[RFI] Plasma

[Jim Brown]

On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:43:40 -0800 (PST), rick darwicki wrote:

>There is an AMAZING difference in Plasma and LCDs TVs regarding 
>total power drawn and idle current. A large plasma might draw 
>less than a small LCD. This is just one spot to check 
>http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6475_7-6400401-3.html 

That's not the way I read this spreadsheet. Indeed, if you sort on 
watts/sq inch, most of the plasma sets are grouped toward the 
bottom of the chart (least efficient) and most of the LCDs are 
grouped toward the top of the chart. I don't find that at all 
amazing. 

It's also instructive to read the text, which notes that their 
measurements were made at default video settings, which for most 
sets is so-called "torch" mode -- that is, super-bright to make 
them display well in a store. The notes also say that some sets 
use more reasonable defaults that are more representative of 
normal use. 

I've based my more limited studies on mfr spec sheets, which 
almost always list the maximum power (and sometimes the idle 
power). This is the most "apples and apples" way to compare them. 
When I did that, I found a difference on the order of 30-40% in 
favor of LCDs of comparable size. 

Thanks for the link! Very useful. 

73,

Jim K9YC