The Demise Of Pioneer Plasma
Dear Gary:
I am disappointed in your editorial blog in which you mentioned that “less-educated consumers purchase LCD TVs over Plasmas.” I recently purchased a Samsung 850 series LCD TV. I did so after researching the product extensively and making price comparisons, just as you have advocated for your readers to do. I found the color to be reasonably accurate and the black level reasonably acceptable. Features abandon. Unlike the KURO plasma, I did not have to worry when my young son would touch the screen with his sauce-covered fingers or the older one would leave the TV on and unattended with his video game turned on. We also would not require specialty cleaners to get fingerprints cleaned off. My wife and children can have excellent picture quality during daytime viewing while the house is illuminated by the bright, Florida sunshine. My experience is no way diminished during my nighttime stint. The one distinct advantage that plasmas have over LCD is off-center viewing. Since I have several televisions in the house, possibly, no more than two of us watch TV together. This, then, does not pose a problem. The black level difference between high-end plasmas and comparable LCD can only be truly appreciated by the measuring instrument. See black level performance for the Sony XBR series 8 and the Samsung 950 series, both using LED back lighting.
Unlike some of the other electronic manufacturers, who were sensitive to changing market conditions, it seems that Pioneer was too slow to recognize these changes until it was too late. Sorry to see them depart, but life goes on. Unfortunately, a similar fate awaits the specialty dealers who cannot diversify quickly enough. The benefits to be derived from specialty dealers are very minimal. Most of them simply tout one brand over the other with unsubstantiated, subjective claims of superiority of the preferred brand. We have online and print media from which to get good information and even comparisons between competing models. Since the core technology and performance separating the high-end from the mid-level product is sometimes indistinguishable, the pocketbook becomes the deciding factor. This is a great time to buy (for those of us with jobs). As soon as I get my piece of the stimulus, I’m shopping, baby!
Earl Pratt, Plantation, Florida
editorgary@widescreenreview.com
Editor-In-Chief and Publisher Gary Reber Comments:
It certainly seems that you have chosen the flat panel display that works well within your household.
No matter what the flat panel technology, plasma and LCD displays are expensive and one needs to understand and appreciate their performance differences, as this should be a deciding factor in your decision.
Plasma HDTV screens consist of individual pixels containing phosphors of the primary colors––red, green, and blue (most similar to CRTs). Directly behind the array of phosphor pixels is a very small chamber filled with a mixture of neon and xenon gas. When the set is switched on, an electrical source ionizes the gas, generating ultraviolet light, which then excites the phosphors to produce a picture.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) HDTVs contain two transparent panels filled with liquid crystals, which can be controlled and manipulated individually. When the set is switched on, the power source causes the liquid crystals to align themselves to let the requisite amount of light through to create the necessary pixels, and thus the screen image. In common LCDs, the light source is a fluorescent tube located directly behind the panel.
LCD HDTVs are limited in viewing angle, and while manufacturers claim viewing angles close to 180 degrees, in reality, the picture quality suffers greatly at any obtuse angle. Plasmas, on the other hand, produce at least a 160-degree viewing angle.
Plasma HDTVs produce a more vivid, richer color palette, as well as deeper blacks, compared to LCD HDTVs. Color saturation, color accuracy, resolution, deep blacks, and dark shadows are plasma attributes and result in a picture with greater depth of field and dimension. LCD manufacturers, as you mention, are beginning to incorporate LEDs as the back light source. Otherwise, the constant-on back light used in common LCD HDTVs produce light bleed, resulting in a washed-out picture during dark program scenes. LEDs can be precisely on/off controlled (aka local dimming) to dramatically improve black level performance, making blacks appear blacker. The greater number of LEDs, the better the black-level performance. Of course, LCD HDTVs employing LED local dimming are few and expensive.
The response time of plasma HDTVs is significantly faster than common LCD displays. Response time is the amount of time it takes for a pixel to activate and deactivate repeatedly. Response time (aka refresh rate) is critical to preventing film-based judder (vibration) and motion blur and, respectively, producing stable images and resolving smooth lifelike fast motion. Motion blur and judder are two different artifacts, but both involve the clarity and stability of the image, as well as resolution. To counter this problem inherent with LCD HDTVs, a few manufacturers are doubling the standard 60 Hz refresh rate to 120 Hz. At the recent International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a few manufacturers were demonstrating 240 Hz refresh rates. Some manufacturers have coupled 120Hz with a video-processing feature that is designed to eliminate judder in film-based (24-frame-per-second) material. This is often referred to as a "smoothing" feature, and companies have different marketing labels for this feature. Sony labels it Motion Flow, Samsung's is dubbed Movie Plus, Sharp's is TrueD, and Toshiba's is Film Stabilization. They do not all perform equally.
LCD HDTVs, especially those employing LED backlighting, are more energy efficient than plasma HDTVs. Plasma manufacturers are working on introducing much more energy-efficient sets. Proper calibration of an LCD or plasma HDTV can produce significant energy savings.
Generally, the lifespan of LCD HDTVs is greater than plasma HDTVs, but not significantly so.
Earl, you are correct about screen burn. Plasma HDTVs can suffer from screen burn, but only if you allow a stationary image to remain on-screen for an extensively long period of time. Under normal usage, plasma screen burn should not be a problem. For dedicated gaming, however, I recommend viewing on an LCD HDTV, if games are left in standby mode often and at long intervals.
Overall, LCD technology continues to evolve. Plasma technology strengths are the quality of contrasts, particularly deep blacks, the quality of motion, and viewing angle. LCD HDTVs can be made considerably brighter, where a bright picture for daytime viewing may be a necessity. But plasma, to my eye, produces accurate natural images in a darkened or preferably black room.
Both display technologies can perform well when properly calibrated and both have distinct advantages over each other. As you made clear, for you, it came down to your household’s needs and what your family members will use the HDTV for. I am pleased that you bought a new HDTV and that you are enjoying it immensely.
One last comment. I disagree strongly with your statement that “The benefits to be derived from specialty dealers are very minimal.” I believe in the specialty retailer and the consultative sales floor experience. Please read “The Economy And The Specialty Consumer Electronics Industry” topic in this issue’s Editor’s Couch.
You can E-mail Widescreen Review @ editorgary@widescreenreview.com