Having now saved enough to buy a new Full HD TV, I am finding it an absolute nightmare choosing the right TV. Thinking of getting a 40/42 inch one.
Are any of you really into this sort of tech and have knowledge of what is better Plasma or LCD and what makes are the best on the market currently?
I watch movies (Blu-ray), sport and a few sky one progs (am going to upgrade to Sky HD whilst they've got this £49 deal on).
I've heard that current LCD technology is suffering with some 'clouding' and 'light bleeding' issues, whatever the fcuk they are, but it doesn't sound clever. This could mean nothing though?
Any advice appreciated. Prepared to spend over a grand, if I'm likely to get 5 years plus out of it.
Cheers
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Comments
Started with a 42" Samsung Plasma which was back in the shop after 3 weeks.
I found the plasma was like having another radiator in the front room. They give off an incredible amount of heat. I also found that for a 42" I couldn't sit far enough away from the screen to really appreciate the picture. Sitting close hi-lights blocking out on the screen.
Screen burn (not covered in any warranty) is also much more of an issue with plasma. If you spend an afternoon with uncle Jeff on Soccer Saturday you will end up with the score ticker on the screen for some time after you chnage channels. I am told this can become a permanent thing......
Have now got a 42" LG LCD. For whatever reason the distance thing doesn't seem to matter with LCD.
I am far from a technical genius with these things, but I would suggest you get the highest contrast ratio you can afford (this is how well dark colours and whites are dealt with by the TV) and the largest concentration of pixels you can afford.
I bought my daughter a 22" HD ready Panasonic LCD last weekend and I have to say the picture is superb. If I were to purchase again now I would definitely go for a slightly smaller screen (37") Picture is always slightly better on the smaller screens. I know several people who have Panasonic LCDs and Plasma and all speak highly of them.
Having said that I can't fault LG.
To be honest if you are dealing with the high manufacturers, nowadays the quality is much of a muchness and purchases will often come down to brand loyalty and or the best deal available.
If I'm on my sofa which is about 2.5 metres away from the screen the picture is fine, however if you watch boxing laying on the rug close by it will make you feel sick.
Sport looks brilliant on it so do big explosions in films and the like. I have heard you can get screen burn but I also heard that is from pausing tv and leaving it for a few hours.
May not be for a few years yet, but I suspect it's a possibility.
Mind you, I've got a 15 year old , pre-digital 32 inch Bang & Olafsun in the bedroom and I prefer the picture on that to either the LCD or the plasma !
Only suggestion i would make is that any TV you buy must be in 1080 format. I bought mine cheap at the time as its only 720 and the 1080's wre only just comming onto the market.
Pretty sound logic!!
If you see PorkPie online, might want to send him a wisper, I'm pretty sure he's well into his TVs and other stuff like that.
As I understand it, up until the newer generations of LCD screens came in, you couldn't get an LCD as large as a plasma. As Plasmas preferable to the older "back projection" TV's, they were initially popular although very expensive to run.
Now that the LCD screen sizes can match those of Plasma, they are considered to be the better option both economically and picture wise.
Personally I feel there has been a conspiracy over all of this. The old flat screen CRT tvs gave a great picture. They tried to convince us that LCD was the way to go but they just didn't measure up. So they phased out CRTs and brought in HD LCDs and then tell us that the picture quality is superb/better than ever. Yes if you compare with the original LCD's but not if you compare with the best CRT's around in my view.
I realise that both LCD and Plasma at the larger sizes are better than the previous back projection TV's but I can't help feeling were being slightly conned.
I have a CRT set but have chatted recently to a TV salesman in Singapore, he said in the Plasma / LCD debate, what''s quicker to react gas or crystal, Gas is obviously best....
Have a 50" LG plasma in lounge which I love and sky hd looks awesome on it
Have a 42" Sony LCD in the bedroom and picture is ok( SD signal only) but DVDs look great
Plasma is. 53 kgs in weight whereas LCD can be lifted up by single hand (if you are buff like me)
Tbh I think either would suit your needs but plasma would be my preferred option
For brands LG are respected despite often being associated with cheap and cheerful products and I believe there are actually only a couple of firms which actually make the equipment - they then sell on to Panasonic and Sony etc
Interestingly Samsung make lovely looking units but they do tend to break more often
Great place to check out is avforums.co.uk as there are tons of people in the know
I did buy a Samsung 32" Plasma but it went back after 2 weeks as the screen burn happened after just a week - I have had my Samsung 32" LCD HDTV for about 4 Months now not a single problem, My cousin has the 37" LCD and to be honest you don't need anything bigger as the picture will begin to distort in a normal size living room.
Not sure about the Bigger Plasma's but I am reliably informed the best manufacturers are LG, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic in that order.
The 42" was from Macro - they sometimes do some really good deals.
I hope you find what you are looking for
i have a 72 inch LSD TV f**k me it gets real hot and the colour is brill as well.
hope the above helps.
I have 42 inch LG plasma in drawing room; 37 inch Toshiba LCD in what we call the family room. Plus two smaller modern digital TVs in various bedrooms. And the best pic in the house is the Bang & Olufsun 32 inch back projecion flat screen now transfered to the master bedroom, bought for 700-800 quid in 1994. Hasn't had to be repaired once in 15 years, either !
Seriously thnking of bringing the B&O back downstairs and sticking the Toshiba in the bedroom...
LSD TV sounds experimental - almost addictive ;o)
Panasonic is great for Plasma, just make sure it is high contrast and FULL HD, good luck!
Specially designed for Dopeheads, Dazzler.
;o)
S.
I saw a similar deal to that in my sainsbury's seeing as i paid £399 for my 32 i was quite annoyed as a 37 would have been lovely in the bedroom :oD
Having had Plasma and LCD it is swings and roundabouts.
I prefer LCD, as they are lighter and therefore more practical for me.
As for make I would seriously recommend either a Sony or as someone said – a Pioneer (their Kuro plasma range are really awesome but pricey).
Panasonics are good especially as they have launched models with the Free Sat HD but that is where I draw the line. Sorry to offend but don’t bother with any make other than the above two. Of course the alternatives are cheaper but they are not as reliable. Shop wise – don’t get suckered by the cowboys from Tottenham Court road or Richer sounds. They are cowboys - you will end up with either a grey import or one that has been used and sold in a box that has been taped up by an animal. False economy.
Go for a reputable supplier – John Lewis or Sony Centre with both offering 5-year warranties in the price. For Hi Fi shops I always use Superfi (www.superfi.co.uk). However most units go pop around 10 years anyway.
Finally there is no point buying the biggest TV there is if there isn’t a sound system to go with it. I am not referring to them systems that have DVD, built in with amp and supplied speakers. They are crap. This makes as much sense as drinking fine wine from a paper cup - otherwise buy a 28 inch CRT tele for £400 from Argos.