Plasma / LCD TV - what to buy?

[Saab Dastard]

The Dastard household is finally making the move to a flat panel TV.

It will be wall mounted, and the alcove will accommodate up to 50" screen, with an eye - screen distance of about 15 feet. Given the size, and the requirement to support HD (1080), which is better - Plasma or LCD? It is never in direct sunlight.

The screen will be used for games (Wii) as well as TV - all types of programs - films, sport etc.

If anyone has any recommendations / war stories, pros & cons etc., I would be very grateful to hear them!

SD

[Chesty Morgan]

I did a bit of research last year before I got me new telly.

You'll only notice the difference between plasma and LCD above about 42 inches, except in the price as plasma tend to be more pricey.

I settled for a Sony Bravia 40 inch LCD and never looked back, even with standard Sky the picture is brilliant, I use the Wii and the PS3 with it and can't complain a jot. Works great in direct sunlight too, as long as the screen is clean!

[timmyneedham]

I think you should get one of the new OLED ones. Pricey but I think they'll be the future. Also Mrs SD will thank you as they are thinner than Paris Hilton and can easily be put up on walls, out of the way (wives like that). I think Samsung make them and possibly Sony or Panasonic.
Happy Viewing
TN

[call100]

Have a look at the new Samsung with the LED light source.....Excellent picture and good looking set. Very slim....SAMSUNG LED TV Microsite - LED TV - television | SAMSUNG (http://www.samsung.com/uk/experience/television/led/index.html)

[green granite]

Not exactly cheap are they? SAMSUNG UE46B7020 : SAMSUNG UE46B7020WW 46" LED TV : Low Prices - Samsung UE46B7020W 46" Ultra Slim 1080P Full HD Crystal LED TV with Media 2.0 and Freeview (http://astore.amazon.co.uk/SAMSUNG.UE46B7020WW-21/detail/B001UE8LYM/275-0347642-5256455)

[srobarts]

SD
we have a 42" Panasonic plasma with built in freesat. Brill picture if a tad thirsty on the electric.
One thing we considered when we bought a few months ago was the potential cost of repairs out of warranty. We bought from John Lewis which includes a 5yr warranty. We also bought a 37" LG LCD for our teenage kid's games room from Richer Sounds whose 5yr warranty is just an extra 10%. When you compare what some high street outlets charge for extended warranty these two were both good value.
Look at the bottom line - price+extended warranty+delivery when comparing prices.
Good hunting and let us know the eventual winner.

[Jumbo Driver]

SD, I'd recommend Sony Bravia every time - I have a 40" but, if I were buying now, I'd probably have the 46" model - expensive but well worth it ...

Whichever make you choose, go for one with several HDMI inputs and, if you are going to play games on it, you will need 1080p.


JD
:)

[Loose rivets]

I finally settled for compensation with a Samsung LN46B650T1FXZA. The reviews are incredible.

Following a PM from one of our stalwarts, I unplugged the aerial to see if it would retain the programing. It did. Maybe it was something they fixed, or a few did not sustain the memory. I took that seriously, as we have vicious T-stoms here, and I always unplug the aerial at the first thump. Re-scanning each time would have been a drag.

That was the only criticism on any forum - of any sort.

This particular set does not have an anti-reflect screen. Something I've railed against since they started to put fuzzy stuff on hi-end monitors. Get the room right, and let the picture out of the telly un fuzzed.

Having been burned by Sony, I'm a bit anti. But I stand by what I said a couple of years ago. The LCD projection was the best picture on Earth, and Sony have paid the price for trying to go with that technology. Over HALF A BILLION losses last year. A lot of it associated with the light-engine debacle.

This Samsung is the 120 hz jobby, but goes back to 60 on some inputs...like the up-thingies that I can never remember. It stands to reason. You could hardly expect a set to show TWO lots of painting-in artificial lines. You could end up with a totally fabricated picture!

I put my memory stick in the side last night, and looked at the Rivetess in big-vision. It really knocks the socks off my CRT monitor picture.

There was a 52" 120Hz Bravia on sale when I was picking my compensation set. It really did look the bee's knees. I would have had to pay another $400 to upgrade to that and it is a bi i i i ig lump.

My set will connect to the internet. A wireless gizmo is extra. It will hold a gallery of photos etc etc. An earlier model had a hard-disk, but the stick does very well.

Looking along the shelves, the Samsung stood out head and shoulders above the others while on Blue Ray. But then, that's what I said about the Sony LCD projection. :{

Oh, BTW, the few Plasma sets left on sale here are on sale CHEAP. I don't think too many manufacturers are staying with that technology.

My set was $1784.99 with Best-Buy. So Sears price-matched it to fit my compensation level. I wonder if you could get one for under a grand in Sterling.

[helimutt]

Had an LG 42" plasma for years then, when it went t*ts up a couple of years ago, I replaced it with a Sony LCD. The LG was a great picture, and still is, before the days of HD. I repaired it myself quite simply by replacing an internal board.
The Sony continues as a second TV for helimutt Jr. The LG is now my Study Room TV but have just bought a 50" Panasonic Viera, 1080 HD etc. I have to say, with Sky HD, the picture is fantastic. Exellent black reproduction. I'd buy the same again if I had to. If you can get what you want from John Lewis (online too) they give you that all important 5yr warranty. My earlier LG plasma died 1 month out of a 4 yr warranty. Power board was going to be £480 to replace it. Did it myself in the end with an ebay bargain TV I stripped.

LG make the majority of components for Plasmas, ie sony etc, they just add the audio/video boards to give their own characteristics.

LG are great TV's
Sony are good but I don't like the connectivity of them.
Panasonic is best i've seen out of the Samsungs etc i compared.

Go plasma every time.
In a test, over 60% of viewers of two tv's , plasma and LCD, chose the plasma picture as the better of the two. All down to personal choice I suppose.


:ok:

[Saab Dastard]

Helimutt, I'm looking at 50" Panasonic Viera too - which model did you buy?

SD

[Loose rivets]

Go plasma every time.
In a test, over 60% of viewers of two tv's , plasma and LCD, chose the plasma picture as the better of the two.


The thing is that the Light Engine technology gave a breathtaking picture. In about a year from now, Sony are not even going to support it. Source, my conversation with Sony customer care.

Plasma: I've heard stories about people running a no-signal snowy screen to get rid of burn-in. Has this been fixed, or is it still an issue? If Panasonic are going to commit long term to the technology, then that's fine. But I brought my set partly because it was a Sony, and second generation at that. Who would have thought it would be irreparable in two years?

[BigEndBob]

I had an 42LG5020, kept buzzing and driving me nuts so had my money back.
Good if you wanted a wide viewing angle.

[John Eacott]

I'm looking at 50" Panasonic Viera too - which model did you buy?

We've got a 50" plasma Viera, and a 42" Viera I bought for M&D. They've had to have theirs repaired twice, at considerable expense, whilst ours is mainly used for Wii. We have a 50" Sony plasma as a regular set: it's the second Sony after the original blew up a power unit! It's OK but not brilliant :hmm:

Best set we have is an LCD Loewe, only 32" but a brilliant picture and does all that we want, including inbuilt HD for recording (HD, of course!). We also have a couple of LG LCD's, which are better than we expected, with the general running down of LG that occurs in Australia. Early days, though, as they aren't used that much so far.

Best by far: Loewe LCD :ok:


But just a tad more expensive in Australia, unfortunately :sad:

[frostbite]

Must confess I don't have either (apart from lcd monitor), but my rich friend has both, and he will be happy never to see a plasma screen again.

[Loose rivets]

I think it really is a case of predicting what the manufacturers are intending to do with Plasma technology. Again, like my Projection set, it's not a something they're going to let on about until their investment is, as far as is possible, recouped.


Pixel loss guarantees are something to have nailed down in writing as well.

[Keef]

We did the research and bought late last year.
The technology is moving fast - obsolete information may mislead! This may be obsolete...

At the time we bought, LCD was rated better on performance and power consumption than plasma. Reliability was also (according to the reviews) better - probably because LCD uses less power so dissipates less heat.

There were at the time three levels of picture resolution for the same screen size: 50 Hertz, 100 Hertz, and HD. We looked at all three in John Lewis's, watching the same HD DVD, and could see no significant difference on anything other than football (which we never watch anyway). The prices were about 2, 3, 4 units for the three, so we ended up with a 50 Hertz Panasonic, and it's been excellent.

The reviews also rated Panasonic well above Sony. I didn't do a load of tests, so can't confirm that. We've had it about 6 months and it's not even sneezed. We don't buy expensive extended warranties - the only time we did, the shop refused to honour it when we called it in. I mend most stuff myself, and reliability of quality electronics in our house has been good anyway.

We also bought a Topfield HDD recorder/PVR box which had its software tweaked (all downloadable). That is a brilliant bit of kit.

We don't play WII or any other games, so can't comment on those.

[helimutt]

Fixing plasmas is a doddle. Take the back off, find the board which is giving problems (usually Y-SUS, Z-SUS or power board, remove the cable connectors and board mounting screws, replce with spare. Job done. Simples!
I've never had a plasma with pixel losses, only ever power board problems. Have bought and sold a great deal of them too.

When you buy a new plasma, just make sure the brightness/contrast etc are all at a sensible level instead of at full setting for the first few hundred hours viewing. A lot of these plasmas also have a timer in the service menu to see how many hours they have been in use. A word of warning, never buy an ex-display plasma from a shop. They have all the settings on very high and will have been in use for many hours before you get it. Not good.


Panasonic we have:-

Panasonic TH-50PZ800B Large Plasma Television Screen - Digital Direct (http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/panasonic/50pz800.html)

[Loose rivets]

For on the one hand it’s a truly mesmerisingly good HD performer, while on the other its standard definition efforts leave a little to be desired in a number of areas.


Interesting one that. I have to say that I thought it would be proportional, but it clearly...or not clearly, is not. Again, my old one was so good on the lower defs that if often made me check to see what res they were pumping out. Not so with the new one. Still, it won't be used much on low def.


I gather from talking to the Rivetess, that sets are being offered in frame rates that are multiples of the mains frequency. Is that right?

60 120 240 here.

[Saab Dastard]

Thanks for your input, folks.

The deed is now done - PANASONIC TX-P50G10B Plasma TV. I got it for £1150 including VAT and delivery (on the day of my choosing).

I'd love to have gone for the V10, but just can't justify the extra £500!

I just need to order the wall-bracket and that should be that!

SD

[helimutt]

Wall bracket can be ordered from here:-
Wall Bracket to Fit PANASONIC 50 inch TV - Black Universal Fixed Plasma / LCD Wall Mount Bracket up to 60 inch F3260B (http://www.theplasmacentre.com/product_details.php?products_id=3214&bracket_id=77&adapter_id=0&menu=rvp&bp=39)

Cheapest place I could find and the bracket is good because its a lift and hook on type. It puts the TV very close to the wall, unlike some others. Just make sure you have a decent wall to atttach it to!


Just a word of warning, if you do go for the above bracket, dont use their built in spirit level. It was miles out even by eye. Use your own spirit level for marking out the holes.:ok:

[Saab Dastard]

Thanks Helimutt - I'll see you and raise you (or is that lower you) this (http://www.dekomount.co.uk/product-17-Tilting-Plasma-and-LCD-TV-Wall-Bracket-dm102-for-Panasonic-TX-P50G10-50.html), which has a +/- 15 deg tilt, and there's a 5-11% discount for registered members of AVForum.

SD

[Loose rivets]

on the other its standard definition efforts leave a little to be desired in a number of areas.

This prompted me to look at this Samsung with a critical eye. Certainly, there is a tendency for bits of the image to be left behind on lower quality signals. They play catch-up like some poorly compressed cheap DVD.

Now I'm really worried. The old one never did this.

The problem is even there on DVD up-convert through HDMI which I use a lot.

I have a couple of days before they bring the replacement - replacement...so would the 52" Sony Bravia not do this, or is it a function of many modern LCDs?

I wish I could go back to square one, where I walk into a store and say. 'Good morning, I'd like to buy a television.' Having said this, I wouldn't have a clue what to buy.

[rehtorb]

My Samsung 32" 1080p Series 4 has 3 hdmi inputs and one slot for pc connection with 30,000:1 contrast ratio. It's just perfect for my needs especially tv viewing in which my cable provider only broadcasts sd channels. Even then the picture quality is still great which is very much better than the one on my old CRT unit. Examining the LCD TV ratings (http://www.smartratings.com/electronics/plasma_and_lcds) was what helped me get the best value for my purchase.