Everyone has their favorite and usually it’s just a matter of personal taste. But there are times when something is simply better at certain things. Take HDTV monitors for instance. Your choice in video game monitor is personal and there are several reasons why you’d choose from the array of options available.
But when it comes to the best picture quality at the lowest price in the current crop of HDTV technologies you simply can’t beat plasma. Read on true believer and you shall get the proof you seek!
The closest contender to plasma is the LCD panel and there are some good reasons some might prefer an LCD display.
LCD is…
• lighter
• usually thinner
• consumes less energy
• named after a cool band called LCD Soundsystem
• free of burn-in
The most important reason most owners will tell you they went with an LCD panel was to avoid burn-in. That’s a huge misconception.
Plasma burn-in myth
Burn-in or image retention hasn't been an issue for Plasma display technologies since 2004. Most of the big name plasma HDTVs received torture tests back in 2005 in an independent study that hammered the final nail into the coffin of burn-in once and for all.
We’ve all either seen or heard about the horrors of burn-in. Ghosts or shadows of images that stayed on your plasma (or CRT) too long became literally burned into the display material, ruining the monitor.
Burn-in can be especially worrisome to gamers who may run marathon sessions of their favorite First Person Shooter complete with a HUD permanently fixed on their display. Imagine the horror of always seeing the outline of that HUD even after you’ve inserted a new game. The display is effectively broken and it’s not covered under warranty. It’s enough to make a grown man cry, especially after spending thousands on a new 50-inch set.
But the Image Science Foundation (ISF) assures us that through normal use there is almost no chance of seeing image retention on any modern plasma. Normal use can even include the odd 8-hour Halo 3 marathon.
The test performed in 2005 took plasmas from Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Pioneer and Hitachi and forced them to display a high contrast static image for 48-hours. Any image retention was temporary and disapeared after displaying normal video for 24 hours. It should be noted that this kind of temporary image retention can also occur with LCD.
So, that leaves us with the advantages of plasma over LCD – and there are many.
• Plasma is faster
Pixels can be measured in refresh rates. New LCD technologies get them up to 120 Hz which will cost you a premium today. Consider Plasma technology has always refreshed somewhere around 720Hz. Persistence of vision or those trailers you may see behind fast moving images on LCD panels are simply not an issue for plasma.
• Superior contrast – brighter colors
LCD technology uses a back-light so every pixel is effectively a filtered contortion of the light provided by a single source. The source is a lamp in the case of front and rear projection LCD displays or LED commonly used on LCD panels.
Each individual Plasma pixel is a separate source of light that can displays color independent of the pixel beside it. This is why plasma can provide the most breathtaking contrast of any display type and most total light output. Gamers have particular need of contrast, especially in a highly competitive FPS.
Is that someone’s head popping up behind that window across the street?
When it comes to evaluating image quality it’s a personal endeavor. You have to audition different monitors and see what looks best for you. Nobody can tell you plasma looks better if you just prefer a particularly brand of LCD.
But don’t make the mistake of overlooking a great deal on a plasma display for your gaming rig just because you’ve heard horror stories about burn-in. Burn-in went as extinct as Turok’s dinosaurs back in 2004.
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I have a 56 inch Samsung DLP. How does that rank? Serious question. I feel its smooth and bright and everything also like 1/2 the price. Only down side its a foot thick but I really don't mind...
I have an LCD TV and I see no problem. When comparing LCDs and Plasmas I saw that LCDs were brighter and looking more "realistic" but Plasmas had a better picture.
I am particularily interested in picking up one of the new Pioneer Kuro Version 2 model Plasmas... They currently sport the deepest of the deepest blacks... So very, very tasty...
Aw c'mon.. CRT for the win! Well, I love mine anyway, too bad they stopped making HD CRTs for the most part.
I've never gotten the problem with DLPs, especially stuff like the Sony SXRD series. They look just as good as any others except for the rainbowing, which is much more minor than it seems. In stores they look terrible, but if you make me stand a few feet away from the TV and off to the left when I'm at your house playing games, I'm not comin back over any time soon.
While I don't really disagree with anything you say and you seem to know what you are talking about, I have to update your "Rainbow Effect" status on DLP's. While everything you said was spot on about the Rainbow Effect being caused by the Color Wheel I wanted to make sure you were informed about the new(ish) Samsung LED DLP models. I recently about 4 months ago picked up a 1080p 56" Samsung LED DLP.
Since this TV has no Color Wheel it has 0 possibility of a person seeing the rainbow effect. On top of this the LED technology keeps you from having to spend money replacing the bulb since the LED are rated for 20,000-50,000 (Allegedly, I say 20,000 tops) Hours as compared to 1,000-8,000 hours or so on a standard Bulb DLP. The colors are the most vivid I have seen on any TV and the Black range is outstanding. This TV also accepts 1080p over component which is great for my 360. The Blu Ray picture makes people want to run out and buy my TV, it is by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen on any TV. And the size to cost ratio on a DLP cant be beat, A MAJOR drwback for Plasma... a 1080p 56" plasma would run you a GRIP of cash.
The only drawbacks to this TV are...
1. Viewing angle is less than that of a LCD or Plasma. (Drawback in all DLP's)
2. Even though the back is only 14" thick it cant be wall mounted.
3. Need to buy a stand for this monster.
I would recommend this TV to anyone though. Every single person that has come to my house has said it is the best picture they have ever seen on a TV. They are awe struck every time.
The Model Number is: Samsung HL-T5687S
For anyone that is curious. More info can be found here.
http://review.zdnet.com/pro...