Plasma compared to LCD.

HiFiJeff

Super Member
Okay, I know this is going to open up a can of worms and a battle between plasma and lcd but I really want to share my opinion.

Over the past year. I have been through 3 Samsung 4K LCD TV's. Not because they were defective but because I just wasn't happy with the picture. The most recent one was the Samsung KS-8000. Which it was way better than the 2 Samsung's I had last year but still could never get the picture to look right. I picked up a DLP which for sure has passed it's prime and a stellar Panasonic plasma, VT-50 55inch. But the 55inch was just too small for my main area. So I finally ended up finding a 65 inch Panasonic VT30 series tv, which 4 years ago, was their flagship tv with a retail of $4000. Well today it could still be there flagship tv because hands down no comparison it's picture quality is so much better than the other tv's I have owned over the past year. I am finally happy with the quality and size of the screen. I will watch this tv until the day it dies. In my opinion, plasma is still king of the tv world and am completely done with lcd technology. I am curious to see where OLED goes but will wait until either my plasma dies or it get's a lot more affordable.
 
A "GOOD" plasma panel definitely has a better picture than "MOST" LCD panels. But it's a moot point. No one's making plasma panels.

OLED (once prices come down) will easily match or surpass both LCD and plasma picture quality and will have many other advantages as well.
 
. Plasmas are overly complicated and only Panasonic s\till makes them.

I thought Panasonic quit making them, at least consumer models. I bought the 65ZT60 because it was the Panasonic plasma swan song, never heard about any models since then.

The VT30 is a little older than 4 years, more like 6. Reviews of that line seem to be around early 2011. I think I bought the ZT60 in October '13, so that's closer to the 4 year old model. But I also have a couple of V10 models from circa '09, still going strong and even those have better picture quality than friends' LCDs IMHO (stress the IMHO part, although they also comment on how good the plasmas look).

But yeah, plasma vs LCD is semi-moot unless you buy used.
 
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i have 3 plasma tvs and 3 lcd , plasma wins hands down, warmer more realistic picture, and for my sons gaming the response time cant be beat. i think my pioneer plasma is better then my panasonics as well. suckers generate some heat though.
 
I thought Panasonic quit making them, at least consumer models. I bought the 65ZT60 because it was the Panasonic plasma swan song, never heard about any models since then.

The VT30 is a little older than 4 years, more like 6. Reviews of that line seem to be around early 2011. I think I bought the ZT60 in October '13, so that's closer to the 4 year old model. But I also have a couple of V10 models from circa '09, still going strong and even those have better picture quality than friends' LCDs IMHO (stress the IMHO part, although they also comment on how good the plasmas look).

But yeah, plasma vs LCD is semi-moot unless you buy used.

Yup, my understanding too. Panasonic was out in 2014. I was fortunate to get one of the very last ZT60s out of the Best Buy system before that dried up. It was a fraction of the previous going market price on clearance, and a fraction of the price they went to as people paid crazy money for the last onsie-twosies found in obscure inventory.
 
I have one plasma (Panasonic V10A 50") and it sh#ts all over my other LCD tvs including a Samsung LED. The picture is more real, has better blacks which LCD panels suffer from. It's also calibrated - certified by THX. Oh and it's made in Japan as well!
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Why would I upgrade to a 4K TV for??
98% of my viewing is 1080p. My local free to air TV is 1080i. Viewing a lower resolution image on a 4k tv looks terrible. Once my Pana dies I'll upgrade, but for now, I'm very happy with it.
 
We just bought a LG OLED 55". We also have a Panny 50" plasma. We've had the plasma for awhile, so I knew when the time came we'd have to go OLED to get any improvement. I just had Layer3 TV installed. Wanted to give it a try. Well, watching Showtime's Homeland last night really blew us away. The picture was not only stunning, but looked like a play. You can see how they use shallow F Stops when filming to get the actors to stand off the screen. My wife found it eerie at first as you're not used to seeing picture quality like that. I think if you have a good cable/sat provider, a 1080P signal can look real good on 4K OLED set.
 
We just bought a LG OLED 55". We also have a Panny 50" plasma. We've had the plasma for awhile, so I knew when the time came we'd have to go OLED to get any improvement. I just had Layer3 TV installed. Wanted to give it a try. Well, watching Showtime's Homeland last night really blew us away. The picture was not only stunning, but looked like a play. You can see how they use shallow F Stops when filming to get the actors to stand off the screen. My wife found it eerie at first as you're not used to seeing picture quality like that. I think if you have a good cable/sat provider, a 1080P signal can look real good on 4K OLED set.

I have seen some stunning picture quality from LG OLEDs. I liked my old 42in plasma but hated how hot it got and what an energy hog it was. It had a great picture however. But the new OLED and other tech is really really well done.
 
Interesting discussion, thank you for all of the good info. I love my ST50, did not care for any of the LEDs I have seen. I will check into OLEDs when it comes time to change.
 
..... My local free to air TV is 1080i. Viewing a lower resolution image on a 4k tv looks terrible. Once my Pana dies I'll upgrade, but for now, I'm very happy with it.

Most reviews I see overlook what the lower resolution stuff looks like when it is up-converted to the higher resolution.

That was an issue when 1080p first came out that anything lower looked terrible on them. Some of the 4K ones do a pretty decent job of up-converting but it is often hard on the higher end ones to get to see what it looks like in the store because they have them locked into their preset display modes that only show the best possible still images and motion scenes for that screen.

At regular BestBuys, about all we have left around here for this type of shopping, they can't switch them off the preset.

At one of their Magnolia HiFi sections we were in they switched them all to showing a football game and the LG OLED we were near buying did not look good with that. The lettering on the screen was noticeably more fuzzy than the Sony LCD 4K next to it. Maybe there was a setting that could be adjusted to help but I'm not plunking down that much money to find out.

With most of the content still being in 720 or 1080 I wish there was some more focus on which 4K ones can handle that well.
Especially since the up-converting ability can vary even within the same manufacture. Too many people obsess only on the 4K or what type of TV it is and skip past the processing ability.
 
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Since no one is making plasma any more OLED is the way to go.

Looks like it but I just wish the new format would be available more.
It does make me laugh on how the stores put on all their 4K display models showing full 4K resolutions then the customer buys the 4K TV takes it home and doesn't even use it's full capabilities, oh maybe a couple of Blu-ray's.
I won't be sucked in just yet.
 
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Looks like it but I just wish the new format would be available more.
It does make me laugh on how the stores put on all their 4K display models showing full 4K resolutions then the customer buys the 4K TV takes it home and doesn't even use it's full capabilities, oh maybe a couple of Blu-ray's.
I don't be sucked in just yet.

That is why I hung onto my CRT for quite a while before getting the plasma. We just did not have great HD service here. I would go over to people's houses and they would fire up their TVs which looked great on a couple of channels and absolutely horrible on everything else. At least a 4K set should not look bad on regular HD material.
 
When I got my first plasma, I didn't have HD TV feed, and to say it was a disappointment is an understatement. I have zero options for 4K feed - my internet connection will just not support 4K streaming and no way I'm buying into 4K BluRay just yet.
 
When I got my first plasma, I didn't have HD TV feed, and to say it was a disappointment is an understatement. I have zero options for 4K feed - my internet connection will just not support 4K streaming and no way I'm buying into 4K BluRay just yet.

Great point here as well. I just got my nbn HFC connection installed. The best I can stream is 1080p....... 40% of Australians will be setup with this type of connection as well and the more customers connected to this service, the more congested it becomes.
 
I know OLED is superior to plasma / and LCD. Just waiting for my Pana to s#it itself before upgrading. Could be waiting a while.

Haha I remember back in early 2000 then my parents got a state of the art Panasonic 40" LCD std definition which back then you had to buy a separate HD tuner to watch free to air. I think they paid $9K for it. When I first sure it, it was very impressive. They have just upgraded to a 4K Samsung and gave the Pana away to relatives which..... IT STILL WORKS... unreal.
 
I was waiting for the 28" Hitachi CRT I picked up from work in the late 80's to die before going plasma. Finally gave up waiting, the Hitachi is still working in my wife's family cottage.
 
I picked up a very nice Panasonic 65" plasma, used, for $500, almost 3 years ago. I think it is a VT50, iirc. I love the picture. However, circumstances change and I am in a very small place. That plasma is a heater! I have never spent over $750 on a TV, and that was for my first Panasonic plasma, 50", lesser model. The big 36" Sony HDTV was just too bulky and I wanted a bigger display.

I think I'll seriously consider OLED TV's this fall. Love my plasma, but it is just too hot.
 
I have a 65" VT30 and love it. I also have three different 4K TV's that I like as well. Each is different but the VT30 has by far the best blacks, even better than my old Pioneer Elite plasma I retired a few years ago. The VT30 is also great as a space heater too.
 
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