From plasma to OLED and back to plasma...

I recently moved from a Panasonic st60 to a LG CX and C9. I am surprised to see just how similar OLED and plasma actually are. The difference for SD content is miniscule. I would go a step farther and say 1080p content on my plasma produces a better picture quality which is why the st60 is going back up.

90% of my viewing is 1080p in a dim room. Plasma seems to produce as good if not better picture quality at this resolution and the motion handling is more than a little better. Plasma has a distinct picture quality and quite possibly that's just what I'm used to or what I prefer. I'm sure I would quite possibly feel different if I was into 4K or Blu-Rays.

Daytime viewing is a different story, The OLED is better simply because it is brighter. This weekend I'm going to do a side-by-side comparison video and I will post it when it's completed.

Has anyone else felt a little underwhelmed by OLED? Not because it is not good, OLED is the best of the best for most. But rather because it does not seem like a big step forward from a good plasma TV. I would love to hear from former plasma owners.

edit;

As I sit here watching my st60 I wanted to mention what it is I find different between my OLED and plasma. The colors on the plasma seem much richer and thicker with an oil painting like quality. OLED seems to be missing that richness that plasma produces. OLED is more vibrantly saturated and bright with a completely different feel to the picture quality. Maybe it just comes down to personal preference as both look great.
Hi, for what its worth, the upscaling on your Panasonic plasma will always look better than that of an OLED, many Moon's ago I was the proud owner of a Panasonic 55VT60. I bought a Panasonic FZ802 as I thought when I auditioned it that the upscaling on that generation of Panasonic OLED's had improved enough to warrant the investment in an OLED.
Maybe take a look at the Panasonic OLED's it widely accepted that they upscale better than LG's with standard definition broadcasts.
 
I have my (almost) 13yr old Pionner LX5090 50" plasma in a spare room that I use with dvd, 1080p Blu-Ray, my newly purchased Switch (1080p) and all my old Nintendo consoles; SNES, N64, GC and Wii. The only thing that irks is the screen buzzing as I sit just 2m away in a small room. However, for me the PQ is still great. Also, I often use my tv with headphones at night as daughter's bedroom is next door and in that case the buzzing doesn't matter.

However, for 4K tv, Dolby Vision and the like my 65" tv LG C8 is a massive improvement to my eyes. Watching the Euro 2020 in UHD HLG HDR via player is noticeably better than in 1080p on my plasma. I wouldn't want to go back to plasma.
 
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I was reluctant to move from my old Panasonic Plasma to anything else because I thought there were no modern TVs with picture performance that could match it. I eventually bought a Panasonic GZ950 last year and can honestly say I don’t regret it for a minute. I moved my Plasma to a different room but definitely prefer the Oled for all my main viewing. I mostly watch tv at night in a dark room and my main sources are streaming content and discs although SD content looks fine to me as well. I don’t see any negatives to the Oled tbh.
 
I have my Panny 42” plasma for nearly 13 years, and I’ve been on the lookout for an OLED the last 12 months. Again like many others, reluctant to believe that the picture quality on movies and HD would be as good but it seems its now at a stage where it at least matches it. I’ll be using mines mainly for movies and sports and will be wall mounted also. Looks like I’ll go for a Panny OLED pure because of picture quality.
 
I have my Panny 42” plasma for nearly 13 years, and I’ve been on the lookout for an OLED the last 12 months. Again like many others, reluctant to believe that the picture quality on movies and HD would be as good but it seems its now at a stage where it at least matches it. I’ll be using mines mainly for movies and sports and will be wall mounted also. Looks like I’ll go for a Panny OLED pure because of picture quality.

I can confirm @Davyb100 's point above about the Euros in UHD via iPlayer on an OLED (or indeed Wimbledon in the same res, on the same platform) looking much better than in 1080p on a plasma.

HDR movies and streaming content is likewise dramatically superior than the SD experience on a plasma (most of the time, depending on how good a job was done on the film).

I upgraded from a 50in plasma to a 65in OLED and the sheer additional screen real estate also makes for a much more immersive viewing experience. I'll go for a 77in next time if I can afford it!
 
Still have my 1080p Viera plasma i was using for years and years,had LG B6 and B7,now i m on Q90R and next should be LG G1.....
Viera is still my favorite.....
 
I have not regretted switching from a 65" VT65 to a 65" CX. HDR is friggin awesome. That being said, I can't seem to part with the old plasma and now it's just a huge ornament getting in the way.
 
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I got my 55" C7 oled when my 55" VT30 plasma died so never did a side by side comparison, but it took a while to get used to oleds sample and hold motion, seemed really juddery until you adjust to it and don't notice it anymore.

Took 4 years to have image retention (sky+ logo) on Plasma, oled had panel replaced after a year when the icons from the built in YouTube app were burned in - and that's with being very careful about static images on both.

The oled is clearly better overall though.
 
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Motion is the main thing I miss from going plasmas to OLED.
But then also that the 63" Samsung handled lower res stuff so much better for obvious reasoning.
 
Whatever anyone says about the PQ differences, I’m not remotely joining that convo, but what are plasma dropping owners doing about heating the room the plasma once heated?!
 
Both of mine running at the same time hard to say I think the LG 50 inch a little better

 
I recently moved from a Panasonic st60 to a LG CX and C9. I am surprised to see just how similar OLED and plasma actually are. The difference for SD content is miniscule. I would go a step farther and say 1080p content on my plasma produces a better picture quality which is why the st60 is going back up.

90% of my viewing is 1080p in a dim room. Plasma seems to produce as good if not better picture quality at this resolution and the motion handling is more than a little better. Plasma has a distinct picture quality and quite possibly that's just what I'm used to or what I prefer. I'm sure I would quite possibly feel different if I was into 4K or Blu-Rays.

Daytime viewing is a different story, The OLED is better simply because it is brighter. This weekend I'm going to do a side-by-side comparison video and I will post it when it's completed.

Has anyone else felt a little underwhelmed by OLED? Not because it is not good, OLED is the best of the best for most. But rather because it does not seem like a big step forward from a good plasma TV. I would love to hear from former plasma owners.

edit;

As I sit here watching my st60 I wanted to mention what it is I find different between my OLED and plasma. The colors on the plasma seem much richer and thicker with an oil painting like quality. OLED seems to be missing that richness that plasma produces. OLED is more vibrantly saturated and bright with a completely different feel to the picture quality. Maybe it just comes down to personal preference as both look great.

I loved my GT60 in its time but it simply didn't compare with my EZ952 and now GZ1000. Maybe the SD is a bit worse but I haven't noticed. The advantages of the OLEDs massively outweigh any possible negatives compared to plasma.
 
Glad that the OP went back to Plasma. Amount of misinformation and misjudgement is staggering.

At least, OLED owners can now take a deep breath and continue to enjoy 4K and HDR which is where they truly shine.

You want Plasma level near blacks, try Panasonic 2019 and above OLEDs.

Oh, dare I mention how much better my 1080p Blu-rays looked cinematic and looked so much better on my OLED than my Panny GT60 plasma?

Exactly the same for me. I loved my old plasma but it simply doesn't compare. Mind you - I am missing that extra radiator in the middle of winter! :laugh:
 
I recently moved from a Panasonic st60 to a LG CX and C9. I am surprised to see just how similar OLED and plasma actually are. The difference for SD content is miniscule. I would go a step farther and say 1080p content on my plasma produces a better picture quality which is why the st60 is going back up.

90% of my viewing is 1080p in a dim room. Plasma seems to produce as good if not better picture quality at this resolution and the motion handling is more than a little better. Plasma has a distinct picture quality and quite possibly that's just what I'm used to or what I prefer. I'm sure I would quite possibly feel different if I was into 4K or Blu-Rays.

Daytime viewing is a different story, The OLED is better simply because it is brighter. This weekend I'm going to do a side-by-side comparison video and I will post it when it's completed.

Has anyone else felt a little underwhelmed by OLED? Not because it is not good, OLED is the best of the best for most. But rather because it does not seem like a big step forward from a good plasma TV. I would love to hear from former plasma owners.

edit;

As I sit here watching my st60 I wanted to mention what it is I find different between my OLED and plasma. The colors on the plasma seem much richer and thicker with an oil painting like quality. OLED seems to be missing that richness that plasma produces. OLED is more vibrantly saturated and bright with a completely different feel to the picture quality. Maybe it just comes down to personal preference as both look great.
Plasma produce diferent kind of picture in compare to oleds i had or this q90r.
I wrote long ago when i was comparing my Viera plasma to LG B7 that if Viera had 4k panel it would be werry hard time for B7....
 
Plasma produce diferent kind of picture in compare to oleds i had or this q90r.
I wrote long ago when i was comparing my Viera plasma to LG B7 that if Viera had 4k panel it would be werry hard time for B7....
In standard definition maybe, but plasma could never get bright enough - anywhere near bright enough for HDR.
 
In standard definition maybe, but plasma could never get bright enough - anywhere near bright enough for HDR.
Thats 100% true.
But from other side this Q90R i have now produce sooo much more impact in hdr highlights then my ex B7.
But thats another story.
 
A few months ago the pictures on my Panny TX-P50GT30 abruptly vanished and no amount of work could get the TV working again. So, I ordered the Philips 55OLED805. It took me a long time to get it working to my satisfaction, partly because I went crazy and replaced my AVR, front speakers, centre speaker and subwoofer. I've finally got a Picture setting fairly close to the Movie mode which is about right for me, even SD looks OK to my surprise (as 576i to 2160p is a big upscale). There's a lot of reflection so I pull down the blind in the day. In summary I'm very pleased with my OLED.
 
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I think these calculators are supported by the TV industry in order to make people feel they need to buy a new TV. 85" at 13' seems ridiculous to me. Downright stupid really!
Quite frankly, your response is ridiculous. If you think 85” at 13’ is “downright stupid” then how about 110” at 12’ ? That’s what my dedicated theater is. And I COULD have safely gone a bit larger.
By your standards, if you went to a movie in a
🍿theater, they would have to seat you in the parking lot.
 
I recently moved from a Panasonic st60 to a LG CX and C9. I am surprised to see just how similar OLED and plasma actually are. The difference for SD content is miniscule. I would go a step farther and say 1080p content on my plasma produces a better picture quality which is why the st60 is going back up.

90% of my viewing is 1080p in a dim room. Plasma seems to produce as good if not better picture quality at this resolution and the motion handling is more than a little better. Plasma has a distinct picture quality and quite possibly that's just what I'm used to or what I prefer. I'm sure I would quite possibly feel different if I was into 4K or Blu-Rays.

Daytime viewing is a different story, The OLED is better simply because it is brighter. This weekend I'm going to do a side-by-side comparison video and I will post it when it's completed.

Has anyone else felt a little underwhelmed by OLED? Not because it is not good, OLED is the best of the best for most. But rather because it does not seem like a big step forward from a good plasma TV. I would love to hear from former plasma owners.

edit;

As I sit here watching my st60 I wanted to mention what it is I find different between my OLED and plasma. The colors on the plasma seem much richer and thicker with an oil painting like quality. OLED seems to be missing that richness that plasma produces. OLED is more vibrantly saturated and bright with a completely different feel to the picture quality. Maybe it just comes down to personal preference as both look great.

This is a very refreshing post indeed. OLED looks “harsh”…digital to me (and LED is double harsh) compared to plasma. Yes, I like the 4K material on an OLED. The dirty secret of ANY 4K is how 1080i or 720p looks on it. It is a downgrade compared to plasma rendering. And sadly, this is mostly what we are fed by the networks.
 
Hi, for what its worth, the upscaling on your Panasonic plasma will always look better than that of an OLED, many Moon's ago I was the proud owner of a Panasonic 55VT60. I bought a Panasonic FZ802 as I thought when I auditioned it that the upscaling on that generation of Panasonic OLED's had improved enough to warrant the investment in an OLED.
Maybe take a look at the Panasonic OLED's it widely accepted that they upscale better than LG's with standard definition broadcasts.
And Sony upscales 720p/1080i thee best. But still not as well as my Panasonic plasma renders it.
 
People over exaggerate so much. I have read so many posts saying that OLED is so much better than plasma. People make it sound like a giant leap forward and it's just not. It's not even better in my opinion. It was these over exaggerations which persuaded me to buy 2 OLEDs to replace my Kuro and ST60. After a week my CX has been taken down and my ST60 has gone back up. This was after a lot of testing and evaluation. If you primarily watch 1080p a good plasma is better than OLED and quite frankly I can't tell much of a difference between 4k and 1080p.

OLED is brighter and has better blacks. It also has poor near blacks and OLED motion handling is hard to get used to after plasma, although it's not bad. If you have any bias lighting whatsoever plasma is 100% as good as OLED with black level. The extra brightness sure sounds like a lot more on paper but I struggle to see my OLEDs with the blinds open just like I do my plasmas. with the blinds closed or in the dark both are more than bright enough.

Where they differ is color representation. They have a different feel, plasma has rich meaty thick colors like an oil painting. OLED has vibrantly saturated bright colors. I really 100% think plasma looks better and with motion it's no contest. OLED does have much whiter whites than plasma if that is important to you.

I already sold the C9 and the CX will replace the Kuro in the bedroom. The ST60 will likely stay put until it dies. I have a even greater respect for plasma TV technology now. OLED is certainly great but better...... no.
I still have a 2009 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma TV, (cost me 2.5k at the time) its only 720P, but the picture is just so good. I have never had a problem with screen burn, and viewing in normal day light had really never been and issue. The problem I have is, the bloody TV refuses to die, I need an excuse to go for a 55" OLED, as Plasma was put out to rest some time ago. So from what I can see from the comments here, is that Plasm, if it was still around, would be the TV technology of choice, but OLED comes in a very close. So maybe this year I will finally take the plung and get to see my 4k Blu-Rays in all their glory.
 
I still have a 2009 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma TV, (cost me 2.5k at the time) its only 720P, but the picture is just so good. I have never had a problem with screen burn, and viewing in normal day light had really never been and issue. The problem I have is, the bloody TV refuses to die, I need an excuse to go for a 55" OLED, as Plasma was put out to rest some time ago. So from what I can see from the comments here, is that Plasm, if it was still around, would be the TV technology of choice, but OLED comes in a very close. So maybe this year I will finally take the plung and get to see my 4k Blu-Rays in all their glory.

Plasma wouldn't be the TV technology of choice today, because - as this article explains neatly:

1. It couldn't handle 4k, leave alone HDR; and
2. It used too much power and fell foul of stricter energy standards.

This is leaving aside the problems of its very heavy form factor, thick bezels etc.

We're now nearly a decade beyond the death of plasma, but so many nostalgics wax lyrical about a technology which, while having some good features (like motion and near-black performance) has been outclassed and rendered obsolete in every other dimension.
 
Plasma wouldn't be the TV technology of choice today, because - as this article explains neatly:

1. It couldn't handle 4k, leave alone HDR; and
2. It used too much power and fell foul of stricter energy standards.

This is leaving aside the problems of its very heavy form factor, thick bezels etc.

We're now nearly a decade beyond the death of plasma, but so many nostalgics wax lyrical about a technology which, while having some good features (like motion and near-black performance) has been outclassed and rendered obsolete in every other dimension.
I believe that “obsolete” is an inaccurate wording in describing plasma. It almost perfectly produces what 99.5% of all broadcast material is there for us.
It just does not have that option to demonstrate that “intoxicating” 4K HDR we all love (but 1080p is quite pleasant !)
 
I believe that “obsolete” is an inaccurate wording in describing plasma. It almost perfectly produces what 99.5% of all broadcast material is there for us.
It just does not have that option to demonstrate that “intoxicating” 4K HDR we all love (but 1080p is quite pleasant !)

Well, 'obsolete' in the sense of not having been manufactured in nearly a decade.

There's plenty of 4K content on streaming services these days and personally, I find I'm watching as much - if not more - 4K than HD material now.

I might not be a typical viewer though because I don't watch any live broadcast TV at all, except for occasional sport via the iPlayer, plus I'm lucky and geeky enough to have a 4K disc player and an Xbox Series X.
 

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