I need a new TV - LCD v Plasma on a budget

Sixty Six

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Hi, new to this forum. I thought I would share my problem / challenge with you all and hopefully get the bottom of this ever increasingly complex world of home entertainment. I have a budget of £650 - £700 only, I cannot go over this. What I am after is a minimum 42 inch either LCD or plasma TV. I have Sky HD and will also be getting a PS 3 so it will need to have at least 2 HDMI's. I have been looking around for a month or so and each time I think I'm getting close some 'expert' convinces me I need one with an active this or a responsive that or one with an extra bit of kit that does something to enhance the veiwing experience ! It's a mine field out there and I cannot afford to make a mistake when upgrading. So, LCD or plasma - which one and any ones to avoid.

Thanks..>>>> 66
 
Welcome.

What distance will you be viewing your tv from, and could you break down how much you will be viewing certain footage, e.g. 40% sky/skyHD, 40% dvds + blu-rays thru PS3, and 20% PS3 gaming? Then we can get a better idea of whether LCD or a Plasma will suit you best.

650-700 is a good budget, and will get you a nice 42 inch screen :thumbsup:
 
Hi, I 'll be sitting around 17 foot - 5 meters or so from the screen. Then 60% sky / sky HD, 30% Playstation and 10% blu-ray. I'll still be using the PS2 as well for some of the online gaming.

Thanks..>>>>66
 
Hi, I 'll be sitting around 17 foot - 5 meters or so from the screen. Then 60% sky / sky HD, 30% Playstation and 10% blu-ray. I'll still be using the PS2 as well for some of the online gaming.

Thanks..>>>>66

A lot of SD viewing with films and some gaming. Similar usage to myself, so I could only recommend a plasma in this case, LCDs really don't compare for SD and movies.


Good advice from vickster and I recommend that tv as well. It really does produce a fantastic picture for the price you pay. Ignore all the technobable people and salesmen will baffle you with regarding 1080p, 100hz this, fancy 'insert technology name' that. Check out the 42 PX80 at www.soundandvision.com and you can get your local John Lewis to pricematch their price, then you will get the 5yr warranty from John Lewis as well.

But go out and have a look at the different sets with som eSD and HD footage if possible. But when in store don't forget to get the remote and adjust the settings as they will them all setup very very badly. Turn off 'dynamic' picture mode and turn down brightness + contrast to about 50-60%. For more settings go into the PX80 owners thread and take them along to your demo for some guidance.

:thumbsup:
 
I am also stuck between LCD or plasma, the tv will be about 2 mtrs from viewing and i am looking at a 42" it will be used as 50% sky tv and 50% films, i want nice crisp looking pictures, good colour etc, but lost on what to go for lcd or plasma, id say budget is about 650 700 but could stretch to 800 if something really stands out
 
For both of you I can highly recommend the panasonic PX80 42 inch plasma. It looks fantastic on SD, and although I havent seen it in HD Im sure it is excellent.

Definately go and play with one and compare it to other tvs, and remember that a great HD-ready plasma has better picture quality than most FULL 1080p LCD tvs.

:thumbsup:
 
For both of you I can highly recommend the panasonic PX80 42 inch plasma. It looks fantastic on SD, and although I havent seen it in HD Im sure it is excellent.

Definately go and play with one and compare it to other tvs, and remember that a great HD-ready plasma has better picture quality than most FULL 1080p LCD tvs. It is not all about the number of pixels, and at your viewing distances that wouldn't matter nayway as you will be too far away from the screen to tell a difference between 720p and 1080p.

:thumbsup:
 
when i have been looking in the shops there was plenty in budget and looked ok but i dont know enough to work out which is better etc, my list for choices was big lol

Panasonic TH42PX8B
Samsung PS42C96HDX
Samsung PS42Q97HDX
Philips 50PF5532D
Panasonic TH42PX80B
Panasonic TH42PX70PED
PHILIPS 42PFL7662D/05
Phillips 42PFP5532D/05
PHILIPS 42PFL5522D/05
Samsung PS42A456P
 
For both of you I can highly recommend the panasonic PX80 42 inch plasma. It looks fantastic on SD, and although I havent seen it in HD Im sure it is excellent.

Definately go and play with one and compare it to other tvs, and remember that a great HD-ready plasma has better picture quality than most FULL 1080p LCD tvs. It is not all about the number of pixels, and at your viewing distances that wouldn't matter nayway as you will be too far away from the screen to tell a difference between 720p and 1080p.

:thumbsup:

in the price range to i think whoooo, its not a 1080 is it?

also is there much difference between that one and the samsung PS42A456P 20.000.1 1366x768?

what sort of things should i look for on a tv, i asume plasma is better for what i want, ideally i want good natural colour, crisp pictures, good black, decent sound but dont know what to look out for to know which has got what i need lol
 
For both of you I can highly recommend the panasonic PX80 42 inch plasma. It looks fantastic on SD, and although I havent seen it in HD Im sure it is excellent.

Definately go and play with one and compare it to other tvs, and remember that a great HD-ready plasma has better picture quality than most FULL 1080p LCD tvs. It is not all about the number of pixels, and at your viewing distances that wouldn't matter nayway as you will be too far away from the screen to tell a difference between 720p and 1080p.

:thumbsup:

Thanks for the advice - took a look at one in Currys on the way home, the picture set up was appaling but no remote to have a play around with as someone had nicked it the day before and the shop was not prepared to leave another lying around. It was on display next to a Samsung 4 ? ( cannot remember the actual model) and this picture looked superb next to the Panasonic. However, the said sales attendant did eventually find another remote and kindly set the picture so I could compare the two, both absolutly stunning. But is the Samsung 4 an older model that is being superceded ?? Anyway, think I'll be going for the Panasonic.

Thanks again -Ad- :thumbsup:
 
in the price range to i think whoooo, its not a 1080 is it?

also is there much difference between that one and the samsung PS42A456P 20.000.1 1366x768?

what sort of things should i look for on a tv, i asume plasma is better for what i want, ideally i want good natural colour, crisp pictures, good black, decent sound but dont know what to look out for to know which has got what i need lol

Nope the PX80 isn't a 1080p set, but to be very honest it isn't noticable once you get to about 7ft from the set. I always try and say that it isn't the number of pixels that ultimately decides the picture quality, there are many factors with how each set produces the image on screen. I may not be clued up on how every single feature works on each manufacturers set, but there is no need to be, just tweak em and let your eyes do the deciding.

I would take a panasonic over any samsung, as they seem to have soo many annoying niggles and their quality control seems less than impressive. Plus they don't even have a UK tech team and send out 3rd party engineers to do the repairs.

LCDs do seem to be catching up in the black front [well closing the massive gap little by little], a good panasonic, pioneer, or possibly the new LGs [haven't viewed one yet] offer a more natural, blacker, and smoother picture when handling motion. But you do have to take care of them and not abuse them [to limit retention and prevent screenburn], but the same goes for a car. you won;t rag it sensless when cold, never change the oil, and treat it badly. LCDs are great for PC and heavy gaming use, or for the kids, but plasmas are still the serious sets for top notch PQ.

The 1080p panasonics [PZ80/85] are apparently very good for HD but not so for HD, so the choice depends on what you will be using it for. But don;t think that a non-1080p set will look worse than a 1080p, as the difference isn't even massive up close.

Good luck with the choice, and get pics up in the cinema gallery whatever you choose, we all like to show off a little :D

Thanks for the advice - took a look at one in Currys on the way home, the picture set up was appaling but no remote to have a play around with as someone had nicked it the day before and the shop was not prepared to leave another lying around. It was on display next to a Samsung 4 ? ( cannot remember the actual model) and this picture looked superb next to the Panasonic. However, the said sales attendant did eventually find another remote and kindly set the picture so I could compare the two, both absolutly stunning. But is the Samsung 4 an older model that is being superceded ?? Anyway, think I'll be going for the Panasonic.

Thanks again -Ad- :thumbsup:

No worries :)

Lol currys, i found that all stores seemed reluctant to hand out remotes as people do swipe them just like you said.

I don't know what the 4 is but samsung do have a new 6 series out I think, which maybe worth a look. But I'm always hesitent about them because of all the reliability problems with them. I still a bit of an old fashion kind of bloke [at 22 :rolleyes::D] and I still prefer manufacturers with proven pedigree like panasonic, pioneer and even sony on occasions.

Good luck on your quest, the PX80 is a lovely tv and I have thought that if I waited a few more months then I could have got a tv 1/2 the price of my Kuro but certainly not lost 50% picture quality. But I'm happy with mine anyway, never fails to amaze me watching freeview, for example 'This is England' looked sensational on Film4 tonight even though shane medows made it look like an older 80s film for added realism. Then Hellboy on blu-ray looked gobsmacking the other night.

:thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the advice - took a look at one in Currys on the way home, the picture set up was appaling but no remote to have a play around with as someone had nicked it the day before and the shop was not prepared to leave another lying around. It was on display next to a Samsung 4 ? ( cannot remember the actual model) and this picture looked superb next to the Panasonic. However, the said sales attendant did eventually find another remote and kindly set the picture so I could compare the two, both absolutly stunning. But is the Samsung 4 an older model that is being superceded ?? Anyway, think I'll be going for the Panasonic.

Thanks again -Ad- :thumbsup:

Currys have the same "problem" in my nearest store, and the same at the .Digital when i was in the Bullring store. I'm pretty sure they just don't want to sell the Panasonic sets, they are always badly configured, using an RF feed and sat next to Samsungs with all the settings ramped right up and a component feed. In comparrison the Panny looks washed out and grainy, making the Samsung infinitely more saleable.

After a bit of tweaking and the same feed both sets look a lot better :)
 
Currys have the same "problem" in my nearest store, and the same at the .Digital when i was in the Bullring store. I'm pretty sure they just don't want to sell the Panasonic sets, they are always badly configured, using an RF feed and sat next to Samsungs with all the settings ramped right up and a component feed. In comparrison the Panny looks washed out and grainy, making the Samsung infinitely more saleable.

After a bit of tweaking and the same feed both sets look a lot better :)


I think you are right. I went into Currys about a month ago to look at the PX80, the sales guy said don't bother with that tv, it's an old model about to be discontinued. He tried to sell me a Sharp LCD for £500 more:devil:
Did buy a PX80 from JL, supurb set, agree with above comments:thumbsup:
 

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