Plasma or LCD?

Burn in on a plasma is possible, but not likely on the new models. My brother is a service tech and does repair on many electronic items, mostly TV's though. He recently went to a service call to a person that did have a new plasma with a bad burn in problem. But this case was really unique. The owner worked at home on their computer and they had their plasma TV on CNN all day long as they worked, I guess just for back ground noise. After six weeks of this, he finally decided to change the channel. CNN was burned in on the screen. The new plasma's do have a feature that lets you wash out some of the burn ins out. Anyway my brother showed them how to do it, and it helped, but was now able to take it all out. I know this surely is not likely to happen to most people, but burn in is possible.
I personally have a new 47" LCD LG 120HZ 1080p and a new 50" plasma LG 240HZ 1080p, and both are great. Both have there advantages. The plasma does have a blacker black, but it does put off more heat. The LCD that LG has more of a matte finish and no reflection on the screen at all (better than any other LCD made by other brands that I looked at) unless the screen is on a black picture, which it is then barely noticeable. Personally, the blacker black is not by that much and not that big of a deal to me. If you are going to be watching your TV in a room were windows are going to cause a reflection on it or bright lighting on it at any time you watch it, I would go with the LCD for sure. Unless of course you have the money to spend on a LED. Needless to say I just also bought a new 32"LG 120HZ 1080p for my bedroom and I went with a LCD. Which is what I would recommend to buy unless the room has no bright lighting whatsoever.
 
This has been really great information everyone! Thank you. I am strongly considering this particular model of plasma TV.

http://www.hhgregg.com/ProductDetail.asp?SID=n&ProductID=22945&BrandStore=All

It has an anti-reflective glare to help cut back on window glare. It also has an ambiant light sensor that will adjust the brightness of the screen accordingly. Most power consumption issues on this model have been lowered considerably. There does seem to be a few negative reviews based on the 20w speakers that are included but I'm not looking for cinama sound from this, a bose 3-2-1 later on perhaps. There is not THX optimizer for graphics and there is no control for individual colors. All that being said, it has recieved great reviews on almost every site I've looked at. Consistantly being hailed as one of the 3 best TV's on the market for less than $1000. And at an advertised price of less than $700 right now, I'm gonna have a hard time walking away from that.
 
I have had a Panasonic Viera 50" Plasma for over 3 years now. I have not noticed any burn in and the HD picture is incredible. Believe me, you won't be disappointed. If you don't have it already, set it up with a home theater surround system and it gets even better. I bought Panasonics "home theater in a box" setup, which has all the components in one package. There are others you can buy that way, or if you're really an audiophile, you can buy separate pieces.
 
Thrak, if you don't mind me asking, how much did your calibration cost and who did you use (or if they have nationwide locations).

It was a free promotion when i bought the TV at Magnolia (Best Buy). I think they said it was $200 normally (iirc). Worth it if you ask me. There is a community at tweaktv.com that shares codes to get into your service menu of the TV, and some recommended settings. However, i feel there is no substitute for calibration equipment and a qualified technician.
 
it all depends on lighting IMHO. my lcd is great in my room because i like my house to be like a cave; lights off, whole nine yards. if you are high in elevation dont buy a plasma. at higher altitudes, plasma tvs have a very short lifespan.
 
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