Why do plasmas seem to be cheaper than LCDs?

Honestly i dont know.

If i was to take a guess i would say its because LCD's are much more popular than plasma's and as a result
a lot of people think LCD's are better, god knows why no LCD ive ever seen even compares to my
Panasonic 42PZ80 for PQ.
 
Which Plasma's are you talking about? Compared to which LCD's? Being more specific tends to help!
 
LOL

In general my friend.

Thanks jpb, makes sense.
 
LOL

In general my friend.

Thanks jpb, makes sense.

larger size LCD has not been around for very long. so their prices are still some what higher than their plasma counterpart. :)
but it is definitely coming down. look at the last few generations of LCD. :)
 
Plasma is becoming less popular, hence, following the simple laws of supply and demand, the price is dropping.

Reasons are severalfold: greater energy consumption, runs hotter, seen as unfamiliar technology by a significant number of folks who aren't techno-savvy but are aware of LCD computer monitors, etc. Plus, for those who are in the know, although plasma arguably is better at conveying dark shades, it costs a lot more for the same pixel density as an LCD. So given the choice of more detailed picture or slightly better blacks of greys, most folks on a limited budget choose detail - which let's face it is the principal selling point of high def television. And I think overall, there's a growing current of feeling that plasma has had its day, and LCD/LED are the way of the future. Whether that's a god or bad thing is open to debate, of course.
 
Plus, for those who are in the know, although plasma arguably is better at conveying dark shades, it costs a lot more for the same pixel density as an LCD. So given the choice of more detailed picture or slightly better blacks of greys, most folks on a limited budget choose detail - which let's face it is the principal selling point of high def television. And I think overall, there's a growing current of feeling that plasma has had its day, and LCD/LED are the way of the future. Whether that's a god or bad thing is open to debate, of course.
Could you provide a better explanation for the concept I bolded?
It's actually really funny that "plasma has had its day" when, as of today, the best picture quality is offered by a plasma display (in the big flat panel field, I leave aside the 11" OLED screen which is little more than a tech exercise).
 
You know, I genuinely think that a lot of people have been persuaded to think that LCD is actually better quality, and certainly more reliable. The old canard that "plasmas need to be re-gassed every few years" sowed seeds of doubt that many people have never managed to shake. Also the idea that "plasma will be gone soon, it'll be all LCD" puts people off buying them. I can't imagine why, but it does.

So, in short, plasmas are cheaper because people are stupid.
 
I think the reason is even more simple than that. Most ordinary people (I mean Joe Public) have not got a clue of the difference between LCD and Plasma. Most people I speak to think they are one and the same. In-fact, my next door neighbor has a Sony LCD and they refer to it as a Plasma screen.

If you walk into any high street store, the number of LCDs far outweigh Plasma so the chances someone is going to walk out with an LCD is high. Major manufacturers push LCD more and do more research into it and there are some extremely cheap brands supplying cheap LCDs which people are buying.
 
LOL

In general my friend.

Thanks jpb, makes sense.


I don't think they are cheaper are they??


If you compare say a mid to high end 40" model LCD from Sony, Samsung or Panasonic with the a 42" from Panasonic it will be about the same, then compare the backlit LCDs with a Panasonic PF11, VSX100 or Pioneer 5090 or 500A/M they are the same sort of price again.

To get an LCD image even close to Plasma you have to spend more on the LCD I agree, but many people are happy to buy a sub £500 LCD and won't even consider the image they are watching complete tat.
 
Large plasmas have been around a lot longer than large LCDs, indeed a 42" LCD 3 years ago would have cost around £4000. Also the larger the screen the more tech you have to put into LCD disguise the inherent shortcomings and therfore more expense, whereas the tech in plasma is consistant accross all sizes. Also plasma is still more popular in the biggest market USA vs LCD in Euroland hence the economies of scale.

At the end of the day Gizlaroc is right as always, the prices are roughly equivalent for the quality of screen.
 
Could you provide a better explanation for the concept I bolded?
It's actually really funny that "plasma has had its day" when, as of today, the best picture quality is offered by a plasma display (in the big flat panel field, I leave aside the 11" OLED screen which is little more than a tech exercise).

Simple explanation - if you look at the same size screen with the same pixel count, LCD is cheaper. From this it follows logically enough that if you are on a limited budget, any plasma you can get will have a lower pixel count than an LCD screen. If you're sitting even at a sensible distance from a TV screen, this can be noticeable. When I bought my first thin screen it was this very point that put me off plasma (relative to an LCD of the same price, the plasma picture looked like newspaper print). Okay, things have improved since then, but one of my students has a part time job at one of our bigger electrical goods emporia and he says that the pixel issue still gets raised a surprisingly large proportion of the time by customers.

And as for 'plasma has had its day', it's important to distinguish between statements on quality and simple economic facts. Plasma is likely to lose ground and eventually stop being produced simply because Joe Public wants LCD. This has zilch to do with the actual quality of the product. FWIW, I totally agree that if you ignore price and energy consumption issues, plasma is overall better than LCD. In saying that plasma is on its way out, I take no pleasure in saying it.

Oh, and LED is rapidly moving beyond the novelty stage - check out some of the reports on AV fairs or the new Macintosh screens.
 
The only time I have favoured LCD over Plasma is when conencting up a PC to the input. PC images always seem to look better on LCD and I guess thats because LCD has been around in the PC market for a long time and they have perfected the technology.

I briefly had a Sony KDL-46W4500 which I was just not happy with and thus went back to Plasma. No matter what I did with the Sony, I could always see motion blur which gave me a headache under some conditions. As soon as I switched back to Plasma the difference was immense.
 
I think the reason is even more simple than that. Most ordinary people (I mean Joe Public) have not got a clue of the difference between LCD and Plasma. Most people I speak to think they are one and the same.

You're absolutely right.
 
isnt plamsa getting more popular recently?
 
Simple explanation - if you look at the same size screen with the same pixel count, LCD is cheaper. From this it follows logically enough that if you are on a limited budget, any plasma you can get will have a lower pixel count than an LCD screen. If you're sitting even at a sensible distance from a TV screen, this can be noticeable. When I bought my first thin screen it was this very point that put me off plasma (relative to an LCD of the same price, the plasma picture looked like newspaper print). Okay, things have improved since then, but one of my students has a part time job at one of our bigger electrical goods emporia and he says that the pixel issue still gets raised a surprisingly large proportion of the time by customers.
Maybe true at small sizes, not so much at intermediate sizes (42-50"), false at 50"+ sizes where plasma hold a significant price advantage. What's the price on a 65" LCD? Bearing in mind that 60" is clearly needed to get the full benefits of 1080p for view distances common in household.
And as for 'plasma has had its day', it's important to distinguish between statements on quality and simple economic facts. Plasma is likely to lose ground and eventually stop being produced simply because Joe Public wants LCD. This has zilch to do with the actual quality of the product. FWIW, I totally agree that if you ignore price and energy consumption issues, plasma is overall better than LCD. In saying that plasma is on its way out, I take no pleasure in saying it.
Last year's quarter saw plasma as the only technology with an increase in sales (US market), it hardly seems a technology that's had its day. Energy consumption is getting significantly better this year and I don't need to ignore price: in 50"+ size I don't see LCDs holding a significant advantage, do you?
Oh, and LED is rapidly moving beyond the novelty stage - check out some of the reports on AV fairs or the new Macintosh screens.
A lot of LED screens this year have moved backwards with regard to off-axis view. One of the things I hate the most in LCD.

This may sound as a fanboyish message but the thing is that I really don't get the whole "swan song" thing for plasmas. Especially by people that recognize the technology's superiority from a quality point of view.
Lots of uneducated people browse forums and tend to believe stuff like this (see the "plasma needs to be recharged myth" still widespread to this day).
 
Yeah - Andrew's comments were probably true about a year to 18 months ago but you can get a 42" 1080p plasma for less than a grand now and the energy consumption on the new Pannies might even be less than LCD since it wasn't that much more beforehand.

The general market perception also lags (or is completely unaware of) reality of course.

btw, I converted an LCD-assumptive friend at work recently by just asking her to look carefully. She loves the 42" X10 she got.
 
Yeah - Andrew's comments were probably true about a year to 18 months ago but you can get a 42" 1080p plasma for less than a grand now

Alas, one swallow doth not a summer make. Yes, there is a midget's handful of plasma sets in the sub-grand category - versus several hundred LCDs. I'm afraid my data are rather more up to date than late 2007. ;)

What's the price on a 65" LCD? Bearing in mind that 60" is clearly needed to get the full benefits of 1080p for view distances common in household.

And outside the community of AV enthusiasts, just how many folks have 60+ inch sets? You'll have the usual set of nouveaux riches who'll buy anything in the largest size on principle, and that's probably about it. Outside AV circles, sets that size are usually considered unnecessarily large for anywhere outside a pub lounge. NOT my view, before anyone flames me, but opposition to large TV sets on the grounds of being a bit 'chav' and 'showing off' is far commoner than folks on this and similar forums probably realise.
 
I would consider 60inch to be far too big for the average sized home. I have a 50 inch and even with that it is probably a little bit on the large size for my house and our house is slightly bigger than average.

Looking at my friends, colleagues and family, the average flat screen size seems to be between 40 and 42inch. None of the rest of my family and circle of friends have screens over 42inch (except for me). My friends and family and normal (Joe Public) people not deeply into their video.
 
I'll be honest, if Pioneer produced a full 1920 x 1080 plasma at 42" I would have gone for that over the 50". I think it's a little too big for normal (TV) use, although it's fine for higher-res sources.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom