Is a plasma the right tv for me?

Danny Beck · 05-16-2004, 08:38 AM

I'm in the final days a long tv search for my new basement. I'm finally going to have the dedicated space for whatever kind of setup I want.

So, i've narrowed down my decision process to a few tvs and the one i've already put money down on was the Sony 60-XBR950 LCD Projection. I felt this was my best bet because I do like to play videogames and I just didn't want to worry about burn-in and the like. This is also considered to be the best LCD Projection tv available.

So, before I make the final delivery I just want to make sure that I wouldn't be happier with a plasma. They certainly take up less space and I love the viewing angles. The Sony LCD is pretty darn good in that area but still not as good as a plasma.

The 42" Sony XS910 plasma has caught my eye recently and I just want to give that set one last look before I decided for sure. So, i'm looking for opinions on my situation and what might work best for me. Here are my viewing habits.

60% HD and SD tv
25% Xbox gaming
15% DVD viewing

With that ratio does anyone think i'm at risk of burn-in? Of course I don't plan on watching 4:3 material on this set at all. I'm just worried about the static images in games and even the static portions of a baseball game in HD for instance. Can you burn-in the logo from FOX sports if I watched 6 hours of football on a Sunday afternoon?

Theses are the types of things i'm wondering.

I've also seen people mention "power supply" problems withs plasmas? What is that all about?

I'd appreciate any input or insite that might make my decision easier. I'm just at that point where I know i'm buying a tv that i'm going to have for years and I don't want to regret my decision 6 months down the road. Thanks.

Danny

David Parrish · 05-16-2004, 10:52 AM

Of your two choices, I'd pick the LCD RPTV. I personally think Plasas are nice if you don't have space for a bigger TV, otherwise the cost/benefit just isn't there.

I was in the same boat a few months ago and decided on the Toshiba 57HX93 CRT RPTV. It was $2300. I play X-Box all the time and have no burn-in( Contrast ratio is set around 20 and Brightness around 60-80 depending on daylight.) For TV I increase the Contrast to the 40-60 range.

I plan on buying another TV or Front Projector in a year or two once DLP, LCOS, SXRD, or D-ILA finally get their act together and produce a product without artifacts, poor contrast, dithering, rainbows, headaches, etc... I really do think that digital TVs two years from now will be 5 times as good and half the cost. I'm betting by end of 2005 we'll be seeing three chip DLPs. That's when it'll get interesting.

Did I mention the Toshiba's PQ rocks? I owned an XBR for two weeks and was fairly happy with it, but it had a glitzy screen and a high black level. In my book it wasn't worth $5500.

Danny Beck · 05-16-2004, 12:34 PM

Yeah, you returned your LCD XBR950 right?

Well, I love the XBR950 but it still haven't been delivered yet. So, I still haven't had a chance to enjoy it at home yet.

The reason i'm considering a plasma though is a matter of picture quality. These new Plasmas have black levels that are close to the quality of a crt. You also have problems on LCDs with fast moving sports like football. So, while I think i'll love the LCD XBR for most things i'm afraid i'm not going to enjoy as much during the football season.

CalvinCarr · 05-17-2004, 06:42 AM

Do you really think that football will look bad?

Danny Beck · 05-17-2004, 07:18 AM

Well, there is certainly motion blur on all LCDs when viewing something like football where the camera is zoomed out and you see all those players in motion at the same time.

On the XBR950 it might even be worse in some ways. I still haven't been able to view sports on the store demos. They've always got some sitcom or nature show on that doesnt' really show me much.

It makes no sense that the XBR would be worse in this situation but from what i've seen it looks like the XBR is so much clearer than othere LCDs that the sacrafice for pure beauty and resolution means you notice the bluring more so than other LCD Projection tvs. I'll be recieving hte tv on Friday so I guess i'll find out for sure at that point. If it's really bad I may just return it.

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CalvinCarr · 05-17-2004, 07:52 AM

The dilema I have is that we plan to buy one in Sept. but the wife wants to buy a entertainment center to go around it. I'd hate to buy it then find I don't like it and send it back. I watch mostly network t.v. and sports. We watch maybe 2 movies a week. I'm wondering if this is even the set for me now.

David Parrish · 05-17-2004, 10:03 AM

Football looks AWESOME on the XBR. I got kudos at my superbowl party. I don't remember seeing any motion blur whatsoever.

This TV's big weakness is movies, which usually have a lot of dark scenes. Regular sitcoms and Sports are its strong suit.

DaveGTP · 05-17-2004, 04:45 PM

Burn-in on plasmas is overrated.

Recommended reading:
AVSforum plasma forum FAQ:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=167397

Master burn-in thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=387707

You'll find that most burn in is people that watch too much 4:3 TV, uncalibrated (known as torch mode). If you mix aspect ratios up (and be REAL nice to it at first - they are more sensitive to burn in at first) it should be fine.

The plasma will have much better contrast and more detailed blacks than the LCD RPTV. BUT - The Sony plasmas aren't really recommended (although I guess this year's models are better). They garner a lot of attention on the store floor (must be how they are set up out of the box), but a properly calibrated Pioneer or Panasonic is, by most accounts, better. Panny in particular has much superior black levels/detail. Try looking at the Panny model in the store. Get your hands on the remote, crank down the brightness, contrast, and sharpness to sane levels, and see the difference (I did this instore @ CC, and it was a whole world of difference).

Danny Beck · 05-18-2004, 07:33 AM

I spent a good our last night at Best Buy comparing 2 plasmas. I've narrowed it all the way down now and it's comes down to this.

The 2 plasmas were the Sony 42" XS910 and the Panasonic 50" TH50PX20U. They had the Panasonic marked down to $6500! That is an amazing price for a 50" plasma but in all honesty the Sony looked better to me. So, i'm left asking myself if I should get the Sony as that is what I really want to do, or get the Panasonic for it's extra 8 inches of beauty?

Here is the breakdown. The Panasonic showed significan noise on certain scenes in the HD loop they were playing. In particular any of the film related clips were noisy to say the least. They showed clips from Master and Commander as well as the Spiderman 2 trailer and the Sony was very smooth and clean while displaying these clips while the Panny showed noise in the solid colored portions of the screen. Detail was fantastic on both but that noise on the Panny bothered me. Does that have something to do with the fact that the Panny doesn't offer 3:2 pulldown? I think it might.

Then of course you have the XBR50 LCD Projection. I just cannot make up my mind about these sets. I am 100% convinced the picture quality on those 2 plasmas is better than the LCD but the LCD offers a larger picture and no worries of burn-in.

This is such a tough decision as I just want to get it all over with and enjoy my new tv.

I almost wish I didn't have the 3 options because it's making it so hard to decide.

Mort Corey · 05-18-2004, 12:36 PM

Take a deeeeep breath Danny...it's a lot of money for a TV so take your time and look at all the alternatives. The Panasonic 50 you're looking at is the (now) older model and that's why the price reduction (BTW, I've seen that model advertised on the web of about $1K less than you're seeing it at BB...FWIW) The Sony is an Alis (1024x1024) panel, vs a true HD panel like the Panny....BUT....it also supports a 720p input that the Panny doesn't (except via front computer input) and that may be a factor in using your X-box.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the setup of the units on the BB floor. There could be a myriad of factors why one looks better than another.....from a conspiracy theory standpoint, I've often wondered it they might not do that on purpose. Adjusting the units they w