Some salespeople still think flat-panel LCDs beat plasmas?
In a time when CNET's two top-rated HDTVs of the year are Panasonic's TH-50PZ800U and Pioneer's PDP-5020FD, we have to wonder why a salesperson would recommend flat-panel LCD HDTVs at the rate that J.D. Power and Associates claims in a recent report.
Pioneer's Kuro PDP-5020FD, one of our top plasma HDTVs
(Credit: CNET Networks)The report, which surveyed more than 2,000 shoppers on their experience in big-box electronic retailers, a specialty television retailer, a mass merchant, and a warehouse store, found that retail salespeople recommended LCDs over plasmas at a three-to-one rate.
Sure, plasmas have a long list of supposed failings: they're allegedly bulky and power hungry, and have image burn-in issues and leaks, and a short lifespan. However, most of these problems--image burn-in being the most common with early plasma sets--have been resolved on modern plasma displays.
According to the report, however, "37 percent of salespersons warned their customers that images may be permanently burned onto the screen of plasma TVs." The lifespan argument doesn't hold up either, as both LCD and plasma lifespan claims are basically the same now at 60,000 hours each. And, with LCDs still costing more at equivalent screen sizes, it's certainly convenient for retailers to promote the LCD technology over its less expensive rival.
In larger screen sizes especially, plasma is still the more affordable choice between the two. A typical 50-inch plasma TV is generally less expensive than the typical 52-inch and even many 46-inch LCD sets. To compare between the two most-popular brands from each category, Panasonic's entry-level 50-inch model costs $1,399 at Best Buy today, while the least-expensive 52-inch LCD from Samsung goes for $1,999 and the least-expensive 46-incher for $1,499.
As for deep black levels, plasma HDTVs are still king of the hill. Pioneer's new PDP-5020FD set is testament to this fact as seen in our recent review. Side by side, as we watched a dark scene from the Blu-ray version of the film, I am Legend, the PDP-5020FD came in first place--the dark areas in the scene nearly disappeared in our darkened home theater test facility--last year's PDP-5080HD came in second; the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U came in third; and the Samsung LN52A650, the best 52-incher flat-panel LCD we tested this year, came in last.
Undoubtedly, there are advantages for flat-panel LCD technology, some of which the salespeople in the report mentioned. They consume less electricity than plasmas (Pioneer's new PDP-5020FD will cost you $91.05 a year to operate versus the $68.81 investment for the Samsung LCD). They weigh less and they're not a second space heater for your family room as plasma sets can be. And, as the report stated, 68 percent of salespersons mentioned that flat-panel LCDs "do not have a shiny glass screen that can reflect unwanted light in brightly lit rooms." Of course, more and more new LCDs also have highly reflective screens, and some plasma sets have effective glare-reducing screens.
In our experience, the best plasma sets just look better than the best LCD screen in a demanding home theater environment. We do expect both LCD and plasma technology to continue to evolve--Sony recently announced a new LED backlight technology for LCDs that looks particularly promising, for example--but for now, we still tend to lean toward plasma for home theater HDTVs.
What do you think? Are salespeople doing customers a disservice by pushing LCDs, or are the points against plasma valid?
plasmas used to have problems at high altitudes. back in the first and second gen models. what are we now, like 11th or 12 gen panasonics and pioneers. no need to worry about that anymore.
1. For the first 100 hours turn the brightness way down. Don't watch movies with black bars or tv channels that have a ticker or logo.
2. After 100 hours, use as normal but refrain from leaving an image paused for a long time.
If you do get some image retention it will go away after a few minutes and most of the time you can't even see it unless you are watching an all white screen.
News flash! ALL TVS CAN GET IMAGE-RETENTION OR BURN-IN REGARDLESS OF WHICH TECHNOLOGY THEY USE.
I have an LCD computer monitor and it gets horrible burn-in.
PLasmas burn your wallet and your screen.
Oh, nice op-ed (OPINION/EDITORIAL) by the way, not real NEWS.
Better picture??????
PLasmas burn your wallet and your screen.
Oh, nice op-ed (OPINION/EDITORIAL) by the way, not real NEWS.
This was actually an informative article, making me rethink my approach to shopping again.
Pros: deeper blacks, no off-angle problems, no motion problems, over 50" is cheaper than LCDs
Cons: use more power, who cares????
LCD
Pros: better in bright rooms
Cons: off-angle viewing, motion, black levels
I own two LCD panels and a Panasonic 700 50" PDP
It would be a much better comparison if they were comparing apples to apples.
This article is a joke.
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-viera-th-58pz700u/4505-6482_7-32317318.html?tag=prod.txt.4
-
by RDO CA
July 22, 2008 7:02 PM PDT
- Plasmas might be better in a very dark room but most people don't live in a dark room and most tv's are in a family room and many have lots of windows. I don't see people talking about whites like the plasma fanboys like to tout Blacks. Whites on plasmas are an off white and on snow or watching hockey you get a yellowish white. Take your pick for what you like and where it will be put in the house but the fact of the matter is that it won't be many years and plasmas will be a thing of the past.
-
Reply to this comment
-
-
-
by stepyourgameup
July 22, 2008 8:10 PM PDT
- Plasmas will be a thing of the past but not because of LCDs. OLEDs and Laser tvs will kill both of them in 5 years or so.
-
-
Showing 1 of 3 pages (66 Comments)