Right Now in 2014: Plasma, LED, UHD or OLED? (1 Viewer)

We seem to be at a turning point for the display format.

There are certainly some great 4K displays in our future,
including OLED, which promises to be the very best of the best.

But at this moment in time, this new technology is still in its
infancy and very expensive to own.

I think we are still 3-4 years away, at best, for these technologies
to be affordable for most of us.

So, at this very point and time, if in the market for a new television,
which display do you purchase?

I just bought a Samsung F8500 plasma within the past 5 months.
I also owned the Panasonic ZT60 (no longer available) for a short
period of time.

For me, at this moment, I felt plasma is still the best choice of display,
even though its an older technology that has been heading for extinction.

I just don't think you can get the same level of blacks on anything else
in a comparable price range.

Of course, projectors are a fantastic and comparable option as well, but
I just don't have enough experience with them to comment...


So I have two questions that are ultimately going to help out many people
reading this forum area for information....


Higher End Buyers: If you were going to wait a few years for the new
technologies to be more affordable, what display would you consider
purchasing right now and why?

Lower End Buyers: This is going to personally help me as I have friends who
are about to buy their first 65" display. Not wanting to steer them towards a
$3k display like the Samsung I own, what would be the best bang for the buck?
Should I still recommend Plasma at this stage of the game? What makes or
model #s that fall in the medium price bracket ($1k-$2k) are probably the best
in its class?


I am leaving out those individuals that go to their local Price Club or Walmart
and buy a 1080p display for $400-$800. I really don't think there's any quality
being inherited in these purchases, but will certainly listen to arguments in favor
for them.

It all depends on whatever is most pleasing to the individual's eye. I have always preferred LED over plasma. That's just me. Yes, I agree no other technology gives us blacks better than plasma, but I have always preferred the "pop" factor of LED over the "dark" factor of plasma. Again, that is just me, and there are members here who will likely blast me for that, but to each his own. And, I just recently took the plunge and bought a UHD to replace one of my other TV's. Sadly, as I already knew, there isn't much in the way of available 4K media. It does give a marginal improvement to Bluray using my Oppo's 4K "up-scaling" feature, but almost too hard to really see it. If and when 4K media becomes the norm, it will definitely be the way to go, either UHD or OLED.

...but I have always preferred the "pop" factor of LED over the "dark" factor of plasma.

Click to expand...

I understand that more than you may know.

The Panasonic ZT60 was a gorgeous plasma. Just too dark.

That is the problem with plasmas -- they are dark when compared to LED.

The Samsung F8500 fixes that, for the most part. It has the "pop" of LED and
gives plasma blacks.

But your are right that it really depends on what is more pleasing to the
individual's eye.

I'm on my second plasma, both Panasonic, nothing wrong with the first one, but it wasn't pure HD, 720 or something or other. I think the new 47" looks stunning. I do love the look of plasma, which seem to me to have the best cinema-like image, but the future doesn't look good for plasma. This one may see me out, you never know. I suppose looking at the future it'll be OLED.

PLASMA

I don't know. And this is a problem because I want to put together the Media Room maybe next year. I want a 4k Front Projector, but those are still in the $15k price range. And even there, I don't know what technology I should buy, whether 1080p or higher. But I wonder if I bet on the wrong horse in my pre-wiring, and I should just plan on buying an 80" LCD? And what about 3D? This is the best of times and worst of times to buy a major new display for a dedicated media room.If I were to upgrade my living room, I've noodled on whether I should buy a new 60" TV...or have a pro calibrate my 50" Kuro (not Elite). Maybe even try and get the logic board upgraded to the Elite model and calibrate that, and get a late life "Kuro Elite" in my house?

I don't think it's smart to invest on 4k (even of you have the means) right now. HDMI 2.0 is just now coming out, 4k content is expensive and sparse, and it's not even close to being worth the premium. I think a good 1080P front projector is the way to go while all this is being sorted out. I love new tech as much as anyone, but early adopters always wind up getting hosed when better and less expensive stuff comes around.

Too bad Hitachi left plasma early. ALiS panels only existed in 42 and 50.Their 60"(rare bird then...Dodo's now) were native 1080p. Side to side against Pioneer, they were brighter. Calibrated, Hitachi was on par...except for black level. But God forbid you upset the order.Anyway, Now is the worst time to buy any display over $2000. Unless you are forgetting UHD.Regarding HDMI 2.0. Still too soon. Those that bought UHD on HDMI 1.4? Suckers.I am buying an Onkyo 3030(unless a 5030 materializes with something necessary) for the Atmos, not the 4K.Back to the two questions...High end?There is absolutely nothing right now to buy...unless you stick with 1080P.Lower end?Plasma till extinct.(If LCD wins the UHD "war", the market is lost to the lowest denominator)

[Post Edited By Moderator.] MF

I would say Plasma because at the moment OLEDs are too expensive and curved.

schan1269 said:

LCD buyers are (people with different priorities than me).

Click to expand...

Sam, please refrain from insulting other members.Thanks.

I probably shouldn't be posting here as I am still using a 35-inch Toshiba 4:3 tube TV purchased in 1996. Most of my watching is from DVDs of TV shows from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, like Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, etc. I dread the day this set dies as I have no idea what to replace it with.

I know everything today is widescreen HD, What can I get that will make my 4:3 SD DVDs look as good as they do on my old tube TV?

Plasma and OLED will probably look the most like a CRT.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/01/us-samsung-sdi-plasma-idUKKBN0F62W620140701

[color=rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans;font-size:medium;](Reuters) - Samsung SDI Co Ltd said on Tuesday that it will shut down its plasma panel production business, citing the decline in overall demand for plasma display panel televisions.[/color]
Samsung SDI, in a statement, said it will concentrate its resources on growing its energy and materials businesses. The firm plans to end all plasma display operations by November 30.

Click to expand...

I choose plasma and would contest the "too dark" assessment. I've had two plasmas that destroy my current Samsung LED. I'd say out of the box the LED are cranked up. Head to head and both properly calibrated, for movies it's plasma for me.

Plasma for me. Very disappointed they're dying before there's a proper option. Just seems premature. Love my plasma though!

A properly calibrated display should not be too bright nor should it be too dark, therefore i don't get the LCD versus plasma argument, in the shop they have LCD on torch mode, too bright, too sharp and colours too garish, once calibrated the image improves immensely. You should have two calibrations if possible, a daytime mode and evening low light mode.

Samsung has announced they will not make any more plasma once this year ends, the factory will be turned into one that will make 4K LCD sets, i believe LG is going the same way, plasma is practically dead, not long to go now and it's life is ebbing away as i type this, all that can save us from LCD taking over is OLED, i'm not a fan of image retention, that's why i purchased a Samsung E6500 60 inch plasma, zero image retention, most plasma sets have some, i have found none on this model which is rare, unfortunately i believe OLED will suffer from image retention, not to be confused with image burn in, i dislike it.

For serious movie watching i use my projector, for television i have the plasma, i'd like to see some leaps in projector technology, a new 4K DLP chip for the high and mid end DLP projector market and they could use Dark Chip 4 for the cheap DLP projectors which would enable them to compete better at the budget end of the market, i mean sub $1500 prices and sub $1000 level.

I'd also like to see advancements in LED for the projector market, this is true LED unlike those LCD televisions which always have LED labels on them, so far LED has not been bright enough and black levels have not been good enough, i hope they develop these but maybe the manufacturers don't want good LED released because it would effectively stop people upgrading every few years.

Anyway if you want a plasma you better buy it this year, it's almost extinct.

I wouldn't buy a high end display in 2014. I can heartily recommend GREAT bang for the buck 1080p led displays (mostly whatever Samsung has at Costco) for friends and family to enjoy for years tho.I bought an Epson 5020 in 2013 and expect it will get me till 2015 2016 just fine. If a real UHD disk format materializes I will be in line to get one as soon as Epson or Psnasonic or Sony makes a UHD PJ with all the features or better than my 5020 for under $3k and not before.

http://www.vox.com/2014/7/2/5864583/you-should-either-buy-this-tv-right-now-or-wait-two-years"The death of plasma is an incredible success story for LCD technology, but it's also a sad reminder that disruption doesn't always meant the best products win: no LCD TV has ever looked as good as the best plasma TVs. Just go down the list: Pioneer's Kuro plasmas were so amazing that CNET still uses them as a review reference years after they were discontinued in 2008."

If you havent seen them yet, take a trip to Costco and check out the $6k 75" Samsung 4k TV. The blacks are pretty damn good on it. I wouldn't spend $6k on it, but LED has caught Plasma's blacks for all but the ridiculously persnickity buyer. That doesn't mean you Plasma purists are WRONG, just that there isn't enough of you (well, us) to make it profitable to try to compete with LED.http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/332668-samsung-adds-an-85-10k-4k-tv-to-the-2014-line-up/

Plasma is not helped by manufacturers selling 43"1024x768 panels and calling them 720p HD. I had a look at the at the low-end Samsung PN43F4500 43”. Pixels were clearly visible, and everything was visibly aliased compared to the LCDs surrounding it.