Plasma TV - Anything for me to worry about?

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Oldboy

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Hello all,

I know this subject has been covered before but i have a question that is relevant to the latest generation of plasma tv's, i have been looking at the Panasonic 42G20 and LG 50PK590 as possible replacements for my Sony 40EX503 LCD which has had to go back due to being faulty....again.

From what i have been reading the main problem with plasma tv's is image retention and as i intend to use the tv with both a PS3 and an Xbox 360 along with my bluray player i am concerned that if i bought either of the tv's i have mentioned that i would encounter the problem. How likely is it that image retention would be a problem with either of these tv's or plasmas in general?

Please forgive my ignorance but i know very little about plasma tech and if i'm going to be using the PS3 or 360 for long periods of time i want to be sure that it won't cause problems.

Many thanks.
 
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image retention is not really an issue with panasonic plasmas imo , i get some on my g10 , but its only ever noticeable if ive had a static image on the screen for a while , and then look at a blank screen , ie no input but the tv is still on , ive never seen it while actually watching tv or a movie , so i dont consider it a problem at all....

the latest lg plasmas are said to exhibit a touch more of it than the panas , well according to reviews anyway , but for the same reasons as above i wouldnt let that put me off one ..

its only really screen burn thats an issue with plasma tech , where an image is permanently burned onto the screen , or i should say a non issue , as afaik its extremely rare nowadays , not a problem..

plasmas are better than lcds for gaming too because of their inately much faster response times ....
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Oldboy

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maxflinn:

image retention is not really an issue with panasonic plasmas imo , i get some on my g10 , but its only ever noticeable if ive had a static image on the screen for a while , and then look at a blank screen , ie no input but the tv is still on , ive never seen it while actually watching tv or a movie , so i dont consider it a problem at all....

the latest lg plasmas are said to exhibit a touch more of it than the panas , well according to reviews anyway , but for the same reasons as above i wouldnt let that put me off one ..

its only really screen burn thats an issue with plasma tech , where an image is permanently burned onto the screen , or i should say a non issue , as afaik its extremely rare nowadays , not a problem..

plasmas are better than lcds for gaming too because of their inately much faster response times ....
emotion-21.gif


Many thanks for the info max!

You must be psychic or something as my next question was going to be about screen burn lol! It's great news to hear both aren't a problem and pretty much makes my mind up to defect to plasma after so many problems with lcd tv's...i've just sent back my 6th tv in under 6months after problems with clouding, pixels and a screen that would go purple with black and white vertical lines.

The response times i didn't think would be much different from lcd but if that's the case then i would be a happy chappy as i've had problems with lag when playing high twitch games like Rock Band and MW2....or perhaps i just suck? LOL.

Can i just ask if you have a preference between the 2 tv's i have mentioned? I'm finding it very difficult to choose but i'm currently edging to wards the Panasonic 42G20.

Thanks again.
 

AEJim

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I agree with Max on this, I'd say if you're full-on gaming the Pana will be a little better due to less IR (as Max says the new LG's exhibit some initial IR - though should diminish as the panel settles, 150-300 hours use), response times on the LG's also aren't the best for gaming. That said I have had no problems with IR on my LG aside from a Sky News logo after watching for about an hour - which went after a couple of minutes on another channel (this was in the first week of ownership) and many have used it for gaming and say it's fine. I don't think the problems Plasma's had when they initially came out are really a major issue now, much like black levels on LCD's are improving etc...
 
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well from what info i can find on the web , the g20 seems to be a little better than the lg , but im not sure if there is much in it , i have seen the pana but not the lg , there are many happy owners of both around on the various forums...

if it was my choice id go with the panasonic , there are reports that the panasonic plasmas lose a little of their deep black levels over time , its hard to know what to make of this , ive not seen one unhappy panny owner complain on this site yet about such issues , and one would assume there are many 09 panny owners posting here ? i cant be sure if the blacks on my tv have lightened , maybe ,but if they have i dont think the tv has suffered for it..

seeing as you have been so unlucky with lcd tvs i just thought i better mention the issue/non issue anyway
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, im going to buy a 50vt20 , i dont think theres anything to worry about..

one other thing , why have you narrowed your choice down to a 42in pana and yet a 50in lg ?? i would imagine you can get a 50g20 for similar money as the lg , if not at least a 46in ??
 

Oldboy

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Thank you AEJim,

I have just been reading your post on your LGPK350 and my mind is now made up, i'm buying a plasma. I think from what the both of you have said that i will get the Pana G20 as i spend far too much time gaming....even more at the moment as i am recovering from knee surgery and getting out is not an option for some time.

Now that my concerns have been addressed i better go and price up the G20
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Many thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.
 

AEJim

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maxflinn:
one other thing , why have you narrowed your choice down to a 42in pana and yet a 50in lg ?? i would imagine you can get a 50g20 for similar money as the lg , if not at least a 46in ??

Nah, 50" PK590 can be got for around £680, the G20 50" is still around £1200 - huge difference. My PS3 looks fine on the LG and no movement or lag probs that I've noticed - now I've finally got internet up and running at new place I'll try some MW2 this week and see how it plays... Also be aware of lack of anti-glare coating on the LG's - if you're in a room with windows opposite the screen it'll make gaming hard unless you shut the curtains, those campers hiding in the shadows will always get ya... ;)
 

AEJim

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Oldboy:
Thank you AEJim,

I have just been reading your post on your LGPK350 and my mind is now made up, i'm buying a plasma. I think from what the both of you have said that i will get the Pana G20 as i spend far too much time gaming....even more at the moment as i am recovering from knee surgery and getting out is not an option for some time.

Now that my concerns have been addressed i better go and price up the G20
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Many thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.

No probs :) I have a habit of posting after others already have written a reply! I'd be inclined to agree that if you can afford the G20 it's the better bet for gaming :)
 

Oldboy

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maxflinn:

well from what info i can find on the web , the g20 seems to be a little better than the lg , but im not sure if there is much in it , i have seen the pana but not the lg , there are many happy owners of both around on the various forums...

if it was my choice id go with the panasonic , there are reports that the panasonic plasmas lose a little of their deep black levels over time , its hard to know what to make of this , ive not seen one unhappy panny owner complain on this site yet about such issues , and one would assume there are many 09 panny owners posting here ? i cant be sure if the blacks on my tv have lightened , maybe ,but if they have i dont think the tv has suffered for it..

seeing as you have been so unlucky with lcd tvs i just thought i better mention the issue/non issue anyway
emotion-11.gif
, im going to buy a 50vt20 , i dont think theres anything to worry about..

one other thing , why have you narrowed your choice down to a 42in pana and yet a 50in lg ?? i would imagine you can get a 50g20 for similar money as the lg , if not at least a 46in ??

Well the main reasons for my choices are mainly my own ignorance of plasma tv's (i have never even considered one untill now) and price, i have a budget of £850 maximum but if i'm being honest i'm just cherry picking the sets i've seen well reviewed but i'm open to ANY suggestions! In fact i would welcome some help here so if you have any suggestions please let me know
emotion-21.gif


I have the price of the Pana 42G20 down to £819 but for a larger screen size it pushes up the price to just under £1000 so that's out my reach unless you know different of course, the LG caught my attention from the other thread '50" £800 or less spend' as it's at the right price point for me but i was shocked that a 50" tv was within my price bracket!

Ideally i am looking for Full HD 1080p, FreeviewHD or FreesatHD, some internet content, DNLA and as good a screen as i can get so if you have any suggestions fire away.....
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AEJim

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Well, for that money, if you want a 50" I don't think you'll go far wrong with the PK590 - ticks all the boxes for the things you're after. THX mode is nice too as it sets the colours very naturally without much effort.

You will notice in side-by-side comparisons that LCD looks stronger and brighter generally (especially with a full white screen - plasma's tend to dim down due to APL "Average picture level") - but if you see them in isolation you soon adjust, the picture on mine is stunning with games on the PS3, not tried it for any length of time yet though - the X-box is my main games machine and not unpacked it yet! A good plasma still beats a good LCD in my opinion, though it is getting closer all the time.

If you do go for the 590 you can try AJ Electronics for £688 or Dixons if their TV699 discount code still works for about £682 (If I'm allowed by forum to say sales prices?) - the main things to be aware of are reflections, light-controlled room would be a big plus - mild IR to start, there are running-in DVD's people use/download if you search around and want to speed up the process. Also some people are mentioning the occasional stuck/dead pixels on them (can happen on LCD too) but I have none whatsoever on my PK350. ALL screens will have their own foibles at the end of the day and if you look up any model on a forum there will be many complaints - I went for the LG as there were few complaints and many positives!
 

theo12

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Jim,

I have just been reading throught this thread as I am eyeing up a new TV. My old Samsung (5yrs) has done well but both screen size and resolution are way old hat. The LG's have peeked my interest both for screen size and price.

I also have been scouring for reviews and was only concerned that the LG PK590 was worth the extra over the 350. I found out the extra info on the LG site about the picture calibration options and so following the thread that you ans the others have discussed my mind is made up.

I too think the Pana's are a bit over-priced IMO for not a significant improvement over the LG's. I just needed some re-assurance regarding IR and how the panel would look in a fairly bright room.

Not actually buying until August but boy once the bonus is in I am off like a rocket.

Thanks

Theo12
 

Oldboy

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AEJim:

Well, for that money, if you want a 50" I don't think you'll go far wrong with the PK590 - ticks all the boxes for the things you're after. THX mode is nice too as it sets the colours very naturally without much effort.

You will notice in side-by-side comparisons that LCD looks stronger and brighter generally (especially with a full white screen - plasma's tend to dim down due to APL "Average picture level") - but if you see them in isolation you soon adjust, the picture on mine is stunning with games on the PS3, not tried it for any length of time yet though - the X-box is my main games machine and not unpacked it yet! A good plasma still beats a good LCD in my opinion, though it is getting closer all the time.

If you do go for the 590 you can try AJ Electronics for £688 or Dixons if their TV699 discount code still works for about £682 (If I'm allowed by forum to say sales prices?) - the main things to be aware of are reflections, light-controlled room would be a big plus - mild IR to start, there are running-in DVD's people use/download if you search around and want to speed up the process. Also some people are mentioning the occasional stuck/dead pixels on them (can happen on LCD too) but I have none whatsoever on my PK350. ALL screens will have their own foibles at the end of the day and if you look up any model on a forum there will be many complaints - I went for the LG as there were few complaints and many positives!

Wow, great reply with all the info i was after. Thank you very much! I'm not sure about screen size as untill today i never thought i would be able to afford a 50" screen, i sit 3.5 metres away from the tv (wall mounted) with my only windows to the left hand side of the tv so not much direct sunlight and i have blackout curtains for bright days so i doubt reflections would be a problem.

At that distance away from the screen would a 50" be a case of overkill? I found the 40" LCD comfortable but perhaps a little too small hence why i looked at the Panny 42G20 as it was just a little bigger...don't get me wrong i am a stereotypical man and would dearly love to fill my wall with a tv but i'm well aware of the degradation in PQ when you are too close to the screen.

Just out of interest how long would you estimate the IR to last initially and how noticeable would it be?
 
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oops ...

i misread things a little there guys , i was talking about the flagship lg50pk990 that got 5 stars here , anyways no harm done it looks like the 42g20 is the answer ..

i doubt you will be dissapointed oldboy , please post your opinions sometime ? ... good luck , your due some
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Oldboy

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Thanks max!

Yep despite being tempted by the 50" screen size the 42g20 has won out due to the ammount of gaming use it will get, will be ordering this week so once it arrives i will definately post my opinions...here's hoping i get lucky with this one
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Thanks for your input and advice, it's just good to have a bit of peice of mind before i purchase.
 

AEJim

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Well Theo/Oldboy -

Size, at 3.5m - no problem, I sit about 2m at the closest point (corner sofa) and even SD looks pleasant enough that close - the light is no problem as long as reflections aren't - I have a similar room with lots of light from the left and watched the World Cup matches mid-afternoon at the weekend with no issues at all - black levels do suffer but the same can be said of any screen in bright sunlight. If you have light coming from behind I'd avoid the LG's to be honest as you will see your reflection quite strongly in that situation! :) The 590 is worth the little extra difference between the two in my opinion as you get Freesat HD and extra HDMI's as well as other things... I didn't need them but it's not worth turning down for the small difference in price now. I think if you're going for plasma both sets mentioned in the thread are very good examples of what the tech can do.

With around 70-80 hours on my screen I'm not noticing any real probs with IR. Slow pans on sports show up a mild "ghosting" on grass but this is very mild and is more likely phosphor trails which will reduce substantially as the panel ages. I am bugged by any movement issues and see them all - can't even watch a DLP projector for more than a couple of mins. There is mild vertical judder on vertical pans, horizontal is smoother - I have yet to see an LCD or Plasma which doesn't do this though - it's not enough to annoy me on the LG.
 

1080p Suspect

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Well...yes image retention is a common problem with plasma TV's, but manufacturers are improving their sets more and more to reduce the possiblitiy of image retention. According to the reviews i have read, the LG you speak of is a great set but i dont know how susceptible it is to image retention. However, i actually own a TXP42V20...i was one of the lucky ones to get it at launch from my lacal Panny dealer. It is honestly a great set. im completley satisfied. I have not had any problems with image retention yet, though i have not been playing any video games on it yet as i did a lot on my PZ70. Even ordinary TV broadcasts channel logos can cause image retention...such as when watching the world cup on ITV1 HD, image retention can occur. If you are that concerned, depending on what you are viewing of course, i recommend keeping the contrast at moderate levels because very high contrasts also increases the risk of image retention. Hope this helps.
 

AEJim

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1080p Suspect:Well...yes image retention is a common problem with plasma TV's, but manufacturers are improving their sets more and more to reduce the possiblitiy of image retention. According to the reviews i have read, the LG you speak of is a great set but i dont know how susceptible it is to image retention. However, i actually own a TXP42V20...i was one of the lucky ones to get it at launch from my lacal Panny dealer. It is honestly a great set. im completley satified. I have not had any problems with image retention yet, though i have not been playing any video games on it yet as i did a lot on my PZ70. Even ordinary TV broadcasts channel logos can cause image retention...such as when watching the world cup on ITV1 HD, image retention can occur. If you are that concerned, depending on what you are viewing of course, i recommend keeping the contrast at moderate levels because very high contrasts also increases the risk of image retention. Hope this helps.

Yeah, those bloody "DOGS"! Oddly never had any noticeable IR from the ITV one despite its high contrast (who came up with the rubbish design??) but Sky News HD did leave its mark in the first week I had the screen - went after a few mins on a "normal" channel. I could have sworn broadcasters had rules on DOGS having to be transparent but maybe that was just wishful thinking...
 
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watching the footie now on itvhd and the logo is barely visible..
 

1080p Suspect

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I'm not talking about their original channel logo, I'm talking about that colourful mess on the far left of your screen. They could tone it down slightly...
 

AEJim

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Not sure how to upload images here... If this works first is straight on showing ridiculous ITV score logo, 2nd is to show reflection (camera is poor!). The usual HTML links don't seem to work on WHF site :(

CIMG1390.jpg


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I didn't tidy leads behind screen as it's going on the wall shortly - oh, and the players don't glow white in reality :D
 
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that doesnt look any more reflective than most plasmas ive seen , though i understand some of the latest ones are better ...

btw , wheres your a.e. surround speakers ??
 

daveh75

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1080p Suspect:ITV1 HD should emulate the likes of Sky1 HD and FX HD in making its channel logos/displays less colourful, and more transparent. They should learn to broadcast in HD properly, first!
 
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