TV & Home Theater

[srainey99]

I am looking at buying a 46"-52" flat screen and I'd like to know what issues I might have to deal with if i get a plasma or LCD TV.  Are all the plasma problems I heard about a few years ago still around?

Thanks!!

Shawn

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Hey srainey99,

Plasma TV's have actually come a long way since they were first introduced.  The biggest advancement though came in the form of motion adaptive technology that "moves" displayed images slightly on the screen to help prevent image burn/retention.  Granted, most users don't necessarily use plasma TV's to display static images, but this kind of feature certainly does help protect screens when they are most prone to this kind of damage - the first few hundred hours of use.

Keep in mind though many plasma TV's still run into problems when placed in well-lit rooms simply because of the glass sheets that are used to cover their screens.  The more light sources are present in a room, the higher the chances are that you'll have a distracting reflection on the screen.

Hope this helps you out!

Agent Aaron

Geek Squad® Community Connector

Go Ahead.  Use Us.

[sftechie74]

I agree that plasma has come a long way since it was first introduced.  I also have to agree about the glare!  That was the single biggest reason I chose the Hitachi UT37X902 (37 inches, so a bit smaller than what you're looking at) over the plasma. It was a bit pricier than the plasma models but it's totally worth it, if nothing else, for the sheer sophistication!  And of course the ultra-thin monitor - 1.5 inches makes the plasma look like my grandmother's TV now!  And even though the guys at Best Buy were super helpful, the ahem..."ambiance" of the showroom doesn't do this baby justice! 

Anyway, a good rule of thumb is 50" and over is plasma - anything less is LCD.  Again, the glare thing is right on - I have a huge bay window in living room so lots of natural light - plasma definitely reflects...it's much better in dark bedroom, dark home theater, etc.  My wife also says the LCD is "greener" - I could care less but she seems to find that a big differentiator!

[hockeycanuckjc Trusted Contributor]

Agree with the greener part.

[Eyeview]

I am trying to decide which is better t buy for use as both a tv and a monitor - i need the large size pc screen because of vision problems. I have researched and found the both the  Dynx plasma and lcd get good reviews and have pc imputs but the specs dont say anything else about the imputs. If burn in image is an issue with plasma tv screens it sunds like this would be a contradictin for monitor use especially since i have pc on for long periods, i suppse a screen saver then would be necessary. The lcd is about 100 dollars more fr the 42 inch but bth are mre reasonable than other brands and have mostly psitive reviews on picture and ease of set up both here and now defunct stre nt allwed to mention n forum site,

what cable is needed to hook up pc or laptp t tv?

thanks for any help.

[keldrin]

Eyeview, I would recommend an LCD for you - better with a PC.

http://www.learninghdtv.com/53/plasma_vs_lcd.htm