A new TV--plasma tv's cost a lot less than LCD TV's, but I heard they cost a lot more to fix. Is this true?

Question

They both have a sharp picture and it seems to me the plasma is a better deal. What do you think?

Answer 1

It's always good to see the factually challenged given the opportunity to express their opinions! But then dispersing facts may not be their intent!

Now for the real facts; the basic electronics to run a flat-panel TV are going to be very similar regardless of the display type. As an example, all TVs need a tuner. The cost to replace the tuner for a LCD TV will not vary much from the cost to replace a tuner in a plasma TV. This will be true for most components of a flat panel TV. If anything, LCD TVs can be more complex due to the additional logic required to overcome this technologies basic flaws; i.e. motion blur and jitter. This added logic does add complexity and can reduce over-all reliability, at least from a statistical perspective. LCD and plasma TV screens are expensive and both are difficult to replace. It generally is not advisable to replace either screen type.

Most LCD TVs’ use full-spectrum florescent tubes behind the LCD screen. In general, these tubes are not replaceable. It may be true for a few LCD TVs, but manufacturers do not release this information to the general public and it should not be assumed that they can be replaced.

Plasma TV use cells filled with an inert gas (neon, xenon, etc.). This gas is neither used to exhaustion, escapes nor reacts with other compounds (that's why they are called inert). The suggestion that once this gas is used up your plasma TV is finished is just ludicrous!

All light sources decay with age. LCD TVs florescent tubes will dim with age. They also change color as they age and degrade the color accuracy of an LCD TV. The phosphors used to generate the light in a plasma TV also will age and lose brightness, but they do NOT change color. A plasma TV will retain its color accuracy through its life.  The half life for florescent tubes in an LCD TV is given as 60,000 hours. The half life for the phosphors used in a plasma TV will be from 60,000 to 100,000 hours.

P.S. Plasma TVs are enjoying resurgence in popularity and manufacturers are bring out 32" & 37" models again.

Answer 2

plasmas usually cannot be fixed, its a gas, once theyre done...theyre done, where as an lcd can have the bulb replaced and you got basically a new t.v. again...

go with the lcd, ive had both, and lcd kicks the c**p outta a plasma, plus if your putting it in a small room, plasma kicks out a stupid amount of heat. not to mention plasmas dont come smaller then 42" i believe.