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Author Topic: State of TV image quality  (Read 4805 times)

G*

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State of TV image quality
« on: July 26, 2015, 03:07:28 am »

Hi!

Could someone tell me the current state of image quality of TV sets? I lost track a few years ago when it was pro plasma technology in terms of gamut and contrast and pro LCD technology in terms of resolution, 3D (frequency) and energy saving.

I find that there are virtually no plasma tv sets on the market any more. Have current LCD or LED panels surpassed the plasma panels from say 3 years ago in terms of color reproduction? Or does everyone want UHD resolution now and does not care about colors?

Thanks,
Gunnar
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Alan Klein

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Re: State of TV image quality
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2015, 01:20:26 pm »

I didn't even know they stopped manufacturing plasma TV's.  Apparently in 2014.  Anyway, here's an article on what happened. http://plasmatvbuyingguide.com/hdtv/death-of-plasma-tv.html

Tim Lookingbill

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Re: State of TV image quality
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2015, 02:01:12 pm »

Color is mostly a given if you know how to eyeball calibrate an HDtv as opposed to out of the box defaults. Most give adequate color/contrast/brightness options to get near perfect sRGB-ish calibration. I never liked the look of plasma TV's.

Sharpness and definition will depend on the size (dimension in inches) of the HDtv (720 to 1080 long end rez.) and the distance viewed. I bought a 32in 720p Samsung HDtv that came with an IPS panel (wide viewing angles and great looking skin color) and viewed at 7 ft it delivers really good color and sharp enough detail as long as the signal is in 1080p or 720p (not Standard def) and the source content is either direct digital HD camera captured or old content that has been restored to Blu-Ray.

Much larger HDtv screens over 40in. will just take the 1080p pixel grid and stretch it out to fit the larger dimensions and if sitting 7ft away will start to show more pronounced edge halos and compression artifacts depending on the signal.

UHDtv (4K) allows screens larger than 40in. to display a pixel grid with the fineness of a computer screen but there's very little content out that takes advantage of it except maybe Blu-Ray. Broadcast signals have to be upconverted and I don't know what that looks like.

The "Little Big Man" restored to blu-ray shot shown below is a broadcast signal over TWCable on Turner Classic Movie channel.

« Last Edit: July 26, 2015, 02:03:26 pm by Tim Lookingbill »
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Ray

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Re: State of TV image quality
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2015, 09:52:49 pm »

It seems that OLED has replaced the old Plasma technology, and is now the new king of 'contrast ratio' and 'color gamut'. However, one unknown factor is its durability.

In addition to its improved contrast ratio and color gamut, the OLED screen is much thinner and lighter than the old Plasma display. The following article highlights the potential.
http://www.cnet.com/news/lg-displays-latest-oled-tv-sticks-to-the-wall-is-under-1mm-thick/

A 4k OLED display would be ideal for a slide show of one's photos. The trouble is, that extra resolution ideally requires a larger screen. In Australia, an LG 65" 4k OLED TV is priced around A$10,000. My old Plasma 65" HDTV cost me around $5,000 a few years ago. The OLED screen is double the price. However, it's also double the resolution.  ;)

Unfortunately, double the resolution requires a halving of the viewing distance in order to appreciate that extra resolution, or a quadrupling of the screen area from the same viewing distance.
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G*

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Re: State of TV image quality
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2015, 02:12:41 am »

Thanks for the write-up! My personal take is that it would be cool to get a slightly used plasma screen from the last year of production or the year before – I could save some money and still have hard to beat image quality. Unfortunately the market is pretty empty around here. No new screens left and no used ones available yet. So I came in really two years too late for plasma and probably another two years too early for OLED screens to be affordable. Crazy industry.
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Pete_G

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Re: State of TV image quality
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2015, 08:53:22 am »

Pioneer produced by far the best plasma screens, the legendary Kuro series, unfortunately they stopped production many years ago, around 2007 I think. Panasonic hired some of the Pioneer engineers and bought some of the technology, and started production of a range of very good screens at a range of prices. Then they stopped production. If you're lucky you may be able to get one of the better Pannys secondhand, other than that, like you say, you stuck between a rock and a hard place. Large OLED's will come, but at a price. AVForums is a good place to hang out for more info.
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