plasma's disadvantages have been adressed:
the latest plasma panels from toshiba and pioneer have addressed the problem of burn-in. they subtly shift the pixels so the same pixels aren't lighted the same the whole time.
Matagal na ang motion adaptive burn in technology (pixel shifting/pixel orbiter). The more recent technology is an improvement in the phosphor itself, specifically the green phosphor layer, that makes the panel more resistant to burn in, thereby increasing phosphor and screen lifespan to CRT levels.
The new consumer versions of Panasonic plasmas don't even have a pixel shifting option. I consider this an indication of the manufacturer's confidence in its new phosphors. However, Panasonic's commercial models (monitor only, no speakers, no tuners) still have this pixel shift option.
Hitachi (plasma) has a pixel-shifting feature. The salesguy was even boasting the feature. But in that same shop where the plasma ran several hours a day a movie that did not occupy the entire screen (black bars at top and bottom), I was able to see the burn-in problem. In a totally white background display occupying the entire screen, the "burned-in" image appeared as a darker white where the black bars normally would be. I told the salesguy, so what is that, looks like a burn-in to me? Doesn't seem to work very well (the anti-burn-in feature). He didn't have a reply.
It's either an older generation panel or a defective unit, since as far as I know, Hitachi has no bad reputation concerning burn-in issues. It may also be "IR" (Image Retention), which is a temporary condition; as distinguished from true burn-in, which is permanent.
After browsing U.S., U.K. and Australian forums, I found that Samsung plasma panels these days still have burn-in problems.
This was the reason I settled on a samsung LCD...and a lot of the shows I have been watching are 4:3 (black bars on left and right). No problems even after 100+hrs of 4:3 viewing (TV series).
Walang problema ang LCD sa burn-in since there are no phosphors to burn, pero may problema naman ang LCD sa dead pixels. Kanya-kanyang problema lang 'yan.
about power consumption: power consumption of lcd panels are constant regardless of how bright or dark the scenes are. in a plasma panel, power consumption is lesser on dark scenes and slightly higher on bright shows like news broadcasts. (who watches broadcasts nowadays when news rss is better, more concise?) electricity consumption is more on a lcd compared to plasma panels of the same size (more so in the bigger displays >50in).
LCD panels have a constant backlight, but power consumption is slightly higher for dark scenes because the liquid crystal element has to twist to block the backlight. On bright scenes, power consumption is less because the pixel is turned off to let the backlight shine through.
With plasma panels, it's the other way around. For bright scenes, the pixel is on; for dark scenes, the pixel is off.
That's why it's inherently easier for a plasma panel to produce blacks -- all it has to do is turn the pixel off. For LCD panels, it's hard to produce good blacks because there will always be some backlight leaking through the twisted liquid crystal element.
plasma's advantages are not worth getting it:
1. longer half life
2. darker black
3. more vivid colors
4. sharper moving scenes
5. better suited to the average home ambient lighting
As regards #5, I would say that LCD is better suited to average home lighting conditions. The average living room is usually bright, which is conducive to good LCD performance --- black level deficiencies are not too obvious, no screen reflections, and the very bright panel is more than sufficient to overcome the bright surrounding environment.
As regards black levels, color accuracy and motion blur, LCD panels with LED backlight should be very interesting once they're released:
Samsung 40-inch LED LCD TVhttp://uk.gizmodo.com/2006/09/08/samsung_40inch_led_lcd_tv.html=============================================================
I predict that LCD will replace the CRT as the mainstream display panel of choice. Plasma and projectors will fall by the wayside as products for the niche market.
As for LCD vs. plasma: neither is perfect, and both technologies have their faults. Weighing those faults is a matter of personal preference.
