[MGN]

I am currently looking at buying a new tv. I am bouncing back and forth between plasma/lcd. I really like the lcd for longevity and the anti-reflection factor. But....I cant get away from the picture quality or colors of the plasmas. Which I think blow away the average lcd. I would not hesitate to buy a plasma if it wasn't for the high reflection from its screen.

So my questions are:

Is there any way (ie. test with a mirror, etc.) to check if the 4 windows, which line the one side of the living room only, would be to much for day time viewing of the television?

I notice with some of the newer plasmas that they have a 60,000 hr screen life, or half screen life similar to lcds. Is it a myth as to plasmas having a shorter life expectancy, or something that has been improved upon recently?

Thanks for any help or advise you can give. I am complete newbie to all this stuff but after finding this great site I know more now than i thought i ever would about flat panel televisions.

Which has probably just added to the confusion. lol

 

[rdaubner]

i too share your concern. I think that any light source will be reflected in dark scenes.

i believe the problem is only what you make of it though.

If your eye stares at the picture looking for reflections you will see them. This would be the case while closely examining tv's during the tv buying phase.

However during actual tv watching in your livingroom you will not be staring at parts of the image but rather enjoying the whole picture(film) so to speak.

There is no perfect tv tech yet.

That being said, i am leaning towards a sony xbr2 lcd.

 

[s4b]

I definitely have reflection on my plasma from the big window and hanging lights in my dining area (all behind the TV). So I just have to control them (turn off/close shades) during the brightest time of the day. If the light isn't very strong, then you don't notice them unless you make a point to notice them. YMMV.


Try taking a look at this thread .

 

[itigap]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MGN /forum/post/0


I am currently looking at buying a new tv. I am bouncing back and forth between plasma/lcd. I really like the lcd for longevity and the anti-reflection factor. But....I cant get away from the picture quality or colors of the plasmas. Which I think blow away the average lcd. I would not hesitate to buy a plasma if it wasn't for the high reflection from its screen.

So my questions are:

Is there any way (ie. test with a mirror, etc.) to check if the 4 windows, which line the one side of the living room only, would be to much for day time viewing of the television?

I notice with some of the newer plasmas that they have a 60,000 hr screen life, or half screen life similar to lcds. Is it a myth as to plasmas having a shorter life expectancy, or something that has been improved upon recently?

Thanks for any help or advise you can give. I am complete newbie to all this stuff but after finding this great site I know more now than i thought i ever would about flat panel televisions.

Which has probably just added to the confusion. lol

To begin with, you say your windows are on the side of the room so unless you sit to the opposite side direct reflections should not show up in you display. But you can test this with a mirror.


However, the windows may light objects in the room which in turn reflect in the display. In this case as well as generally you may want to control the light through the windows in the daytime with shades or drapes of some sort.


While LCD may have less "specular" reflection it does have instead a difuse reflection that I find more corrupting of PQ not to mention the dozen or so other drawbacks to LCD vs plasma. Admittedly LCD is getting better but so too is plasma.


Good luck and cheers,

Gary

 

[DBLASS]

Yep, reflection is reflection. Plasmas are all specular and LCD are diffused but they both reflect. The problem with plasmas is that they will reflect not only off the outer surface but they also reflect internally. All total, about 13-15% of the ambient light will bounce off the display. An LCD will only reflect about 5% of the ambient.


Your point is well taken. While plasmas reflect more light, it is specular so you get a mirror-like reflection. On an LCD, the reflection is lower but the diffused reflection creates a large flare on the screen. A small light source, like a lamp, can corrupt half the screen on a LCD.


Both technologies have reflection issues.

 

[RandyWalters]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MGN /forum/post/0


I am currently looking at buying a new tv. I am bouncing back and forth between plasma/lcd. I really like the lcd for longevity and the anti-reflection factor. But....I cant get away from the picture quality or colors of the plasmas. Which I think blow away the average lcd. I would not hesitate to buy a plasma if it wasn't for the high reflection from its screen. So my questions are:


Is there any way (ie. test with a mirror, etc.) to check if the 4 windows, which line the one side of the living room only, would be to much for day time viewing of the television?


I notice with some of the newer plasmas that they have a 60,000 hr screen life, or half screen life similar to lcds. Is it a myth as to plasmas having a shorter life expectancy, or something that has been improved upon recently?

Current Plasma TVs last just as long as LCD TVs, which is to say twice as long as regular Tube TVs. Just last week i overheard clerks in two different BB stores telling customers that plasmas only last 30,000 hours while LCDs last 60,000 hours and also brought up burn-in concerns so someone must be training these kids with 4-year old information that does not apply with current technology.


And plasmas are not "highly reflective" - they're actually less reflective than the regular Tube TVs we've been watching for years and years. A good way to check to see what will be reflected in your future plasma is to place a similar sizedmirror or a framed glass picture exactly where the TV will be and look to see what is in the backround behind your various seating positions. The link s4b recommended above will give you a good idea of the actual reflectiveness of a plasma. LCDs are not reflective at all but they do have problems with glare and in some situations the ambient light in the room can wash out the whole image making it even more difficult to see what's on compared to a plasma in the same location.