To buy a Plasma or LCD.

I currently already have a 46in 1080p Sony Bravia LCD, but I plan on upgrading in the next few weeks. It is only a 60hz tv, seeing as how I purchased it 2 years ago, and only has 2 HDMI ports. I was trying to decide which tv to get, a 54 in Panasonic Plasma , which is 1080p, or a 55in Toshiba LCD, which is 1080p, and 120hz. The plasma is only 60hz. The Toshiba LCD is only 1150, while the Panasonic Plasma is 1054. Really no price difference, but I here that you can get a better picture off of a plasma, but I'm a little worried about burn-in image, especially with gaming. I'm told that most brands have a "wash" or refresh method for still images, but I'm still a little skeptical.I hung my 46 on the wall, and I plan on hanging whichever tv I buy in its place,but if I get the plasma it is a lot heavier.So, which one would be the better purchase?

I was wondering this myself at some point. As much as some people might tell you otherwise, burn-in on plasmas is STILL an issue, even today. Its not prevalent, but its something to consider.

Other than that, I can't wholeheartedly recommend plasma. Although it has better color reproduction and a faster response time, the finish and glare from most plasma screens is just too unbearable for me personally. And since many plasmas are glass screens, they're more susceptible to cracking.

Although I would definitely recommend 120hz over 60hz any day. The difference can be pretty significant, depending on what you play or watch. Keep in mind that this value is somewhat meaningless in this case though, since most decent plasmas generally have very high refresh rates (something to the tune of 600hz), making it more of a marketing gimmick in this case.

I was wondering this myself at some point. As much as some people might tell you otherwise, burn-in on plasmas is STILL an issue, even today. Its not prevalent, but its something to consider.

Other than that, I can't wholeheartedly recommend plasma. Although it has better color reproduction and a faster response time, the finish and glare from most plasma screens is just too unbearable for me personally. And since many plasmas are glass screens, they're more susceptible to cracking.

Although I would definitely recommend 120hz over 60hz any day. The difference can be pretty significant, depending on what you play or watch. Keep in mind that this value is somewhat meaningless in this case though, since most decent plasmas generally have very high refresh rates (something to the tune of 600hz), making it more of a marketing gimmick in this case.

SilverIce7

Yeah, I noticed that. Most of the Panasonic Plasmas that we carry are 600hz. We carry them where I work at, and I can even get a 240hz Toshiba LCD for about 120.00 more than that of the 120hz. I've noticed how good the 120hz looked while playing Blu ray movies, but I haven't seen the 240hz in motion yet. I don't know how much a difference in picture quality it is between 240hz and 120hz anyways. I love my Sony Bravia, and prefer that brand, but the biggest LCD we carry in Sony is the 52. So, since I already have a 46, I didn't think upgrading to a 52 would make that much of a difference. So comparing the two brands, Panasonic vs Toshiba, I think I'm going to give Toshiba the edge, mainly due to experience with that brand. My daughter has a 26in LCD that is Toshiba, and my son has a 50in DLP that is Toshiba, and both work fine. I haven't really had much experience with Panasonic. That and the fact that it is plasma. We left one of our home theatre systems on, which had the JVC emblem on the screen, and when we turned it off the emblem was still burned into the screen on the plasma. Once turned off however, the tv was back to normal. Just a little scary.

godzillavskong

Yeah, I know, its a Vizio. I was skeptical at first, but after reading like 100 reviews on different sites, it seemed like not a single person had anything overly bad to say about it. Honest to god, hooked it up, set it up, and the picture quality and feature set is even better than my same size Aquos, which I literally bought for THREE times this price two years ago. I'd definitely recommend a tv from this XVT line. Best price / performance I've ever seen.

Note, this tv was 50 bucks cheaper last week when I bought it, and it sold out within a DAY!

[QUOTE="godzillavskong"]

Yeah, I noticed that. Most of the Panasonic Plasmas that we carry are 600hz. We carry them where I work at, and I can even get a 240hz Toshiba LCD for about 120.00 more than that of the 120hz. I've noticed how good the 120hz looked while playing Blu ray movies, but I haven't seen the 240hz in motion yet. I don't know how much a difference in picture quality it is between 240hz and 120hz anyways. I love my Sony Bravia, and prefer that brand, but the biggest LCD we carry in Sony is the 52. So, since I already have a 46, I didn't think upgrading to a 52 would make that much of a difference. So comparing the two brands, Panasonic vs Toshiba, I think I'm going to give Toshiba the edge, mainly due to experience with that brand. My daughter has a 26in LCD that is Toshiba, and my son has a 50in DLP that is Toshiba, and both work fine. I haven't really had much experience with Panasonic. That and the fact that it is plasma. We left one of our home theatre systems on, which had the JVC emblem on the screen, and when we turned it off the emblem was still burned into the screen on the plasma. Once turned off however, the tv was back to normal. Just a little scary.

SilverIce7

Yeah, I know, its a Vizio. I was skeptical at first, but after reading like 100 reviews on different sites, it seemed like not a single person had anything overly bad to say about it. Honest to god, hooked it up, set it up, and the picture quality and feature set is even better than my same size Aquos, which I literally bought for THREE times this price two years ago. I'd definitely recommend a tv from this XVT line. Best price / performance I've ever seen.

Note, this tv was 50 bucks cheaper last week when I bought it, and it sold out within a DAY!

[QUOTE="SilverIce7"]

[QUOTE="godzillavskong"]

Yeah, I noticed that. Most of the Panasonic Plasmas that we carry are 600hz. We carry them where I work at, and I can even get a 240hz Toshiba LCD for about 120.00 more than that of the 120hz. I've noticed how good the 120hz looked while playing Blu ray movies, but I haven't seen the 240hz in motion yet. I don't know how much a difference in picture quality it is between 240hz and 120hz anyways. I love my Sony Bravia, and prefer that brand, but the biggest LCD we carry in Sony is the 52. So, since I already have a 46, I didn't think upgrading to a 52 would make that much of a difference. So comparing the two brands, Panasonic vs Toshiba, I think I'm going to give Toshiba the edge, mainly due to experience with that brand. My daughter has a 26in LCD that is Toshiba, and my son has a 50in DLP that is Toshiba, and both work fine. I haven't really had much experience with Panasonic. That and the fact that it is plasma. We left one of our home theatre systems on, which had the JVC emblem on the screen, and when we turned it off the emblem was still burned into the screen on the plasma. Once turned off however, the tv was back to normal. Just a little scary.

godzillavskong

Yeah, I know, its a Vizio. I was skeptical at first, but after reading like 100 reviews on different sites, it seemed like not a single person had anything overly bad to say about it. Honest to god, hooked it up, set it up, and the picture quality and feature set is even better than my same size Aquos, which I literally bought for THREE times this price two years ago. I'd definitely recommend a tv from this XVT line. Best price / performance I've ever seen.

Note, this tv was 50 bucks cheaper last week when I bought it, and it sold out within a DAY!

Yeah I guess that's the flip side. This week I finally caved and went back to buy a 2-year warranty because of some horror stories I heard from a few people online about their Vizio's dying within several months to a year. Its not prevalent, but it happens. And I just love this tv too much.

But I guess if you think about it really, buying ANY LCD tv is a bit of crapshoot, since chances are you'll get a good one, and chances are you'll get a dud. I remember buying two different Samsung 40" models, about 3 years ago, and wouldn't you know it, both had serious issues. Just goes to show you, there will always be some issues with LCDs regardless of who makes them. Luck of the draw, I guess.

Yeah, I noticed that. Most of the Panasonic Plasmas that we carry are 600hz.godzillavskong

600Hz sub-field, not refresh rate.

That and the fact that it is plasma. We left one of our home theatre systems on, which had the JVC emblem on the screen, and when we turned it off the emblem was still burned into the screen on the plasma. Once turned off however, the tv was back to normal. Just a little scary.godzillavskong

That's image retention, not burn-in.

The reason you don't see a lot of 120hz plasmas is because plasmas don't need it. They don't suffer from excessive motion blur like LCDs do, thus there is no need for it.

Another thing to consider if you're buying this for gaming is that plasmas have faster response times then LCDs.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=583089

I've seen this break-in DVD posted a few times and recommended by plenty. It'll help prevent burn-in if you run it long enough. the panasonic would hands down be better after break-in and calibration.

I have both kinds of hdtv's in my house.

54in Panasonic plasma; used heavily for over 1.5 years for playing games, watching movies, as a pc monitor, watching HD and standard tv.

Never had a problem with burn in or any other issue. No game input lag. No motion blur. Very solid, nice television.

37inch Panasonic 120 hz LED/LCD ; just purchased recently. Spectacularly sharp and vivid picture which rivals my plasma for videogames. Blu ray movies like Avatar really come to life on this set...so vividly clear and the colors are so intense. The black levels may not be as good as my plasma, but everything else blows it away. I dont notice any motion blur. I do need to use "game mode" for games to avoid game input lag...and it works great.

Though i have no problems and enjoy my plasma, i wish i could replace my plasma tv with a similar size LED/LCD. Maybe next year.

Plasma TV, LCD screen for your computer. Best of both world.

[QUOTE="godzillavskong"]Yeah, I noticed that. Most of the Panasonic Plasmas that we carry are 600hz.Gregoroth

600Hz sub-field, not refresh rate.

That and the fact that it is plasma. We left one of our home theatre systems on, which had the JVC emblem on the screen, and when we turned it off the emblem was still burned into the screen on the plasma. Once turned off however, the tv was back to normal. Just a little scary.godzillavskong

That's image retention, not burn-in.

No question, go with the Panasonic plasma TV, every time. Image retention will occur, but will disappear within a month and it'll be smooth sailing after that. The advantages are better black level, negligible input lag, better color, better viewing angle, better quality from SD sources, no 120Hz/240Hz motion compensation artifacts, full motion resolution at all times, no annoying backlight adjusting and lower cost compared to a similarly-specced LCD.

The disadvantages are slightly higher energy consumption on average, increased weight, more heat output and increased chance of image retention and residual charge within the first month. Also, Plasma TVs are available at a minimum of 42".

The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Go with a plasma, preferably Panasonic. They are the best TVs on the market right now.

I have both kinds of hdtv's in my house.

54in Panasonic plasma; used heavily for over 1.5 years for playing games, watching movies, as a pc monitor, watching HD and standard tv.

Never had a problem with burn in or any other issue. No game input lag. No motion blur. Very solid, nice television.

37inch Panasonic 120 hz LED/LCD ; just purchased recently. Spectacularly sharp and vivid picture which rivals my plasma for videogames. Blu ray movies like Avatar really come to life on this set...so vividly clear and the colors are so intense. The black levels may not be as good as my plasma, but everything else blows it away. I dont notice any motion blur. I do need to use "game mode" for games to avoid game input lag...and it works great.

Though i have no problems and enjoy my plasma, i wish i could replace my plasma tv with a similar size LED/LCD. Maybe next year.

Videodogg

It takes many, many hours of a still image to get burned into a plasma TV. You should be safe if you only play a couple of hours a day of a game that has a immobile HUD as long as you turn off the TV or put in another game. Just don't play the same game with the same HUD 5 hours a day everyday.

I'd trust Panasonic over Toshiba.

Well you could use the Toshiba for 3d viewing if you plan on getting that in the future. It will cost good money for the glasses and all too. You need a 120hz tv to do that. If you don't even plan on doing that though I would get the Panasonic.Ghost_702

3D viewing requires a true 120hz set (Which will be marked as 3d Ready by companies.) If it says it does 120hz but not 3D, it just does some kind of upscaling trick or something that displays the frames faster/twice. That cannot produce 3D