Advice on plasma v lcd

tsb

I've seen a couple of Televisions that I'm interested in. They are both Panasonic, one is a 32" LCD and the other is a 37" Plasma screen. The size difference isn't the issue, but would be interested in comments and opinions on the quality of an LCD screen picture as opposed to a plasma. It is the quality of the picture and sound which is important to me. The TV will only be used to connect to the standard aerial input to receive the free to air digital channels.

Advice on plasma pros and cons and LCD pros and cons, which is best and why?

macman

Decide your screen size first. There are hardly any 32 in plasma's available. They generally start at 37 in.
If you're not going higher than that I would say stick to LCD.
But the best test is your own eyes-view the two side by side and decide for yourself which you prefer. No-one can objectively say which is best.

almillar

What macman says. If you decide on 32", you can't have plasma anyway. LCD is far more popular and is more likely to be full HD (1080 lines top to bottom instead of 720 or 768), but plasmas can generally produce darker blacks, and brighter colours, and better contrast. (Cue flames...)
Anyone who tells you that plasmas get screen burn or use far more power are quoting very old advice probably given by someone trying to sell them an LCD.
Let us know what you decide on...

Bongedone

Plasmas do use a lot more energy than LCD which means your running costs will be higher and your will add to your environmental foorprint.

There are no Phillips "energy saving recommended" TV's on the Energy Saving Trust database.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Compare-and-buy-products/Home-entertainment-consumer-electronics/Integrated-digital-TVs/(manufacturer)/17934

There are some Panasonic ones on there though. Best check the models you are interested in at the manufactures website.

almillar

Who mentioned Phillips? I wouldn't use that energy Saving Trust database if I wanted an up to date high spec TV, those ones are all ancient. And if a TV isn't on it, it probably just means it hasn't been tested, not that it's bad.
And I would argue that Plasmas don't use 'a lot' more power than LCD at the same size, watching the same program.
LCDs use the same amount of power no matter what you watch, there's a light behind the screen that's always on. Plasmas will use more power in bright scenes than in dark ones. Plasma TV manufacturers (biased, yes) will argue that in films that contain a lot of dark scenes, a plasma may actually use less.
But the fact is that plasma and LCD use a lot less power than CRT screens, so just go by the pic quality.

mooner76

yep plasmas use a lot more energy (you can check the power usage on the product spec) so i assume will cost quite a lot more to run

got a Panasonic LCD - quality make - love it

almillar

No, again, plasmas do not use a lot more energy. This is out of date FUD that keeps being given out as good advice. DO look at the product specs of anything you're planning to buy to find out the power consumption, don't rely on gross generalisations.
Here is a random Panasonic 42" Plasma versus a random Philips 42" LCD - both Full HD, I even chose one without Ambilight in case anyone thought I was cheating!
Panasonic TX-42S10B 175W
and Philips 42PFL7404H/12 205W
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/Products/VIERA+Plasma+and+LCD+TVs/VIERA+Plasma+TV/TX-P42S10/Specification/2312669/index.html?trackInfo=true
and
http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/en/gb/consumer/cc/_productid_42PFL7404H_12_GB_CONSUMER/LCD-TV+42PFL7404H-12

mike_paterson

almilar is correct - LCD are backlit and use a pretty constant amount of energy - this is also why they have problems doing black as the LCD struggles to block the light. Plasma electricity use caries - the lightre the picture the more energy is required. Darker pictures require less energy.

The only way to decide what you want is to look at the tvs side by side at a dealer. Bear in mind that the lighting is likely to be very different to that which you have at home. If you can do, find a dealer that has a proper testing room.

tsb

Thanks to all who gave their opinions and advice.

Just to let you know we did decide to buy the Panasonic 37" Plasma. Until the end of June, Panasonic are running a 'Free 5 year warranty' on certain Lcd and Plasma Tv's when purchased through certain retailers. This just seemed to good to miss.

We are very impressed with the quality of the picture on the plasma. The colour definition is excellent. I would go as far as to say that the sharpness of the picture is equal to if not better than our old CRT.

I can recommend the 37 " plasma, I'm very pleased with the purchase.