DHC Re-evaluates Plasma... with Different Results

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A while ago, the Web site of Digital Home Canada (DHC) offered an evaluation of "Five Reasons Not to Buy a Plasma TV." Apparently after a barrage of reaction from readers (on both sides of the argument, it said), it is now offering "Five Reasons to Make Your Next HDTV a Plasma." (It seems to assume that most consumers already have one.) In a nutshell, the reasons cited are:


  • Form Factor -- "...it's clear that the flat panel, reduced footprint, and ability to hang on the wall is the number one reason for wanting plasma. Consumers simply love the look of these televisions and consider them to be more like a beautiful piece of furniture than an ugly box that takes up a significant chunk of living space."

  • Lifespan -- "Engineers at Panasonic [said] a plasma set has a half-life of approximately 60,000 hours and some think the number might be as high as 100,000. A CRT rear projection is said to have a half life of 20 to 25,000 hours...Many DLP and LCD projection owners have complained of bulbs burning out annually so the cost can add up."

  • Respond Time -- "...Although response times vary, generally, plasmas currently in production have faster response times than LCD or projection televisions..."

  • Noise -- "DLP and LCD televisions have very hot bulbs inside which means they require fans for cooling. Many people find this irritating and complain about the noise especially after the television has been turned off. Plasma televisions have no fans, hence are whisper quiet."

  • Picture Quality -- "...When discussing picture quality, experts discuss such things as contrast ratios, brightness, color saturation, color accuracy, number of colors and viewing angles. From a specification standpoint, perhaps the most hotly discussed one is contrast ratio...a measure of the blackest black compared to the whitest white and generally speaking higher ratios are better. The highest ratios still belong to CRT-based televisions, but plasma is now number two ahead of DLP and LCD technologies. Plasma televisions today boast contrast ratios up to 3000:1 while LCD flat panels top out at around 800:1."
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