Plasma / LED - why do people put up with it?

Plasma / LED - why do people put up with it?

Author
Discussion

LDN

Original Poster:

8,905 posts

202 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
I've had plasma TVs the last few years. A friend got an LED set and it had weird artefacts; ghosting and the like. He said it was within the realm of acceptable, which I never really fully understood.

Fast forward; I've just received my new set and it's LED; I set it up last night and it's ok I guess but it seems I too, will have to think up what I'm ok with as in certain scenes, it just doesn't look right; a slight haze and ghosting. Looking online; it seems everyone gets some form of this and it's up to the purchaser to decide what is acceptable or not.

I miss my plasma TV now; I can't get my head around how people are ok with TVs that don't display a perfect picture 100% of the time.

Anyone else gone LED and been underwhelmed?

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Bought a 32" about 12yrs ago & hated it so much I sold it at a £400 loss & bought another Panny 32" CRT which we used until last summer (in kids playroom now). Replaced it with a 39" Panny LED mainly so I could connect itmto my NAS & stream stuff to it.

Would ideally like a 46" but will wait for OLED etc to see what happens I think as not hugely impressed so far.

hairyben

8,516 posts

182 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
My 9 year old 50" panny is doing a weird fault - sometimes after powering on the screen goes blank for a bit like it loses signal, the power led pulses fast for a couple of seconds then it gets over it and comes back.

Slightly worrying given plasmas are made no longer, my only hope is it hangs in there long enough that theres a sensibly priced oled replacement.

LDN

Original Poster:

8,905 posts

202 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Yes, I still don't get plasma demise. This new TV is my first foray into LED and it feels a bit like a bad joke. I'm likely to send it back. Nothing is so bad that it screams 'horrid' - but it just feels below par.

Ahonen

5,015 posts

278 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
When I bought our last TV, four years ago, I read an awful lot of reviews and settled on a Panasonic plasma to replace our elderly Sony Trinitron CRT. Its picture remains brilliant and in HD (normal 1080p) I can't fault it. Friends' LED TVs just never seem as good - they're more vibrant and brighter, certainly, but the quality of the image isn't a patch on mine.

It's such a shame that I won't be able to replace it with another plasma when the time eventually comes.

LDN

Original Poster:

8,905 posts

202 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Ahonen said:
When I bought our last TV, four years ago, I read an awful lot of reviews and settled on a Panasonic plasma to replace our elderly Sony Trinitron CRT. Its picture remains brilliant and in HD (normal 1080p) I can't fault it. Friends' LED TVs just never seem as good - they're more vibrant and brighter, certainly, but the quality of the image isn't a patch on mine.

It's such a shame that I won't be able to replace it with another plasma when the time eventually comes.
Agreed. My last TV was also a Panasonic plasma. Perfect picture every time. No matter what the source. How / why did LED ever catch on? Is it an energy consumption thing or something??

Zoon

6,654 posts

120 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
I suppose it depends on the TV.
I have a Sony 4K Triluminous and the picture is fine. No problems whatsoever.

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

144 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
LDN said:
Yes, I still don't get plasma demise.
Dictated by the market unfortunately. Plasma TVs are very expensive to produce when compared to their LCD (LED is used for backlighting) counterparts. Average Joe wants the biggest set he can lay his hands on for the lowest price possible, picture quality comes in a long way down the list. Wouldn't accept that spending £1600 on a 50" plasma gets you a way better quality picture than a £500 65" LCD. I therefore expect the main suppliers were selling 1 plasma for every 1000 LCD sets and therefore it just doesn't make economic sense to run the production line anymore.

As a Panasonic plasma owner I sincerely hope they'll be something of a equivalent picture quality (OLED?) by the time it goes to TV heaven.

mr_fibuli

1,109 posts

194 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
I went from a Panasonic 50 inch Plasma to a Sony 65" LCD. The picture quality is awful in comparison - loads of light bleed and banding. Not too noticeable when watching a film, but in the menus with flat colour backdrops it looks a mess.

It was extremely cheep, but I'm still tempted to say it is broken just before the warranty is up so they have to swap for the latest model.

TEKNOPUG

18,843 posts

204 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
My neighbour has a 55" maybe 65" (it's huge) Samsung LCD/LED TV. Now admittedly it about 4 years old but it's absolute garbage. Admittedly he just bought the biggest screen that he could afford. Every film you feed it, no matter what the source, makes it look like it's been shot with a video camera. We've turned off all the processing and been through a couple of set-up discs to try and fine tune it but it's just awful. I don't know if it's the screen technology or the processor or what but it's dire. Watchable for SD TV shows but for films or HD content it actully offends your eyes so much, in comparison to my 7 year old Panny Plasma (or even a CRT for that matter), that even my other half (who has no interest in tech) refuses to watch any films next door.

As has been said, people just want (wanted) the biggest screen possible and buy TV's based on a single viewing in a shop with overly bright fluoroscent lightening and all the screens showing a Pixar movie with the setting set to MAX. Quantity over quality.

If my TV died tomorrow, I think that I'd try to find a second-hand Panny ZT first, whilst waiting for OLED's to become more mainstream and drop in price.

In fairness, I do have a Panny LED in the bedroom but it's only 32" and whilst it clearly has it's shortcoming, it at least produces a picture which isn't an affront to your eyes.

hairyben

8,516 posts

182 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
C0ffin D0dger said:
Dictated by the market unfortunately. Plasma TVs are very expensive to produce when compared to their LCD (LED is used for backlighting) counterparts. Average Joe wants the biggest set he can lay his hands on for the lowest price possible, picture quality comes in a long way down the list. Wouldn't accept that spending £1600 on a 50" plasma gets you a way better quality picture than a £500 65" LCD. I therefore expect the main suppliers were selling 1 plasma for every 1000 LCD sets and therefore it just doesn't make economic sense to run the production line anymore.

As a Panasonic plasma owner I sincerely hope they'll be something of a equivalent picture quality (OLED?) by the time it goes to TV heaven.
Working in many peoples houses as I do you rarely see panasonic plasma TV's, as much as (certainly after pioneer pulled out) they were the de facto go-to for the discerning (my bro-in-law works in a mall and chats all the time with the sony centre staff when they're not flogging LCD tatt - all of whom except one had a panny plasma at home!) they must have got tired seeing samsung/LG/sony etc outstrip them in sales year after year.

Mind it was even worse in north america - having bigger houses as they do the big thing there about 10 years ago was rear-pro's, everyone had them as once the 12" of depth isn't a problem 70-100" of screen is cheap as chips, but dear god they make argos sub-branded LCD's look refined.

Zoon

6,654 posts

120 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Plasma TV's are also very power inefficient in comparison to LCD.

I have a 50" plasma which use over 500w in use when compared to just over 100w for a 55" LCD.

Not sure if this has an impact on what manufacturers produce.

TEKNOPUG

18,843 posts

204 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Zoon said:
Plasma TV's are also very power inefficient in comparison to LCD.

I have a 50" plasma which use over 500w in use when compared to just over 100w for a 55" LCD.

Not sure if this has an impact on what manufacturers produce.
I doubt it's as much as 500w but probably twice that of and LCD/LED.

300w Plasma telly, watched for 5 hours a day costs a whopping........15p a day in electricity

So if you went with the inferior LCD set, you'd only be paying 7.5p a day....just think what you could do with that extra £27 at the end of the year! hehe

Zoon

6,654 posts

120 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
TEKNOPUG said:
I doubt it's as much as 500w but probably twice that of and LCD/LED.
Definitely over 500w, checked on smart meter.
Does vary depending on darkness of scene but is always over 500w.

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

144 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Zoon said:
Plasma TV's are also very power inefficient in comparison to LCD.

I have a 50" plasma which use over 500w in use when compared to just over 100w for a 55" LCD.

Not sure if this has an impact on what manufacturers produce.
But they also double as an extra radiator so keeps your house warmer in the winter wink

TEKNOPUG

18,843 posts

204 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Zoon said:
TEKNOPUG said:
I doubt it's as much as 500w but probably twice that of and LCD/LED.
Definitely over 500w, checked on smart meter.
Does vary depending on darkness of scene but is always over 500w.
Assuming an electricy price of 10p per kilowatt, it's costing you 5p an hour to watch. Are you tempted to trade it in for and LCD, now you know how profligate with your money it is? wink

Yes, Plasma consume more electricity than and LCD. But I can't really believe that someone would choose a TV purely on that basis - the costs are tiny. Even smaller when the savings in heating are considered, as mentioned above.

You can have this st picture or for an extra 50p a week, you can have this great picture?

LDN

Original Poster:

8,905 posts

202 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
I still have our Panasonic plasma and I think it'll remain pride of place. I really wanted a bigger screen but I think I can wait; and return this LED telly. The Panasonic is 3D as well and whilst it never caught on; playing Gran Turismo on the PlayStation; with a driving seat and in 3D was a genuine hoot. Funny what catches on and what doesn't!

Zoon

6,654 posts

120 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
TEKNOPUG said:
Assuming an electricy price of 10p per kilowatt, it's costing you 5p an hour to watch. Are you tempted to trade it in for and LCD, now you know how profligate with your money it is? wink

Yes, Plasma consume more electricity than and LCD. But I can't really believe that someone would choose a TV purely on that basis - the costs are tiny. Even smaller when the savings in heating are considered, as mentioned above.

You can have this st picture or for an extra 50p a week, you can have this great picture?
I still have both the Panasonic plasma and Sony LCD.
The heating bit is great in winter, wasn't as much fun the other week.

varsas

4,004 posts

201 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
Just to play devils advocate a bit...

Plasma isn't better than LCD in every way. You couldn't make a 4k Plasma screen; not practically, anyway. As for HDR, well plasma struggled with the reds on rec.709, let alone anything wider and would never, ever, get anywhere near the brightness required for HDR.

Then you have the flickering. Yes, it makes precieved motion better, and I do wonder if it's what you miss from LCD's as it makes a huge difference to how you percieve the image, but for some of us it rules the technology out. I have never seen a Plasma TV that I can actually watch without getting a headache. I need a sample-and-hold type display.

As for ligh bleeding, ghosting etc on LCD's, well, that's why we have OLED!

Edited by varsas on Thursday 28th July 14:07

toasty

7,441 posts

219 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
I have an old Pioneer plasma 436XDE which were the dog's danglies back in their day and pretty good today. I think I paid about £2.5K for it back then.

Now, the equivalent for the same money seems to be a 55inch 4K OLED. They do look pretty but I'll keep mine until it breaks and then see what's about.