Which to Buy - LCD or Plasma - HD or not?

[technics100]

Looking to buy either a plasma or lcd 37-42 inch, just wondering if anyone has any recommendations? I don't know whether to get a HD ready or not. I have been looking at philips as we have two philips tv's already and have never had any probs (28" CRT & 17" LCD)

Looking to spend about £1200 ish

cheers

 

[bainsyboy]

Its got to be HD, its like comparing vhs with dvd, try stuff or t3 magazine or any tv audio mag for help and advice, supposed to be bringing out new version of crt tellys next year which will have a depth of plasma or lcd, if you can id hold out for one of those as crt always beats plasma or lcd

 

[TDI-line]

In this months What hi-fi sound and vision, the best LCD 32" are:

Hitachi 32LD7200 £1500 4 out of 5

Sagem HD-L32 £1200 4 out of 5

Toshiba 32WL56 £1200 5 out of 5

Personally get the HD ready, as Bainsy said. Make sure they are HDMI.

There are always loads of attractive deals around with unknown brands but you get what you pay for.

Maybe worth buying What plama and lcd mag, this very informative and helps you spotting a complete melon. Some don't even have scart connectors.

I bought a Pioneer 43" plasma PDP-436XDE earlier this year, and it is defintaly the best piece of kit i have seen, but now i am on the look out for a 27-32" lcd for the bedroom. Loewe make some lovely sets, and i quite like the look of the sanyo units, but need to research these more.

One last thing, be careful about the little extras that aren't inlcuding, like the speakers, and the stands, i had to fork out another £400 for these. Priceless.

 

[gizze]

I would say get the Panasonic PW8 42".

It is a monitor only so you need to use a tuner (freeview, sky or cable) and use your stereo for the sound. But it is a stunning image.


I would personally not bother with LCD yet, I have had a good play with the Samsung 32" and thought it was shocking, and everyone raves about this screen, I am sure they will beat plasma but they are no where near yet.

Panasonic PW8 offer on avforums...


New AVForum Panasonic TH-42PWD8 (Silver & Charcoal) offer



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Full detail including product .pdf can be found here for silver and here for Charcoal

Includes 2 year manufacturers warranty

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Also included: Composite terminal board as supplied with the screen from Panasonic

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For ordering details please PM for Voucher codes required for free wall mount or desk stand.


The screen is only 480 lines of resolution, but it is the best 42" image out there apart from the 768 line version, the PHD8. It will take all the HD signals with the HDMI board, and it looks stunning when fed true Hi-Def, so much better than just about all the so called "HD-Ready" screens.

 

[AndyMac]

Did nobody read this thread?
SED screens
My views on this have already been flogged to death on here (why buy a new TV that's twice the price of a tube with very inferior picture quality? Why invest in what is now very old technology with HD & SED round the corner), but this SED technology looks really promising.

 

[imported_fingermouse]

but how much do they recon the SED screens will be ????

 

[gizze]

SED is going to be released as a 50" and 65" first of all and is going to be starting at around $10,000 for the small one and over $20,000 for the larger one. But they excpect prices to drop to below plasma levels within 5 years. They will/should be very good, but it may take a couple of years to get them bug free and you have to decide if you want to spend that sort of money on a display, not everyone does.

I have to totally disagree with you on plasma being a poor technology and worse than CRT. 99% of them are, however the Panasonic commercial panels are awesome and the 42PHD6 I had for a year was better than any crt I have owned from Sony, Toshiba, B&O, Loewe, Philips.
But at the same time I could not live with any other plasma.

 

[AndyMac]

Yeah right, every other Plasma screen looks crap except one particular model. If only all the other manufacturers could find out Panasonics secret, seeing as Panasonic don't even make the actual screen it seems a little strange that they can get so much more quality out of someone elses product.
I agree some are better than others but not to that degree. All I can say is you must have had some pretty lousily setup crt's to come to that conclusion.
Regardless of the flaws in the technology (hideous jerkyness on stuff like football matches) just the size will make the picture look worse on a 625 line feed, and as no one makes a 42" tube you're not comparing like for like, which is where I would doubt your claims. You get a 32" & 36" tube side by side and the 32" looks better, so to claim a 42" screen of any type looks better than a smaller tube is obviously a flawed argument.

 

[gizze]

I would go as far to say that the only plasmas I think are even worth owning are the Panasonic panels, i personally would not own any of the Viera TVs that are also Panasonic, the only other one I would own is the Fujitsu 50".

As these are one of the only plasmas that can display 50Hz at 50Hz, they can also do 24, 25, 48, 72 and 75 which is very good if you have a processor to take advantage of those frquencies.
Seriously Andy, if you don't like frame rate conversion, ie football looking more like a flicker book than film, then you really should try and see one of the commercial panels running.

Who makes that Pansonic glass then? Matsushita actually supplies alot of plasma makers with the panel, and so far only Fujitsu have done it right, in fact they have done it better using their avmII processing.

My last 3 crt sets were clibrated to D65 and they were very good sets. I agree thay CRT is excellent, I had an HD2+ dlp and an NEC 8" Liqued coupled CRT too and the DLP is laughable compared with the CRT.

I had a couple of people round who also think plasma is a no go technology and played them i-robot on d-theater (hi-def at 1080i) and they were blown away, they were then even more inpressed when I ejected the DVD!

Sorry Andy but you seem to just be negative about plasma mate, I can understand why too, but you owe it to yourself to try and check out what the good screens can actually do, you may be surprised!?

 

[imported_fingermouse]

anyone see the gadget show last night ?? they went for a £4500 lcd but they would wouldn`t they.

 

[AndyMac]

"Sorry Andy but you seem to just be negative about plasma mate"
Well it's difficult to be positive when you're talking about a device who's only job is to deliver a great picture, that's all a screen has to do, and plasma can't do it to the standard of a good tube. That's not my opinion that is a fact born out by all the experts.
If you need a 50" screen (because your living room is the size of a small nightclub) then obviously Plasma is the best option but don't try and argue that the quality is better as well.
I've seen the Panasonic screens in action (not sure what model, but they had them at the Williams F1 factory so I imagine they were the commercial ones) and the quality is very good, but blimey if anything moves across the screen it makes you want to throw up there's so much jitter, I had to keep looking away.
With HiDef it'll hopefully be a different story, but with the current 625 line PAL system you'll get a better flicker free picture from a 36" Trinitron.

 

[gizze]

Sorry Andy, you obviously have not seen the commercial panels, as they have no jitter, nada, none zip! Problem you have with 99% of plasma is it wants to run at its internal frame rate, most of the time that is 60Hz. If you put a Pal 50Hz signal in it casues judder and looks awful, with the PWD and PHD range you can let it do 50 at 50 etc. for an image everybit as smooth as a 50Hz TV.
Add a decent video scaler to the set up and you will be hard pushed to tell HD and DVD.

I do however agree on size, once you get to 42" you have to have a video processor to get it looking as good as a smaller screen. I had the 36" Sony CRT and that just does not come close in performance terms, not even slightly, I then tried the 36" Toshiba that once calibrated was awesome, but still not as good as the 42PHD Panasonic plasma.

If you are ever passing Norwich drop me a line and I will show you a properly set up plasma. Even the Pioneer 436XDE judders like mad and I for one could not watch it, I know exactly what you mean, but if you get the right one they are very impressive, it's just unfortunate that there are only about 3 worth bothering with.

 

[AndyMac]

Thanks for the offer, I'll have to take your word for it, I guess the quality is very dependent on the setup which is something I hadn't appreciated.
If I'm ever passing Norwich (presumably on the way to Amsterdam or Denmark) I'll give you a shout.

 

[IanL-RS3]

Can we all come round? I'll bring the popcorn!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

And here's me just purchased a 26inch LCD for my bedroom, a panasonic tx one. Picture nowhere near as good as my son 32inch CRT. But i couldnt get a crt of any decent size in at the bottom of my bed.

 

[gizze]

All welcome!

And can I tag along to Amasterdam!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[technics100]

Finally decided and made up my mind. Went for a 32inch Philips 32PF5320, seems big enough to fill the fireplace and looks good, HDTV ready etc...

 

[CJ A4]

should of got a panasonic or pioneer they are the 2 best makes of screens out there,

 

[TDI-line]

He he, these threads make me laugh.

We are all the same, we have an idea of what we want in the first place, we then ask for advice, then we get the advice, then we ignore the advice and buy what we was originally going to buy.

Me included. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif

Anyway, enjoy your new HD tv. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif

 

[bainsyboy]

Im feed up giving you donkeys advice that you just ignore, But if you buy what hi fi mag this month they have got there 2005 awards, personally i wouldnt touch a plasma or lcd, CRT forever, and the crt technology thats coming out will mean that the crts will only be slightly bulkier than plasmas/lcds,
As for the philips lcd, what hi fi have an article on the 32PF9830 and they say " why buy philips? simple:its the best 32 in LCD tv weve ever seen"
I would post there awards for crts lcds and plasmas but seeming as no one reads my posts your going to have to buy the mag, as im off looking for the best pron sites.
must say sorry to TDI as reading some of the other posts, it looks like he has read my posts lol.
So just for TDI, you others will have to look away away, What hi fi product of the year is ( drum role please ) the philips 32PF9830, best crt tv is panasonic TX32dtm1, the best 26-30 in flat screen tv is the panasonic TX26LXD500, moving along to the best 36-40 inch flat screen is the panasonic TH37pv500, Best 40inch plus telly is the pioneer PDP436XDE,
For the write ups your have to get the magazine priced £3.90 from all good places that sell mags and books and [censored],.
Please feel free to discuss. What hi fi have only one crt in there awards but like they and Bainsy boy says "dismiss CRT televisions at your peril--------- and boast the best quality pictures of all"
Now go out there and buy the mag you cheap skates that way your £3000 plasma wont be the worst telly in the street for watching what really matters The world cup next year.

 

[necroeire]

I got the same screen a few weeks back. Really excellent picture and quality.

 

[jdp1962]

[ QUOTE ]
Its got to be HD, its like comparing vhs with dvd, try stuff or t3 magazine or any tv audio mag for help and advice, supposed to be bringing out new version of crt tellys next year which will have a depth of plasma or lcd, if you can id hold out for one of those as crt always beats plasma or lcd

[/ QUOTE ]

So can you remind me how many CRTs are available that are HD-ready? I've got the What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision awards edition you refer to, and it makes clear that although CRTs still give the best picture, pound-for-pound, it's very unlikely that any manufacturer is going to make an HD-ready CRT.

Si, I'm a bit confused with your advice. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[AndyMac]

Well obviously Jeff as current CRT's are 625 line tubes, you can't just throw more pixels at them and expect it to work (like you can with a digital screen).
I guess your question is really about defining what is a CRT (cathode ray tube). You could argue that the new SED screens use technology from CRT's so could be classed as HiRes tubes. Whatever happens, HD CRT's won't be CRT's as we know them.
I think what BB is saying (and I agree), with so much going on in terms of not only the technology but how we actually receive the technology it just seems a strange time to invest any significant amount of money in the supposed HD ready screens available today.
i.e. HD is a year away, think of the developments they will have made in a year in such a competitive market, definately buy now pay later.

 

[CJ A4]

Absolutely thats why im holding off. no point buying yesterdays technology for something which is still in development.

 

[jdp1962]

[ QUOTE ]
Well obviously Jeff as current CRT's are 625 line tubes, you can't just throw more pixels at them and expect it to work (like you can with a digital screen).
I guess your question is really about defining what is a CRT (cathode ray tube). You could argue that the new SED screens use technology from CRT's so could be classed as HiRes tubes. Whatever happens, HD CRT's won't be CRT's as we know them.
I think what BB is saying (and I agree), with so much going on in terms of not only the technology but how we actually receive the technology it just seems a strange time to invest any significant amount of money in the supposed HD ready screens available today.
i.e. HD is a year away, think of the developments they will have made in a year in such a competitive market, definately buy now pay later.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, Andy I understand a bit better now what BB meant. I'm not rushing to buy a new TV at the moment. I bought a Toshiba 32-in "Picture-Frame" CRT (the one with a digital decoder & surround speaker kit included) about 18 months ago. At that time, CRTs still ruled the roost for picture quality, price-for-price (pretty much as BB was saying) plus my living room layout doesn't suit a flat-screen TV at all. There's no suitable wall I could mount one on, & the optimum viewing & listening position is the large bay, an otherwise dead space that's perfect for placing a large CRT.

The Toshiba is fed by a Sky+ box & a Panasonic DVD-Ram recorder, and will serve me just fine for the next two or three years, by which time, the HD technology will have got through its birthpangs & settled down a bit. That's when I'll weigh in for new kit.

 

[bainsyboy]

Ladies i have in my hands novembers edition of WHICH, which makes me a very sad person i know, but it does help in my purchasing of gadjets, Any way, widescreen tvs, plasmas and lcds, here goes " sales of conventional widescreen tvs have fallen, but our tests show that more often or not, conventional tvs (CRTS) have better pictures than LCD or plasma tvs " there best buy 32 inch CRT tvs are, at number 1 PanasonicTX-32PD50, at 2 pop pickers Is the trusty Toshiba 32ZP48 and bringing up the rear in 3rd is the Philips 32PW9509,.
LCD is at present according to which, the most popular of the new technoligies there top 3 best buy 26 to 32 inch LCDS are, 1 Sony KLV L32M1 at 2 Loewe Xelos A26 and 3rd is the sony KLV27HR3, THe dreaded Plasmas next, all the sets are 42 INCH plasmas, at 1 Sony KE-P42M1, at 2 Pioneer PDP 435 FDE and 3rdly JVC PD-42DX6BJ (which is a IDTV )
If any one lives in a mansion and fancies a HDTV There best 2 and only 2, but the scores are crap, are the thomson 50Dsz645 and the themescreen TSRD50APXE.
Regarding the LCDS it reckons that the lowe is the only serious rival to the sony,
What which does suggest is that When buying ask to see a football match or a darkly lit programme as this will show picture quality better than if you rely on the resolution figures, also look for juddery images blurring and blocky dark colurs and check the picture from an angle, shops will usually often display simple colurful images cartoons, say to disguise these failings ( think i mentioned that in an other post )
Any way hopes this lot helps to any one going for a telly, like i said if you can hold back the better, as there is a new version of the old CRT tellys coming out in the near future JD havent got a clue how they will do it but they have put a man on the moon lol

 

[imported_CurryMilkShake]

Enjoyed this thread - I had reservations about the plasmas that Id seen, so I think you have convinced me to go for CRT again!!

Thanks to you all..

It will be strange - have been using a DMP projector for the last 9months or so - but the mrs is fed up with putting blinds down (big bright windows) to get the best pic, and as we are moving house next month she wants to sacrifice the big projected pic and go back to normal!

Will try and get a look at the 32" panasonic CRT then..

Anyone interested in a nice Dell DMP projector?!!!!

 

[S3K]

Just purchased the Panasonic TH-42PV500B. Looked around at few others but this one looked very nice. Watched a HD ready demo and was well impressed. Didnt get the Panasonic stand though cos I didnt like it. Opted for the Alphason Ag94/2s which looks very stylish imo. Take delivery Thursday and cant wait /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif