Plasma or LCD LED for a mac mini home entertainment system ?

Datuk_Jason

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As the title says, what specific tv do you guys recommend that one should use for a mac mini ? Do not that it has to be 40-42 inches :D. I have heard a lot about overscan issues and the trouble some go to just to get the picture right 1:1 or so not to mention im new at all this and hope to get it right from the get go when i get the mac and tv at the same time .

Any help from one of you guru's is greatly appreciated
 
me personally LCD, due to the simple fact i would be paranoid about screen burn on the plasma, even though everyone is now going to jump in saying otherwise
 
Can the LED LCD be turned into a normal tv - with a digi box attached?

I would like a 24" Cinema display as a TV in the bedroom and also to be used with my MBP when coding, and requiring more screen real estate.

thanks
 
Screen burn is indeed a concern but if one were to use a reliable panasonic plasma model would that be mitigated ? Considering too that the mac mini would be running Plex 80% if not most of the time ..
 
Screen burn is indeed a concern but if one were to use a reliable panasonic plasma model would that be mitigated ? Considering too that the mac mini would be running Plex 80% if not most of the time ..


I have had a plasma for about 7 years, no issues at all. To me plasma screen burn is an urban myth.
 
It's going to be down to personal choice. I have my Apple TV running XBMC on a 50PF10, and have no issues at all. Ideally I want to move over to a mini so I can use the full power of Plex, but that'ss just going to have to wait.

So long as you don't spend too much time in OSX, then I would go plasma. but that is IMHO of course.

Gazza
 
You don't mention what size screen you want as you may get no choice depending on what you size you choose. The smallest plasmas available is a 42" so if you want something smaller then it has to be an LCD. The largest LCD available is 52" so if you want larger then it must be a plasma.

There appears to have just been a recent price drop in 32" Full HD 1920x1080p LCD TVs as I just bought one in our local supermarket here in France for 320 Euros (under 300 pounds). My MBP desktop looks pretty spectacular on that size screen & it is amazingly good quality too.
 
Plasma has the best picture over an LCD. And Plex has a screensaver which slideshows cover art and photos so no real risk of burn anyway. I use it with my Panasonic PF11 at home no probs at all (and I can be very guilty of passing out on the sofa watching a movie)
 
Sorry, how can i forget . Yes, it would have to be a 40-42'' screen and hopefully a budget of £1k . Lighting is not an issue too since my room lights are dimmable
 
Are you sure?!

Some LCD's are extremely good.

I have a Pioneer kuro old style and the new 7000 samsung LED* has a better picture than my Pioneer.

It's all down to personal taste, I say, go and check it in a store, then buy it online if you want to save some money.

Plasma has the best picture over an LCD. And Plex has a screensaver which slideshows cover art and photos so no real risk of burn anyway. I use it with my Panasonic PF11 at home no probs at all (and I can be very guilty of passing out on the sofa watching a movie)
 
I prefer LCD to be honest especially if it is LED one. Do the plasmas still have to be mounted with high precision? I read somewhere that if they weren't proper straight they could suffer damage!
 
Not sure really regarding the mounting, never heard that before.

There are not many full LED screens at the moment, for instance, the new samsung 7000/8000 aren't actually full LED screens.

:)



I prefer LCD to be honest especially if it is LED one. Do the plasmas still have to be mounted with high precision? I read somewhere that if they weren't proper straight they could suffer damage!
 
I prefer LCD to be honest especially if it is LED one. Do the plasmas still have to be mounted with high precision? I read somewhere that if they weren't proper straight they could suffer damage!

HAHAHAHA!!! Yep they also need regular regassing and will screen burn in an instant if you press pause during a movie.....

Sarcasm mode off. Sorry!!!

LED edge lit LCD is the only kind of "LED" TV you can buy. Yep nicer than the fixed backlight so helps uniformity issues but still an LCD panel being illuminated so still response and viewing angle issues, and still an inferior colour palette compared to plasma. One or two exceptions e.g the JVC WX70 gives an incredible image in the right circumstances, but still suffers motion smear and off-axis dip in contrast and blacks purely because it will always be an LCD panel.
 
I vote for a plasma, these LED blacklit LCD's are not without issues. A 42" panasonic G10 should fit the bill I reckon:thumbsup:
 
I like your footer :thumbsup:

HAHAHAHA!!! Yep they also need regular regassing and will screen burn in an instant if you press pause during a movie.....

Sarcasm mode off. Sorry!!!

LED edge lit LCD is the only kind of "LED" TV you can buy. Yep nicer than the fixed backlight so helps uniformity issues but still an LCD panel being illuminated so still response and viewing angle issues, and still an inferior colour palette compared to plasma. One or two exceptions e.g the JVC WX70 gives an incredible image in the right circumstances, but still suffers motion smear and off-axis dip in contrast and blacks purely because it will always be an LCD panel.
 
My Pio plasma is 7 years old now, not needed to regas, no screen burn with all consoles, atv, and htpc (previously)....In fact it is annoying that it is still so good as I can't justify changing it....
 
My Pio plasma is 7 years old now, not needed to regas, no screen burn with all consoles, atv, and htpc (previously)....In fact it is annoying that it is still so good as I can't justify changing it....
Surely the fact that it's not FullHD 1920x1080 is sufficient to justify changing?
 
Surely the fact that it's not FullHD 1920x1080 is sufficient to justify changing?

Nah not really, 1080i and 720p looks just fine to me....I've got an 30" LCD which is higher than 1080p and video at that resolution doesn't really look much better than my Pio Plasma....Don't know how to explain it, but the plasma looks more real!?
 
Nah not really, 1080i and 720p looks just fine to me....I've got an 30" LCD which is higher than 1080p and video at that resolution doesn't really look much better than my Pio Plasma....Don't know how to explain it, but the plasma looks more real!?
You are not sitting close enough:) Isn't a plasma of that age only 1024x768 pixels?
 
You are right, I am sitting 12foot away from a 43inch plasma. But I am only 60cm away from my 30inch LCD panel.
 
My Pio plasma is 7 years old now, not needed to regas, no screen burn with all consoles, atv, and htpc (previously)....In fact it is annoying that it is still so good as I can't justify changing it....

I feel the same about my Panny PHD8!

No problems here and plex looks wonderful on it.
 

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