Plasma TV's going the way of HD DVD?

[Clarence]

I heard today on the Howard Stern Show, (yeah, really credible news source) that Panasonic, IMHO the innovator and best Plasma tv money can buy, has either decided, or is considering dropping plasma from its lineup. They suggested that other manufactures may soon follow. Robin usually gets her news from the NY Times, but I have yet to track the info down.

This shocks me, as I have always recommended plasma over LCD for its faster refresh rates and overall better picture, especially when it comes fast action movies, etc...

Anybody have any more details? I own two plasma TV's and couldn't be happier, while when I watch LCD I always notice a blue when heads turn, etc...

Say it aint so! :no:

[Jack G]

That's not quite right. Pioneer is going to stop making plasmas, due to the fact that they aren't making enough profits. they will have their glass made elsewhere, from Matsushita, makers of panasonic plasma.
Try this link.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080304/tbs-pioneer-7318940.html

There will still be plenty of plasmas, at least for a while yet.

Jack

[Clarence]

There will still be plenty of plasmas, at least for a while yet.

Jack

Why only for awhile? Is a plasma more expensive to make than an lcd? Why do you predict the end?

[Cpt.Beaky]

LCDs have a lot of competitive advantage in their perception by the average person. Most people will look at two TVs beside each other and prefer the brighter screen regardless of the colour quality. They'll get worried about burn-in (now less of an issue than it was on their old CRT tvs) and ignore how easily damaged an LCD screen is by pressure/impact.

The average person equates LCD with HD, and uses the acronyms interchangeably.

Pioneer quitting Plasma manufacture is a particularly hard blow because they were showing some incredible screens at CES this year, including one that was 9mm thick, and one that they claimed had infinite contrast.

I foresee plasma TVs moving into the premier home theatre slot for a few years until OLED screens get bigger or SED finally comes out.

[Jack G]

SED is never coming out. Its dead.
We'll see about OLED, I'm skeptical, buy we'll see.
Jack

[jlindsey86]

Read about this yesterday. Its a shame. Pioneer has some of the best plasmas in the market, especially for the price.

[Tom Brennan]

Well whatever happens if you like your plasma you can still like it.

[Clarence]

The average person equates LCD with HD, and uses the acronyms interchangeably.

I foresee plasma TVs moving into the premier home theatre slot for a few years until OLED screens get bigger or SED finally comes out.

Funny, when plasmas came out I equated them with HD. I equate LCD to computer monitors.

Plasma's are a bit more expensive than their LCD counterparts, is that what would move them into "premier home theater slot"? Or do high end users agree they have a better picture?

[uofmtiger]

Very interesting.. The Pioneer was about the only plasma I would have considered. However, it was more than double the price of the Sony SXRD that I ended up purchasing. Of course, Sony is going to only make flat panels going forward, so the industry is really not going for the best picture, but are focusing on the more popular displays.. sounds like LCD is the big winner right now.

[Cpt.Beaky]

SED is never coming out. Its dead.
We'll see about OLED, I'm skeptical, buy we'll see.
Jack

You're probably right about SED (absolutely right, I just hate to admit it). OLED is looking quite promising right now, with Matsushita and Toshiba recently announcing extended lifetimes, Sony marketing a small screen and Matsushita building a OLED manufacturing plant (to be finished around 2010).

Funny, when plasmas came out I equated them with HD. I equate LCD to computer monitors.

Plasma's are a bit more expensive than their LCD counterparts, is that what would move them into "premier home theater slot"? Or do high end users agree they have a better picture?

The initial buzz for Plasma was followed by some pretty harsh waves of bad publicity related to short screen life and image retention. Plasma never seemed to regain a good reputation.

Plasma televisions are widely regarded as having significantly better colour reproduction than LCDs, in particular dark scenes. Pioneer showed plasma screens at CES in January that were allegedly capable of displaying true black, a pretty major milestone for digital screens (heck, my CRT can't do that). They are also typically a bit more expensive than similar size/resolution LCDs. My guess is that plasma manufacturers will begin playing on the superior image quality by marketing them as luxury HD screens instead of directly competing with LCD on price.

Of course, Pioneer should be able to save some cash by giving up panel manufacture, so their screens may even be less expensive. In addition, Panasonic screens should improve as a result of Pioneer sharing manufacturing techniques with them. For people who intend to buy plasma TVs a year or so from now, this is probably going to be a positive change that results in more high-quality screens to choose from.

[Chazb11]

My main problem with plasma is that they are so very power hungry! I replaced my 52" plasma with a Samsung 61" DLP set and have never been happier. Yes, you have to replace the lamp once in awhile, no big deal to me.

[Manuel64]

I own both Plasma and LCD. My Plasma is a Panasonic 42 inch 720P and my LCD is a recently purchased 52 inch Sony XBR 1080P. I use the Plasma in a spare bedroom that I use as a video game/entertainment room. The Sony is now in my living room hooked up to my audio sound system.

Next year, I am planning on buying a new tv for the living room, and put either the Sony or the Plasma in my master bedroom. The Sony gets a very sharp picture, but suffers from motion blur, when compared to the Panasonic. I also feel that the color reproduction of the Plasma is superior to the LCD. I have had no problems at all with screen burn on the Plasma, even thou it is hooked up to a Nintendo Wii, which is played every day, sometimes for hours.

I do hope that Plasma continues to be made, but even if it starts to die off, I plan on buying Plasma for my next tv purchase. Even thou my Sony was considerably more expensive than my Panasonic, and has a higher resolution, I actually like the picture quality of the Panasonic 720P better. The picture justs looks more natural on Plasma and the motion blur of the LCD is rather distracting.

[Zeromancer]

I love my 42" Panny Plasma 60u 720P.
I have my HTPC hooked up to it and the PQ is amazing.