Plasma - is it worth the hassle?

[admin_exported]

I am finally about to replace my trusty 'ol Sony CRT and have been spending much time reading reviews and opinions on this forum an others. A lot of good info but there's one question that to me remains unanswered: Plasma - is it worth the hassle?

I am referring to the (it seems) number one issue with plasma panels - the temporary image rention and potential screen burn.

There are lots of discussions on these subjects so I have concluded that this is not exactly folklore. As I have not had the pleasure of owning a plasma screen I can't make any judgment based on experience.

Having read many posts on these subjects, it seems owning a plasma screens involves setting it low brightness levels, running special DVD's with content to rectify "flush away" the retained/burned image artifacts.

Is this a fair assumtion and i it is, do you feel it is it worth it?

I'm willing to spend a bit extra for a "maintenance free" plasma if such a things exists...

Mr K.

 

[Anonymous]

I have had a kuro 5090 for about 2 weeks,i use the playstastion 3 for gaming as well as blue-ray films it is a stunning screen.I have had an lcd screen before,the plasma beats it hands down(still not as good as my old lowre aconda crt).According to the experts they need about 200 hours of 'running in' before you calibrate the screen properly,but the pioneer is pretty good straight out of the box and apparantly very robust when it comes to screen burn.We(the family) have just come back from relatives who have a lcd screen,the wife has spent 45 minutes in a very serious discussion with several family members on how impressive a plasma is over the lcd,and we are talking about someone who has never(or so i thought) been that bothered about home cinema,what a turnaround

.Anyway,to your question,they really aren't a hassle whatsoever,just lovely pictures,and fantastic hd(hellboy 2 and the new batman are stunning),spend a bit extra and enjoy i got mine from tlc broadcast,fantastic service and a great price

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely. Screen burn? We've had our Pioneer 4280 left on VH1 (nice logo in top left hand corner) since 8am and no sign of screen burn, and in my opinion definitely worth going for the plasma.

Best thing to do is go view the screens, sum up for yourself if its worth it!

 

[Anonymous]

Airwolf36 - intersting how you compare to your Loewe CRT set. I still have a 32 Loewe CRT (same chasis as the Aconda) and everyone says how fantastic the picture still is (ie depth, realisam, natural colour balance)

This is 10 years old and still going very strong. Makes me wonder why I would think about a new Pionner 500A if the picture is no better ?????

Would appreciate your comments. Thanks, Ian.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to go off the subject on your thread Mr K. The loewe was the best screen i have ever owned,but unfortunatly had to sell it to pay for the first months rent on a new flat.Lcd and plasma were then an option because they were thinner and i wanted to delve into H.D,things that the trusty old crt couldn't be or do.After having an lcd for a couple of years you end up having to get used to all the imperfections when watching standard television(very annoying never the less). I have since moved into a house and have been able to upgrade to a kuro 5090,most of my viewing is through a ps3,so mainly h.d.When the wife gets home its back to standard telly and even though it will never be as good as the loewe,its still a huge improvement over the lcd(and that was a 32"). So back to Mr K,as the other chap said,always try to see a screen with your own eyes,play with the settings,ask to watch some freeview,i feel seeing a screen at its worst as well as its best is important

 

[drummerman]

Mr K:
Is this a fair assumtion and i it is, do you feel it is it worth it?

I'm willing to spend a bit extra for a "maintenance free" plasma if such a things exists...

Mr K.

No and if you buy a Kuro it is arguably the best plasma, perhaps even tv at the moment. As I said in my 'Kuro' thread, the sets are incredibly good if not perfect but I would base any decision on whether high brightness is important to you. If you watch a lot of tv during the day in a bright environment I'd stay away. If on the other hand most of your viewing is in a slightly dimmed or dark room I don't think you can do better than the above brand/set.

On a recent international trade exhibition all manufacturers announced absolute blacks for their new sets. How good this will be is no doubt depending on how they implement their various LED and associated technology but it is one advantage the Pioneer Plasmas will loose. I look forward to see some of the new RGB LED sets due soon, such as the 52" Sharp of which I read a review. Having said that it will cost in the region of £9k but other manufacturers will probably follow very soon after, for much less no doubt.

To go back to your question, I have only ever once heard of someone with serious retention problems on a 9g Pioneer and that was due to serious 'mis-abuse' in plasma terms. I believe it happens with other brands but decreasingly so.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a Panasonic and I've never seen any image retention. I used the settings out of the box from day one (not dynamic).

As long as you watch a mix of programs/formats you wont have any problems at all.

the 200hrs low contrast is a bit of a old myth too, but if you were going to get the set calibrated you're better off waiting till then.

 

[Anonymous]

had a 37px80 for 6 months....never noticed anything like image retention used, xbox360 sky etc...just not an issue I have ever noticed.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice - much appreciated.

I'm leaning strongly towards the Panasonic 46PZ85 - seems to be great value for money (sub £1k at the moment).

Just something that I forgot to ask in the original post: when viewing 4:3 content on a 16:9 plasma, is the unfilled side columns a potential issue? I am definitely not going to stretch the image to fill the 16:9 screen surface.

Thanks!

Mr K.

 

[Anonymous]

check out comet only £799 in sale.....

 

[Anonymous]

Well I looked but I think you're referring to the 42" model.

Mr K.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been watching all the new films out at the moment(hellboy2,batman,ect)with a few of my settings on automatic it produces the letterbox effect,no problems at all just great pictures.I think,depending on settings and screen that the 4:3 image would scale to fit the screen without looking distorted or streched(unsure),this is what im getting through my v+ box,no black bars on sd at all.The image is slightly soft but im sure thats more to do with the quality of the source(bitrates,etc) and to be expected,but the image is still very watchable.If you really dont want to fill the screen then i hope someone with a bit more knowledge can help you out.