LED / LCD / Plasma ?????

[Pappy]

Part of our tax refund this year is going to upgraded TV(s). Been looking around some and my old channel 2-13, tube related brain is getting more and more addled!

I am seeing 4 basic technologies: Plasma, LED, LCD, and DLP. DLP appears to be used in later rear projection sets. The other 3 all seem to be similar in the style/design of the cabinets.

The larger set for the living room needs clarity at various distances and viewing angle is a concern. Neither of these concerns will be a big factor as other televisions get replaced. They will either be wall mounted, like in the Master BR, or sitting on a shelf/cabinet so they can be turned easily if needed.

What are the basic differernces, in simple terms, and pros/cons of each type?

Any particular brands to avoid?

Dangers of buying used? A lot of ads on CL. Some I am sure are because of undisclosed problems, but many are the result of individual financial trouble. Going used would allow me to replace both the living room and M/BR sets rather than only one new tv.

[RayintheUK]

1. Plasma used to render blacks better than LCD sets, but now the difference is almost imperceptible. Best bet is to go to a big shed where you can compare side-by-side. Some big names have totally ceased marketing plama screens now. Pros - Glass-covered screen to protect the medium, relatively cheap if conventionally-lit. Cons - Glass-covered screen reflects in some situations, burn-in could still be a problem at the budget end of the range. Viewing angles are usually >120°

2. All modern flat screens are wide format, but you can select either a zoom mode or a smart mode to your choice.

3. 1920 x 1080 is the resolution to be looked for now. It's sometimes known as "Full HD" because many of the more recent "HD Ready" TVs feature a resolution of 1,366x768 pixels. This will display the commonly used 720p and 1080i formats, but 1080i/1080p signals will be downscaled to fit.

4. LCD are the most common type now and since the screen resolutions have improved, motion blur is pretty well sorted out now (trails sometimes seen in fast-moving sports events, for example). Pros - longer-lasting than plasma generally. Cons - screen could be damaged by pet claws, for example. Viewing angle on a good-quality LCD will be >165°

5. LED does not refer to the type of screen, but the type of backlighting used. LED backlit screens tend to be a little brighter and appear more sharp. Again, the best comparison is a side-by-side one, if you can arrange it. I think the largest true LED TV screen is currently around 9"

My preferred makes are, in order, Sony, Pioneer, Sharp and Samsung. I have no experience of projected TV at all, sorry. HTH

Ray

[Whaler]

I have a 42" Fujitsu plasma in the living room and a 32" Sony LCD in the family room. Both have magnificent pictures with the plasma being a bit crisper. Do like Ray said shop where you can compare picture quality.

[atgcpaul]

I have a 1080p Panasonic 42" plasma. Love it for the most part. HOWEVER,
I don't love the glass screen. Although it's anti-glare filter is better than other
plasmas I saw, you still get glare if there's a nearby window or the table lamp
is on.

I bought it from Costco which has an excellent return policy on TVs, no
restocking fee if you want to return it within a 90 day period, and extends the
manufacturers warranty to 2 years over the standard 1 year.

[JimD]

I have been watching the adds for LED type LCD TVs because I want the lower energy consumption and I hear the blacks are a little blacker. There may be something I am missing but I see TVs as big as ~50 inches advertised as LED. Maybe Ray can comment on his "true LED" and 9 inch is the biggest comments. Either that information is out of date or the ones I see are not "true LED" from some standpoint.

Otherwise I think Ray provided a very good summary.

Jim

[herb fellows]

Not a realistic suggestion, but just for fun....
Just to further confuse you, there's a new sheriff in town; 3d tv!
There is VERY little programming for it right now (I've heard estimates of 80 titles by the end of this year) and I guess it's even possible that it won't take off and it will die.

But I've gotta tell you, I saw a Panasonic set in Best Buy that totally blew me away! $2500 (I'm thinking it was 46"), but the picture was AMAZING. I've seen 3d many times before (yes, avatar also)and the picture on this thing was mind blowing! This is the first time I actually felt as if I was inside the movie!

So, if anyone out there is a 'bleeding edge' kind of guy or gal.....
Oh, BTW, it comes with ONE pair of glasses. Additional glasses are $200 a pair!

[LarryG]

Jim: As Ray said, the "LED" TVs currently being advertised means they have LED backlighting, in lieu of the more common fluorescent system. The panel that actually displays the picture is still LCD. As I understand it, the 9" model he mentions DOES use LEDs to display the picture but they are "organic LEDs" and the thing is just stupid expensive ... something like $2500.

Pappy: In the last couple of years, Samsung and Sony have generally topped the ratings in Consumer Reports (if you put any stock at all in what they have to say: for things like appliances, I personally do). As I recall, Sharp, Pioneer, some Panasonic models, and maybe a few others also rate pretty highly in most respects. Vizio usually does pretty well for a bit less money, although the price gap seems to be narrowing. A lot of the names familiar to guys our age -- Westinghouse, Magnavox, etc -- don't rate too well, as a rule.

We have three Samsungs and are totally happy with them (two are in the 550 series, a 32'' and a 37"; the 46" for the home theater setup in the living room is one step up, a 650). I was sufficiently impressed by the first one, the 32", that I ended up buying the other two.

[Kristofor]

Personally I would not look at buying used unless it's a very current model (less than a year old) or price is your absolute top consideration.

The technologies to address many of the early LCD technology concerns (refresh rate, black levels, uneven lighting, etc.) have significantly improved in the last 3 years from LCD being a significantly lower picture quality than plasma to being pretty close to the same for casual viewers.

A non-LED lit LCD has a fluorescent bulb lighting the display. These bulbs do dim somewhat with age (but not as much or as fast as plasma) and can burn out. However, unless it's on 24x7 you should expect many years of service (some manufactures claim as much as 60k hours or more).

As always, if you don't have light control in your viewing environment then paying more for the last bit of performance may not yield much perceptible improvement.

[vaking]

1). I suggest to stay away from DLP. I had a 55" DLP until recently in my family room - (main TV). I would not call it flat. It was at least 16" deep. It had a powerfull light bulb for projection, so it was consuming a good deal of power. Other types are usually 4" or so deep and use a lot less power. Further more - powerfull light means it needed forced cooling - fan in the DLP TV was very audible. I got rid of that DLP.
2). Plazma seems to be less popular nowdays. There are still some high end plazmas but they are expensive. In the low /midrange side plazma seems to be on its way out.
3) At this moment I have 46" LCD wall mounted. It is a Sharp and I am reasonably happy with it. Few days ago I was at a club and looked at their choices. They have 2 - 3 models of LED and the rest are all LCD. LED is a bit more expensive but they produce a noticeably better picture in my opinion. I was able to tell that they were LED before I read labels on them.

[JoeyGee]

I have 2 LCD's--a 40" (1080p) Sony Bravia and a 32" Visio (720p). I love both of them. The Visio was much cheaper than any comparables we looked at, and the picture is as good if not better. It was one of my more pleasant purchases.

[JimD]

LarryG,

Thanks for the explanation. I didn't realize there were TVs using LEDs for display, I thought it was only for backlighting. I am interested in LCD with LED backlighting for better quality picture with less power consumption.

Jim

[cabinetman]

We just bought an LG HD LCD. They had many TV's all lined up in the same size so viewing picture quality was pretty easy. The LG had the best picture that we saw. Price wasn't a determining factor.
.

[LCHIEN]

LCDs and DLP fall in a catagory i call light directing. The LCDs actually turn on and off to pass light, the DLP consists of millions of mirrors that direct light on that pixel. These need a light source to direct which can be incandescent, fuorescent, or LEDs even.

Plasmas and LEDs (and by LED I mean the ones that form the pixels, not backlighting) are light emitting - each pixel is actually the source of light.

Plasmas up to 50" are still very good, Panasonic is one of the two remaining producers. STill considered to have the best contrast (lightest to darkest dynamic range) I'd say plasmas will decline in market share in the future as other types mature and become cheaper in larger sizes.

LCDs are the majority of larger flat screens, they have sizes up to 60" and most of the advances are there for the 1080 panels. They're at or close to super maturity.

DLPs are limited in pixel counts and used in rear or front projection so the rear proj TVs are not real thin (like 24 inches); the front ones can be paper thin but the projector has to be in the viewers area. The big advantage is huge screens for projection - 100" and up are where these shine. needs powerful bulbs in these cases.

LEDs are on their way up but for larger ones they are very expenisve. Not yet a mature technology.

So I have a Panasonic Plasma 50" and a Dell DLP projector on an 80" screen.

I'd recommend LCD for best all around price and performance in the 40-50" range.

[frumper64]

If you look at DLP TV's, be sure to ask about the cost of replacing the bulb - life is an issue and they used to be some serious money to replace.

[SARGE..g-47]

We just shopped around and ended up with a Panasonic 50" plasma for $687 as it had the 780 (?) 720 (whatever) thing.. We absolutely love it regardless if it is 780 as the picture is fantastic. We also have two 32" LCD's which are good but... when shopping I noticed that if you move to a side angle with the LCD's.. it distorts the focus. Not good if used in a room where people are scattered on both sides of the TV watching from an angle.

Therefore we went with the plasma for the larger TV in the family room and LCD's which can be viewed almost head on in the BR avoiding the focus issue I referred to. Any comments as I am certainly not a high tech guy!