Which is the top 40"+ tv now & plasma or lcd

[happyhero]

Hi My friend has asked me to do the research for them for their next TV, so I am trying to find out a bit about the current status with these things. When I bought a couple of years ago the experts recommended that if you bought anything bigger than 32" then you should buy a plasma and anything 32" or below should be a LCD. Is this still the case, I know you can get big LCD's but which is best now if you want something at 42" or more, maybe even 50", LCD or Plasma?

Also when I researched my own one to buy I went on many sites and read the reviews etc and on the Which site the top model was a 43" Pioneer followed by about 4 Panasonics and then a Sony. (I got other information from pro shops at that time too and ended up buying the Pioneer) They were all very good but that was the order they were in, in the ratings. I cannot seem to access the Which reports online anymore but I have looked elsewhere on the net. Can you offer some help/guidance please?

In this case we are not after cheap we are after the best within reason. Once I know a couple of models I will go searching for best price for them.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[AlleyCat`]

If you want to hurt your mind go to google and type in avforums ( i don't work for them nor do i have anything to do with them - i just found the forums bit helped me - your mileage may vary)

From my perspective (after looking at a lot of sets) i found i prefered LCD but that doesn't mean it is right for you.

--
Richard

 

[ban-all-sheds]

.
.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=91
.
.
.

 

[mikej2005]

Panasonic don't make LCD TVs larger than 37", so I'm sure that's for a very good reason.

I did some research a while back and found that the plasma sets looked better than LCD to my eyes (in terms of picture quality, contrast and viewing angles especially), however there are pros and cons for each type and it's likely that LCD sets have improved since I last looked into it.

In terms of resolution, if you want to future proof as much as possible, then go for what Panasonic call a 'Full HD' set, which give you 1080p resolution (1920x1080). This will give you an advantage over a similarly-sized set of a lower resolution at certain viewing distances.

Viewing distance should be an important factor in your decision process - some useful info here : www.carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

Some 'HD Ready' sets can be as low as 1024x768, so viewing a larger set with this resolution at a close distance will give a noticeably poorer picture than an equivalent Full HD set. This is mainly relevent to HD sources of course - when it comes to SD sources, then the upscaling ability of the source and/or TV will be crucial. Some sets handle SD sources better than others, so if SD sources are going to be mainly used, then look into how your chosen set handles them.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over not being able to access the Which reports - you'll find all the info and reviews you need online elsewhere. avforums will be a good place to start.

 

[Chri5]

The real answer is budget and size related, it also depends on what you intend to do with the TV.

On price factor a Plasma will stomp a LCD for quality, on anything over 46" a plasma will stomp an LCD on quality and price.

Sub 46" and an LCD doing pure 1080 (not the pretend HD halfway) will beat a plasma but will cost between 25-75% more.

If your a blue ray / HD CD user, if you have Sky HD and need to watch the limited content in HD either will do, but for gaming plasma still seems to be the best due to picture refresh speeds.

However plasmas do suffer burn and should be conditioned for a month at low contrust and brightness settings, dynamic mode shouldn't EVER be used.

We got a 42" Nat pan PX70 for £750 a year ago and it's good enough for us, my friend has a Samsung 42" LCD that cost £2000 and it's no better.

Best thing to do is side by side viewing in a shop, with your favourite film (try Swordfish 1st scene with the ball baring bomb) and the dynamic mode switched off- it's a very personal thing. Sort of I like beer you like lager dilema

 

[FourFootMedia]

Best thing to do is side by side viewing in a shop

Only worth doing that if you live in a shop with the bright lighting and badly configured sets. Best thing to do is goto a local small retailer (not a big chain store) and get one on home trial, if they're not willing to do that then they will most likely have a viewing room which will be more like a lounge and will setup your choice of equipment and let you play with it for an hour or so.

(after you've decided what you want, you can then buy it online cheaper )

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Sort of I like beer you like lager dilema

I like CRTs....

 

[SeanT]

By all means ask over on avforums, but the answer that you are looking for is Panasonic, 1080p, plasma in either 42 or 50 inch (or equivalent) - unless budget is no object and then go for Pioneer or Fujitsu - but still plasma. LCD is great for smaller screen sizes, but plasma has far outstripped it now on everything.