Video Asylum

Posted by Joe Murphy Jr (A) on April 26, 2010 at 22:31:19

In Reply to: RE: Wow, awesome posted by hukkfinn on April 26, 2010 at 16:21:44

The reason that plasma, as well as Direct View (CRT tube technology), is so good at off angles is because it is an emissive display technology. In a nutshell, the picture more or less starts at the screen -- the phosphors creating the picture aren't passing through a filter or screen, at least not in the sense that other display technologies rely on screens/filters to deliver the final picture.

On the other hand, in transmissive display technologies (LCD, LED LCD, DLP, Rear Projection CRT, etc), the picture starts behind a screen or filter. The resulting picture has been changed from what it started out as in order for you to view it. There is no such thing as a perfect filter or screen. It's a compromise that these technologies use in order to work. This does not, however, mean that you can't get good to excellent picture quality from these technologies. It's just that the means by which they create the picture for your eyes has some deficiencies that may or may not do well in your viewing environment.

While I greatly prefer plasma, I'm not spending $25k for an 85" Panasonic plasma. I'd rather an LG, but since they won't be releasing one for $3500, if Vizio can deliver their 72" LED LCD in the fall with good results re: picture quality (I'll do the calibrating), I may get one to replace the 50" plasma in my livingroom. Otherwise, a 65" plasma will probably be there instead.