Why buy Plasma?

(Note: This is my opinion, take it for what it's worth.)

I'm a Panny Plasma owner and no expert, just your average consumer, though I follow the forums (which are invaluable). Feel free to disagree with my comments.

I've noticed lots of discussion about the pros and cons of each TV technology and come to some conclusions that may help some.

1) Plasma produces superior black levels;
LCD's, DLP's, etc have all improved, but I don't believe anyone is saying that they have surpassed plasma for detailed black levels. Some plasma brands and models are certainly better than others, but all have improved in the last couple of years. Some would say white level reproduction is more accurate too.

2) Plasma produces more "depth";
Boy, that's a subjective claim, but I've seen many posts here from those who have switched from LCD's and DLP's saying just that. More like "looking out a window". Perhaps not as sharp an image as LCD, but perhaps not as artificially sharp either.

3) Superior reproduction of SD material;
Even more subjective, but again voiced by many forum posters. It may not even matter in a few more years, but we aren't there yet. This has alot to do with guts of the set, maybe more than the display from what I've read, so you'll get what you pay for. For me, my Panny does an excellent job with SD broadcast and DVD. YMMV.

4) Superior off-angle viewing;
No contest here, 160+ degrees horizontal and vertical. LCD's are closing the gap, DLP's forget about it.

5) Superior fast action reproduction?
Maybe or maybe not, some swear by plasma, some by LCD. From what I've gathered, there was a time when LCD's with slower refresh rates had problems, not so much these days. You're choice.

6) Superior gaming platform?
Again, there are two camps swearing by their technology. Depends on what you want, some game platforms work better with one or the other, generally if you want near-neon, in your face brightness, stick with LCD. You decide.

7) What about Plasma burn-in?;
This has been covered here, there and everywhere ad-nausium. Despite all the concern about it, I still haven't come across any posts where someone has said they had permanent burn-in on a 2005-2007 plasma. Some have mentioned image retention issues with gaming that seems to go away after a few hours of normal viewing. The paranoia is probably here to stay though.

8) What about break-in?;
Some do, some don't, some use break-in discs. What ever makes you happy seems to work these days. I get the feeling that a lot of us are so addicted to this HD stuff that we aren't happy unless we have something to tweak, adjust, calibrate, break-in or mull over in our minds most of the time. I find myself constantly re-evaluating my TV and home theater and drooling over the Next Big Thing, even though all of my equipment is working fine, looking and sounding great!

9) What about 1080P?
People that know a lot more than I do say studies show 99 percent of us can't see the difference between a 50" 720P set and a 50" 1080P set at nine feet or more. That's what they call "spatial" resolution, without accounting for "temporal" resolution ---- see articles on the subject at Sound and Vision and CNet for more.
Then there are the issues with HD broadcast quality (fps) and DVD media quality (bitrate) that can help or hurt any image on any TV. Whether the set you choose has to down-convert or up-convert signals to match the native resolution of your display and how well it does it may be a problem with either.

So does it look better (1080P)?
Maybe, I know it looks nice playing on a Blu-Ray demo disc at the video store. Hard to tell whether it will look better at home. It shouldn't look any worse, but should I pay for it if I can't SEE it? Regardless, 1080P is here. LCD's, DLP's and a few plasmas with more to come. And it ain't cheap!

Is it worth it (1080P)?
Only you can say. If you NEED a 58" or bigger panel and you NEED to watch it from 10 feet or less then go for it. I personally won't sit in the first few rows at the movie theater, it's just too much image in my face! But do what works for you.

Finally,
I hope this helps newbies out with your decision. I also hope the Pros here will point out the flaws in my thinking so we can all benefit. The GOOD NEWS is, if you take home a brand name plasma most of you will be thrilled with your choice. I am!

Jim

Thanks WaldorfSalad, you're right.

10) Yes, most if not all plasmas have mirror-like glass that reflects bright stuff in the room. Kind of like seeing your dashboard in the windshield while driving on a sunny day. May be a deal breaker for some, a non-issue for others that don't have a bright room. Some posters complain about sheen on LCD and DLP screens too, so it's important to take it into account with any display.

11) Yes, I've read that buzzing can be a problem, mine doesn't but others do. I've also read that LCD is much better for those at high altitude but I don't know if it's a plasma deal breaker. I'm at sea level so I never thought of it.

12) Yes, I think all plasmas draw more current than same size LCD or DLP sets, but my monthly power bills and KW consumption remains the same before and since plasma moved in. If heat output is significant, I haven't noticed. I keep my hands off the glass and the case on my Panny stays cool to touch after many hours on. My set is installed on a wall mount in my entertainment center with panels on 5 sides, but I wouldn't recommend no ventilation for any display.

13) Yes, some plasmas and some LCD's have dead or stuck pixels when new. I would consider it very important to ask the dealer what their policy is for returns due to this. Would be a PITA if ordered online with return shipping and all. I've heard that better manufacturers allow returns if more than one dead pixel occurs in or near the center viewing area but I'd hate to have to find out. I'm not at all sure how common it is either. My home and work LCD computer monitors (IBM and Dell) both have 1 stuck pixel near the bottom. So far the Panny is okay.

Thanks again,
Jim

Panasonic claims the half-life of their current 9th generation plasma panels is 60,000 hours. That's something like 20 years at 8 hours per day. By half-life they mean until the panel emits half the light level of a brand new panel. If that's true or even close I think you'll be okay. On the other hand, LCD's and DLP's have light sources (bulbs) that will have to be replaced someday too. Something tells me whatever I own now won't be good enough anymore long before then anyway. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Thanks Mojomojo, I've read similar info but wasn't sure. The way I understood it LCD produces contrast and brightness by either blocking its light source or passing it through so it actually uses the most power to block light in dark scenes. That explains why it's so hard to get deep blacks. Plasma generates its own light so it uses the most power producing bright scenes. I'm sure it's more technical than that but I figured it's a toss-up for my purposes.

Jim