42" LCD or PLasma?

[sneeks]

I'm looking to replace my 32" LCD in the next week or two but do not want to spend a fortune doing so.

What's good and recommended but not likely to break the bank?

Minimum of 2 x HDMI is essential.

 

[kully]

ppl have always said lcd rather than plasma .....1080 is a must but there's not that much difference imo

 

[Clart]

if you're going over 40", its got to be plasma and 1080p

 

[Dan_mk1]

As Clart said, plasma is better for anything over 37"

 

[Nigel]

I'd go plasma for 42", but thats just because at the time of my purchase in my eyes the quality of blacks was far superior on the plasma.

I'm sure they are both very close now, bag of worms on here!

 

[.GAZ.]

shop in glasgow sellin 42"plasma's hd ready 4 £499

 

[.GAZ.]

tj hughes iirc

 

[Nigel]

I wouldn't get to hung up on the 1080 bit personally. I'd rather have a great looking 720 screen than a pap 1080.

 

[sneeks]

I had read some of the so called magazine experts say that 1080P is in no way essential and does not offer a great deal more. Not sure how true that is.

 

[Lee]

After comparing lots of different sets now with the guys at work we've decided that anything about 37" you have to go Plasma still. So I'd go Plasma for 42". I did and I don't regret it one bit. 1080p makes next to no difference at that size but does add a fair bit to the cost.

My boss just got a 50" 1080p. Being 1080p is a lot more beneficial on a set of that size, but not really worth the extra outlay on anything smaller.

People will spout 1080p till they are blue in the face but if you spend a lot of time looking at screens in a normal environment I.E. not standing an inch from it, then it makes no difference at all.

I bought this one: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Ele...eview-Plasma-TV/Product.html?searchtype=genre

As did lots of others on here. Everytime I watch something in HD I'm amazed by how impressive it looks. They've dropped in price even more since I bought mine!

 

[sneeks]

Nice TV Lee, the cheapest I can find it online is £750 which is not bad at all.

 

[Lee]

I couldn't be happier with it. You have to watch screen burn when it's new but now I've had it 6 months I just use it as I would any TV. The image quality is amazing. I got Sky HD when I got the screen. The Top Gear polar episode was stunning.

I paid £950 for mine.

 

[Nigel]

I've got same as Lee. Best thing about it for me is that Standard definition footage still looks awesome and High definition is simpley awesome!

Some tellys are great at HD but show them an SD feed and it's unbelievabley poor.

I paid £1250 for the cab version from John Lewis a while back.

 

[Lee]

The SD picture is almost as good as an old good quality CRT TV. My 26" Samsung LCD is shocking at SD stuff.

 

[sneeks]

Screen burn is my one concern with a plasma considering it will be used for gaming.

 

[Phill1978]

y`know the LEM87 i was giving advise on, well ive just sold it a a big loss, i hated it for freeview it was the worst picture ive ever seen, i wont buy samsung again.
dvd really not great even with HDMI upscaling player.

xbox360 = fantastic... but all LCD`s have one issue or another and mine was green push that could not be removed, image to dark i.e low level detail gone.

in the end after tweaking / service menu calibrated to oblivion i got a great picture but it was never right,

on grey textures there was a subtle red,green,blue pattern

not good enough.


going with plasma now and 1080p really doesnt matter below 50"

 

[KDF]

I own the same one as Lee. Cant fault it ! its been perfect for me and the 1080p thing is overrated. At 42" you aint gonna notice a difference !

SD looks superb which I can honestly say i've never seen a good looking LCD when playing SD stuff.

 

[Lee]

Screen burn is my one concern with a plasma considering it will be used for gaming.

It's not a problem. I've played games for hours and hours with static huds. Forza, Colin McRae Rally (that was one of the worst), Gears of War etc etc.

They all burn the screen, and you can see the burn on a solid background, like the Sky guide screens. It only lasts 10 minutes if that, then it's gone.

I couldn't even be bothered running my set in as some of the geeks recommend. I just ran it at sensible levels rather than with the contrast up to 100%.

 

[Revels]

Screen burn is my one concern with a plasma considering it will be used for gaming.

It's not a problem. I've played games for hours and hours with static huds. Forza, Colin McRae Rally (that was one of the worst), Gears of War etc etc.

They all burn the screen, and you can see the burn on a solid background, like the Sky guide screens. It only lasts 10 minutes if that, then it's gone.

I couldn't even be bothered running my set in as some of the geeks recommend. I just ran it at sensible levels rather than with the contrast up to 100%.

I was worried about it, but just be sensible really. Noticed a burn the other day and panicked but it had gone not long after.

I didnt run mine in either. When I said about that to my mate he thought I was taking the piss. Does seem a bit of a geeky thing to do! lol

 

[Nigel]

I agree Lee after a five hour stint on forza I got screen retention. It was clearly visable on the xbox logo splash screen. half and hour of soccer AM the next morning and it was gone!

Just try and run the screen in with reduced contrast and brightness and it'll be fine!

Sorry Revels I'm a geek.

 

[Lee]

I ran mine reduced, but not at the levels the geeks reckon you should use. I couldn't see a sodding thing in Rainbow 6 at those levels. lol

Did you see the best of Soccer AM this morning? Around 8.30 the Soccerette was stunning. I even moved treadmills to get closer to the screen.

 

[sneeks]

How long do they reckon you should run the screen in for? I'd end up leaving it on overnight if needed.

 

[Revels]

I saw her on Sat when they were outside doing the Beckham thing. Must have been very nippy outside!!

I ran mine on reduced levels but I didnt sit there with a stop watch and count the hours before moving the contrast up by 1 notch!

 

[Lee]

I'm sure I read 200 hours.

 

[Nigel]

I didn't see the soccerette.

I think it's supposed to be first 200 hours. I ran mine with contrast and brightness at just over a third of the way along the slider. Only time I struggled to see things clearly was when gaming.

 

[sneeks]

200 hours should pass quickly enough if I leave it on during the day while I'm at work. I reckon I'll choose a plasma then because my SD programmes on Virgin Media currently look crap on my LCD.

 

[Lee]

Don't worry Nige, here she is: http://www.skysports.com/tv_show/story/0,20144,12381_2657066,00.html

Lovely.

 

[Nigel]

Mmm, Nice legs! Better than the normal munters.

Once 200 hours was over I just raised all the levels to whatever I thought looked best.

Theres an hours watched feature in the service menu so you keep track how long you've watched it for.

 

[Lee]

Yeah lovely pins.

Dam it, I never knew that. I wondered how long I'd been using mine.

 

[Lagerlout]

I'm not expert on TV's but I have a 37" Tosh LCD...... and unless you only ever intend to use HD sources I'd get a plasma. Far better on SD as has already been said. Although my 360 looks fantastic on my LCD, i watch more tv than I play games and even with SKYHD there's still limited HD channels.

If I had my time again I'd have bought a plasma.

 

[sneeks]

Well I bought one today. Thanks for all the advice, as you can see I followed it

£749 inc a 5 year Panasonic warranty.

 

[Ibanezman]

Nice new tv Sneeks

It's funny how small the 32's look after a while, and I only went to a 37 !

Let us know how the consoles compare, lcd vs plasma

 

[Saner]

Where did you get it from? Am looking for one myself!

 

[sneeks]

Richer Sounds have them on sale at £799 but are running an ad in What Hi-Fi December issue with a marked price of £749 which they happily match instore.

If you buy before 30th November then Panasonic will provide you with a 5 year manufacturer warranty. It is a bargain for the price.

Now to await the end of the 200 hour run in period

Yeah Ibanezman the 32" had to go It's sitting at the side of me here and looks tiny in comparison the the new TV. The 32" was one of those weird Sharp Aquos LCD's they released 2 years ago with a panel supposedly optimised for both HD and SD, the pic was good but the Panasonic looks far superior even at this early stage.

 

[Saner]

Right then, I may have to go buy What Hi-Fi tomorrow!

Can't see any mention of the 5 year warrenty on Richer Sounds website? Will it be instore or do I need somehting off of Panasonics website?

 

[sneeks]

It's a standard offer in all RS stores. Panasonic are running the offer with selected UK retailers but only instore, if you check the Panasonic UK website you will see details.

Great to see the TV supports 24fps BD playback via my PS3

 

[Saner]

I've read that teh TV doesn't support 24fps and suffers from slight motion blur when playing 1080p HD DVD's is this not the case?

Would a decent player combat this?

 

[sneeks]

It does support 24fps signals and I'm sitting watching a BD playing using this setting on my PS3. No motion blur that I have seen using my PS3.
http://whathifi.com/forums/t/3921.aspx?PageIndex=2

 

[Saner]

Excellent, thanks for the help sneeks, will be getting one tomorrow hopefully!

Haven't found details on Panasonics site, which Richer sounds did you purchase yours from so I might refer them if need be?

and to triple check, this is what im after yes? TH-42PX70PED

 

[sneeks]

Yes that's the right model and I purchased from the Edinburgh branch. The Glasgow branch also cinfirmed the same deal and from reading online others have got this throughout the UK.

I don't know of the TV does some clever processing with the 24fps but if so you'll not notice the difference. It's won several awards and has high ratings in every review I've read. For the price you will not buy better.

The official Panasonic website for the offer

http://www.experiencewhatothersjustsee.com/

Richer Sounds are listed in my find a participating local dealer results:

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/customer-support/5year.asp