Plasma 43" Flat Screen

[Console User]

Can anyone tell me what one should pay for a 43 Inch Samsung Plasma TV? They say it has low hours on it. They are asking $150 for it. Any advice would be great.

Does anyone know the Sony Plasma TVs were?

Thanks.

[dishdude]

$50?

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Console User

Can anyone tell me what one should pay for a 43 Inch Samsung Plasma TV? They say it has low hours on it. They are asking $150 for it. Any advice would be great.

Does anyone know the Sony Plasma TVs were?

Thanks.

I personally don't know why anyone would bother to purchase a plasma TV these days (also, I don't know where anyone could find a plasma HDTV now, except on the used market). Plasma televisions are outdated, compared to LCD and LED flat screen sets; in fact, the new 4K flat screens can make any plasma TV seem like a has-been, as the 4K and better resolution flat panels can run rings around any plasma set.

Another advantage LED/LCD flat screens have over plasma sets is resistance to screen burn-in. With a plasma television, if a stationary image (such as a color bar chart or a test pattern) is left on the screen any extended length of time, said image will burn itself into the screen, destroying the plasma panel immediately. LED/LCD flat screen TVs, on the other hand, have built-in screen savers which will replace the displayed TV picture with a preprogrammed image which moves across the screen, if the picture is stationary any length of time.

Why plasma TVs do not have the feature I just mentioned is beyond me. If they did, I'm sure plasma sets would still be around today. This drawback may have pretty much killed plasma televisions, IMHO, even though the plasma sets may have excellent pictures. I have never seen or owned one (the two flat screen TVs I own are both LED/LCD), so I don't know how much better or worse the pictures may be on a plasma TV, compared to LED/LCD sets.

[kf4rca]

But, from a technology point of view, they're kind of cool. If you're going to do wall mounting you'll need a sturdy wall as they are quite heavy.
The latest thing is OLED. Personally, I like CCFL. But they all have their disadvantages.
And then there's the ATSC 3.0 thing coming.
On another note, there was a 50 inch Vizio sitting in the free public recycling bin yesterday. The screen looked good. Maybe just a blown fuse and a couple of MOSFETs. Even if it needed a board, a 50 incher would probably be worth it!

[Zenith26kc20]

I have a 42 inch LG that was given to me about 10 years ago. Yes, 720P is the maximum and mine needs a HD tuner to work. Mine has no HDMI, just DVI, RGB and composite. I got it from someone and had to replace the sustain module. Very heavy and makes a lot of heat!
Doesn't get used a lot because of the heat and electricity usage. I will say the picture is quite good.

[mgross0]

If the picture is good and there is no image retention/burn in, I would pay no more than $75 for it. They were fairly nice sets when they were new, though I always thought the colors were a little bit off.

[Jeffhs]

Plasma flat-screen televisions may have made excellent pictures, but I am sure they were electricity hogs, which may be one reason these TVs are no longer made. Plasma sets could draw as much as 250-300 watts (or more) from the AC line, comparable to 1950s TVs. The latter often drew 250 watts or more, with combination sets (TV, radio, phono) drawing even more power yet, especially if the radio or phono were operated at high volume. RCA's televisions of the 1950s often drew at least 250 watts; 3-way consoles or sets with remote control drew even more, since they used tubes and large power transformers. If the remote chassis was separate from the TV chassis, the amount of power used by the former was added on to the power draw of the television; the power draw could easily total, as I said, 250 watts or more.

[walterbeers]

I have a Panasonic plasma that I bought in 2008. It has a perfect picture and is a lot more durable, and to me produces a better picture than those cheap LCD/LED sets on the market today. Never have had a problem with burn in, and have never had to do any service to it. I suppose someday I"ll have to give in to one of those cheap sets that last only 3-4 years on the market today, but for now I'm sticking with my Panasonic plasma.

[kf4rca]

They're kind of cool too. I see them on the roadside often.
They're easy to fix. When the picture goes out just buy a new bulb for $15-$20. There's an access door for easy replacement.
And they're on Craigslist too- for free.

[mr_rye89]

I think I gave $50 for an old 50" Runco plasma monitor I got some years ago when my D-ILA projector got fried, no HDMI so I got a decent HDMI to RGBHV converter and it made a great picture. Damn thing was heavy though, I built legs for it out of 2" 16ga tube steel and attached it with m8 bolts.

The first new TV I bought was a 32" Vizio plasma back in '08. Sold it to a friend in '12, recapped the power supply in '14, still runs as far as I know......

As far as 4K, I'm not sold on it. I watched Lord of the Rings on a 80" LG 4k LCD and then watched it at home on my 1080P JVC D-ILA projector. I don't think I missed anything on my home setup......

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by mr_rye89

I think I gave $50 for an old 50" Runco plasma monitor I got some years ago when my D-ILA projector got fried, no HDMI so I got a decent HDMI to RGBHV converter and it made a great picture. Damn thing was heavy though, I built legs for it out of 2" 16ga tube steel and attached it with m8 bolts.

The first new TV I bought was a 32" Vizio plasma back in '08. Sold it to a friend in '12, recapped the power supply in '14, still runs as far as I know......

As far as 4K, I'm not sold on it. I watched Lord of the Rings on a 80" LG 4k LCD and then watched it at home on my 1080P JVC D-ILA projector. I don't think I missed anything on my home setup......

I am with you 100 percent, as I don't want or care for 4K either. My own TV installation consists of a 32" Insignia HDTV, a Roku device, and an LG DVD player; they work very well for me, great picture--much better than any CRT TV I've owned. I do not have cable as such anymore, either; the service I have from Spectrum is what they refer to as "streaming" service, which does not require a cable box. It is also the cheapest (!) video service Spectrum offers. I say "!" when I refer to Spectrum's streaming service because I am a senior citizen on a fixed income, and so do not want Spectrum's standard cable which requires a cable box. I feel I am paying enough for the streaming service, Internet, and home phone as it is; I for that reason, I don't want their standard service, which would add another charge for the box (!) to my cable bill. No cable box also means I can use my RCA universal remote now with my video system.

BTW, speaking of the RCA universal remote, I notice the one I have now has an input selector button for DVD, but that button is labeled "DVD-Blu-Ray." The RCA universal remote I had prior to this one also had a similar button, but it was labeled "DVD/VCR", with no mention whatsoever of Blu-Ray. I guess my first RCA universal remote was designed for standard DVD players and was likely introduced some time before there was any such thing as Blu-ray.

I personally do not see the difference between Blu-ray and standard DVDs anyway, if there is one. (Every DVD I own is a standard one.) Never having compared Blu-ray and standard DVDs, I can't be sure, but it seems to me Blu-ray may have a slight improvement in picture quality; probably not enough to be noticed unless the viewer is looking very closely at the picture.

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by walterbeers

I have a Panasonic plasma that I bought in 2008. It has a perfect picture and is a lot more durable, and to me produces a better picture than those cheap LCD/LED sets on the market today. Never have had a problem with burn in, and have never had to do any service to it. I suppose someday I"ll have to give in to one of those cheap sets that last only 3-4 years on the market today, but for now I'm sticking with my Panasonic plasma.

I got a 42" Panasonic Plasma from my BIL who paid $1000 or so in 2004. No HDMI input is a problem, so don't settle for paying more than recommended above.

Yes, they do use much more power like 300-400 watts, just like my Zenith and RCA roundies do.

The performance using component video with DVD and also component with samsung dtb h260f hdtv tuner is good enough for me.