View Full Version : Is Plasma a dead end technology?
Bonzo Banana
22-03-2004, 02:02
After reading numerous magazines and features about how LCD displays are going to get bigger and cheaper and don't seem to have any real problems with screenburn, lifespan, geometry or anything to be honest it made me think that Plasmas were perhaps on the way out.
Is there anything plasmas are better at than LCD?
I mean given the choice between a 40" LCD set and a 40" plasma set with everything else being equal which set would you go for and why?
You hear of companies like Loewe and Sharp which have gone over to LCD televisions with Loewe saying they won't design any more CRT sets and Sharp stopping CRT manufacturing and now just rebranding Vestel sets from Turkey. No company seems to be seeing Plasma as the future.
Maybe even CRT sets will outlast Plasma?
Before anyone thinks this is in anyway a critiscism of buying a Plasma, it is not. I'd honestly love one myself, I'm just talking about the future direction of the industry.
daveb975
22-03-2004, 09:39
It all depends on when you want to buy. Given the choice between a 40" plasma and 40" LCD at the present time, I would go for plasma everytime - even if the price was the same.
IMO, the picture on the current range of LCDs is very poor, and certainly a long way behind plasma/CRT. A still image can look stunning, but fast movement and black levels still seem to be the big problems.
A properly set up plasma, fed with a good source can come close to the image quality of CRT. The fact that these are available from £2.5k makes plasma the only realistic choice if you want a screen size bigger than 42", unless you can live with a projector as a day to day TV.
If you were to ask the same question in 1-2 years time, I think that the answer would be very different.
In the future, it looks as though the large screen TV to buy will be LCD, at the moment I would buy anything but.
Bonzo Banana
22-03-2004, 10:21
Theres also Sony's Grand Wega LCD projection sets. At about £3,000 for a 40" set I suppose thats competing directly with plasma models.
I've seen Philips and Sharp LCD sets and the display on them was very good but they were smaller than 40".
So admittingly it looks like Plasma are competitive for now but is there anyone who sees them being available in 5 years time?
craigizmo2k2
22-03-2004, 14:32
Sony's Gran Wega lcd projection sets do look really stunning I must say.
Watched a bit of finding nemo on it, the colours are astounding! :eek:
Isn't the Grand Wega a rear projection TV? That's a totally different kettle of fish to an LCD screen as RP technology has been around for longer than plasma.
Keiron99
22-03-2004, 20:36
Originally posted by craigizmo2k2
Sony's Gran Wega lcd projection sets do look really stunning I must say.
Watched a bit of finding nemo on it, the colours are astounding! :eek:
It's amazing how when people are demonstrating TVs or displays, they always show Toy Story, Monsters Inc or Finding Nemo. Have a look at the thread here showing off people's HT setups and you'll see what I mean. That's because it's relatively easy to make a display that looks good with such unchallenging images. Stick a football match on if you want to see how good these sets really are.
brock_landers
22-03-2004, 21:01
Given the choice of any screen at the moment, I would go for a Sharp LC37HV4 LCD panel. When properly setup they are stunning.
Failing that I would go for a Pioneer PDP434HDE plasma.
That said and even though I can quite easily buy them at trade price, I really can't justify buying either at the moment.
Other than the poor greys/blacks on LCD's, theres the problem of dead pixels, which may cause problems for some. These seem to be more prevalent in LCD technology.
LCD's are usually much higher resolution than similar sized plasmas, so with Hi Def TV/HTPC becoming more widespread over the next few years, LCD would be a more "Futureproof" albeit more expensive bet at the moment.
Incidentally, Pioneer do not see plasma as an interim technology as they are investing hundreds of millions on two new factories specifically for plasma production over the coming year. Read into that what you will....
Cheers,
Brock.
Remember CRT is a dead end technology - but it hasn't done badly for the last 50 years.
Ian McDonald
24-03-2004, 14:37
Check out the current Phillips 40 " It is astounding !
Just wish for 2 things....awall big enough to hang it and some cash to buy it !!
Ian.
Originally posted by brock_landers
Incidentally, Pioneer do not see plasma as an interim technology as they are investing hundreds of millions on two new factories specifically for plasma production over the coming year. Read into that what you will....
Cheers,
Brock.
I'm pretty sure i read that Pioneer have bought NEC's Plasma production.
Brock do you work for a home cinema company?
I'm after a plasma and would be interested to talk to you.
Regards
craigizmo2k2
24-03-2004, 16:14
Originally posted by Keiron99
It's amazing how when people are demonstrating TVs or displays, they always show Toy Story, Monsters Inc or Finding Nemo. Have a look at the thread here showing off people's HT setups and you'll see what I mean. That's because it's relatively easy to make a display that looks good with such unchallenging images. Stick a football match on if you want to see how good these sets really are.
I did see a bit of the football on one at a mates house and I thought it was great to be honest :|
I know your point though, at currys all the rear pro and plasmas are on nemo films etc and the normal tellys show ads for new movies :|
brock_landers
24-03-2004, 20:09
Originally posted by Deron
I'm pretty sure i read that Pioneer have bought NEC's Plasma production.
Brock do you work for a home cinema company?
I'm after a plasma and would be interested to talk to you.
Regards
I work in the industry so to speak. Any questions, just ask away.
Brock.
bluescrn
24-03-2004, 21:11
Originally posted by craigizmo2k2
I did see a bit of the football on one at a mates house and I thought it was great to be honest :|
On terrestrial (analogue) TV?
Football seems to suffer particularly badly from being converted to a compressed digital format.... which is why it can look bad on big, expensive TVs....
Squirrel God
24-03-2004, 23:53
Don't plasmas have a wider viewing angle than LCDs?
Yes Plasma viewing angle better that LCD.... but new LCD tech means that viewing angle getting better.
quite a good article here (http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/displays_LCD_DLP_plasma1.html) from AudioHolics.
Plasma will be replaced by LCD (but maybe not in its current form) is the gist of it. But right now panel size is the big issue.
everytime i look at an LCD set and then look at the price i've been shocked at how something that to me looks so bad can cost so much. the sony LCD RP sets aren't bad, but again when they're viewing discs that the sony shop know look good, its gonna look different. i took my copy of T2 UE with me last year as i wanted to check out the quality of DTS at the time, and the picture quality on that dropped severly. still looked good mind, but nothing in comparison to the test discs they use.
but then again, i like normal RPTV, and i like normal front projectors. i find cheap plasmas look abysmal, and the only time i've ever seen ones i think look good are when the price is over £5k
Stand back from a Plasma... they are noisey close up... its all about optimum viewing distance...
Originally posted by brock_landers
I work in the industry so to speak. Any questions, just ask away.
Brock.
Ah, I thought you were a supplier.
I've got the pe30 on order at the moment.
But if there was a chance of getting it somewhere else cheaper and it would benefit a forum member then it would be worthwhile.
Sprout Crumble
25-03-2004, 19:51
I have never, and I mean NEVER, seen a large size LCD display a picture of a quality acceptable at half their prices.
If plasma is a dead end technology, LCD is a terminally flawed one.
IMHO, neither technology will achieve dominance before they are both replaced by one of several interesting new technologies in their early stages of marketable development.
As it stands at the moment, plasma is far superior to LCD and at much better prices. A no-brainer.
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