Hi all,

Sorry to cover what is probably old ground, but i need a little help.

although i was a sky engineer (please no abuse), i left around 6 years ago, just as the plasma's were taking off. At the time they we pretty rubbish. i currently have a 28" samsung crt and the picture quality is exceptional. however, we have moved recently and it is looking very small in the new living room (or age is catching up with my eyes!).

i am looking at going to a 37" and after trawling the tinternet and the whathifi website & forums it seems to be a choice between the lcd or plasma panny. this is where i'm struggling, as i really don't know too much about the technologies.

do plasma's still suffer from screen burn?
which handles fast images (footy and games) and deep blacks (sorry sc-fi fan) the best?

my source is a standard sky box (although i plan on getting HD next year).
a standard DVD player & my 360.

any thoughts/opinions are very welcome.

Have them almost side-by-side in the shop running off the same hd (hdmi) source and have to say I still think the PX70 has the better picture.
The colours still have the edge and the black levels are far better, sci-fi looks much better!
If you are going to use the set for lots of pc/gaming the LCD will have an advantage purley for the just-in-case factor on screen burn. Having said that, I've had no probs on the plasma I got this time last year.
Best advice, Go and have a look in the smaller shops and have a play with the setttings!
The gap is closing!

thanks for that, i think i'm sold on the px70 now. besides, i have been reading up and you have to have the set on for major time to cuase screen burn on modern sets. at most i use the 360 for 3-4 hours at a time, but mostly static images are only on the screen for a couple of hours on a saturday afternoon, and that's sky sports news!

Screen burn is mostly a concern for the first few months - probably the worst thing you can do is watch 4:3 with black bars at the sides, always ensure the screen is full.

Is the prolonged show of a programme LOGO a danger to screen burn on Plasma. I am thinking of BBC3 or 4 when a programme can be on continuously for 2 hours or more. Presunably commercial breaks on other channels will a safeguard against screen burn

have a look at this site joyden;

www.plasma-lcd-facts.co.uk

quite an interesting read.

Site sponsored by Hitachi, Panasonic, and Pioneer - obviously an unbiased point of view!

I notice it claims that screen burn has been largely eliminated - yet don't all three of these manufacturers specifically state in their warranties that screen burn isn't covered?.

Screen burn is definately less of a problem than it was, but I think the manufacturers warranty policies make an interesting point!

you know, the more i try and come to a conclusion, the more questions pop up.

have to say i am really starting to think it may be worth hanging on to the samsung CRT for the time being!

There's advantages and disadvantages to both (and to CRT's as well) - there seems little point in replacing your CRT 'just for the sake of it'. If it's duff and needs replacing, fair enough, or if you're wanting a larger screen - but bear in mind your viewing distance! (this applies to LCD, Plasma and CRT).