Plasma or LCD? Which home theatre??

[TassieKiwi]

Taking the plunge and replacing the ancient child-ravaged 21" sony.

Any of you discerning gentlefolk spent large recently on this gear? I've fallen in luuurrve with the Poineer 43" plasma. ($4.5k). Bloke at work reckons LCD only way to go, new 40"Samsung $4k. Hardly Normal has a Yamaha package just under $1k - looks ok, nice speakers etc.
Which recordable DVD to buy??????Top box? Hard drive HDMI 7.1 fangly dangly HD digital iput hooflungdung. I used to keep up with all of this.

My head hurts. I have max $8k, its gotta last at least 10yrs, and sound good.

I would welcome any feedback from you lot.

Regards from (cold and windy) Tasmania

Dennis

[craigb]

FWIW I'm also considering a purchase of a flat screen teev this year.

I reckon that when the time comes I'll definitely go with LCD. They have superior picture quality I reckon.

A built in tuner means fewer boxes too imo.

[dazzler]

Hi TassieKiwi

Have u thought of a projector style for your home theatre.

Screen can be huge:eek: . We hook the one up from work for the footy onto one of the walls.

Cool:D

Just a thought.

cheers

dazzler

[namtrak]

Google this "plamsa vs lcd" there is tonnes of stuff on net.

Also try www.epinions.com

Cheers

[Ashore]

I went LCD thought it gave a better picture and was viewable as an angle to the screen, also I can plug a laptop into it and it becomes a big computer screen.

But whatever you decide on , LCD or Plasma get the dvd and other stuff in the same brand , less remotes & compatability should not be a problem

As to the projector , check out the cost of replacement lamps and remember you can't use/ see them in normal daylight , you will need a darkened room for daytime viewing


Rgds

[ozwinner]

If I was to spend money on a new setup I would seriously think of doing this.

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5141&st=0

Al :cool:

[Bob Willson]

If you do decide to go LCD then make sure to checkout the various screen refresh times. The smaller the number the better.

[ozwinner]

If you do decide to go LCD then make sure to checkout the various screen refresh times. The smaller the number the better.

I would have though it was the other way around.
The higher the number, the more refresh rates per minute?

Al :confused:

[Bodgy]

TK

I'm afraid I don't remember the specifics, but I researched this issue in great depth and decided on the Plasma. All the info is on the Net but be prepared for your brain to hurt.

You also don't need to spend $8k. I got our 42" Plasma for $2500 and that was over a year ago. Prices are dropping like a lead balloon, now the R&D is paid off.

Whilst the purists will argue the merits of the brands, and they do have a point (but not a $2k point) there are only 3 manufacturers of the screens in the world. Sure the other bits are important, but the Net says the screen is the thing.

I'm ready to be corrected (inevitable, probably by Driver) but the $2K diff is somewhere around a week's or more work after the Gov steals their tax.

[Bob Willson]

I would have though it was the other way around.
The higher the number, the more refresh rates per minute?

Al :confused:

Yeah, you'd think so wouldn't you? But it is actually the smaller amount of time between updates.
So 12ms is better than 18ms

[woodbe]

Plasma looks great when new, if it's a good one. Spend time reviewing the actual performance of the screen on material you watch now, and also HDTV even if you don't have it now. Some of the Plasma screens I've seen are pretty horrible at playing jag-free high definition images.

The thing that's turned me off plasma is the heat they output (might be an advantage for some, but I find them pretty hot after they've been on for a while, and the fact that they are best when new, and they slowly deteriorate from then on.

For a TV, I'd go with a LCD. LCD's do lose brightness as the illumination tube gets old, but some of those are replaceable. The panels themselves do not deteriorate like plasma. The cost of LCD is also coming down and a war between LCD and plasma is starting, which is the reason for the Plasma price drop, not the R&D being paid off- Marketing runs pricing in the retail market, not the accounts department :). LCD will win IMO because ultimately the manufacture, transport, warranty and running costs are less.

For movies and occasional TV, go with a projector, a reasonable one will nail any TV for size and involvement. You will be up for new globes after thousands of hours use, and they can be expensive. Ours is in it's third year on the original globe ($600) so it's not as bad as some make out, but maybe we don't watch it as much as some either.

woodbe.

[woodbe]

Yeah, you'd think so wouldn't you? But it is actually the smaller amount of time between updates.
So 12ms is better than 18ms

Yes. CRT monitors are rated in Hz, and higher is better. LCD in milliseconds, smaller is better. A slow LCD shows 'trails' following anything that moves on screen. Very distracting, but also not something I've noticed on any recent LCD.

woodbe.

[dazzler]

Hi TassieKiwi

Have u thought of a projector style for your home theatre.

Screen can be huge:eek: . We hook the one up from work for the footy onto one of the walls.

Cool:D

Just a thought.

cheers

dazzler

Hi Tassie

should have quantified this. If you are after a HOME THEATRE for watching movies then IMO the projector is the most cost effective/best value for size. For $2ish you will have a screen that almost fills the wall, add in a $600 surround sound, put it in your setup as a theatre and bobs your uncle.

Most lamps last for around the 2400 hours. Thats a lot of movies. Spare bulbs are expensive. Last one we had was $700.

If its not a Home Theatre then go with the other options.

If you are thinking of moving in the near future many removalists will not cover moving plasma's

good luck.

Has the cold arrived up nth yet. Snow on the mountain here:D

[savage]

Dennis,
I have recently bought a new TV, after all the pro's and con's of LCD vs Plasma, which I might add made my head hurt, I decided to have a look at DLP rear projection. The one I got is a LG, 134cm screen (bloody huge), picture quality is measured by it's ability to reproduce the color black, as this is what gives contrast and depth of picture.

There is a globe to replace, but unlike other types they last for 6000hrs +, and are only a few hundred to replace. Cost of TV $2100, including set top box (a must), I got it from Bing Lee, I didn't want the stand for the TV and negotiated a deal for the set top box as a swap. They where a bit pushy on the "extended warrenty" ($90), but I stood my ground and said I didn't want it, he offered it to me at half price ($45) so I caved, still a good deal and have not regreted it for a moment. Just my opinion!...

PS have a look here http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dlp.htm

[Shedhand]

Cripes. Tassie and Daz, why are you guys blatting on about cold, snow etc. I was out in it all day today. Shorts and bare top until about 4.30.

On Plasma v LCD. If you go to a reputable dealer in such things you'll find that LCD is the recommendation. Less heat, longer life, more reliable. I decided they were both still way over priced so spent my hard-earned on a very nice widescreen Loewe CRT. I couldn't be happier. It'll last about 10 years and buy that time we'll all be watching holograms. :D And I'll be too old to care.

[Driver]

I'm ready to be corrected (inevitable, probably by Driver) but the $2K diff is somewhere around a week's or more work after the Gov steals their tax.

Not biting, me old Bodger.;) I know nothing about this stuff. When it comes to TV, I'm just a viewer.

However, one thought does occur. The prices are still high while the technology is comparatively new (whether because of R & D costs, market conditions, competition or a combination of all these things). They will keep dropping as the technology matures and as manufacturing volumes increase (especially in China). I reckon they've probably got some way to go yet.

[dazzler]

Cripes. Tassie and Daz, why are you guys blatting on about cold, snow etc. I was out in it all day today. Shorts and bare top until about 4.30.

On Plasma v LCD. If you go to a reputable dealer in such things you'll find that LCD is the recommendation. Less heat, longer life, more reliable. I decided they were both still way over priced so spent my hard-earned on a very nice widescreen Loewe CRT. I couldn't be happier. It'll last about 10 years and buy that time we'll all be watching holograms. :D And I'll be too old to care.

Coz I'm Soft!:p

[Shedhand]

Coz I'm Soft!:p Oops. I just remembered where you live. Does get cold up on the snow line. :D:D Unlike the sunny eastern shore...down by the beach...:D:D:D

[Gumby]

42" in size and above - definitely Plasma. They don't make plasmas under that anyway. The problem with larger LCDs is that they project fantastic still images but are not good at moving images, like watching the footy. It has slight tails on the image, like when you move a mouse across the computer screen, it leaves an image for a short time. Move the mouse around and you'll get the idea.

Plasma life is good if you get a Japanese made product. JVC, Panasonic etc. In 10 years you'll be changing over again anyway so why worry about screen life beyond that. Most will do 80,000 hours so they'l outlast their useful lifespan anyway.

Don't buy cheap !

Needless to say, we have a JVC 42" Plasma with Pioneer surround sound - bloody brillaint!

I don't like some of those projectors. A mate has one in a special theatre room but it's too big. You have to keep moving your head to watch it all and can't take in the whole screen at once. Kind of like watching tennis:D or sitting in the front row at the picture theatre.

[Glenn_M]

I went through all this about 8 months back before I decided. Like Sheddy says most good dealers seem to recommend LCD over plasma because of heat related issues. I couldn't afford the size LCD I wanted with the refresh rate I wanted so looked elsewhere.

I was looking to spend a bit less than you and wanted to view HDTV as well. Given that most of the plasma's in my price range were about 480 vertical pixels this is less than SDTV or HDTV therefore (in my opinion) the digital signals rescaled to the plasma resolution did not look so good.

In the end I got a Hitachi LCD widescreen home theatre projector and a 82 inch screen for movies. Watching the news etc and the kids viewing still done on the panasonic CRT.

The Hitachi is one of the new breed of HT projectors and doesn't suffer from the requirement for darkened rooms like Ashore mentioned (which was certainly a problem with earlier projectors) As long as the screen doesn't get direct sunlight (mine doesn't) all is good. No problem watching during the day although there is no doubt the picture is better with the curtains closed or at night.

Replacement bulbs about $350 but I've not needed one yet (touch wood).

All in all I'd say consider what you want the gear for (for us it was movies and sport) and look around to see what looks best for you. For any projection (front or rear) the LCD vs DLP issue is a personal choice rather than anything else.

Get what works best for you.

Cheers and happy viewing!

[woodbe]

I don't like some of those projectors. A mate has one in a special theatre room but it's too big. You have to keep moving your head to watch it all and can't take in the whole screen at once. Kind of like watching tennis:D or sitting in the front row at the picture theatre.

Yes. that's a good clue.

You have to size the projected image so that the closest seats are 1.5x screen width away from the screen, otherwise people go batty trying to keep up with the action. (people with 20/20 eyesight will probably see pixels if they are too close as well)

In some rooms without a lot of depth, that means you have to reduce the image size.

Just goes to show that if you don't take the time to research what you are doing, or buy from the wrong joint, you can land up with an expensive but less than optimal solution..

woodbe.

[Bodgy]

The cost of LCD is also coming down and a war between LCD and plasma is starting, which is the reason for the Plasma price drop, not the R&D being paid off- Marketing runs pricing in the retail market, not the accounts department

Bob, don't want to get into a shizt fignht, but you are only partly correct.

The price remains high until the original R&D costs and the tooling costs are mitigated, and the initial low volumes pick up. Once this is complete and the 'early adopters' have run out, then you are absolutely correct - marketing sets the margin. But not, to any great extent, at the beginning of the product life cycle.

Beginning of the curve is cost plus, the remainder is at market. Hence, in nearly all high tech product the price is set high originally, drops slightly then plateaus, and then progressively drops as the volumes rise and then bottoms out as it becomes a commodity.

In my view, plasma and LCD have not yet reached commodity status in Oz. In the US (the serious volume market) plasma is priced around 60% of what we pay, even at the Fling Slee level.

[Harry72]

"The problem with larger LCDs is that they project fantastic still images but are not good at moving images, like watching the footy. It has slight tails on the image, like when you move a mouse across the computer screen, it leaves an image for a short time. Move the mouse around and you'll get the idea."

Maybe on older first gen LCD's but not now, I got a large 24" LCD(Dell) on me pooter which I use for gaming... no image lag, PC games are way faster in complex fast moving images than any footy game!

Tazzy, I reckon with $8k to spend you could get a lcd/plazma and get a HT projector plus a hard drive TSbox with a small 5.1/dts sound system.

[Spelunx]

Hardly Normal has a Yamaha package just under $1k - looks ok, nice speakers etc.

Dennis

Hey Deninis.

It looks like you have some good advice re: plasma vs LCD, so I will concentrate on the above.

Do you already have an amp? or are you purchasing the amp and speakers? Do you listen to music at all? or is it purely for home theater?

In general, brands that make amps (Yamaha, Denon, etc) make really crappy speakers. The best speakers manufacturers make only speakers. That doesn't mean to have to spend a fortune, there are some excellent buys out there. I would generally advise not to go to the mass-market places like Hardley Normals, you will get mass-market gear and mass-market advice. In your price bracket, I would be turning to the specialist Hi-fi places for advice. Getting the right balance between the speakers is vital for good home theater.

Seeing as this is a woodwork website, there are a couple of good DIY speaker places on-line that are excellent value for money.

If you are interested, give me some more info, and I'll give you the best advice I can.

Cheers

[TassieKiwi]

Hey Deninis.


Do you already have an amp? or are you purchasing the amp and speakers? Do you listen to music at all? or is it purely for home theater?

Seeing as this is a woodwork website, there are a couple of good DIY speaker places on-line that are excellent value for money.

If you are interested, give me some more info, and I'll give you the best advice I can.

Cheers

Thanks for all of the responses people - I'm not alone on this!

Spenlux - I'm a bit of an audiophile, with Audiolab/Linn/Arcam/Nakamichi gear, albiet 10, no 16! yrs old. Picked up a 'Hi Fi' mag yesterday, loooong time since I've done that (marriage, renovations, kids, move countries,new job - what happened?) and the gear got the ol' juices flowing. They haven't forgotten how to charge tho' - 'Turned from solid carbon, mined by midget orcs at the centre of Mt Doom, to +/-0.0000000001mm, this will enhance your listening pleasure to orgasmic levels. Only $375 + gst.' It's a bloody turntable mat.

Anyway, maybe I should be combining the purchase with a bit of high end stuff. Anyone wanna buy some nice old stereo gear????

I'll compare the poineer and samsung today, and go from there. Fun looking, anyway. If the nippers aren't with me.:D

[woodbe]

don't want to get into a shizt fignht, but you are only partly correct.

Yea, sorry, I left out the bit where I reckon the R&D has been well and truly paid off on Plasma, which is why pricing is under marketing control. The US pricing situation supports that view.

If you have a look around the back of a plasma that's been on for a few hours and peer into the many vents, you will realise how hot they run, and how complex they are to manufacture. Repeat the process for a LCD and you will see where I'm coming from.

woodbe.

[Spelunx]

Thanks for all of the responses people - I'm not alone on this!

Spenlux - I'm a bit of an audiophile, with Audiolab/Linn/Arcam/Nakamichi gear, albiet 10, no 16! yrs old. Picked up a 'Hi Fi' mag yesterday, loooong time since I've done that (marriage, renovations, kids, move countries,new job - what happened?) and the gear got the ol' juices flowing. They haven't forgotten how to charge tho' - 'Turned from solid carbon, mined by midget orcs at the centre of Mt Doom, to +/-0.0000000001mm, this will enhance your listening pleasure to orgasmic levels. Only $375 + gst.' It's a bloody turntable mat.

Anyway, maybe I should be combining the purchase with a bit of high end stuff. Anyone wanna buy some nice old stereo gear????

I'll compare the poineer and samsung today, and go from there. Fun looking, anyway. If the nippers aren't with me.:D

If your speakers are half-way decent, perhaps you can look into buying a new amp for the home theater? There are some awesome surround sound amps out there. For home theater, you really need a sub-woofer, it makes the movies come to life. It also helps a lot with music as well, because it frees up the speakers, allowing them the replicate the mid and high-ranges, with the sub taking the bass.

I bought a sub-woofer from theloudspeakerkit.com and put it together myself. really, really easy to do, and you can save big $$$. I finished mine with black vinyl wrap, but there are people out there who go nuts.

The important part of home theater is balance, the centre, front, surrounds and sub all have to work together. In particular the front three have to be, otherwise you get a change in tone or volume as a car travels from left to right across the screen.

Anyway, there is heaps of info out there for you to read...

good luck.

[Shedhand]

Thanks for all of the responses people - I'm not alone on this!

Spenlux - I'm a bit of an audiophile, with Audiolab/Linn/Arcam/Nakamichi gear, albiet 10, no 16! yrs old. Picked up a 'Hi Fi' mag yesterday, loooong time since I've done that (marriage, renovations, kids, move countries,new job - what happened?) and the gear got the ol' juices flowing. They haven't forgotten how to charge tho' - 'Turned from solid carbon, mined by midget orcs at the centre of Mt Doom, to +/-0.0000000001mm, this will enhance your listening pleasure to orgasmic levels. Only $375 + gst.' It's a bloody turntable mat.

Anyway, maybe I should be combining the purchase with a bit of high end stuff. Anyone wanna buy some nice old stereo gear????

I'll compare the poineer and samsung today, and go from there. Fun looking, anyway. If the nippers aren't with me.:DTaz, g'day.
When I lived in Devonport I got pretty friendly with Paul Edwards - the guy who owned hi-fi house - and what he didn't know about home theatre and hi-fi wasn't worth knowing. I think he's closed down now but you might find him in the phone book. I think he lived at Ulverstone or Turners Beach. I reckon he'd be willing to give you some advice.
Cheers;)

[Carpenter]

I wouldn't claim to be an authority on the subject, but I've heard there's going to be big changes in the TV scene in the not too distant future. With the LCD manufacturers finally pulling out their finger & making big screen sizes to match plasma, its also pushed LCD technology along. Combine this with the passing of break even sales figures in terms of volume, we're now entering a point where the prices are going to plummet & technology will leap forward. I'd be holding out for a while.

[Iain]

Another thing to watch for is shifty dealers who will put on a fairly actionless but pretty DVD when selling said screen.
Take your own DVD with you, something like a Starwars scene, and remember where it is, the action bit.
They won't like it but you will get to see the lagging if there is any.
When I bought my home theatre system they put on Hotel California, bunch of blokes just sitting on the stage playing instruments, sounded good but no action, took in a DVD of my own and they started moaning about incompatability problems that could be encountered (which is absolute horse####e).
I refused to budge and watched my movie on their plasma, a good one, which I then didn't buy, only the amp and speakers, too damned expensive then.

[Bodgy]

Heat is a problem with Plama's. You could cook an egg on the vents. This is a big problem if you want to put it in a cabinet, which I think would be nice. The big screens are great for watching, but look pretty ostentatcious and gross. A cabinet would be nice to hide them when not on, I think.

[Bob Willson]

took in a DVD of my own and they started moaning about incompatability problems that could be encountered

Incompatible with standard DVDs eh?

[Rossluck]

For what it's worth, we've had a 106cm plasma for about two years now and it's been great. Everything appeals about LCD except the refresh rate. My sons are heavily into computer games and can't use LCD's for this reason (Wolfenstein blurs when you shoot at him or something like that, don't ask me). In the end I'm sure it's like computer technology: no matter what you buy it's obsolete as you hand your visa card over.

[Harry72]

Ross no blur on my screen while gaming, how old is the lcd on your comp?

[Rossluck]

Ross no blur on my screen while gaming, how old is the lcd on your comp?

This came up when one of our LCD monitors died, and we had to buy a new one. My sons insisted that CRT screens were the way to go for them. They then showed me how quick movements from one scene to another on an LCD (late model Dell, I don't know the model number) take a fraction of a second to change over, whereas on a CRT monitor they were relatively crisp. These are people who hide in dark rooms till 5am playing Star Wars and so on with people in Norway, so I didn't argue. I also talked with other computer nerds in computer shops and they agreed, but also said that LCD refresh rates were getting better.

The important thing is that, since CRT is dramatically cheaper, I didn't complain and was very happy to accept my sons' choice!

[knucklehead]

I'm a bit of an audiophile

Anyway, maybe I should be combining the purchase with a bit of high end stuff.

Be warned that the both plasma and LCD have inherent picture delay (due to the processing). This is O.K. for most people but it will drive an audiophile insane. Every movie will have mistimed sound effects and lip sync issues. Plasmas have improved this quite a bit, if only by adding a audio delay circuit. LCDs still have significant delay. In fact the delay is so long that there is much discussion in the industry on how to get people to accept it rather that eliminate the problem.

With all of the above said, if you get an amp that can delay the audio it should be manageable. I believe that most of the high end stuff sold for home theater have this feature.

[Gumby]

Be warned that the both plasma and LCD have inherent picture delay (due to the processing). This is O.K. for most people but it will drive an audiophile insane. Every movie will have mistimed sound effects and lip sync issues. Plasmas have improved this quite a bit, if only by adding a audio delay circuit. LCDs still have significant delay. In fact the delay is so long that there is much discussion in the industry on how to get people to accept it rather that eliminate the problem.

With all of the above said, if you get an amp that can delay the audio it should be manageable. I believe that most of the high end stuff sold for home theater have this feature.

Agreed. That has driven me mad on music DVD's, to the point i thought something was wrong with my plasma TV. It isn't at all noticable on a normal DVD however.

I've also noticed that some music dvd's are worse than others.

[ozwinner]

That has driven me mad on music DVD's, to the point i thought something was wrong with my plasma TV..

The TV is ok, its in your head, you are going mad, listen to the voices in your head, they are in control, resintance is futile..................exterminate........................

Al :D

[Gumby]

The TV is ok, its in your head, you are going mad, listen to the voices in your head, they are in control, resintance is futile..................exterminate........................

Al :D

Your typing is out of sync with your brain :D :D :D

[Iain]

Al...Brain....Synchronisation??????????:p :p

[aussiecolector]

Which uses the most power when compaird to crt's? Our tv seems to be on most of the day.

[woodbe]

I think it would be LCD, CRT then plasma (lowest to highest)

[PuppyPaw]

I brought a 50inch plasma about 3 years ago.
Panasonic and its bloody terrific.
Now, if you go into shops like hardly normal and ask a sales men AND if you listen to them.. then well, you deserve to buy something low quality (ie, crap)
But if you do research (and your head will hurt) then you will get the best for your money.
I did research for a little over a year befor I finally made my choice.
At that time it was NEC or Panasonic. they both have fantastic image quality (just differances in blacks)

I wondering where the myth of Plasmas being hot came from?? my plasmas been running since 9am and its not almost 2:30pm and I just ran my hand over the intire back panel including the vents and its just warm to the touch, I suppose you may be able to boil an egg from the heat but it will take a few months! It isn't hot at all and I have never felt a hot Plasma screen!!!

People talking about the life of a plasma I think may have it a little wrong.
Plasmas have a rated hours of being on in hours untill it reaches whats called a "half life" which is weakening of the light emitted untill it reachs half of its maximum original output.
On my plasma thats 80 thousand hours which at the rate we are using it is 12 years and that is only untill half life. You can continue watching it after that fine, sure it wont look the best but show me a CRT that still looks as good as it first did after 12 years

Viewing angle on LCD tv's is no where near as good as a Plasma, you can look at it from the side and still see a perfect picture, try doing that with an LCD!!! (who ever said LCD has better viewing angles is wrong)

Thats all the comments I can remember to comment too !

Philips recently released a 60inch plasma so Panansonic is surely not far away which I can't wait for hehehe I want it!

Oh and Plasma manufactures are now able produce real 1080i (and soon 1080p)

[Ashore]

Viewing angle on LCD tv's is no where near as good as a Plasma, you can look at it from the side and still see a perfect picture, try doing that with an LCD!!! (who ever said LCD has better viewing angles is wrong)


You mean like this

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=21849&stc=1&d=1144559808

For mine , and I did my research, including going to places that sold both plasma and LCD and checked the viewing angles myself and found that comparing the diffrent screens with the same program running that the LCD gave a better viewing angle.

[normell]

I brought a 50inch plasma about 3 years ago.
Panasonic and its bloody terrific.
Now, if you go into shops like hardly normal and ask a sales men AND if you listen to them.. then well, you deserve to buy something low quality (ie, crap)
But if you do research (and your head will hurt) then you will get the best for your money.
I did research for a little over a year befor I finally made my choice.
At that time it was NEC or Panasonic. they both have fantastic image quality (just differances in blacks)

I wondering where the myth of Plasmas being hot came from?? my plasmas been running since 9am and its not almost 2:30pm and I just ran my hand over the intire back panel including the vents and its just warm to the touch, I suppose you may be able to boil an egg from the heat but it will take a few months! It isn't hot at all and I have never felt a hot Plasma screen!!!

People talking about the life of a plasma I think may have it a little wrong.
Plasmas have a rated hours of being on in hours untill it reaches whats called a "half life" which is weakening of the light emitted untill it reachs half of its maximum original output.
On my plasma thats 80 thousand hours which at the rate we are using it is 12 years and that is only untill half life. You can continue watching it after that fine, sure it wont look the best but show me a CRT that still looks as good as it first did after 12 years

Viewing angle on LCD tv's is no where near as good as a Plasma, you can look at it from the side and still see a perfect picture, try doing that with an LCD!!! (who ever said LCD has better viewing angles is wrong)

Thats all the comments I can remember to comment too !

Philips recently released a 60inch plasma so Panansonic is surely not far away which I can't wait for hehehe I want it!

Oh and Plasma manufactures are now able produce real 1080i (and soon 1080p)
Knew there was something wrong with my eyes.
I got great results with LCD's from any angle, but crap with Plasma's bloody crook eyes, must get them tested again:eek: :D

[scooter]

Know jack about all this, but I think response time (quoted in milliseconds) is the measure of how the screen copes with fast moving images. Often see this quoted in ads for computer monitors.

My 2 bob................cheers.............Sean