low

LCD:
-costs less than Plasma
-Has less quality than plasma
-has some glares on side, but lost very long under normal condintions

and yes... hdmi is the new normal port



for the record i have a 42" samsung plasma and i wouldn't ever have wanted or ever will want lcd instead of it

Answer 6

Get an LCD. No discussion. I personally like DLP myself. The Xbox 360 will look amazing on the LCD and even better on HDMI. DVI and HDMI are sort've working together. One is affordable and readily available.

Search google for "LCD vs Plasma." You'll see what I mean.

Answer 7

i just bought a 42in Samsung Plasma. with plasma you get deeper blacks and more contrast. so this means more colors and most likely a better picture. try to go with 740P. you can get 1080P but wont make that much difference because nothing is bordcasted that way. dont get 1080i or 740i.
pros/cons
LCD are much lighter. my tv is 90lbs
Plasmas must ALWAYS be sitting upright
plasmas could get screen burn.

Answer 8

Plasma burns in, LCD doesn't