A Tale of Two Plasmas

As a life-long home electronics enthusiast, I’ve traditionally been an early adopter of technology. Not mega $ crazy, mind you, but I have tended to climb aboard sooner than later whether it’s been CD, surround sound, MP3 player, or the latest gaming console.

I stepped up to my first big screen TV, a 50" Hitachi, in the early 90’s. That set served me well for nine years before I got the itch to view my burgeoning collection of anamorphically enhanced DVD’s in true widescreen format. That led to the purchase of a 65" Mitsubishi HDTV, and an HD satellite receiver. HD was a pretty nascent technology at the time, and programming was scarce – the occasional movie, and major sporting events like the Super Bowl, The Masters and U.S. Open tennis. But what was available was beyond anything I could have imagined. I was hooked.

About four years ago, I got the idea that it would be nice to have a smaller HD set for the bedroom. Not wanting to break the bank, I settled for a 27" budget brand LCD which, was still costly enough. It was okay at the time, but I can’t say I was ever particularly thrilled with that TV. The blacks weren’t as deep and the colours not as saturated as I’d become accustomed to, and a 27" widescreen isn’t a very large image even in a smallish living space, especially in comparison to the monolith that was sitting in the living room downstairs. Unfair as it may have been, that TV influenced my opinion of LCD’s going forward.

Last year, I began to think about replacing the Mits. Despite having cost an arm and both legs to import from the U.S. when I bought it, it didn’t owe me a thing after eight trouble-free years. It had developed some screen burn which bothered me, but otherwise still delivered the same great picture quality as always. By then I had added a PS3 to the mix, but couldn’t fully exploit it due to the Mits’ inability to display anything beyond 1080i resolution, and lack of an HDMI input (required for DVD upconversion).

From the outset, my intent was to replace the Mitsubishi with an equivalent sized Panasonic plasma. I’m a stickler when it comes to blacks, and that’s one of the strengths of plasma. As I researched the choices available, which become quite limited at that size, I found that the Panasonic Viera (plasma) and Sharp Aquos (120hz LCD) were virtually the same price. It seemed like an easy call until I learned that the Panasonic didn’t come with a pedestal stand, which would add almost $700 to the cost! As a result, I came very close to pulling the trigger on the Sharp, but was able to source a stand for the Panasonic at reasonable cost and stuck with my initial instinct. While I’m sure I would have been very pleased with the Aquos, I’m nothing short of thrilled with the Viera.

My wife, who was very content with the old set and did not see any need to upgrade, immediately noticed the difference in picture quality. That’s a strong testament to how striking the improvement was. Colours are more saturated and vibrant, blacks are deeper, flesh tones are true, and it all looks razor sharp whether it be HDTV, Blu-Ray or games. One year later, it still amazes me every time I turn the thing on.

The plasma spoiled me so badly that the little 27" LCD in the bedroom became all but unwatchable. Try as I may, I just couldn’t dial in a picture I was happy with. There was only one solution…replace it with another plasma! Not wanting to mess with success, I stuck with Panasonic, this time a 42" which is a much more suitable size for the space – a big enough image to have impact, but not so large that it dominates the room. And, once again, it’s wife approved!

As happy as I am with my plasmas, they certainly aren’t for everyone. My slight reservations about LCD notwithstanding, I’ve seen plenty of them that look fantastic and would be a better choice for many, if not most, viewers. But in the right application, and assuming you’re willing to invest a little time dialing it in, a plasma will reward you with a picture that’s hard to equal.

Pros

· Deep blacks
· Rich, saturated color
· Natural, "film-like" image
· High contrast ratio
· Handles movement well (e.g. sports)

Cons

· Reflective screen is susceptible to front or side lighting sources (natural or artificial)
· High power consumption – generates a fair bit of heat
· Lengthy "break-in" period (100-1000 hours) recommended
· Not as bright as LCD (but ample for most tastes and environments)
· Prone to image retention (temporary) but not burn in (permanent)