It seems that it had been trending towards LCDs, certainly my own personal last few purchases have been LCDs. However, recently the KUROs have been described as the best TVs ever made. Now 3D coming on, plasma seems to be the better technology for 3D - at least for now. Supposedly, next year we should see the KURO technology incorporated into the Panasonic plasmas.
Are Plasma TV's A Thing Of The Past
- Thread starter Steve Williams
- Start date
Hi Sam. I don't know if the pro grade is any different. The issue is due to Panasonic trying to increase the life of the Plasma by changing the drive voltage over time. By increasing it as the set ages, they achieve similar brightness at a cost of increased black level.Hi Amir,
Are there Panny plasmas which wouldn't do this, perhaps the "business" grade Premiere display
I understand the latest set though make this adjustment more slowly so the rise of the level to unacceptable points might occur few years down the road when you may be ready for a new set anyway
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I suspected that this was the underlying issue but it seems like shooting yourself in the foot. Unless one has the brightness at max to begin with (torch mode), one can always turn up as needed to compensate for aging. At least, then, it is not done unnecessarily and one is conscious of the decision.
As always, it is the power of marketing in play. When LCDs were a lot more expensive than Plasma, LCD companies used the lifetime of Plasma displays as a merit in their favors heavily in their advertisements. So companies like Panasonic cooked up these schemes in order to get their spec up to the magical 100,000 hours. The technique worked as few people talk about that difference anymore. And with LCD guys winning major market share, they don't seem to be focused on killing plasma anymore.
I hope the Kuro comes back in some fashion. Best picture I've seen in a flat panel so far. Not sure that LCD has quite caught up to it even with controlled LCD back lighting for blacks. I have to plan my purchases and they sold off to Panasonic to soon. Sounds like Panny is already screwing things up with increasing drive voltages automatically.
Sure don't understand the move away from matte front screens. Not having reflections if you had to have some lights on was a real plus.
Sure don't understand the move away from matte front screens. Not having reflections if you had to have some lights on was a real plus.
Hi Sam. I don't know if the pro grade is any different. The issue is due to Panasonic trying to increase the life of the Plasma by changing the drive voltage over time. By increasing it as the set ages, they achieve similar brightness at a cost of increased black level.
I understand the latest set though make this adjustment more slowly so the rise of the level to unacceptable points might occur few years down the road when you may be ready for a new set anyway
Hi Amir,
Thanks for the reply...much appreciated!
I recently bought a Panasonic plasma about a year ago. I'm happy with it and liked the pictures quality over the LCDs. I wasn't interested in the 3D displays either as I'm still waiting for it to catch on and be able to be watched without 3D glasses. In shopping, I always heard that Panasonic plasmas had great blacks and a good picture compared to the many, many LCDs out there. Of course, all our smaller bedroom TVs are LCDs and they aren't bad but not as good video quality as the plasma. I'd like to get a lg led tv for the bedroom to see if the picture is good.
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Hi Sam. I don't know if the pro grade is any different. The issue is due to Panasonic trying to increase the life of the Plasma by changing the drive voltage over time. By increasing it as the set ages, they achieve similar brightness at a cost of increased black level.
I understand the latest set though make this adjustment more slowly so the rise of the level to unacceptable points might occur few years down the road when you may be ready for a new set anyway
Didn't Pioneer sort of sell their technology to Panasonic in reagrds to Plasma?
I understand one of the issues of the cost for Pioneer came back to the glass, which Panasonic were meant to have a good implementation on, and which the last generation of Kuro utilises 10G.
That aside,
one aspect that seems to still not be covered clearly is the processing-scaling-filtering capabilities of the TV, our older Pioneer Kuro 720p from the model9 is better than quite a lot of the 1080p LCD models to date it seems.
I appreciate in the US market possibly most always use a seperate unit such as an AVR.
Thanks
Orb
Panasonic did buy the Pioneer plasma business. The key to better blacks was better cell design and not the glass. I understand the newer Panasonic VT-30s have finally achieved the same black level as the Pioneer Kuro. If more reports confirm the same, then we are finally seeing the fruits of that merger.
Good to know.
Is the cell design integral to the glass?
Just remember much of the articles at the time covered it being glass.
Whats your take on the processing of the TVs, or is the US market more AVR orientated even for general TV shows.
Thanks again Amir
Orb
Is the cell design integral to the glass?
Just remember much of the articles at the time covered it being glass.
Whats your take on the processing of the TVs, or is the US market more AVR orientated even for general TV shows.
Thanks again Amir
Orb
The "glass" is the informal name for the entire imagine system, sans electronics such as video input, processing, etc. It is a term used when a company buys that entire component, wraps it with their electronics and physical packaging and sells it. So in that sense, it includes the front glass material but its meaning is well beyond that.
I think video processing in TV and AVRs has lost a lot of its value. You can now get DVD scaling in your blu-ray player so downstream devices don't need to have it. All that is left is de-interlacing of broadcast video which most devices do a good job on whether it is the TV or the AVR. There was a time when such processing was very expensive but no longer.
One use left these days is auto-calibration. While there have been much improvement, TVs still ship that don't comply with industry standards as far as color and grayscale. There are processors which can, using a meter measurement, preprocess video so that what is then sent to the TV results in a correct image. The cost is in $1,000 range though so easier to justify in higher-end gear than lower. BTW, the Panasonic VT-30 supposed to have the same support as far as auto-calibration but I heard it may not work yet.
I think video processing in TV and AVRs has lost a lot of its value. You can now get DVD scaling in your blu-ray player so downstream devices don't need to have it. All that is left is de-interlacing of broadcast video which most devices do a good job on whether it is the TV or the AVR. There was a time when such processing was very expensive but no longer.
One use left these days is auto-calibration. While there have been much improvement, TVs still ship that don't comply with industry standards as far as color and grayscale. There are processors which can, using a meter measurement, preprocess video so that what is then sent to the TV results in a correct image. The cost is in $1,000 range though so easier to justify in higher-end gear than lower. BTW, the Panasonic VT-30 supposed to have the same support as far as auto-calibration but I heard it may not work yet.
Good info thanks for that
Taking the TV/AVR aspect of the de-interlacing dealing with digital noise/etc, do you find that this does vary between manufacturers or even say different price models.
It is strange that it is my friends who have modern 1080p LCDs all say the picture quality (including when moving) looks better on my 720p 42" Pio Plasma, very anecdotal I agree.
Cheers
Orb
Taking the TV/AVR aspect of the de-interlacing dealing with digital noise/etc, do you find that this does vary between manufacturers or even say different price models.
It is strange that it is my friends who have modern 1080p LCDs all say the picture quality (including when moving) looks better on my 720p 42" Pio Plasma, very anecdotal I agree.
Cheers
Orb
If Panasonic black level doesn't rise in their 2011 models (top gun beeing the VT30 series), then chapeau!
* Samsung plasma HDTV sets are right there shoulder to shoulder (D8000 series).
By the way, Plasma TVs are best for 3D.
* Samsung plasma HDTV sets are right there shoulder to shoulder (D8000 series).
By the way, Plasma TVs are best for 3D.
recently got an LG 1080 P plasma from Costco. I let my wife do the buying decision because I am not the main user (my 84 yr old mom is) of this TV anyway, she went for the plasma because it is dirt cheap, on sale for $647 for a 50". The tv is located in our living, I've sat down and watched news on it on a bright sunny day, glare will become noticeable if you look for it, but a non issue for me.
surely it uses more power than the LED LCD tv's that are the darling of the crowd these days, but I drive a vehicle that only give me 13 mpg (single digit if I keep on stepping on it), so I am bad that way
surely it uses more power than the LED LCD tv's that are the darling of the crowd these days, but I drive a vehicle that only give me 13 mpg (single digit if I keep on stepping on it), so I am bad that way
Fire up the plasma and all the tubes at once and you won't need to heat that room!
Has anyone seen the new Sharp "Elite?"
Tim
Has anyone seen the new Sharp "Elite?"
Tim
You mean the new and very expensive Pioneer Elite LCDs (by Sharp)?
* So far one review by Kevin Miller from the UK (or USA?).
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The LCDs are made by Sharp. Pioneer is out of display business. They are supposed to be good but use the quad color pixel technology which for now, has been a total bust and a trip backward in fidelity.
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