Plasma or LCD? Share your knowledge here.

[clavinZERO]

Luke...

Another thing you may want to consider is the ability to hook up the HTPC via digital connection ("white" DVI-to-HDMI) or just analog connection (VGA "blue").

My new Sony KDL-4VL160 (Costco) was detected nicely by the systems I hooked it up to in both digital and analog fashions.

As far as the blacks go, I have never really found there to be a really critical difference, especially lately and especially with with the two technologies NOT sitting side by side in my living room to compare.

Current versions of both types are VERY nice... +1 on making your budget and then finding the one that's the prettiest in your eyes that you can afford, making sure it has the inputs you need (which most always do).

Wall mounting: I believe (unless radical changes have happened) LCD are far lighter and more energy efficient as well.

I agree with the Sony and Samsung lovers in the crowd here. You can't go wrong there.

One side note... the 120Hz shit... fine for games and soaps and sports. 120Hz can EAD when it comes to movies!! 24fps for movies or the normal 60Hz style is much, much prettier.

Go play with some TVs at a place with a Blu-Ray player on them.

My vote: mid level to mid-high level LCD with ability to turn on/off 120Hz/24fps cinema mode.

[einstein57]

I have a couple of 42" plasmas. One is a six year old NEC and the other is a panasonic. The NEC was used mostly for gaming but was retired to TV use only when we got a 65" sony. The panasonic is used for tv/gaming/computer and works great. Pixel burn in is negated by pixel shift and a warm setup. They do generate a ton of heat and are heavy as shit compared to newer models. My fiances Vizio is garbage in comparison. My next tv will be one of those ultra thin lcd units.

[daniel]

^I know, the obsession with thin TV's kills me. I love my 3 year old 50" Samsung DLP.

"Hai guize look at mah thin TVs!!!!"

Is that an entertainment center below it, with all your audio gear taking up the same amount of space on the floor? The same amount of space if the TV was still on top it?

i've had to move my 40 inch LCD like 4 or 5 different times. it definitely helps that i can carry it myself (even up stairs) and it fits in my car.

For LCDs to create blacks the lcd panel has to try and block all the light coming through the from the back light - worse for the new bright LED backlit ones...

this is probably as close to "plasma fanboy" as you can get. dont just start making things up. aside from having a greater color gamut, the LED backlit LCDs produce greater black levels because of the fact that there is an array of LEDs behind the LCD panel rather than just one large light source. this allows for select LEDs to be shut off completely to produce black. is it still as good as a high-end plasma? no, it isn't. but it isn't harder to "block all the light coming through from the back light" just because LEDs are the light source. don't you think TV companies would've come up with something different, rather than a technology that only made it harder to recreate black?

[e30pwr]

I worked for 2 years and my dad owned the company, installing low voltage in Mill$+ homes, Plasma is garbage.

If you can swing it LED, if not then get an LCD.