From plasma to OLED and back to plasma...

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'm not nostalgic for plasma, but I have a lot of sympathy for the OP's perspective. Simply put, my Panasonic plasma looks better to my eyes than my Panasonic OLED when watching SDR material.

You mention motion as almost a throwaway aspect of performance, but it's fundamental to the viewing experience. Plasma motion is simply better than OLED - resolving more detail than sample and hold technology can manage without engaging distracting, problematic motion processing.

If most of your viewing is SDR broadcast content, there remains a strong case for hanging onto your plasma television. I find myself watching relatively little 4K HDR content, which leaves me wondering if I was better off before "upgrading."
 
I'm not nostalgic for plasma, but I have a lot of sympathy for the OP's perspective. Simply put, my Panasonic plasma looks better to my eyes than my Panasonic OLED when watching SDR material.

You mention motion as almost a throwaway aspect of performance, but it's fundamental to the viewing experience. Plasma motion is simply better than OLED - resolving more detail than sample and hold technology can manage without engaging distracting, problematic motion processing.

If most of your viewing is SDR broadcast content, there remains a strong case for hanging onto your plasma television. I find myself watching relatively little 4K HDR content, which leaves me wondering if I was better off before "upgrading."

I think 120hz BFI has largely addressed OLED's motion issues, as Vincent Teoh discussed in his plasma vs. OLED video.



A 1080p panel will be better with HD content, no question, but there are of course other factors to consider like viewing environment (I used to have a plasma in a bright living room, and it was unwatchable in the daytime).

Every TV owner has to face the question of whether / when to upgrade. The very last plasmas are now 8 years old and reaching the end of qny TV's usual life expectancy. As phosphors degrade over time a plasma screen which still works perfectly but has seen heavy use probably won't look as good as it did when new.

Obviously, when 4k TVs first hit the market there was little content in the higher resolution and the last generation of plasmas looked very good with HD in dark rooms. So it was very much a marginal decision to replace your still-newish plasma with a 4k OLED or indeed a QLED. We're in a different place now though: the only new TVs on the market are 4k panels, there's a surfeit of 4k content, and as the years pass there'll be ever more of it.
 
I've viewed a few OLEDs... I'll stick with my Panasonic TH85VX200W. it may be 10 years old but it was never shackled by EU power consumption limits or lack of funding for quality of construction or technical ability.

I can walk into and bounce off too instead of it snapping in two like the flimsy things on sale now!
 
I've viewed a few OLEDs... I'll stick with my Panasonic TH85VX200W. it may be 10 years old but it was never shackled by EU power consumption limits or lack of funding for quality of construction or technical ability.

I can walk into and bounce off too instead of it snapping in two like the flimsy things on sale now!
Yes, but will it stand up to a bar room brawl? Mine will because I wall mounted it.
 
I was very happy with the picture quality of my Panasonic plasma until I recently replaced it with an LG OLED 65C1. The 42" plasma was just seeming too small to watch wide-screen movies compared to other people's 65-in TVs. The 65" OLED doesn't seem too big and obtrusive because the very thin black screen with almost no bezel has less visual presence in the room.

I agree with the comments about the difference in picture characteristics between the two.
 
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Yes, but will it stand up to a bar room brawl? Mine will because I wall mounted it.
I can't wall mount it as my walls won't take the weight. It's on a custom made stand from 50mm box section steel powder coated black. Not something you want to fall on you at 140kg.
 
I had a calibrated 55VT65 and viewing my mates (then new) LG 55C8 the quality was jaw dropping. The HDR, the colours, the crispness, and the same if not better deep blacks. Watching a letterbox film in a pitch black room, all you could see was the image, not the letterbox.

My VT65 still beats every other TV I see, even the best LED LCDs, quantum or otherwise. But OLED is the only thing to best it.
 
I can't wall mount it as my walls won't take the weight. It's on a custom made stand from 50mm box section steel powder coated black. Not something you want to fall on you at 140kg.
Wow that's epic! I wasn't aware they ever made plasma's that big!

At 140kg, I think that thing would win if it got in a bar room brawl...
 
This is the only worry I have upgrading to oled from my vt65 plasma. Motion. I don't watch any broadcast TV at all, only streaming and standard non 4k blu ray. Is oled motion comparable to plasma in this use case? Without any motion fakery as I'm sensitive to SOE.
 
What I can't get a grip of is this simple fact, some of you are saying "but the plasma looks better with 1080I broadcast stuff or 576I or whatever" the thing is it will because it's not having to process it up to a 4K resolution, so it fits a 4K OLED screen.

When the Plasma had to upscale lower res broadcast it looked chuffing awful, no more awful than an 4K TV upscaling 1080i broadcast stuff to 4K, I'd go as far as saying my OLED does a better job of upscaling 1080i to 4K that than the Pioneer KRP-A did with upscaling 576i or 720 to 1080p, what are some of you on about, it's bizarre what you are saying, think about it.
 
What I can't get a grip of is this simple fact, some of you are saying "but the plasma looks better with 1080I broadcast stuff or 576I or whatever" the thing is it will because it's not having to process it up to a 4K resolution, so it fits a 4K OLED screen.

When the Plasma had to upscale lower res broadcast it looked chuffing awful, no more awful than an 4K TV upscaling 1080i broadcast stuff to 4K, I'd go as far as saying my OLED does a better job of upscaling 1080i to 4K that than the Pioneer KRP-A did with upscaling 576i or 720 to 1080p, what are some of you on about, it's bizarre what you are saying, think about it.

I already “thought about it” as other astute viewers did. You have TWO separate issues going and one is COMPLETELY irrelevant to 2021. Virtually nobody watches 480i or 576i at this point. This is a 720p/1080i world. THAT is the current standard that 90% of broadcast-viewers are being fed. And we have to contend with what broadcasters are feeding us.
Your argument is shoveling something that has no relevancy at this point. We are discussing the CURRENT issue of upconversion and it is the “dirty secret” of 4K panels.
 
I already “thought about it” as other astute viewers did. You have TWO separate issues going and one is COMPLETELY irrelevant to 2021. Virtually nobody watches 480i or 576i at this point. This is a 720p/1080i world. THAT is the current standard that 90% of broadcast-viewers are being fed. And we have to contend with what broadcasters are feeding us.
Your argument is shoveling something that has no relevancy at this point. We are discussing the CURRENT issue of upconversion and it is the “dirty secret” of 4K panels.
OK I put 1080I which is what is out there in the UK on SKY TV, but also whether you like it or not that is a lot of old stuff on Sky here still in really rubbish 576i FACT.

What are you on about here, because I am telling you a 1080P plasma isn't having to do as much with a picture to get 1080P as a 4K OLED is to get a 4K one, that's why it may appear to be of better quality, how are you not getting that? Less processing less artefacts, it's not rocket science.

I had a Plasma for 10 years, my OLED smashes it out of the park, every single way like it or not, take the rose tinted spectacles off.
 
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The 4K on your panel is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. We can certainly agree on that.
We need to “agree to disagree” on your 4K panel’s ability to match a 1080p plasma showing 1080i. I do think that YOU are the biased “rose-colored glasses” wearer. Yes, OLED has better blacks, contrast, brightness, and obviously 4K demo.
The motion is not as good as 1080p plasma, and the aforementioned upconversion is NOT.

Enjoy a wonderful OLED. Great viewing, no doubt. Have a good day.
 
The 4K on your panel is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. We can certainly agree on that.
We need to “agree to disagree” on your 4K panel’s ability to match a 1080p plasma showing 1080i. I do think that YOU are the biased “rose-colored glasses” wearer. Yes, OLED has better blacks, contrast, brightness, and obviously 4K demo.
The motion is not as good as 1080p plasma, and the aforementioned upconversion is NOT.

Enjoy a wonderful OLED. Great viewing, no doubt. Have a good day.
No bias here, I was adamant I wasn't having any OLED and I hung on and on before I bought one.

I do not find the motion that much worse on the OLED, not that I have noticed, you believe whatever you want, I'll believe what my eyes see, you have a good day now :)

I own and use a Panasonic V20 Plasma in my bedroom, and it's nice right enough, just not as good, or as black and no 4K HDR, but you know it’s OK with SDR and HD, if that's all you want and want to miss out ;)
 
Wow that's epic! I wasn't aware they ever made plasma's that big!

At 140kg, I think that thing would win if it got in a bar room brawl...
It was a Pro plasma so no tuner or even speakers. £42k new... I picked it up 5 years old for £180. 6 years on it still looks as good, so I have no plans to change it.

OLED and 4K will beat it but for sheer size and value for money, I won't replace it until it packs up. Picture quality is superb at 1080p and 3D on it is worth staying at 85" 1080p for now!

#pic shows a 32" LCD for scale.
 

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Yes, my Pioneer plasma had more pleasant colours as the recently purchased Panasonic HZ1500E. Maybe the micro eventually the nano LED screens will do the job well, but it will take some years to push down the prices.
 
I now have a OLed C1 77inch coming from a 65VT30.

As far as using it for gaming at 60 fps. The Plasma kills it in motion handling. No blurring what so ever.
I would say it’s equivalent 120fps as far as motion handling.
Oled to me looks really bad at 60 fps very blurry panning around.
Really requiring 90 fps to start to have to acceptable motion handling, yes 100 to 120 fps is very clear when panning around. 75 fps to 90 is boarder line acceptable and the lower fps of this range is game engine dependent.

So, the issue for me is not all my games can run @4k 90 to 120fps but most @4k 60fps but this looks like on the Oled and phenomenal on the Plasma (super sampling).
So now have to lower resolution to 1440p as a trade off.
 
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I now have a OLed C1 77inch coming from a 65VT30.

As far as using it for gaming at 60 fps. The Plasma kills it in motion handling. No blurring what so ever.
I would say it’s equivalent 120fps as far as motion handling.
Oled to me looks really bad at 60 fps very blurry panning around.
Really requiring 90 fps to start to have to acceptable motion handling, yes 100 to 120 fps is very clear when panning around. 75 fps to 90 is boarder line acceptable and the lower fps of this range is game engine dependent.

So, the issue for me is not all my games can run @4k 90 to 120fps but most @4k 60fps but this looks like on the Oled and phenomenal on the Plasma (super sampling).
So now have to lower resolution to 1440p as a trade off.
 
I think they all have there advantages and disadvantages probably every point is valid there’s just no perfect tv anymore at this time I speak from owning my 935 Phillips oled is great but at times I prefer my q95 QLED and vice versa I have ordered a jz 2000 I’m hoping it will give me best of both worlds but no tv has given me that feeling of buying something really specail since the kuro 600m
 
I think they all have there advantages and disadvantages probably every point is valid there’s just no perfect tv anymore at this time I speak from owning my 935 Phillips oled is great but at times I prefer my q95 QLED and vice versa I have ordered a jz 2000 I’m hoping it will give me best of both worlds but no tv has given me that feeling of buying something really specail since the kuro 600m
I wonder what the Canon agreement with Toshiba for SED tv's would have been like. I remeber the demo's back in CES 2006. Best of both worlds apparently.
 
So, the issue for me is not all my games can run @4k 90 to 120fps but most @4k 60fps but this looks like on the Oled and phenomenal on the Plasma (super sampling).
So now have to lower resolution to 1440p as a trade off.

This is very true I’m sure those old plasma paneIs refreshed around 600hz by the end I much prefer QLED to oled for gaming big difference but then I prefer oled to QLED for broadcast material
 
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This is very true I’m sure those old plasma paneIs refreshed around 600hz by the end
No. When LCD TVs started offering 120 Hz frame refresh, the plasma TV marketers made up a fake 600 Hz refresh rate to compete by counting the no-way-comparable sub-pixel refresh rate of plasma.

The 120 Hz refresh rate advertised by LCD TVs was also a bit fake, since the LCD pixel response rate at that time was still limited to about 30 Hz for some pixel value transitions. They still haven't improved all that much, which is why your eye can still see motion blur on a "120 Hz" LCD panel where the frame rate should be much too fast for your eye to see.
 
No. When LCD TVs started offering 120 Hz frame refresh, the plasma TV marketers made up a fake 600 Hz refresh rate to compete by counting the no-way-comparable sub-pixel refresh rate of plasma.

The 120 Hz refresh rate advertised by LCD TVs was also a bit fake, since the LCD pixel response rate at that time was still limited to about 30 Hz for some pixel value transitions. They still haven't improved all that much, which is why your eye can still see motion blur on a "120 Hz" LCD panel where the frame rate should be much too fast for your eye to see.
Really I remember them advertising high refresh rates but point taken but they both still have a more pleasing experience than my oled let’s see what the jz can do tomorrow?
 
I can't personally let go of my plasma although I have been sorely tempted by OLED. I watch a lot of sports and I really cannot get used to the motion of sample and hold technology. I do see that Vincent Teoh says that OLED has now surpassed plasma in motion but it must be what I'm used to as I can't see anything but stutter. I really hope that they resolve this somehow before too much longer because I'm not sure how much longer my Panasonic can hold out.
 
I can't personally let go of my plasma although I have been sorely tempted by OLED. I watch a lot of sports and I really cannot get used to the motion of sample and hold technology. I do see that Vincent Teoh says that OLED has now surpassed plasma in motion but it must be what I'm used to as I can't see anything but stutter. I really hope that they resolve this somehow before too much longer because I'm not sure how much longer my Panasonic can hold out.
Outstanding post. I agree wholeheartedly. I guess they will have to pry the remote of our plasmas “out of our cold, dead fingers !”
 

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