LCD or plasma screen? Advice on buying a new t.v.

bgscotty

Hello!

I'm going to buy a new t.v. over the next few days- hopefully in the "sales".

Could anyone give me advice and recommendations as to the relative merits of lcd screens versus plasma screens?

Also, are there any other tips as to features I should be looking out for?

Any comments gratefully received.

Thank you.

Scotty

MercilessKiller

Price is the only differnec.e. both are pretty equal technically these days

You want to look at:
1) Size
2) conrast ratio
3) blackness depth
4) price
5) 1080p compatible (for game console, pc's and high definition media players)

Take each one individually. obviously you get what you pay for these days.,. so £300 won't get you a 32" witha great contrast ratio...

I recently bought a Samsung M86 40" LCD 1080p compatible for £800 as I use the xbox 360 on it, otheriwse I could get the Plasma 42" model for £700ish but withou t1080p. Both with a 15,000:1 contrast ratio!!!!!!!

It all depends

p.s in the olden days there were a LOT of differences between LCD and Plasma which most websites detial. However these are not relevant today. Weight, there's not much difference. Power consumption there is no figure for as plasma dependson the picture ur viewing.... they both would last for a minimum of 60 years if you had them on 20 hours a day I think it was.... and Screen burn is no longer an issue either.


So forget LCD v Plasma and choose which is best for your vieiwing enjoyment

Inactive

bgscotty wrote: »

Also, are there any other tips as to features I should be looking out for?



Scotty

My tips;

Picture quality
Sound quality
Freeview built in
Suppliers reputation

My preference is Plasma every time, but you may prefer LCD.

Don't be sucked in by January Sales, prices are generally lower end of Feb/March time when Credit Card bills land on floors.

Good luck with your purchase.;)

( Take a look at AVForums for further and more detailed info.)

computerwoman

have reviewed 4 companies which seem ok...
http://www.clearancebuys.co.uk/Televisions-p-1-c-3.html

a friend of mine used this site it was here next day...£9.99 next day delivery pretty good...

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/134965
got this one for my son on free delivery it was here within 3 days...it's a good tv

http://www.shop.bt.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=4R9V
there's also this one and
http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=4R9V&fb=368&InMerch=1
this one although bt shop and dabs are one and the same company...

I have been doing a study of these tv's now my friend and brother have plasma's which work out to be quite high on the old electric bill and I have 2 friends who have LCD's which don't seem to make any difference from a normal tv on the old electric...
what to look for well if the contrast isn't over 1000:1 then I wouldn't bother also that it has HDMI connectors at the back of the tv...if it doesn't chances are it is not HD ready...the xbox 360 works with 1080i format on the tv and the PS3 works with 1080p on the tv...your hd box if your thinking of getting one would work in 1080i format...my sons old crt tv was a 28" widescreen this one is a 37" hannspree which is alot better the lettering is alot bigger and the picture quality is fantastic...he plays his xbox 360 in 1080i mode and it's great no ghosting no nothing just works perfect...you can also go onto the hannspree website and have a better look at the spec's...

http://www.hannspree.com/eu/en/common.aspx?mid=1561

sparky200

Purchased this tele 3 weeks ago after doing all the research and this has to be one of the best pictures i have ever seen. THe only slight irritations are the power consumption is 250 watts compared to our old 26" CRT which was 90 watts so over time a considerable increase in energy costs. I think similar sized LCD is about 160 watts. Also not sure about the built in freeview tuner as the one in this unit cannot capture all the freeview channels where as the separate freeview receiver upstairs on the same aerial does get all the channels. Not a major problem as i have sky. All in all an excellent buy for £699 with stand or £899 with stand and 5 year guarantee from john lewis.

MercilessKiller

Sparky, the power consumption isn't static in modern day Plasma's. If you watch a dark movie for example it will be using less power than if you're watching the Sony Bravia advert for 2 hours straight

sparky200

Yes I have heard that the power consumption does vary depending on the depth of colour on the screen not sure how you would do an assessment of the energy used between lcd and plasma if that is the case as the lcd is a constant power user? Any ideas?

Blacksheep1979

lcd is lower power consumption but nowadays it's almost negligable. My advice is don't fall for the models/brands which tick all the right boxes - ie seem to have the right spec. You can have 2 tv's with the same spec that have dramatically different picture quality - always view the model you're buying before you buy.

djohn2002uk

MercilessKiller wrote: »

Sparky, the power consumption isn't static in modern day Plasma's. If you watch a dark movie for example it will be using less power than if you're watching the Sony Bravia advert for 2 hours straight

But after watching the Sony Bravia advert for 2Mins straight should convince him to get one, as I did. :rotfl::rotfl:

MercilessKiller

Lol my best friend has a Sony Bravia. I have a Samsung.

In all honesty, there's not much difference! Standard definition seemed a bit clearer on the Sony Bravia which confused me, but we were sitting further back then with my Samsung... so that was prob it...

I just went for the higher contrast ratio. Sure I don't have the 100mhz but hey, it's not really needed as far as I'm concerned! Wont spend extra money for it as currently fast moving scenes look brilliant already to me

alleycat`

I'm still toying with buying one myself - although i can't quite bring myself to bin a CRT TV that works perfectly well and i'm not quite convinced, personally, the technology is "there" yet.

Outside of the technology i've also read you need to consider how far away from the screen you sit to the size of screen you get.
If you get too close to really big screens the pictures look less than impressive - especially with big blocks of colour (like tennis courts/football pitches).
Try to stand about how far away you'd normally sit from the screen to give them a fair viewing.

I've also had it recommended to me to look at as many as possible (pref. with a HD signal and a SD signal) and plump for the one that looks best to your eye.
A lot of shops daisy chain the TV's together off one sky input and the pictures can look unrealistically bad.

If you want to blow your mind - look at the avforums website.
The amount of detail will make your head spin - and possibly make your eyes bleed.

Other things i've found out are that Johnlewis will price match any "bricks and mortar" store - (includes web prices so long as they have real stores in the high street) plus you'll get a 5 year guarantee.