Plasma TV looks dim in store
- Thread starter gh4chiefs
- Start date
Yes response time has been a valid rating figure for LCD - the lower the better.
I don't refresh has ever been much of an issue for the LCDs screens. Higher refresh was an issue with CRT monitors to reduce flicker (and was usually 72Hz or above). Not sure what it was for tv's though.
Fair enough. Tell us about the room it's going in. Especially ambient lighting, window positioning, the time of day when the most direct sunlight comes through those windows, and where is the TV goingto be in relation to that light??
Your post, although probably well-intentioned, is very out of touch and misinformed. It's probably been a few years since you shopped heavily for a TV, eh? The SXRD comment dates it.
Today's plasmas do not run hot. They run warm. Saying they run hot makes it sound like it would burn a child were they to touch it, which is not the case.
Several models of plasma even qualify for the Energy Star certification, like my Pro-111FD
.Current plasma TVs are not prone to burn-in. Burn-in is permanent and cannot be undone. During the first 100-150 hours, plasma sets are more prone to temporary image retention, as the phosphors age. After that, you can play what you want, when you want. Most plasma tvs also have a lower input lag, which is beneficial for gamers, because it decreases the lag time between moving the controller and seeing your character move on the screen. The worst at input lag are Samsung LCDs.
To the OP, if you can find a 9G KURO Pioneer still around for $1500-1700, get it and don't look back. It will give you all you will want until OLED does come around in an affordable incarnation (5-10 years).
There aren't enough hours in the day to run your plasma so much that it makes a disconcerting dent in your power bill. Both LCD and plasma cost pennies a day. Plasma just costs a few more pennies.
About the heat. I guess if you live in Sante Fe with no A/C, and you only watch TV at midday, a plasma just might make you crazy. Me, in the summer I just turn on the ceiling fan - poof! Crisis averted!
I can assure you that, in the case of my store at least, we do not "detune" bargain tvs, nor do we jigger with the tvs in any way.
Sometimes 2 different types of individuals will put out a new TV at Best Buy. First will be a warehouse person, whose job is to get it out, function-tested and on the wall ASAP. But, while he's doing that, he's dividing his time also among pulling out new printers for Black Friday, unloading a truck with 2000-3000 pieces on it, doing daily tasks for his boss, covering coworkers jobs while they take a lunch, etc.
The second type will be an actual Home Theater person. He's putting it up only AFTER the store closes because the lift he uses cannot come out onto the sales floor until all customers are gone (injury liability to worry about). Then he unboxes the TV, attaches the mount, function-tests it, gets a buddy to help him lift it into place, attaches the coaxial cable, turns the tv on and runs it through a channel scan so he can go out with his friends to the bar after work. That's IT. They leave them in Dynamic (AKA torch) Mode. There are no directives to make cheap TVs look bad. Cheap TVs do that on their own. Now, the exception is that a couple TVs will get a little extra treatment and get ISF calibrated, to show the benefit of the service. That really is it.
I know some of you still won't accept that.
Such is life.
So what you're telling me Irishman that my theory that the brightness being turned down on these plasmas from the factory might not be too far fetched?
As for room it will be in, well I do have a set of windows behind me that provides light into the room but if I were to go with a plasma I would probably put up some curtains (just have blinds right now) to help with the glare from the windows behind me.
Your comment about input lag intrigued me, especially since you said Samsung LCDs (my alternative choice) are the worst for that. Can you expand upon that? Thanks!
As for room it will be in, well I do have a set of windows behind me that provides light into the room but if I were to go with a plasma I would probably put up some curtains (just have blinds right now) to help with the glare from the windows behind me.
Your comment about input lag intrigued me, especially since you said Samsung LCDs (my alternative choice) are the worst for that. Can you expand upon that? Thanks!
Plasma TVs, by nature, are dimmer than LCD and LED/LCD tvs. So, no they haven't been turned down. For all the advantages plasmas have, the highest brightness is not one of them. If you want a plasma that bridges the gap in the outputted luminosity of plasma and LCD, then get a Panasonic G10 and have it ISF calibrated (I don't care if you have Best Buy do it or not. There are plenty of local ISF-trained calibrators out there).
However, I would respectfully ask you to challenge the thought that the brightest image somehow constitutes the superior image. Certainly manufacturers know that bright images grab your attention on a showroom floor, but that doesn't speak to factors that are more important in the consideration process - onboard video processing (scaling, proper de-interlacing, color processing, gamma, etc), an even grayscale from corner to corner, black levels (with an accompanying avoidance of what is called "black crush").
There's not much more I can tell you about the input lag issue. I recommend googling it and reading various forae online where folks talk about their challenges with input lag.
All US distributed video TV content is 60Hz currently. I'm not aware of any initiative to change this.
LCD response time is due to inertia. Liquid crystals actually rotate 90 degrees under an electric charge. LCDs work with 1 stationary polarized filter, and transmit light through the crystals and the filter. Changing the voltage at each pixel is what allows light to pass or not. Since the liquid crystals actually have mass, it takes time for them to respond to the changes in current.
A 16 ms response time is sufficient to keep up with 60Hz.
Note that these times are for broadcast video standards. Many of these new sets have inputs that can be connected to a PC, and higher refresh rates are often used in that scenario. It won't make and movies and shows played off the PC look any better though due to their 60Hz origin.
I guess intellectually I grasp what your saying, but the bottom line is, I still don't like the picture as much when sitting side by side with the LCD, at least with respect to the perceived brightness. It just looks . . . dull to me, as if I'm watching through cheap sunglasses or something.
That's one of the issues I'm having with my current LCD rear projection that I'm thinking about replacing. It's just dull and not vibrant at all. Other than motion blur issues, it doesn't appear that I'd be gaining anything by investing in a plasma (not to mention I'd lose a little bit in screen size 52 to 50).
Plasma is a lot cheaper and I really like to like it. But as I mentioned previously, it's hard to psychologically let go of the money when I'm not thrilled with the picture I'm seeing.
Is vibrancy the end-all and be-all foryou? If so, go LCD and realize that neon colors are not natural at all.
Congrats. Remember, stay away from those Sammies!
Go with either Sony, Toshiba, Insignia Advanced Series, LG or Sharp.
Actually I have a 46 inch Samsung (second TV) that I'm real pleased with right now, so IF I change, it will probably be for another Samsung. A friend of mine recently had a real bad experience with a Sony, so I probably will avoid them like the plague. LG is an alternative too.
Looks like LG makes a good 55" 240 Hz LCD, but my local stores don't carry it.
Can they order it?
Looks like LG makes a good 55" 240 Hz LCD, but my local stores don't carry it.
55LH90.... Baller TV... Worth every dime.
Problem is... That TV is such a hot seller it's hard to get ahold of.
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