Plasme, LCD, and DLP

[AsylumSeeker]

My wife wants me to upgrade the TV. I have two big questions.

The first is LCD, DLP, or Plasma? In internet searches I have read that plasma is fragile, while LCD is less fragile. Not much on DLP.

The second is if I currently have 36 inches (hey, we're talking tube TV's here!) how does that equate to a widescreen?

Would appreciate your experience and/or intimate knowledge!

Thanks all, in advance. My savings account is at stake!

 

[Wise_Man]

HD LCD all the way, but for what one u get is up2 u because u get what pay

 

[AsylumSeeker]

When the wise man speaks, I listen.

HD LCD all the way, but for what one u get is up2 u because u get what pay

 

[izod]

I love my plasma. Just don't leave it on the same channel or on pause for days.

 

[Weird Harold]

The first is LCD, DLP, or Plasma? In internet searches I have read that plasma is fragile, while LCD is less fragile. Not much on DLP.

From what I've seen on shows like HGTV's "I want That" DLP and This Old House" -- Digital Laser Projection" looks like the technology I'd go for. But it is a projection techology and doesn't do well in normal or adverse lighting environments, you need a room where you can control the lighting.

One of the last episodes of the "This Old House" series on the "modern" house (in Boston?) had a segment on the different options and which works best for which conditions. You might check PBS.org for a link to that epsiode and possibly some links to more information.

 

[cd1_christine]

Options.

My wife wants me to upgrade the TV. I have two big questions.

The first is LCD, DLP, or Plasma? In internet searches I have read that plasma is fragile, while LCD is less fragile. Not much on DLP.

The second is if I currently have 36 inches (hey, we're talking tube TV's here!) how does that equate to a widescreen?

Would appreciate your experience and/or intimate knowledge!

Thanks all, in advance. My savings account is at stake!

LCD's, since they absorb light, typically have some kind of a backlight. This is usually a fluorescent type light, which will eventually fail and need to be repaired/replaced. This can happen in anything from a 18 months to several years. It's always a proprietary bulb, which means you'll have to pay probably a couple of hundred dollars for what is really a $20 tube.

Plasmas generate their own light, so there's no backlight to worry about. But most of the earlier displays of this type are failing after about 5-6 years. Seems that's the likely life expectancy of this type of display panel. It may have improved with something you'd buy now, but still something to think about.
Google for "plasma display lifespan", and you'll find they're typically rated at about a 30,000 hour half-life. That means after 30,000 hours, your display is half as bright as it was when new. That works out to a little less than 3 years of 24/7 operation. Admittedly, you won't use it that much, but you'll also not be liking it too much when it's 1/2 it's original brightness, so you'll probably want to replace/repair it at this point. Assume about 5-6 years in.

I don't know a lot about DLP, but according to this page: http://www.plasmadepot.com/dlptv/dlptelevisionlifespan.html
they have a bulb which lasts about 8000 hours, and will typically cost $250 to replace. That's less than a year of 24/7, so be prepared to spend $250 every 2 1/2 years on your TV to keep it working. Not something I'd be prepared to do.

Of course, I'm also comparing this to my old 26" floor model Zenith that was made in 1974, and just died for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
I tend not to like things that are made with planned obsolescence, and a 5-year lifespan on a TV falls into this category for me.

Although 32 years may be a little excessive......

CD

 

[CasualLurker]

Try checking out the forums at the following, there's a wealth of info if you're willing to read:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

CasualLurker

 

[only_more_so]

My wife wants me to upgrade the TV. I have two big questions.

The first is LCD, DLP, or Plasma? In internet searches I have read that plasma is fragile, while LCD is less fragile. Not much on DLP.

The second is if I currently have 36 inches (hey, we're talking tube TV's here!) how does that equate to a widescreen?

Would appreciate your experience and/or intimate knowledge!

Thanks all, in advance. My savings account is at stake!

A lot of it depends on what you watch and where you watch it. Plasma TVs are the most expensive, but deal better with rapidly moving pictures and bright rooms. LCD's are cheaper but often have a lag problem. When I was looking at TV's they had on a hockey game, all the LCD screens had ghosts trailing the players. DLP is the newest technology so it has the most uncertainty at this time, but I have heard it is between LCD and Plasma in terms of behavior.

Screen size is measured by diagonals, so a 38 inch HD TV will be shorter and wider than a 38 inch TV. Because the picture on a HD TV has greater resolution, you can sit closer to it without being able to discern pixels (much like a computer screen which generally has higher resolution than even HD). Of course, I prefer to get a bigger screen than to sit closer.

I got a 42 inch plasma, and sit about 9 feet away, and it seems just about right. I could have gone a bit bigger, but they get expensive really quickly. I chose the plasma because it had the brightest picture, the clearest colors and didn't suffer ghosting like the other TVs I looked at.

My advice though would be to look at all of the models in the store, especially if you can view them side my side. If you watch a lot of sports or action type movies, make sure you get those demoed. The final warning is to be careful about lighting. A lot of stores have the TVs either under bright flourescent lights (which will wash out TVs that would be perfectly acceptable under home lighting conditions) or in a dark area where even the meager TVs appear bright and clear.

 

[ombligo1]

Also, if you can put off the purchase for one more year the major manufacturing plants (most are made by three corporations and rebranded) have new factories coming on line that will quadruple production. That should bring a major reduction in price.

 

[sba]

I have a philips lcd,you can stand at horizontal angle and still see the picture but my mum has a plasma LG and any angle less than 30 ,you can not see clear.like when you are sat on a chair to the side.
My lap top is plasma too,i need to correct the screen so i can see colours better.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Thanks all for the tips and resources.

 

[Chicago69]

I've got a 50" Samsung DLP HDTV Widescreen and haven't had any problems with it. it looks great and i havent had to replace the buld. I've had it for 3 years now.

Also, it weighs only about 70 pounds so it's easy to move if you gotta clean.

I also hear that LCDs are good and lightweight. But, I heard that you might have a problem with one of the pixels(or more) going out which may be rare, but can still happen. i am not sure if a pixel can be fixed once it goes out, and if it can, I am not sure how much it would cost or how easy/hard it would be to fix it.

Goodluck.