LCD or Plasma

[papa_lazarou]

hi everyone, I went out to buy a 42" LCD today and was looking at the usual suspects from comet and curry's but when i was in the shop they had very thoughtfully put the 50" plasma tv's next to the 42" lcd's and now I can't decide what to buy! (50" seemed so much bigger)!

The main reason i was going for lcd is that i had heard (from no reliable source i hasten to add) that plasma had a short shelf life (5 years)? is there any truth in this at all and also any help or advice from technologically savvy people would be greatly appreciated.

I have about £1000 to spend and do not want to go any lower than 42" but i would like full HD 1080p. is there a firm favourite in the lcd or plasma debate or is it just personal preference?

Thanks,

Papa.

 

[mark1000]

hi everyone, I went out to buy a 42" LCD today and was looking at the usual suspects from comet and curry's but when i was in the shop they had very thoughtfully put the 50" plasma tv's next to the 42" lcd's and now I can't decide what to buy! (50" seemed so much bigger)!

The main reason i was going for lcd is that i had heard (from no reliable source i hasten to add) that plasma had a short shelf life (5 years)? is there any truth in this at all and also any help or advice from technologically savvy people would be greatly appreciated.

I have about £1000 to spend and do not want to go any lower than 42" but i would like full HD 1080p. is there a firm favourite in the lcd or plasma debate or is it just personal preference?

Thanks,

Papa.

I'm not sure if the old story about refilling the plasma gas were ever true TBH, and as far as i know the lifetime of either tv is about 60000 hours for backlight and plasma.

Mark.

 

[961]

hi everyone, I went out to buy a 42" LCD today and was looking at the usual suspects from comet and curry's but when i was in the shop they had very thoughtfully put the 50" plasma tv's next to the 42" lcd's and now I can't decide what to buy! (50" seemed so much bigger)!

The main reason i was going for lcd is that i had heard (from no reliable source i hasten to add) that plasma had a short shelf life (5 years)? is there any truth in this at all and also any help or advice from technologically savvy people would be greatly appreciated.

I have about £1000 to spend and do not want to go any lower than 42" but i would like full HD 1080p. is there a firm favourite in the lcd or plasma debate or is it just personal preference?

Thanks,

Papa.

You'll find a whole load of threads about LCD v plasma. At the end of the day you would be well advised to go camp in John Lewis or similar for a day and consider the quality of the various screens

However there are a couple of points that (hopefully) won't cause too much argument here

Plasma screens are much heavier than LCD especially if you are considering wall mounting

Plasma screens are fragile when transported and must be carried upright. LCD can be laid flat in the car

Whatever you choose, when you get to 50" you would be well advised to get full HD 1080. Get one with a freeview tuner

50" screens are much bigger than 42" and if your room will take the bigger size and you can afford it, go for it

I'm not sure anyone really has enough evidence to talk about working life with any great certainty yet. I'd say you would be just as likely to succeed by picking on a brand basis

 

[Badger0-0]

I'm not sure if the old story about refilling the plasma gas were ever true TBH, and as far as i know the lifetime of either tv is about 60000 hours for backlight and plasma.

Mark.

The plasma gas thing was utter rubbish.

And just to be pedantic, 60,000 hours is the time it takes for a plasma to lose half it's brightness, which by no means means it's finished.

Me, I'd still go plasma as they just look less pixelated in general to me, definitely so with SD.
But to be fair, there are now some very good LCDs, especially for HD.

It's all down to taste, IMO.

 

[chamill]

Plasma... at that price the Panasonic TH42PZ70 would be your best bet.

 

[gblades]

Personally I think plasma overall gives a better picture but the biggest disadvantage is the size of the pixels. If you can get a 50" which supports full 1080p then I would go for that rather than LCD. For smaller sizes such as 37-42" I would prefer a LCD.

It depends on how far you are away from the TV aswell. If you get a 40" but sit 20ft away from it you wont be able to see any benefit from HD so you might aswell buy a cheaper SD plasma and get the better black representation etc...

 

[jeiti]

Both are excellent at different use areas.
I have a Pio 50" (plasma, 720P) and a brand new Tosh 42Z3030 (LCD, 1080P).
Although the Pio is over 2 years old, I still prefer it viewing TV, specially the standarddef-channels. The 42 is primarilly used for gaming and the odd movie, it's situated in one of my kids bedroom. For gaming it's very nice indeed. Also, for HD-DVD it's brilliant. The viewing distance is 3-3,5 meter on both.
So, it depends on what your planning on feeding it with.
Also, the black levels on plasma still tends to be bit better than on LCD. This is inherent in the technology.

As for size, I like them big. Even the 50" seems to "shrink" over time, 60", or even 70" next.

 

[Belch]

Hi, I'm mooching around wondering the same thing - I'm on a plasma atm and looking to get another tv. The drive atm is definate LCD but should it be?

Anyways, this is a good read and I know you can't trust what you read (and i found it at Pioneer) but ...... anyways here you go

http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/campaign/products/flatScreen.html

http://www.pioneer.co.uk/files/eur/Plasma_LCD_TV_whitepaper.pdf



Good luck

 

[chamill]

That is a bit of a biased study but it is mostly right IMO.

Sharpness - LCDs tend to produce a slightly sharper image
Color - Plasma.
Response Speed - Plasma.
Contrast - Plasma/LCD.
Black Quality - Plasma still as subtle variations are displayed better
Resolution - LCD TVs tend to have a higher resolution
Image Depth - No contest. Plasma

 

[papa_lazarou]

Thanks for the replies so far, to be honest i am not really fussed about the SD pictures as I watch very little TV. The main reason for buying the set would be to watch movies, both HDdvd and BluRay, and for gaming Xbox and Wii.

If anybody has any more suggestions on decent sets either lcd or plasma they would be appreciated.

Just one other thing, i have just measured my wall that it is going on after being inspired by grooves floating wall thingy and it is 10' wide and 7.5' high but taking the height of the component cabinets off, would only give me a height of about 6'.

With a viewing distance of about 3 metres would a 50" set be a little big for that size wall?

Thanks once again in anticipation.

 

[gblades]

See http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2593064&postcount=1
So when viewing full 1080p the suggested viewing distance is 2m so you should be fine.

 

[Badger0-0]

Hmm, a 50" at 2M?

Way too close, even though the post is probably theoretically correct.

I've heard about being totally immersed, but that's sad, IMO.

 

[JDM121]

he said 3m not 2, i would go for plasma

 

[papa_lazarou]

Once again thanks for the replies they are all helpful.

I'm still looking for suggestions on decent sets in this price range if anyone can help. either 42" LCD or 46" - 50" plasma.

Cheers.

 

[Badger0-0]

he said 3m not 2, i would go for plasma

1920x1080 display

45/46" - 6ft
50" - 6.5ft
55" - 7ft
65" - 8.5ft
70" - 9ft
85" - 11ft
100" - 13ft

Is much closer to 2M actually

 

[herbsz]

found a good article here
http://www.bluefi.co.uk/forum/plasma_or_lcd_topic.html

and this site will give you an idea of power consumption for several models and the annual cost in electric if you're interested
http://www.sust-it.net/results.php?id=68

if you aren't bothered about SD perhaps LCD may suit you better for HDDVD, gaming etc but don't take my word for it! As 961 said have a look at Plasma + LCD for yourself in John Lewis or similar.

Best regards

 

[gblades]

That first link is about 3 years old though so not really relevant any more.

 

[gblades]

1920x1080 display

45/46" - 6ft
50" - 6.5ft
55" - 7ft
65" - 8.5ft
70" - 9ft
85" - 11ft
100" - 13ft

Is much closer to 2M actually

I think JDM121 was referring to the author saying he would be sitting 3m away not me saying the optimal was about 2m.

 

[herbsz]

That first link is about 3 years old though so not really relevant any more.

well it does link to this one which says 2007

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/plasma-vs-lcd.html

best regards

 

[JDM121]

I think JDM121 was referring to the author saying he would be sitting 3m away not me saying the optimal was about 2m.

yes, just what i meant.