Large screen high-definition flat panels make the top ten list in “must purchase” surveys this year-and for good reason. They bring a Jetsons-like future to the present, with the best models delivering bright, clear, sharp high-definition pictures with deep colors and rich life like sound, while they take up less space in the home. This guide will help you clear through confusing technical jargon and find a flat-panel TV that suits your viewing habits and lifestyle.Weighing the Pros and Cons
Many people become confused by what type of flat-panel TV—plasma or LCD—they should purchase. The technology you pick will depend on a number of factors, including screen size, viewing conditions, price and, ultimately, your perception of which one looks the best.In terms of size, LCD flat-panels start as small as 10 inches and go up to 65 inches. Sets above 52 inches, however, can get expensive. Unlike smaller LCD TVs which typically have old-style 4:3 aspect ratios, all plasmas are widescreen. Plasmas start at 37 inches and go up to 103 inches.
LCD Pros and Cons
LCDs are available in smaller sizes, allowing them to go where a 37-inch plasma will not fit. They also provide incredibly bright images when viewed on center. If you plan on watching your TV in a room with a lot of light, LCD has the edge over plasma, both with its bright picture and its special surface coatings that reduce room reflections.
LCDs generally have slower video response times than plasmas, which is noticeable primarily on sports and fast action scenes. They also have a narrower viewing angle, meaning that as you move off center, the image contrast and brightness drop off. Most LCD panels (as well as plasmas) are factory preset to stand out in the very bright lighting at most stores. When you get them home and out of the box, however, they are way too intense. You should change the menu setting from factory preset (usually Vivid) to Movie, Cinema or Standard (depending on your set) and lower the contrast (also called Picture Control) to the halfway point for the best picture.
If your television is going to be in room with normal lighting, plasma will provide superb image quality, dark blacks and bright whites over the widest viewing angle. However, if you need a screen below 37 inches, LCD is really the only choice available. Enclosed patios, really bright rooms with skylights or untreated windows, and sunny kitchens are all excellent spots for LCD displays of all sizes.
Plasma Pros and Cons
Plasmas have wide viewing angles, meaning you can sit off-center and still see a very good picture. They have high contrast ratios, excellent color, deep blacks, fast response times for viewing scenes with a lot of motion such as sports, and generally lower prices than LCDs above 42 inches. Today’s plasmas have a long life expectancy. Many of the top tier brands are now rated at 60,000 hours, which is equal to over 16 years of use when operating the set 10 hours a day, every day.
Plasma disadvantages are few. In the early days, the most common criticism was that they suffered from “burn-in,” meaning that when a static image such as a video game logo is on the screen for too long, its shadow may linger even after it’s gone. Burn-in really is the uneven wear of the phosphors within the plasma panel. The risk of burn in has been greatly reduced by the set makers and can be minimized with a simple precaution. Like with LCD, upon unpacking and connecting the set, change the “picture mode setting” from factory preset (usually Vivid) to Movie, Cinema or Standard (depending on the TV) and lower the contrast (also called the “picture control”) to about one half level for the best picture.
Choosing The Proper Size Panel
In the age of High Definition TV size matters most. What many shoppers and salesmen don’t realize, buying a screen that is too small or sitting too far away from the display will rob you from seeing all the high definition the set has to offer, thereby wasting your money. HDTV provides a more immersive viewing experience than old style 4:3 standard definition TV, as well more picture detail than you have ever seen on a home display. In order to fully resolve all the detail within HDTV, you must sit in the optimum viewing range. Sit further and your eyes will not be able discern all the detail within the image. There are three levels of resolution for flat TVs. The first level is not HDTV; it is called Enhanced Definition at 480 vertical lines. The two classes of HDTV grade displays are 720p/768p with the display showing either 720 lines (or 768 lines) of resolution from top to bottom and 1080 (i or p), the highest quality HDTV display, with 1080 lines of resolution. For ED sets you can sit as far as 3.4 times the screen diagonal to see all detail. This means up to 142.8 inches (just under 12 feet) from an ED (480p) 42” set. Using the same size screen a 720p/768p you need to be at a viewing distance of at 2.3 times the screen size or closer, which is equal to 96.6 inches or eight feet. With a 1080 (i or p) 42inch set you should at no more than 1.55 times the screen size or 65.1 inches (just under 5½ ft.) to distinguish ever pixel within the image.
(See the HD Guru’s seating chart for the optimum viewing distances with different screen sizes)
Understanding the Features
Monitor or Integrated HDTV
There are a number of high-definition LCD and plasma displays that are sold without tuners. These are called “HD monitors,” and, like a computer monitor, they are useless without a signal source. Most monitors come with speakers, but some do not. With an HD monitor, you must connect it to a high-definition source to receive a true high-definition picture. You have three good high def options— over-the-air tuner box, cable box and satellite. Do not confuse “digital cable” for high definition. Make sure your cable provider is supplying you with a high-definition signal. An integrated HDTV has a built-in digital tuner and can receive over-the-air HD broadcasts.
CableCARD – for cable subscribers a provider leased CableCARD slides into the back of the integrated HDTV. The TV with a CableCARD slot is called DCR for Digital Cable Ready. The CableCARD allows wall hanging of the HDTV without the need of an external cable box. The TV will receive all the SD and HD channels that you subscribe to including the premium ones (HBO, Showtime etc.) and tunes them in using the TVs supplied remote control. A bonus, the lease of the CableCARD is around $1.25-3.95 a month (depending on the cable provider), much less than the cost of leasing a high definition cablebox (around $7-13 month). In tests a CableCARD produced a sharper image than the leased cable boxes the HD Guru has sampled.
TV Guide On Screen (TVGOS) – CableCARD can not pass interactive cable programming, specifically impulse pay-per-view (you will have to call you cable provider to get Wrestlemania™), video on demand or your provider’s interactive program guide. TVGOS provides a full eight-day guide to all the shows and movies including specific program information. It’s free, there’s no subscription and the latest version works flawlessly. It is available on most major cable systems. It also allows automatic recording to a VCR or disc recorder, like a TiVo.
Signal Processing – One of the toughest jobs a HDTV has to do is to convert standard definition and high definition programming to the set’s native resolution, which is fixed at single matrix (such as 1366 x 768p). All standard definition (480i) and most high definition broadcasts (1080i) are interlaced (alternating lines of resolution are broadcast sequentially) but virtually all HDTV panels are progressive (all lines broadcast at the same time).
Sets that don’t properly deinterlace 1080i signals will drop up to one-half of the picture resolution off the screen, providing you far less detail than you paid for. A number of manufacturer recognize how important good signal processing (including proper deinterlacing) to provide the clearest image with all program material. All JVC, Hitachi and Pioneer sets properly deinterlace 1080i content. Some other vendors also include good scalers and you can find out which ones by reading the HD Guru’s test of 61 HDTVs with an in depth technical explanation at http://www.hometheatermag.com/hookmeup/1106hook/
(The HD Guru will be posting test results of another 15 HDTVs very soon)
IEEE 1394/ FireWire – Is the only two-way interface that allows one to record HDTV signals. There are DVHS HD tape recorders from JVC and RCA hard disc drive (HDD) recorder available to archive HDTV broadcast or cable signals, (all leased HD cableboxes must have an active IEEE1394 port according to FCC regulations). Next year HD DVD and Blu-ray recorders are expected to arrive. You will need IEEE 1394 to record a HDTV signal to a disc in high definition.
Myths and Cautions
LCD – The big myth, the liquid will leak out of LCD panels. This is not true; all LCD panels are sealed and never need to be refilled. You should always handle the panel by its frame, never lie the panel face down and never press on the screen. The front glass is very thin (much thinner than the front glass found on Plasma TVs) and cracks quite easily.
Plasma – The big myth, the Plasma gas will leak and need to be recharged. Like LCD, plasma panels are factory sealed and won’t leak or ever need to have the internal gases refilled.
Another myth, Plasma TVs consume more electricity than LCD. Fact, in recent HD GURU tests, plasma TVs used fewer watts of electricity than comparably sized LCD flat panel televisions.
Parts of this article appear with permission from Best Magazine.
© 2006 HD Guru all rights reserved
AJ
Posted on 3rd December, 2006
Hello HD Guru…Is it true that Plasmas can not be used with Game consoles(Xbox360;PS3; etc) or as computer monitors as an LCD can?
Thanks
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I hate to break this to everyone, but flat LCDs also have problems, the pixels tend to get stuck in a state leaving and image on the screen as they do on my 20.1″ widescreen Dell computor monitor. Only display that will not retain an image, because it can’t is DLP. I have seen image retention on all of the other technologies.
So your choice is either get a DLP or adjust the set to minimize the possiblity. You do that by placing the diplay in the “standard” mode and turning down the contrast (picture) control to as low as you can tolorate, a setting below 50%, as close to 25% or less if the display donen’t become too dark to play the game. Doing this before game play, greatly dimininshes the risk of burn-in is . If you follow these rules its just a question of the percent of time the TV is being used as a game monitor. The lower percent the less likely there will be uneven wear of phosphors on plasmas or CRTs.
The best way to check for and repair a burned-in display is with an all white screen. Some sets have it built-in other you must connect a test DVD disc such as video essentials.
By placing on-screen the all white pattern and turning the contrast back to normal, you can instantly tell if there is an image being retained. If it is a plasma, it may likely be just residual charge from viewing. If you turn off the plasma for a few hours to let the charge dissapate and when you power it back on it is reduced or eliminated, then it residual charge an no damage has been done.
If it is still in the same condition it is uneven wear. The cure is the all white screen with the conrtast cranked upto 80% or more while using the white screen. Keep the screen all white till the after image disappears, then back the contrast control down to around 50%-60% where the set is bright enough in your rooms lighting conditons for regular TV viewing (not games see below).
The HD Guru’s Rules
Phosphor based TVs -Plasmas and CRT break-in the display for the first 200 hours by moving the mode setting from factory default (usually called Vivid) to Standard(TVs should never be viewed with any contnet in what is referred to as store torch mode). Next, set the picture (contrast on some sets) control to 50%.
Avoid video games on CRT or plasma for at least the the first 100 hours of use and when playing video games, lower the contrast as low as you can get it and still be able see the action on screen to play , this must be below 50% and the lower the the steting the less risk of problems. Some sets have a game mode. If they do make sure it lowers the contrast below 50%.
The Rules about playing settings apply to all other TVs (LCoS, SXRD, DiLA, LCD ) except DLP projection.
The HD Guru
Russ
Posted on 3rd December, 2006
I live in a town that is too far for over the air broadcast, so I would not need a built in tuner, correct? Also still awaiting your reply as to
recommendation for best plasma, 1080p, 55-60 inch for use at altitude of 7,000 ft. Don’t really care about cost, just best picture.
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The HD Guru recommends the 58″ Panasonic TH-58PX600 ♥♥♥♥
It is rated up to 9100 ft. according to Panasonic
The HD Guru is also rates the 61″ Pioneer Elite Pro-1540 ♥♥♥♥
The Elite plasma is rated at 760 milibar pressure according to a Pioneer source. This is about 7741 ft using the caculator at http://www.csgnetwork.com/pressurealtcalc.html
These plasmas are all 1366 x 768. There are currently no 1080p plasmas in your size range . The closest one is the top rated 65″ Panasonic TH-65PX600U ♥♥♥♥
The HD Guru
Ed Schleyer
Posted on 15th December, 2006
I have seen your suggestions for the first time today(15 Dec 06). I am impressed with depth of thought on different subjects. Now that I have kissed up, I would like to ask, what is the size HDTV that I would have to purchase to have the same size viewing screen that I have on my 50″ “conventional” projection TV?
Look at my viewing distance chart, it has all 16:9 secreen sizes from 17″-120″ with dimensions including the matching 4:3 screen (same height) within a given size (closest for your 50″ is a 61″ widescreen) . Your 50″ 4:3 is 40″ wide and 30 inches high. What you want to match, screen height , width, or viewing area (sq. inches)?.Just go to the chart , though you will have to caculate viewing area yourself (VA = HXW)
The HD Guru
etype2
Posted on 20th December, 2006
You are clinging to all the outdated notions about LCD. The response time has been fixed,usually 8ms or better,most new LCD sets now have wide viewing angles,176 degrees for Sharp,178 degrees for Sony.Contrast and black levels are now equal to plasma. The most important advantage of LCD over Plasma which you left out is full 1080p reproduction 1920×1080(over 6,200,000 pixels) Plasma is still at 1366×768. Pioneer and Panasonic have been promising full HD,but still not available. Further an advertiser on this site is promoting a Sharp Aquos 52 inch full HD for $3499.00,so prices have come down.Samsung has anounced a 70 inch LCD for Feb.,07 release,so size is not a factor either. LCD backlighting is just now starting to appear(Samsung 40 inch LCD)which promises longer life and 105% Adobe color gamut.Please let’s talk about today’s reality and not the past.
You have been done in by nonsense specs. As seen in my most recent post, motin response is still and issue except for three tvs, 8ms show motion lag.
The angle of view spec is the most exaggerated claim, as there is no standard. As one moves off axis color is less saturated, whites become darker and blacks become whiter, which in turn drops the contrast ratio . Sure its 176 degrees but at minus what percent of brightness and color. Don’t know nobody states it. Don’t be duped by the Sony, Sharp and Samsung marketing machine. The LCDs are improving, but have no where near the performace levels of the set makers exaggerated claims.
The HD Guru
Rick K
Posted on 23rd December, 2006
Congratulations on a well planned and executed site. It is the most helpful I have visited.
Kudos out of the way – here is my question:
We have a Panasonic 42″ plasma purchased about two years ago. Since day one we have had feint horizontal lines across the panel that continually migrate from bottom to top. Is this a common problem with plasma screens and can it be remedied?
You have what is know as a ground loop. It is usually caused by uneven groud potential of two different power outlets in your home. Your must first try to isolate the cause of the problem.
1) disconnect everything from the plasma TV including cable, dvd player , vcr etc . With the TV powered on is the problem gone?
If yes it is a ground loop caused by uneven ground in one or more connected components , usually its the cable/satellite connection and you should go to step 2. If not, there is a problem inside the plasma contact panasonic
2) connect only the cable tv cable to the plasma (I am assuming you have cable, if its satellite connect it).
3) If the problem reappears you have an eneven ground potential between your TV and cable system. Is the cable box plugged into the same outlet as the TV, if not plug into the same outlet and see if the problem disappears, .
If you still have the problem with both the box and TV connected to the same power outlet, there the cable system is grounded differently than the house wiring. You can either call the cable company and say you have a ground loop caused by their system and they need to fix it at their expense.. or
contact jensentransformers.com
they sell a complete line of isolation transformers and instructions VRD-IFF is specifically designed for cable tv. its $59.99
To sum up . You need to determine where the ground loop is occuring by disconnecting all inputs and testing for loop one by one, if not found reconnect components one at a time till problem reappears. Then get the right isolation transformer to fix.
The HD Guru
Tommy C
Posted on 27th December, 2006
Good site, just one thing. Why no mention of the loud buzzing that some plasmas have been known to produce? This was for me, the biggest turn off from plasmas. Nothing ruins a good movie like low level buzzing in the background.
The HD Guru has not encountered this problem with the many plasmas he has tested. I am sure you have heard this occur, howver you do not state if the buzz you have heard has come from the panel or through the speakers. If it is the former it could be a defective or poorly designed power supply, it could also occur with plasmas operated above their maximum altitude rating.
If the buzz comes through the speakers, there could be several causes, but none should occur in a properly functioning plasma TV.
The HD Guru
Jeremy M.
Posted on 30th December, 2006
I”m a salesman at a Small Chain of Appliance and TV stores in Ohio. I get a lot of customers concerned with contrast ratio. I didn’t see too much on it throughout the website and I did have a couple questions concerning it. I understand there are two types of contrast, Dynamic and Static. Many companies Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, etc. list the rating of the Dynamic because its always the higher number being that it is an artificially enhanced contrast. The static contrast usually a much lower number is usually never published on Fact Tags and is very rarely asked about. I would like to know if the information I have is correct and if I should bring it up in a sales pitch knowing that while the enhanced (Dynamic) contrast is much higher than another model but the real (static) contrast is within 1000-3000:1 of its competitor. I would like to begin to form a strong customer base by offering up correct information. Thank You.
Read my HDTV Lies, False Claims Part 1, Item 1 as well as the Plasma vs. LCD artivle in the archive regarding ccontrast ratio. All manufacturer rated contrast ratios are determined in its own way and have little bearing on real life performance.
I always recommend always getting out of these Dynamic modes and into standard, movie or cinema depending on the TV for the most accurate picture.
Within a TV manufacturer’s own product line, to of the line HDTVs with higher rated contrast ratio tend to have better contrast than a less expensive model in the line though the pubished contrsast ratio numbers can not be duplicted with testing (as written in the refered articles.)
The HD Guru
Mikey
Posted on 6th February, 2007
Hey Guru,
Right now I am between the Sharp 52″ Aquos LCD and the Panasonic TH-58PX600. If you had the option I was wondering what you would pull the trigger on.
I sit about 11 feet away and watch everthing from HD, to SD, to HD-DVD, reg DVD and play games on it.
In regards to games, I hear the Panny pannels are pretty much the most ROBUST when it comes to makeing IR a non issue … is this true.
Also, I know the set accept 1080p, but does it do it over the VGA/PC input and Component as well as HDMI. THis is one feature I like in the new Sharp Aquos sets and the new D92 has VGA/DVI as well.
Thanks
———–
I would pick the plasma for the best image quality. Go to the Panasonic website and download the owner’s manual (its free) and it will list all the PC resolutions it syncs with. BTW the Panny was just top rated by Consumers Reports (I happy we agree this time).
The HD Guru
Mark
Posted on 25th April, 2007
Just a couple of questions. I want a TV mainly for sports viewing (alot of sports viewing) but my wife is not a sports fan and could care less. Is there a compromise? Secondly, I really want 1080p, do you have any recommendations? BTW…my room has several windows, but they are draped so the light is somewhat of an issue but not overwhelming. It does not affect our standard CRT. I am really confused as to which way to go LCD or plasma. I hear that for sports, LCD’s can be a bit “jittery” on fast moving sequences. Any advice would be appreciated i.e. makes and models.
Keep in mind that I am a complete novice to all of this technology.
Fast motion found in sports programming is not compatible with any 60HZ LCD the image becomes blurry. Tests have shown that the There are a handful of 120HZ LCD models currently available but these are in the under 42″ size range. Plasma clarity with fast motion trumps all LCD flat panels motion abilities including the 120 HZ models.
I will be posting a review of the latest Panasonic 50″ plasma. It is 1080p and an excellent performer. Stay tuned.
The HD Guru
Richard
Posted on 15th March, 2009
I bought a 42″ Panasonic Plasma EDTV about 6 years ago and have never regretted the fact that it cost me around $6k at the time. It has been a wonderful 6 years of movie and sports viewing. Now its time to update and move the old Plasma to the bedroom.
I was at Costco today noticed that the only large screen plasma’s still on display were Panasonics. There were a lot of LCD’s on display. While standing there viewing both types, the signal was showing a skydiver who jumped off a cliff and on the LCD screens you could see the pixel problems on the cliffs behind the skydiver. The LCD could not handle the fast moving motion of the background retative to the camera fixated on the falling skydiver. The background on the Plasma was crisp and clear.
This just reinforces my decision to upgrade to another Panasonic Plasma. I frankly don’t understand why more people are choosing LCD. They just don’t measure up to Plasma sets. I think most people are less well informed on the difference between the two and have been bying the bias toward LCD being pushed by the ad departments of the LCD makers.
It’s a shame that people are so influenced by false advertising claims when the truth is easy to see in a side by side comparison.
etype2
Posted on 15th March, 2009
Richard, I agree with you and the Guru, that plasma has a a small technical advantage. You need a dedicated home theater with a darkened room. LCD looks better in real world conditions with higher ambient light conditions in your viewing room. The truth be told, plasma is a dying tech. Only 3 manufactures are left to support plasma, Panasonic, Samsung, and LG. Correct me if I am wrong. Right now, LG is considering bailing out of plasma production. Panasonic is holding back on a new plasma plant. Plasma is just not doing well, globely and loseing money. Do you want to invest in plasma? ( It’s like the question with General Motors, do you want to buy a GM product, when a real possibility of GM going bankrupt?) Remember the old story of beta versus VHS? Beta was superior to VHS but lost, why, I won’t get in to it here. That’s another story. Plasma is a hard sell right now. I owned a plasma which failed prematurely. Happy owner of LCD products. The truth be told, the future is in OLED!
[...] LCD Pros and Cons LCDs are available in smaller sizes, allowing them to go where a 37-inch plasma will not fit. They also provide incredibly bright images when viewed on center. If you plan on watching your TV in a room with a lot of light, LCD has the edge over plasma, both with its bright picture and its special surface coatings that reduce room reflections. LCDs generally have slower video response times than plasmas, which is noticeable primarily on sports and fast action scenes. They also have a narrower viewing angle, meaning that as you move off center, the image contrast and brightness drop off. Most LCD panels (as well as plasmas) are factory preset to stand out in the very bright lighting at most stores. When you get them home and out of the box, however, they are way too intense. You should change the menu setting from factory preset (usually Vivid) to Movie, Cinema or Standard (depending on your set) and lower the contrast (also called Picture Control) to the halfway point for the best picture. If your television is going to be in room with normal lighting, plasma will provide superb image quality, dark blacks and bright whites over the widest viewing angle. However, if you need a screen below 37 inches, LCD is really the only choice available. Enclosed patios, really bright rooms with skylights or untreated windows, and sunny kitchens are all excellent spots for LCD displays of all sizes. Plasma Pros and Cons Plasmas have wide viewing angles, meaning you can sit off-center and still see a very good picture. They have high contrast ratios, excellent color, deep blacks, fast response times for viewing scenes with a lot of motion such as sports, and generally lower prices than LCDs above 42 inches. Todays plasmas have a long life expectancy. Many of the top tier brands are now rated at 60,000 hours, which is equal to over 16 years of use when operating the set 10 hours a day, every day. Plasma disadvantages are few. In the early days, the most common criticism was that they suffered from burn-in, meaning that when a static image such as a video game logo is on the screen for too long, its shadow may linger even after its gone. Burn-in really is the uneven wear of the phosphors within the plasma panel. The risk of burn in has been greatly reduced by the set makers and can be minimized with a simple precaution. Like with LCD, upon unpacking and connecting the set, change the picture mode setting from factory preset (usually Vivid) to Movie, Cinema or Standard (depending on the TV) and lower the contrast (also called the picture control) to about one half level for the best picture. Source: LCD vs. Plasma- The Pros and Cons HDGURU.Com Also, newer Plasmas have the option of an anti-glare coating which negates that advantage of LCD’s. Really, the only thing that LCD’s have going for them is lower power consumption and offer smaller sizes if that’s what you’re looking for. [...]
Jean-Louis
Posted on 24th March, 2009
Hi HD Guru!
I just stumbled on your site and am impressed with the quality and thoroughness of your responses. Keep up the good work!
Shopping for a bigger screen (40-42″?)for our bedroom and seek your advice.
First, our viewing habits/conditions:
- Mostly SD cable and some DVD
- 80% at night in dark room
- Set placement: 6 to 15 feet from the bed
- budget is around 800-1000 USD but would love less
We currently reside on the exotic island of Madagascar, which is VERY far away from any CAPABLE technicians, thus we need a proven set that presents MINIMUM risk of problems (sending out for repairs would involve major hassles).
Excellent quality and reliability are thus paramount! Decent sound would also be nice.
Thanks a million!
Jean-Louis
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