I haven't really been following up on this in recent years.

I've had a plasma TV since 2007, it doesn't do 1080p and a replacement is possible since the money is being saved up for around year's end.

It's an LG and we've had a lot of issues over the years with red pixels causing a "rash" effect whenever there is a larger-than-usual power consumption due to several electronics being on at once sharing the same outlets, and when I chose my friend's LED-backlit LCD Sony for him a few months ago the quality was shockingly stunning and makes my TV look like utter shit.

Cost is a big factor, what with the ability to buy a 600Hz, 50" Plasma TV for less than a 42 or 46" LCD 120Hz TV, so with all the advancements over the years and image retention (burn-in) supposedly a non-issue now, does it really matter what type of TV one chooses to get beyond the issue of room lighting? In my case that's not an issue at all.

I would say it does, but the gap is narrowing regarding picture quality.

I'm an unapologetic plasma fanboy. Cost vs. performance, most plasmas cannot be beat. Many of the LED displays are starting to reach plasma levels in contrast and black levels but you're going to pay a premium for it when purchasing an LED vs. plasma.

For example, Samsung's high-end 8000 series has a 65" LED and a 64" Plasma. The plasma is the better tv (rated in the top 3 in Picture Quality in the annual value electronics shootout) and it costs about $1000 less than the LED equivalent.

Another reason I love plasma is the superior viewing angles. You will see little reduction in picture quality no matter where you are in the room. This is not the case with most LED displays.

Light can be an issue as most LED displays can get brighter, but I have a very well lit family room and my Pioneer plasma has no problems displaying a great picture when I watch college Gameday at 10 AM on Saturday morning (sun shining directly onto my display).

Image retention is mostly a thing of the past but it can still happen (very rare though). I believe most plasmas have some type of pixel shifting tech to help limit this as much as possible. A lot of owners "break-in" their plasmas by displaying 16x9 content for 100 hours to help decrease the chance of burn-in even more. I've never had an issue on my Pioneer (KRP-500M - did not "break-in"), but my old 720p Panasonic in the bedroom has had IR problems in the past.

If I were in the market for a new display I would look hard at both Panasonic and Samsung plasmas. On the high-end the Samsung has better colors, but the Panasonic has better black levels and contrast.

Good luck!

No one was bothering to reply to the thread and my timeline was moved up - placed an order for a 50" Panasonic 3D plasma at a fraction of the cost of a 46" LED-backlit Sony LCD which was the first choice similar to my friend's TV.

Guess you could say I retroactively agreed with you

Thanks!

FWIW, my several years old Panasonic 50" Plasma is doing just fine compared against the current competition.

HD is HD. Manufacturers are so pathetic in coming up with a marketing scheme, when they should just make a good product, stick with it...then make a BIGGER ONE!