Dilemma, Plasma or LCD

Vegeta

Vegeta

Vegeta

Soldato
Joined
6 Nov 2004
Posts
5,796
Tough choice - i've owned smaller versions of both sets - 37" px60 and 32" R4.

You're right that for SD and movies the Plasma is the better option, but I was a little disappointed with it for games. They didn't look as detailed as on the lcd (not a great leap from 480p imo), nor look as bright and vibrant. There was also the dreaded 'green tinge' which some people notice with plasma screens - something to do with phosphors degrading at a different rate and leaving a green/blue edge on objects when panning from light to dark (this annoyed the hell out of me in CoD2). Motion was handled better, though, and wasn't as 'smeary' as on the lcd - which was the reason I sold that set too.

For an all in one tv the Plasma wins hands down. For something purely for pc and 360 gaming i'd take the lcd. In the end I went for a 32" HD CRT (JVC HD40) and am using the money saved for a projector.
 
Spot on thanks, nice to have someone who owned both these tv's and obviously not biased towards one or the other and a fair comment on both.

Really hard to decide.

Does the green tinge only happen when playing games? How did the Plasma handle HD input? The plasma will be in the front room if I buy it so i'll probably buy that.
 
I noticed the fringing occasionally during movies - Sin City showed it more than most. That said, it didn't bother me with anything other than gaming. The green tinges would appear infrequently and were so quick they seemed more like tiny flashes. Not really a problem.

Games were different. An example might be looking from inside a dark building in a fps to the outside on a sunny day. As you move left/right, or rotate your view, you can see vertical edges of the window frames that meet sky go green/blue/yellow (seems to depend on the plasma in question - on the px it was green on the left side and blue on the other). I'm not entirely sure why this seems more obvious in games, but think it's because camera movement tends to be more extreme, as the camera is rotating around a fixed point (you), and because you spend a lot more time panning your view about and the effect lasts until you stop.

Many people use plasmas and claim not to see any of this. I've seen them on every plasma screen i've owned/tested. It sounds cliched, but even my gf noticed them. I guess it's more a question of whether it bothers you.

The only HD input I fed the PX60 was the 360 via component. Upscaled dvds via the HDMI input looked good. The handling of motion was what I liked most about the plasma - here it falls right between crt and lcd to my eyes.

If you don't mind the way lcd monitors handle motion (i'm one of those fussy sorts who'd rather game on a crt fishbowl than a tft) and want a screen just for HD gaming/pc use, then the lcd is a no brainer. If you want a screen for SD and HD tv/dvd/games, then go for the plasma.
 
Don't just take my word for it - I know loads of people who happily game with a plasma and are completely oblivious to effect. Quite a few can't see it even when looking for it.
 
Both technologies have their pros and cons, from screenburn (Plasma), higher rez (LCD), poor blacks (LCD) better colours (Plasma)
 
I have seen this fringing on various pioneer models (incl. their latest) too. I'm assuming that vid is of this (can't view it at work). The one that was on the AV Forum did exagerate the problem considerably, but does gives an idea of what to expect.
 
Warbie said:
I have seen this fringing on various pioneer models (incl. their latest) too. I'm assuming that vid is of this (can't view it at work). The one that was on the AV Forum did exagerate the problem considerably, but does gives an idea of what to expect.
Click to expand...
I been trying to get my pioneer plasma to show these colour flashes with GOW and there been none so far...
(plus i have never seem these colour flashes on my pioneer plasma which i have used for about 900 hours/6 months.)
 
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Mr CRT RP had that too, fully converged. The only scene that made it apparent was Helms Deep, black background and fast sweeping camera pans.
 
Be aware that this is a 'feature' of plasma panels, not a particular screen. The extent does vary from model to model, but i've seen them in everyone i've viewed, which includes screens from all major manufacturers. The smearing with lcds annoyed me more.
 
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