Flat Screen TV
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 4,331
Likes: 0
From: Tallahassee, FL
What are you using it for? If you watch darker shows / movies, LCD is better, as it offers a more "true" black. LCD's contrast ratios are generally lower, IIRC as well. The "white" shades are not as true or vibrant with LCD, but the blacks are awesome. Vise versa with Plasma.
Personally, I watch a LOT of sports, which is almost always filmed in good lighting, so the brightness and the contrast ratio are important to me. If you watch more movies, with darker and more creative lighting schemes, the LCD would probably be more up your alley.
I went and compared several units (looked for 42"), and I settled on a Phillips. I compared it next to a Pioneer, Sony, and LG (all running same high-def program simlutaneously) and I could not tell the difference, and it was $300 cheaper. I was looking at 720 instead of 1080, as my set is over a year old and 1080 sets cost your first-born then!
Plus, ambient lighting = P.I.M.P.
John
Personally, I watch a LOT of sports, which is almost always filmed in good lighting, so the brightness and the contrast ratio are important to me. If you watch more movies, with darker and more creative lighting schemes, the LCD would probably be more up your alley.
I went and compared several units (looked for 42"), and I settled on a Phillips. I compared it next to a Pioneer, Sony, and LG (all running same high-def program simlutaneously) and I could not tell the difference, and it was $300 cheaper. I was looking at 720 instead of 1080, as my set is over a year old and 1080 sets cost your first-born then!
Plus, ambient lighting = P.I.M.P.
John
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,279
Likes: 1
From: Fountain Valley, CA
1080P is now old news, most mfg have 1080P up the ying yang now.
The new buzzword is 120 Hz, so your High Def looks ultra uber clear and clean (makes Hollywood movies look like it was shot in High Def video rather than film)
Tan
The new buzzword is 120 Hz, so your High Def looks ultra uber clear and clean (makes Hollywood movies look like it was shot in High Def video rather than film)
Tan
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,463
Likes: 4
From: Vancouver, BC
First and foremost let me explain that I have worked in the A/V industry now for over 7 years and I was dealing with plasma TV's since a 42" cost $15,000+. I have worked in sales, installation, and most recently have been working on $10,000,000 + automated AV homes. I would like to consider myself decently well informed and educated, however, I am not always right 
. Anyway, here is what I can offer as some feedback and what I have learned over the years.
Plasma is better in EVERY aspect, except for rooms with a lot of ambient lighting that would cause glare (glass surface). Also, plasma's do generate more heat and use a marginally more electricity.
Plasma's black's and white's are true, this is a result of their much superior contrast ratio. The reason many people think that LCD's are better for dark movies, is simply because they cannot produce a true black, rather, they are producing many dark shades of grey, revealing more in the shadow areas. A properly calibrated plasma will display all shades of black and grey perfectly.
With plasma, there is no ghosting or trailing due to a slower response time/refresh rate. They often offer a much more accurate color rendition, where as LCD's often look over saturated and lack fine details in the colors (this is more a generalization and they have gotten much better over the years). Also, depending on what source you are using, plasma, 90% of the time, will not show nearly as much grain as an LCD, mainly due to it's higher contrast ratio.
I've always told all of my clients... only buy an LCD if you are going to have a lot of ambient light/glare issues.
Furthermore, somwhere in this thread it was stated that no one films in 1080p yet because it's too costly to edit? Not true. There are many cameras that are capable of filming in 1080p. The majority of broadcast HD quality cameras can do it. It's not any more costly to edit with it either. Final Cut Pro can do it with no issues. It can even support a true 4k film resolution format, 4X the resolution of 1080p. However, broadcast technology cannot support streaming of 1080p currently and I don't see them offering it anytime soon. 1080p, like others have said, is great for console gaming and Blu-Ray/HD-DVD playback. That's it.
. Anyway, here is what I can offer as some feedback and what I have learned over the years.Plasma is better in EVERY aspect, except for rooms with a lot of ambient lighting that would cause glare (glass surface). Also, plasma's do generate more heat and use a marginally more electricity.
Plasma's black's and white's are true, this is a result of their much superior contrast ratio. The reason many people think that LCD's are better for dark movies, is simply because they cannot produce a true black, rather, they are producing many dark shades of grey, revealing more in the shadow areas. A properly calibrated plasma will display all shades of black and grey perfectly.
With plasma, there is no ghosting or trailing due to a slower response time/refresh rate. They often offer a much more accurate color rendition, where as LCD's often look over saturated and lack fine details in the colors (this is more a generalization and they have gotten much better over the years). Also, depending on what source you are using, plasma, 90% of the time, will not show nearly as much grain as an LCD, mainly due to it's higher contrast ratio.
I've always told all of my clients... only buy an LCD if you are going to have a lot of ambient light/glare issues.
Furthermore, somwhere in this thread it was stated that no one films in 1080p yet because it's too costly to edit? Not true. There are many cameras that are capable of filming in 1080p. The majority of broadcast HD quality cameras can do it. It's not any more costly to edit with it either. Final Cut Pro can do it with no issues. It can even support a true 4k film resolution format, 4X the resolution of 1080p. However, broadcast technology cannot support streaming of 1080p currently and I don't see them offering it anytime soon. 1080p, like others have said, is great for console gaming and Blu-Ray/HD-DVD playback. That's it.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 6,170
Likes: 118
From: Long Island, NY
Originally Posted by Jano,Jun 7 2007, 08:13 PM
To answer your OP, there is no resolution difference between 1080i and 1080p, interlaced takes 2 passes to display the full 1080 lines. Smaller than 42" screens and/or from distances of more than 6-8' and few people would be able to tell 720p from 1080p. At this point however I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't 1080p capable.
Also - Be prepared for something better and cheaper to be out within 3 months of buying anything!
ALSO 1080P will be coming frome cable. specifically Verizon Fios plans to launch 2-5 channels this summer.. Also 120 hz does make a big difference. Especially if you watch anything fast motion.
Why buy a tv now and than have to buy another one within two years?
Also the two best tvs on the market in a reasonable price range is the Sony XBR4 or the Samsung 71 series.
Hit me up if you have any questions. If your not to far from NY i might be able to hook u up with my employee discount on a tv.