Are LED TVs better than Plasma

Rybo89 · 15 Mar 2015 at 08:27

Morning.

Downstairs we have a plasma. Upstairs we have a LED.

To me the LED looks better quality now I have played the same games on both TV's.

I use to argue plasma's are superior to any other kind of TV. Seems I might be wrong to do that now.

Plasma is a 2012 and LED is a 2014 model. Looks like LED as come a long way.

Now tell me I am wrong and that i need my eyes checking.

Zefan · 15 Mar 2015 at 08:34

What you perceive as "better" is almost certainly nothing to do with reproduction of the image as provided by the media.

insane200 · 15 Mar 2015 at 09:30

LED's are more vibrant, sharper and brighter than plasma, so will probably look better visually for gaming, but for TV and movies you can't beat the look of a Plasma for being more natural and slightly softer.

Sliver · 15 Mar 2015 at 10:07

LED's are better.

Zefan · 15 Mar 2015 at 10:45

Sliver said:
LED's are better.

Define "better".... If you're talking about a subjective preference then there is no way of defining it. The only objective way of defining "better" is by measuring how well the screen is able to reproduce the image provided by the media.

mikeh501 · 15 Mar 2015 at 11:23

I think the market has already decided. Plasma is dead.

inogen · 15 Mar 2015 at 11:33

TV manufacturers have decided. There's more margin in LED.

I like both, but as said, for films, plasma in a properly lit room is a nicer experience than watching LED. My plasma looks like a moving photograph when it's got decent input.

LED in a bright room though. There's a really nice Panasonic LED in a bar around ours that looks great with the footy.

Grimley · 15 Mar 2015 at 11:37

/\/\/\ I read somewhere that the good old EU had something to do with the demise of plasma tellies.
As in they use a fair bit more energy than 'LED' TV's of the same size. Pressure was brought to bear on the manufacturers which would make them more expensive to make.

So it was decided to pull the plug on plasma rather than plough millions into R&D to make them more efficent.

BTW the Term LED TV is not quite correct, the term is LED Backlit LCD TV, so there

Jokester · 15 Mar 2015 at 11:39

It was nothing to do with the EU, as inogen says, they can make LCD tellys cheaper than plasmas and for 95% of the buying public cost is king.

Grimley · 15 Mar 2015 at 11:54

Jokester said:
It was nothing to do with the EU, as inogen says, they can make LCD tellys cheaper than plasmas and for 95% of the buying public cost is king.

I agree with that wholeheartedly having been in electrical retail for 5 years (most people seen to think a £200 washer will still last for over 10 years because their last machine did :rolleyes:

& that a £1000 telly will be perfect the first time they switch it on, if it doesn't tune into the main telly channels or it doesnt work with their stoneage/clockwork/antique video recorder then its faulty in their eyes :mad:

), the EU thing that I read must have been an excuse to pull the plug on plasma.

MOOGLEYS · 15 Mar 2015 at 16:42

There was a report recommending manufacturers to not produce plasma screens anymore. It was a while ago but I remember reading it.

It's a shame as Plasma have a stunning picture when set up correctly. Hopefully LG will drop its hold on large screen OLED tv's and we can then see some better priced and spec tv's.

mattyg · 15 Mar 2015 at 16:59

Grimley said:
I agree with that wholeheartedly having been in electrical retail for 5 years (most people seen to think a £200 washer will still last for over 10 years because their last machine did & that a £1000 telly will be perfect the first time they switch it on, if it doesn't tune into the main telly channels or it doesnt work with their stoneage/clockwork/antique video recorder then its faulty in their eyes ), the EU thing that I read must have been an excuse to pull the plug on plasma.

A 4k Plasma TV would create x4 the heat that a 1080 TV does. Forward thinking manufacturers saw that, that would not be acceptable anywhere other than the Arctic circle.

So Plasma had done its job and has come to the end of its life.

But Better..............I'd still take the picture quality on my 6yr old Kuro than anything I've see so far.
And no I don't care that after its been on all day that I can't get near it to turn it off....

Steampunk · 15 Mar 2015 at 17:13

Plasma became a bit of a dead end. Too much heat and power to meet the latest regulations in places like the EU and California, trouble making larger screen sizes and 4K screens, more expensive than LEDs in a price sensitive market.

Having said that LED are very good now if you shop carefully. I've got a Sony W905, and it has terrific picture quality.

chaparral · 15 Mar 2015 at 17:40

Are LED TVs better that Plasma

For the average family a LCD is far better due to

Far Better in very bright rooms (I.E where the sun is shining through a window)
Far Cheaper to buy
Far Cheaper to run
Far Lighter (weight when moving it)

But a good Plasma will give you far better picture quality compared to an LCD in less bright rooms ..

Warbie · 15 Mar 2015 at 17:41

Both are good. Both have pros and cons. LED suits my tastes/needs better.

llamadal · 15 Mar 2015 at 17:43

mikeh501 said:
I think the market has already decided. Plasma is dead.

To do with cost, nothing more.

chaparral · 15 Mar 2015 at 17:49

mikeh501 said:
I think the market has already decided. Plasma is dead.

llamadal said:
To do with cost, nothing more.

Am fusing over this because it time to replace my Pioneer plasma's and now there nothing worth replacing them with.. :mad:

But am keeping a close eye on what this years new LG OLED's are going be like..

robfosters · 15 Mar 2015 at 18:22

chaparral said:
Am fusing over this because it time to replace my Pioneer plasma's and now there nothing worth replacing them with..

But am keeping a close eye on what this years new LG OLED's are going be like..

You've obviously never seen the Panny AX902.

mikeh501 · 15 Mar 2015 at 18:56

llamadal said:
To do with cost, nothing more.

I think 4k killed it actually. Panasonic is replacing one of my plasmas on their 5 year warranty..... Guess what they replaced with... A led TV. Happens to be bigger and newer which is nice. Going 60" Samsung 4k this year to replace the other panny plasma. Time has just moved on, and plasma is dead

Oled is the future, but not for a fee years.

Psycho Sonny · 15 Mar 2015 at 19:32

chaparral said:
For the average family a LCD is far better due to

Far Better in very bright rooms (I.E where the sun is shining through a window)
Far Cheaper to buy
Far Cheaper to run
Far Lighter (weight when moving it)

But a good Plasma will give you far better picture quality compared to an LCD in less bright rooms ..

I would argue 3 of your advantages are wrong 2 of them definitely are:

a 50" GT50 cost me £799 that included 5 year warranty and 2 sets of 3D glasses, etc

at that time to get a LCD which had comparable PQ would and probably still is impossible. So you would have to opt for the best of the best LCD to get close which would be like £2000 when I bought my GT50.

So LCD would have been £1200 more expensive like for like.

Again the LCD would have saved me about £20 a year in electricity. So it would hardly be far cheaper to run. Forking out an extra £1200 to save £20 a year? Please you would have to be an idiot to think that was good business. Plasmas are more expensive to run but the amount is pitiful, your talking a heavy user would maybe spend £40 a year more in leccy.

3rdly the far lighter simply isn't true either, yes they are lighter but I can pick my 50" plasma up on my own and move it about, in fact i installed it all by myself.

A lot of your points seem to be about old plasmas not modern ones, they had become very light, very cheap and pretty energy efficient. I think my plasma consumes about 150W (50" screen).