Panasonic: plasma televisions can last up to 42 years

technogeek

#1 – 8:23 AM August 15, 2008

Define "can last", please.

My understanding (and experience) is that plasma tubes, like CRTs, can suffer burn-in if static image elements are left on screen for a long time. That's not a problem for the average TV viewer (though the explosion in crawls and other elements superimposed on broadcasts by stations may start becoming an issue), but it is for those of us who will want this screen to be a true multimedia hub, specifically including output from a computer.

My conclusion has been that plasma is fine as a TV -- maybe better than the typical LCD for that purpose -- but not as a general-purpose video monitor. And I'm gonna want the latter.

CraziestGadgetsdotcom

#2 – 8:59 AM August 15, 2008

"if you only watch 6.5 hours of television a day, their plasmas should last 42 years"

ONLY 6.5 hours a day?!

Kurt

#3 – 10:05 AM August 15, 2008

#2, many TVs get turned on by 3 or 4pm, when the kids get home from school, and remain on until 11 or later, when the parents go to bed, for 7-8 hours a day. And that doesn't include mornings, if someone likes to watch the morning news while eating breakfast.

Crazy, but there you go.

ROSSINDETROIT

#4 – 3:40 PM August 15, 2008

Plasmas have some advantages but I still like the look of a big CRT.

jungleFish

#5 – 4:35 PM August 15, 2008

I was going to post an entry talking about how plasma-screen "burn-in" and short lifespan is kind of an urban myth, and this backs it up.

HOWEVER, if you follow the link for this story, it's another blog entry from SlashGear, which is quoting a blog entry from GearLog (a site that I've never heard of). I can't find any substantiation in this source article to back up its claim. So I'm not sure how accurate this information really is. (http://www.gearlog.com/2008/08/plasma_tvs_are_built_for_life.php)

Grain of salt, and all that.

Anonymous Anonymous

#6 – 6:20 PM August 15, 2008

"You know, Zorthak, I know the 128,000 atoms-per-inch holores of my THP display provides a superior-quality image.

But those flat-panels from the early 20th century? They were works of art. Literally! Framed paintings, moving with these beautiful, vibrant colors - none of that reality-bleed from behind the holograms, none of those washed-out colors.

Really, you've gotta see one to believe it. I think your eight eyes will really appreciate the art in this vintage Panasonic."

Garr

#7 – 1:59 AM August 16, 2008

Kurt wrote:
" ... many TVs get turned on by 3 or 4pm, when the kids get home from school, and remain on until 11 or later, when the parents go to bed, for 7-8 hours a day. And that doesn't include mornings, if someone likes to watch the morning news while eating breakfast."

Yes well thats also totally American, if I dare say so. For most of the population on this planet, #2's sarcastic surprise is completely justified. In my case for example (and I watch my fair share of TV every week), a Plasma should last eight times that long.

zombieite

#8 – 8:48 AM August 17, 2008

#6, i think you mean 21st century.

but yes, along those lines, i remember thinking in the 80s that these car designs and fashions were so awful that they would NEVER come back.

Takuan

#9 – 9:59 PM August 17, 2008

42 years of nothing on. And the "42" does not escape me either.

technogeek

#10 – 7:27 PM August 19, 2008

#5: Plasma burn-in is not a myth. Put up a fairly static image 24x7 -- as in some of the displays used in commercial settings -- and you *will* see it. There was a good example of this in my office until recently; I don't remember whether they finally got a new panel or just turned it over to the "demonstration application software lab" -- ie, the game room.

Phosphor erodes, whether stimulated by plasma or an electron beam. Nature of the beast. All you can do is try to make the erosion fairly even so it isn't particularly noticable -- humans are a lot better at recognizing sharp edges than irregular unevenness.

For use as a TV/movie display the burn-in may be even enough that it doesn't matter. If you're going to run your computer into it for long periods of time... well, the question is whether plasma's sufficiently cheaper that you won't be bent out of shape when you replace it.

Of course for many folks, it will last long enough that they'll be ready to upgrade to the next technology or size anyway. It'd probably outlast my uses, so as an engineering compromise it may be acceptable. It just doesn't strike me as _elegant_ engineering.

Your milage will vary. Void where mandatory. Opinions are those of a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Anonymous Anonymous

#11 – 6:04 PM August 24, 2008

The idea that a plasma display may last 42 years fails to take into account that many standard electronic components are rated to last about 8-10 years now (Capacitors and static sensitive Integrated Circuits especially).

The biggest factor in this estimate comes from the heat generated by current, and don't forget that plasmas chew more power and thus generate more heat than a CRT TV. A good CRT TV typically has a life span anywhere from 8-15 years these days.

There is also what is termed static life, or similarly, magnetic bubble creep. This is a rating rarely mentioned outside the walls of the manufacturers (I've worked with some Electronics Manufacturers that supplied commercial equipment to businesses where static life is of greater importance than with retail goods). Basically it's the expected life of a component given normal static and magnetic electrical conditions. I can diatribe on here for half an hour about the effects that circuit current or static discharges can have on the life of components inside your expensive TV, but suffice it to say that you wouldn't expect any static sensitive components to last 42 years unless your really lucky.

So even if your screen can last that long, there is a good chance you will start to get faults appearing on your set from some of the other components inside long before then.