Philips not yet phasing out plasmas, focusing on LCD TVs

While we're sure quite a few of you are taking the day off to enjoy the first few days of March Madness in HD on your beautiful Philips plasma display, we certainly hope you weren't planning on eventually replacing it with yet another Philips. Turns out that Rudy Provoost, CEO of Philips Consumer Electronics, has reportedly announced that the outfit will "phase out of the PDP market and focus on LCD TVs in the future." Interestingly, it sounds like the presumably lucrative (or not) North American / Australian markets will still have the opportunity to purchase its plasmas for an undisclosed amount of time to come, while the rest of the world (including China later this year) will be forced to look elsewhere to satisfy their PDP needs. Of course, this isn't the first time a major player has dropped out of the plasma game entirely, but ranking fourth worldwide with just a ten-percent market share apparently wasn't enough for Philips to hang on any longer. So, Sony, you still looking to scratch the re-entry itch?

[Thanks, Jason M.]

Update: Philips wanted to let us know that Plasma is still on their plate for 2007: "Incorrectly reported comments on a Russian news website have suggested that Philips is pulling out of the PDP (Plasma Display Panel) FlatTV market. For the foreseeable future, Philips will continue to include gas plasma-based sets in its overall product mix of FlatTVs sold around the world. Since Philips introduced the world's first plasma-based FlatTV over 10 years ago, it has consistently applied the best display technologies available to meet consumer needs, using both plasma and LCD panels to manage the product mix in the most optimum way. However, it is widely acknowledged that over time LCD will become the dominant flat panel TV technology, serving all screen sizes currently addressed by both LCD and PDP solutions, and this will inevitably shape Philips' product strategy in this market segment."

[Loban @ Mar 15th 2007 3:18PM]

That's too bad. Plasma is simply the best HDTV technology out there. I don't like LCD too much, and DLP is a joke.

[pupkick @ Mar 15th 2007 3:33PM]

In a taste test, most people prefer LCD. And Plasma isnt good for video games, which most families have.

[Loban @ Mar 15th 2007 4:07PM]

"And Plasma isnt good for video games, which most families have."

Yeah, including mine. You have no idea how angry you've made me with that one sentence. I love it when people believe the plasma old myths. There is absolutely no reason a plasma can't be used for video games. And don't even say the words "burn in" because I will automatically disregard everything you have to say after that. Plasma DO NOT burn in images anymore. Plasma, however, do still suffer from image retention, but you'll never see it and it's quickly wiped away after changing the image on the screen.

I just can't get over the fact that people still believe the old plasma myths. Oh well, I guess it's too much trouble to actually do your own research, it's easier to just believe what the high school kid working at Best Buy tells you.

Do me a favor and go to yahoo and search for "white paper just the facts on plasma tv performance" and go to the first PDF link it finds and read it, it will do you a world of good.

[Gordy @ Mar 15th 2007 4:11PM]

Silly me, I have a Philips LCD, and I always assummed that the high contrast ratios always made plasma displays far superior. I think about it every time I watch 24 with the lights off.

Ambilight is a cool distraction, but, surely they must have something else up their sleeves.

[randy @ Mar 15th 2007 4:18PM]

Nobody wants plasmas because they aren't 1080. Simple as that.

[Loban @ Mar 15th 2007 4:26PM]

"Nobody wants plasmas because they aren't 1080. Simple as that."

Correction, affordable plasmas aren't 1080. But they soon will be. And I'd take a 720 plasma over a 1080 LCD any day. Resolution is the last thing the human eye notices after color reproduction, contrast ratio, and black levels, all areas in which plasma are superior.

Stop regurgitating the "myths" you've all come to be familiar with, and actually do some research.

[pupkick @ Mar 15th 2007 5:22PM]

man someone's angry today.

A) Sarcasm, I'll tag it for you next time.

B) Not Kid@Best Buy.

C) You're a plasma fanboy. Good for you, there are reasons not to get one, just as there are reasons to get one. Plasma isn't the end all be all, nothing is, really.

[Kev50027 @ Mar 15th 2007 4:49PM]

We have a 61" Sony Plasma.. that thing blows away every LCD thats similar size, believe me..

Plasmas still give you the very best picture for a flat panel out there, color accuracy is right on, and LCDs are still at least 5 years behind plasmas in every other manner except brightness.

I sincerely hope Sony gets back into plasmas, their plasmas were the most beautiful TVs ever made, with their floating glass design.

[Alberto @ May 21st 2007 2:19PM]

If plasmas are so much superior then why is the market shifting to LCD tech? I'm confused and hoping someone can point out to me why the professionals out there are planning to eventually make the switch for LCD's to completely replace Plasmas

[Loban @ Mar 15th 2007 4:59PM]

My guess is that Phillips is getting out of the Plasma business because they can't compete with Panasonic and Pioneer for quality and they don't want to resort to offering budget models to compete with Vizio and the other low grade brands. There's not a lot of money to be had in the Plasma market as they're very expensive compared to other technologies and hence not as popular. And even though the other technologies are inferior to Plasma, your average misinformed consumer shopping at Best Buy doesn't know the difference. They just see a cheaper price and the numbers "1080p" and they want it without actually knowing anything about the actual pros and cons of each technology.

[Loban @ Mar 15th 2007 5:06PM]

Oh, and for some reason people still believe the common "plasma myths" that simply don't hold true anymore (burn in, picture fade, buzzing, not good for video games, etc.)

burn in: simply doesn't happen anymore at least on a good panel. temporary image retention? yes permanent burn in? no

picture fade: the "half life" of a plasma TV is around 60,000 hours these days. that's 8 hours of TV watching a day for 20 years!!

buzzing: a quality (pioneer or panasonic) plasma is as quiet as a mouse, a dead mouse. ;)

not good for video games: this is directly related to burn in as in video games, there can be a static image on the screen a lot of the time. see the "burn in" section above.

[Loban @ Mar 15th 2007 6:17PM]

hehe

[Alberto @ May 21st 2007 3:29PM]

Thank you for the info. :)

[Paul @ Jun 1st 2007 11:35AM]

I have a 4 year old 42" 480p plasma. It still kicks butt compared to some of the cheaper LCD's I see out there. If I understand it correctly, Plasma technology is finally rocketing off the map creating flat huuuge bright and high contrast tv's and I for one want a piece of that action before it's gone. LCD is a neat technology and real bright, but WTF wants to watch the dark scenes in our favorite movies on LCD when you could watch it on a kick-a PLASMA!!!!!! Let business make their money off the cheaper LCD technology, but for me, I'll be sitting all the way back in my chair 10ft away watching the dark scenes in Aliens on my 50" VP50 Plasma - yeeeehaw.