Comments on: Sharp sees HDTV's future mapped out

Sharp recently launched LED-backlit displays. Don Reisinger sat down with the company to discuss the launch and the future of high-definition TVs.

[gsmiller88]

I'll buy a LED-TV when Vizio brings one to market and I won't have to get a second mortgage just to upgrade my plasma.

[-fjtorres-]

That would be Q4 2009.
Officially Sept, but...
Its coming and soon.

[Puao]

It sounds like the future, I think it encompasses the best of Plasma and LCD although it adds more confusion to the already complex HDTV mix and probably a lot of people won't see the value of it. I am very happy with my plasma now, although it consumes a lot of electricity, that's the only thing I don't like that much and that LED will take care of it. Although today the investment won't be justified, since the price difference is very big, maybe in 5 years it will be.

[monkeyfun14]

That and burn in are the problems with plasma.

[heartattackman]

Burn in? Who has issues with burn-in anymore? It's been years since I heard of a consumer complaining about this issue.

Only reason Plasma is fading is because of the physical weight of the sets.

[sticks1839]

Is the physical weight really that much? I went from a 37" LCD that weighed roughly 50lbs to a 54" plasma that weighs about 75-80 lbs. That's still a very light tv in my mind. If it wasn't so huge, I could easily move it myself.

And you're right, burn-in has mostly gone away; but you still have to be a little bit careful with certain uses. The big ones are video games, 4:3 tv, and general stupidity like going to sleep with the tv on to a DVD menu or something (although many sets have auto-off features to help)

[teamw]

Manufacturers, particularly manufacturers who just invested big in a new technology, are not a great source for objective information on the future of TV. Smart consumers who bother to do their research know that plasma still provides the best picture quality at the lowest price (at least for the moment). That doesn't mean plasma is perfect or destined to live forever, but be skeptical of bold predictions for the future of television technology definitely going down one path (remember SED anyone?) It is likely that LED backlighting, just like 1080p and 120Mhz refresh rates will become standard on LCD-based TVs. That doesn't mean LCD will kill off plasma or that OLED or some new technology won't kill off both of them in 3 years.

[msjonker]

Maybe the initial price, but you also have to consider the total cost of ownership. Plasmas use double or more than the amount of electricty an LCD does.

My 52" Sharp is rated at 280w, whil the 50" Panasonic plasma I was looking at was rated at 600w. Tha'ts a big difference in power and heat dissipation.

[sticks1839]

You can't look at rated power consumption. That's maximum output if you decided to turn it up to full brightness. Check out average consumption or even better yet use CNET power ratings. The Panasonic 50" V10 is rated at 590W, but according to CNET calibration uses 294W; whereas the Samsung 52" uses 127W (I'm using calibrated power usage, with default the gap narrows considerably 255W for plasma, 191W for lcd).

That is a big difference but it amounts to a little more than $35 a year or $3 a month. Not exactly breaking the bank. There's a $700 difference in MSRP between these sets, so you'd break even after 20 years...

[gfritts451]

Seriously...who hasn't bought a flat-panel in the last 4 years? My 2 year old Panasonic plasma is doing me just fine, thank you, Sharp.

Do consumers really need to buy the "latest and greatest" top-dollar TV purchase every 3 years? Is that what it has come to in the last 6-7 years?

I'm still miffed about my mere 1080i, 2003 model Mitsu projection HDTV with unusable FireWire ports (because that was the "direction things were going" instead of DVI...) pffft....

[swhmetta]

It's all about the technology. Just bring it on! We are waiting for the 2560×1600 or 1600p resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio to hit the market!! So cool!

[epross]

Most salespeople will push LCD if given the chance. They overemphasize burn-in, weight, and electricity use of plasma sets. While plasma does give a superior picture in-terms of black levels and off-axis viewing - it's harder to demonstrate those on the sales floor where most sets are turned up to eye-burning levels. Plasma is dying more because it hasn't been sold effectively and perhaps price. I have an LCD set, but my next one will probably be a plasma due to better picture quality (off-axis) which does affect our household as my LCD sits on our fireplace mantle and you can only really see a nice picture sitting on the couch. Sit anywhere else in the room and the colors start to fade.

[sticks1839]

I agree with this. I went from an LCD to a plasma for the PQ enhancements, and the better off-axis viewing has made the recliner my favorite seat in the house again. It used to have significantly worse picture quality.

This also seems to be an issue with LED backlit displays. It actually makes off-angle viewing worse than traditional LCDs. At least the early ones did according to CNET reviews. They even commented that it was significantly worse just 1-2 seats over from the sweet spot. Not exactly a TV to be enjoyed with company...

[socoolbob1]

http://www.socool.com .. love those buzz words So Cool

[chcake39]

I'm just curious, but who here has actually seen the new sharp tv's? I just bought the 52 inch model, and I have to say, the picture is amazing. I have been to a lot of different stores looking at both lcd's and plasmas, and the picture on this led backlit tv (atleast the sharp one I got) beats out everything I've seen anywhere else. I am extremely happy with my investment.

I do agree that there is no reason for people to buy a new one every couple years, nor do I plan to. When they say 'take over the market' they aren't referring to what is actually in people's houses, theyre referring to what people are currently buying new.