It's next to impossible for today's Plasma sets (from top brands like Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Pioneer, Zenith) to cause "burn-in". Years ago they all incorporated the 'shifting' pixel technology (very subtile image shift unnoticeable by your eyes), to prevent burn-in, should you have an image frozen on the screen for an extended length of time. Has happened with on-screen logos, such as "CNN", etc.
To prevent burn-in: for the first 100 to 150 hours of using a brand-new set, you should NOT have the TV set to "Vivid" or similar mode, and keep the brightness down to just 60-70% of output. This will "break in" the pixels evenly. After the first 150 hours, you can then adjust your plasma to whatever visual mode you prefer, usually Standard or Movie mode are best. And you can usually adjust any visual setting on most displays, while some others are NOT adjustable except on the USER mode setting.
Lately, the prices have been amazing! One Panasonic model I recently seen advertised was a 60" 1080p display for just $1299. Only four or five years ago this same set would have cost you between $7000 to $10,000.
Plasma sets currently offer the best (deepest) contrast, darker blacks, natural life-like color, and can be viewed from any angle (unlike LCD or DLP) and the image quality stays the same. Response time is faster than LCD too, as the phospher technology of plamsa (similar to Cathode-ray tube tech) has no lag or smearing of the image (like LCD when fast-moving images are displayed). Also, if you want 3D, the quality of plasma's 3D images are rated higher than LCD too in industry reviews/tests.
Until OLED technology becomes affordable (in the next 3-4 years), and hopefully sometime in 4K resolution as well, well, plasma is the best image quality you can buy, and right now the prices have never been lower.
The newest Panasonic plasmas delivers incredible deep blacks and very natural colors. Wait for CES and see what the top dogs have planned for 2012 and then decide what to do.
We will try to cover as much as possible from the show.
Plasmas also create more heat than other sets, so expect a small hike on your electric bill. Mine makes a great space heater in the winter, as I simply leave it on all day. When I'm home, of course.
I did all the research and decided plasma was the best for my situation, because it had the sharpest picture from all angles. I've had two plasma TVs and never had any problem with burn-in, though I've left them on pause for a while and returned. I think John's right. This problem is a non-issue for this generation of plasma TVs. I wouldn't get any other kind, right now.
I just saw a 70" Sharp (LED) today at Costco for about $2,000. I found it remarkable because just a couple of years ago, this size television was unheard of that price.
Anyway, yes, a lot of people I know own plasmas, including Jim and Tim, my cousin, and my niece. They all seem to like them. They do have good black levels, and if viewing well off angle is an issue, they do the job much better than LCDs and LEDs, which fade out for viewers sitting at severe off angles. That said, I own a Sony XBR9 LCD, which I think has the best picture quality I've ever seen in a television (but, then, I've never seen the fabled and long-gone Pioneer Kuro). And in my little viewing room, I don't sit off angle, so the picture is near perfect.
Yeah, and to complicate matters, my neighbor has a Samsung 60" 3D TV and I have to say that it looks amazing, even viewed slightly off-angle (though not nearly the angle we have in my living room).
Yes, the new LED/LCD TVs are doing a great job. However, I still think their color palate is slightly off compared with plasma. But no doubt this gets better and better with each generation. Just as plasma sets gets slimmer and slimmer each year.
Would really love to get a new TV this year as well. 65" Panasonic Plasma is the dream but we will see after CES.
Well I finally bought a HD TV. I went with the Panasonic Viera 60s30 60". Because I am new to HDTV i have a couple of questions if I may. Am I supposed to notice little flickering specks occasionally while watching a bluray like star wars III? Can scenes be soft or slightly blurry in spots?
I got a Panny plasma a year ago. The excellent picture looks very natural.
They are pretty good now (re: burn-in).
When new, I noticed very faint after-imagas a couple of times.
For the first 100 - 200 hours, I would say keep the brightness kind of low and stretch/zoom any images that do not naturally fill the screen.
Another thing to do is to download a file of slides onto a USb drive and let them run on the slide show function. This should help age the phosphors evenly during the early days of the TV.
Wasn't that a long-ago
Wasn't that a long-ago problem, long since solved, sort of like the old cathode-ray tube burn in?
John
It's next to impossible for
It's next to impossible for today's Plasma sets (from top brands like Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Pioneer, Zenith) to cause "burn-in". Years ago they all incorporated the 'shifting' pixel technology (very subtile image shift unnoticeable by your eyes), to prevent burn-in, should you have an image frozen on the screen for an extended length of time. Has happened with on-screen logos, such as "CNN", etc.
To prevent burn-in: for the first 100 to 150 hours of using a brand-new set, you should NOT have the TV set to "Vivid" or similar mode, and keep the brightness down to just 60-70% of output. This will "break in" the pixels evenly. After the first 150 hours, you can then adjust your plasma to whatever visual mode you prefer, usually Standard or Movie mode are best. And you can usually adjust any visual setting on most displays, while some others are NOT adjustable except on the USER mode setting.
Lately, the prices have been amazing! One Panasonic model I recently seen advertised was a 60" 1080p display for just $1299. Only four or five years ago this same set would have cost you between $7000 to $10,000.
Plasma sets currently offer the best (deepest) contrast, darker blacks, natural life-like color, and can be viewed from any angle (unlike LCD or DLP) and the image quality stays the same. Response time is faster than LCD too, as the phospher technology of plamsa (similar to Cathode-ray tube tech) has no lag or smearing of the image (like LCD when fast-moving images are displayed). Also, if you want 3D, the quality of plasma's 3D images are rated higher than LCD too in industry reviews/tests.
Until OLED technology becomes affordable (in the next 3-4 years), and hopefully sometime in 4K resolution as well, well, plasma is the best image quality you can buy, and right now the prices have never been lower.
OLED TV Tech vs LCD TV Tech (720p HD version)
-YouTube video clip a little over 3 minutes
-JOE-
Every magazine and Web site that does comparison tests comes out with different choices, but C-Net's reviews are as reliable as anyone's: http://reviews.cnet.com/best-high-definition-tvs/?tag=column2.0;buyAdvice John
The newest Panasonic plasmas
The newest Panasonic plasmas delivers incredible deep blacks and very natural colors. Wait for CES and see what the top dogs have planned for 2012 and then decide what to do.
We will try to cover as much as possible from the show.
Plasmas also create more heat
Plasmas also create more heat than other sets, so expect a small hike on your electric bill. Mine makes a great space heater in the winter, as I simply leave it on all day. When I'm home, of course.
Tim Raynor
Music Pimp
timraynor94@yahoo.com
Think on the environment =)
Think on the environment =)
Environment? What's that?
Environment? What's that? =O
Tim Raynor
Music Pimp
timraynor94@yahoo.com
I did all the research and
I did all the research and decided plasma was the best for my situation, because it had the sharpest picture from all angles. I've had two plasma TVs and never had any problem with burn-in, though I've left them on pause for a while and returned. I think John's right. This problem is a non-issue for this generation of plasma TVs. I wouldn't get any other kind, right now.
I just saw a 70" Sharp (LED)
I just saw a 70" Sharp (LED) today at Costco for about $2,000. I found it remarkable because just a couple of years ago, this size television was unheard of that price.
Anyway, yes, a lot of people I know own plasmas, including Jim and Tim, my cousin, and my niece. They all seem to like them. They do have good black levels, and if viewing well off angle is an issue, they do the job much better than LCDs and LEDs, which fade out for viewers sitting at severe off angles. That said, I own a Sony XBR9 LCD, which I think has the best picture quality I've ever seen in a television (but, then, I've never seen the fabled and long-gone Pioneer Kuro). And in my little viewing room, I don't sit off angle, so the picture is near perfect.
John
Yeah, and to complicate
Yeah, and to complicate matters, my neighbor has a Samsung 60" 3D TV and I have to say that it looks amazing, even viewed slightly off-angle (though not nearly the angle we have in my living room).
Yes, the new LED/LCD TVs are
Yes, the new LED/LCD TVs are doing a great job. However, I still think their color palate is slightly off compared with plasma. But no doubt this gets better and better with each generation. Just as plasma sets gets slimmer and slimmer each year.
Would really love to get a new TV this year as well. 65" Panasonic Plasma is the dream but we will see after CES.
Well I finally bought a HD TV
Well I finally bought a HD TV. I went with the Panasonic Viera 60s30 60". Because I am new to HDTV i have a couple of questions if I may. Am I supposed to notice little flickering specks occasionally while watching a bluray like star wars III? Can scenes be soft or slightly blurry in spots?
I got a Panny plasma a year
I got a Panny plasma a year ago. The excellent picture looks very natural.
They are pretty good now (re: burn-in).
When new, I noticed very faint after-imagas a couple of times.
For the first 100 - 200 hours, I would say keep the brightness kind of low and stretch/zoom any images that do not naturally fill the screen.
Another thing to do is to download a file of slides onto a USb drive and let them run on the slide show function. This should help age the phosphors evenly during the early days of the TV.
...And don't forget the calibration disk!
-Matt
(DVD Town = mra)