Is it true that plasma TVs are less reliable than LCDs?

Question

Due to the fact that (as far as I have heard) Plasma TVs work with some kind of a gas that provides the image on the screen. After about five years, Plasma TVs break down, cease to work, and cannot be repaired. Is that true? Is it worth buying a plasma TV at all? Are LCD TVs really more reliable?

Answer 1

Yes, for a few reasons.

Plasma's can end up with burn-in on the screen.

Plasma's use gasses to create a picture... the gasses can eventually fade or lose their purity and can cause your screen to fade or eventually not work.

Plasma's are more fragile as they can be damaged by tilting more than 45 degrees off their base.

LCD's have none of these issues but may be a bit less sharp of a picture when it comes to non-HD signals.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

plasma tv's do have less longevity than LCD tv's.  It's due to the bulb (?) inside that has a shorter lifespan and needs to be replaced more often.  So while you can replace that part, it's costly and you'll have to do it more often than with an LCD tv.

Answer 3

u can repair them but u need to recharge them. it costs cash but than again lcds dont have goood black but than again plasmas have a delay when u paly alot of games so its up to u.

Answer 4

No they are not less reliable if you get a current model. The life span is the same as LCDs let me go ahead and debunk a couple of myths that I have seen right on this page:

1. Yes there is still burn in but it is MUCH less of a problem with it then there used to be. They have made many advances in plasma technology in the last couple of years.

2. No you do not have to recharge a plasma TV. I don’t even know what that even means or how you would go about doing it......

3. No you don’t have to regularly change a bulb in a plasma TV. The last time I checked the only kind of TV that required you to change a lamp every 3-5 years was a DLP rear projection TV type and that is a completely different kind of TV than plasma.

4. Yes you can tip a plasma TV more then 45 degrees most Panasonics (the top rated manufacturer of plasma TVs according to consumer reports guide 2007) come with the pedestals off and really the only way to put it on the TV is to lay it down on its front side or its backside (180 degrees). But you have to be gentle about it and have a soft surface to lay it down on.

Really the main difference between a LCD and a Plasma (I’m not saying this is the only difference just the main one) is that plasmas offer much deeper contrast ratios then LCDs I think some Panasonic and Samsung (possibly others…) models get as deep as 100,000,000:1 contrast while LCDs will be a bit brighter because they are backlit.

I hope this cleared a little bit of confusion. I found a great website that you might want to check out that is in my sources -Michael B

Answer 5

Go read the March, 2008 issue of Consumer Reports and get the facts. The facts are that they both are about the same in reliability, longevity and both are slightly better than the older CRT TVs. Any other answer is just naive opinion or blind bigotry.

Answer 6

I work on both lcd's and plasma tvs, and as far as reliability goes, both are about the same.  The only thing I have seen that may be of some concern is that plasma tvs have a lot more boards in them then lcd tvs do.  Of course, the more boards inside a tv, the more potential problems you could have, and the more money it could cost to get it repaired.

On average the typical lcd tv has 2 to 3 printed circuit boards behind the back cover.  A plasma has around 10 to 11 printed circuit boards on average, and generates a lot more heat.

As far as recharging the gas in a plasma tv, there is no such thing.

Lcd tvs have back lights (bulbs), some are replaceable, some are not.  If one goes out, the whole tv usually goes into protect mode, and most of the time your only option is to replace the screen.

I have seen about the same number of lcds vs. plasma tvs come into our shop with various defects and problems.  There is just no rhyme or reason they fail, they just do.

Thats my two cents anyways.

Answer 7

No, that is just talk. Plasma's are fine!

Answer 8

We are getting a lot out of ours.  Even shipped it from Al to Korea and had no problems...

Answer 9

If  you are getting current models, there is no difference in reliability or longevity between the two.  Plasma burn-in can still occur, but it is much less of a problem now, and it can often be erased.  The other "facts" about plasmas (loss of gas, needing recharge) are not true.   They do use more power than the equivalent LCD.