2. home-theater
  3. 1322617826

Has LED caught up to Plasma?

I know that the plasma tv's in the past were always considered to be better than the LED or LCD formats. I'm wondering if this is still the case. With improvements in technology, has the gap narrowed? I bought a 42" Panasonic Plasma over 8 years ago (and yes, it's still working...wished it would have died by now! lol) and am looking to upgrade to a new 55" tv. In all honestly, when I chose plasma back then, I thought the picture quality of both the plasmas and the LED/LCD models were both very good. Even though my plasmas has lasted all these past 8 years, my big concern is that they do heat up quite a bit....where LED's run much cooler. I'm thinking this might translate into a longer life with and LED tv instead of a plasma. What would you buy today if you were buying??? Plasma or LED?
calgarian5355
lloydc's avatar
lloydc
759 posts
 
Unsound, overall, I agree with you. My fondness for LED is based on my Sony Qualia 005. I haven't yet seen anything better. The Elite KURO Signature Series PRO monitors may be the industry reference now, and they may exceed the Qualia in some ways.

"best" and "value" are largely unrelated concepts. Fortunately, for video monitors, the two are not as far apart as they are in audiophile gear. I don't even know anyone who would consider a $250,000 speaker; a $7000 video monitor may be a conceivable purchase.
unsound
7,336 posts
 
The Sony Qualia front projector was the first video source that gave me an idea of what video was capable of, but that was SXRD. Though not 3D, it provided a sense of depth that I had never seen before. There are ultra projectors that cost nearly as much as ultra speakers. I suppose one could argue that one could justify the cost of those projectors easier than those speakers?
unsound
7,336 posts
 
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/sharp-elite-pro-60x5fd/4505-6482_7-35004013.html?autoplay=true&tag=cnetRiver
fplanner2010
283 posts
 
I would say yes - LCD has caught up, and reference my new PRO ELITE 70" (Unsound is referring to the 60" version). Beats any plasma I have ever seen in most of the discussion points above, including black level. Its the product of a 2.5 year joint venture between Pioneer engineers and Sharp engineers with no preconceived price tag. Its the first and only TV that comes close to providing a real movie theater experience. The display and features are incredible, IMHO.
FWIW - you can also make the picture look like a plasma set, if you wish. I don't, but others might.. :-)
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
Ofcourse someone who bought an LCD is goning to think its better, I have yet to see anyone say" I bought the second best monitor". The viewing angle will never be as great, I dont think blacks are better, motion is close but its individual choice, and cash.
More to discover