DailyTech - Toshiba and Panasonic prove plasma has a long life ahead

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IT Toshiba and Panasonic prove plasma has a long life ahead
Tuan Nguyen (Blog) - January 11, 2006 10:15 AM

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11 comment(s) - last by MrSmurf.. on Jan 12 at 11:08 AM

Despite teaming up with Canon to show of SED displays at CES, Toshiba reinvests in plasma

Toshiba has announced today that it will pour approximately $1.53 billion into the development and opening of a new manufacturing plant designed to produce more plasma displays. Toshiba says that construction of the new production facility will commence this year and be able to produce roughly 500,000 plasma displays per month. The factory, which is being co-produced by Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) is set to be fully operational by 2008.

At CES this past week, Toshiba demonstrated SEDs or Surface-conduction Electron-emitter based displays, wowing the audience with its superior image properties. While the crowd was already impressed with the demo, Toshiba indicated that the units it was showing were only 720p displays and not the 1080p units that will go in production. However, with a new plasma facility on the way that will be producing plasmas at its peak in 2008, it is clear that plasma screens will be staying with us for a while.

The display industry in general is heading in a direction of non-backlit flat panel technology. With SEDs/FEDs, OLED and plasma paving the way for the future of display technology, traditional back-lit LCD technology is heading into the limited-use department. SED/FED, OLED and plasma all produce their own luminescence by means of chemical or electrical changes while LCD panels rely on flourescent lighting behind the panel.

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CRT's are still better.

By Jackyl on 1/11/2006 10:32:27 AM , Rating: 3

Too bad the Plasma displays itself doesn't have long life. The brightness diminishes 50% in as little as 10 years. Not worth the money IMO. I have an old 25-year-old CRT that is still as bright as when it was purchased. Let's face it. CRT is still good technology. LCD's...ugly, with their dead pixels, limited viewing angle, and the glazed screen coating on them leaves little to be desired. I want a clear picture.

RE: CRT's are still better.

By Oscarine on 1/11/2006 10:50:05 AM , Rating: 2

Thats kind of subjective, the form factor of CRT's certainly isn't better. SED looks very promising to bring the benefits of Flat Panel displays and CRTs together. At any rate though, nice that you've had a TV since... 1980 but frankly I figure most people upgrade probably better than once per decade.

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By Stump556 on 1/11/2006 11:32:44 AM , Rating: 2

I think you need to do a little more research on your Plasma and LCD comments. You're quoting problems with older versions of the Plasma and LCD technologies, not current versions.

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By Nocturnal on 1/11/2006 12:16:45 PM , Rating: 2

Are OLED TVs ever going to be created? I know there are going to be OLED monitors but will the same be done for televisions?

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By Discord on 1/11/2006 9:43:11 PM , Rating: 2

Ya, OLED TVs are suppose to come out near the end of this year. They're probably going to beat out PC monitors actually. Samsung will be producing them at the same LCD sizes that ship from their 7g plant. The 7g was made to push 40" plus sizes.
It's just too bad for the SED technology. Considering that they are going to launch at the same time as OLEDs, organic displays are just going to slaughter them.

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By KnightBreed on 1/11/2006 3:15:41 PM , Rating: 3

You're 25 year old CRT is as bright as the day you bought it? Wanna bet? I'm sure it happened so slowly you didn't even notice.

Let's see here:

A 50,000 hour rated display, turned on for 8 hours a day, 365 days a year, will reach half-brightness in about 17 years. And there are numerous models out with half-brightness ratings higher than 50k hours.

Just a side note, but that's about equivalent to the half-brightness ratings of the CCFL used in most LCD displays.

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By bigboxes on 1/11/2006 7:14:24 PM , Rating: 2

I agree with much you have to say as I am an avid CRT man myself, but the gap is narrowing in image quality. I am tired of this huge box that heats up my room and takes up it's space. As for your CRT not degrading over a 25 year span, I find that very unbelievable. As this article is on televisions I am doubting that hardly anyone is still using their 25 year old television. They fail, get darker and their image is curved as flat CRT tubes are a recent development. I know as I have had both. I am not ready to make the jump to flat panel television yet (cost is a factor also), but it's not like I haven't been thinking about it. I hope that when I do decide to pull the trigger that they don't come out with a technology that is vastly superior immediately after purchase. SED looks promising.

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By BillyBatson on 1/12/2006 4:28:01 AM , Rating: 2

i think it is 10 years with 8 hours of viewing a day, 365 days a year, for 10 years. Most people don't have the tv on that long a day especially with multiple tv's in the home. I dunno about you but whether my TV is 50% as bright or 100% as bright as the day i bought it after 10 years of owning it, i am upgrading anyway.
For now my Pioneer 43" plasma is serving me perfectly.
they are contijnuing to make plasma's better from product life, to image burn in, to picture quality so don't discount plasmas yet.

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By MrSmurf on 1/12/2006 11:08:51 AM , Rating: 3

I don't think anyone is going to have their plasma for 25 years. I don't think I've owned a CRT for more than 5. $2500 42" plasma for 5 years is only $500 a year. I don't think that's all too bad... if it is, keep it longer.

If you own the same TV for 25 years, there is something wrong with you, not the tv. :D

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RE: CRT's are still better.

By Basilisk on 1/11/2006 7:33:58 PM , Rating: 2

If you've been watching 8 hours of TV a day for 25 years, -you- probably aren't as bright as you were back then, either! :P

However, -I- am still watching a 25+ year old TV (Sony 20"). My matching TV (25+ y.o. Sony 20") died 18 months ago and hasn't been replaced yet.

I do wish HDTV would settle down into a few proven, stable, and more affordable technologies, but today everything seems about to be obsoleted [greatly improved upon), about to drop significantly in price or about to converge on a New Interface Standard. Sigh.... 'Guess that second Sony will have to die before I can cope with a new TV purchase. :)