avg half life of a plasma is now about 60k hours, think about it you watch tv 6 hours a day at 365 days a year thats 2190 , at that rate it will take about 30 years to reach half life. i am willing to bet most of us will have got something new by then .

you are right about the led tv's out now . there is an oled tv on the market , made by sony its an 11 incher @ about 2500 big ones.

they displayed them at this years ces, they are thin enough to bend around corners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcAm3KihFho&feature=fvw


pretty cool


sorry for the hijack , ive been into tv's big time lately since i was in the market so i did some research about current technology.

 

ehh plasma is hit and miss, they get duller over time as the gas loses its charge. they all have their ups and downs but the lcd's r the most reliable and efficient there is, especially with the led's behind them. plasmas used to be the most expensive until everyone found out about the heat they produce and their poor performance over time. even if they do last longer they still lose their brightness rather quickly... also wanna throw in the new led backlit lcd tv's have a truer black than any previous tv's so thats helpful alongside being the brightest alongside plasmas. plasmas have a much much much quicker response time(600hz ive seen prob higher than that). oled's r cool but for now i think i can handle a 1.5 inch thick screen lol. when oled's hit the market in mass thats when ull be holding ur tv in ur hand like a newspaper.

 

Most of my viewing is going to be done from 12-15' away. I saw the LED's and really like them. It's kind of like the best of the plasmas and LCD's together but lighter and thinner. So basically right now i'm going for a $700 720p to get me by for a couple years then move it into the shop when the full LED come cheaper, or a $1700 LED LCD.

 

^^^^ dont get 720p, their really is a pretty big difference between 720p a 1080p.
Heres a LG 50" plasma at sears for $854 bucks.
Sears has LG 50PS60 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV for $1060 - 10% off in cart - $100 LG gas card rebate (Details) = $854. Choose in-store pickup to save on shipping



http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...0fp23593c0s599

 

get 1080p for the long term benefits.
Later you may use blue ray dvd or hook up a laptop or game console or use it in a bigger room or whatever it may be and having the 1080 now would be worth it in the long run.
Not that much price difference for the quality.

 

Meh, Pioneer makes some awesome tvs, but go find me a 50" Pioneer plasma for even double of what a Panasonic costs. Most people who just want "A nice tv" don't feel like dropping $2000 for a Pioneer or $3000 on an ELITE. You can get a 50" panasonic 1080p plasma for $1100 or a 720p for $800 if you look around.

Dude sorry, but your information couldn't be more off. Plasmas are cheaper because they have been around for several years longer. As the technology ages, companies are able to produce it for cheaper. LCDs have only during the past few years began to target the 42" and larger crown. Over the past 1-2 years if you watch trends, the LCDs have began to be cheaper and cheaper.

With regards to your Plasma issues you mentioned.

"I heard that GM cars don't have air bags or seat belts. I wouldn't get one."

My point being is that all your points are things of the past. There were issues at one point in time, but now all those are a thing of the past.
-Picture fade
-Burn-in
-Plasmas are cheaper because they are older technology but not worse technology

Nah man, it's all a marketing gig. Like I said in my post earlier,the human eye can't tell the difference between the two on a 42" tv if you're sitting 8 feet or further away.
Check out this chart:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/h...tion_chart.jpg

There's a lot of misinformation in here. A lot of people get carried away by looking at silly things like Contrast ratio or 720p/1080

 

I've seen that chart before and at 7' with my 56" 1080p you can definitely tell a difference, especially when playing 360 or watching HD channels.

 

I can agree with that . If you play video games, then you will benefit from 1080p. I know when I play Halo, I'm sitting about 5 feet from the TV no matter if it's 19" or if it's 60".

I just saw his post where he said he was going to use it to watch TV and the occasional movie. So in his case there isn't much need to go with a 1080p unless it will put his mind at easy.

 

Ok, I did it. Went to sears to just "Look". Got sucked in by a samsung 46" LED LCD for $1599 and 10% off with a new sears card and 6 months no interst. I pick it up Tuesday.

 

Wow you kind of veered off your original post, a 46" for $1600?? That 46" is going to be small if your 12-15' away..