Time for a new TV! Help deciding!

[Keydogg]

Well hello,

I have decided to buy a new TV within the next month, my budget is strictly £600 or less.

My requirements:

40-42"
LCD
1080P
24P if poss
100hz - i very much doubt this is within budget

And last but not least, I need to be able to get it from a company where I can buy now pay later 0% as I would rather have the money in my savings earning interest than in someone else's account. plus I only have half the money at the moment but cant wait

What I have come up with so far:

Which is £585 inc. delivery here: http://www.ajelectronics.co.uk/ViewProdDetails.asp?prod_code=ITEM000116&Prod_name=LG%2042LG5000%2042%20Inch%20LCD%20Digital%20TV&CAT_CODE=32&SUBCAT_CODE=87

Anyone got any better deals? Think I should hold off for a month or buy it now?

 

[Gally]

plasma is the way foraward with that spec my friend i have an lg one
just now awesome viewing.

 

[Keydogg]

What makes you say plasma is the way forward with that spec? I haven't seen a 1080P plasma for that kind of money. What makes a plasma better?

 

[Adam K]

i just sold my 47" 1080i toshiba and got a 50" plasma, took the plasma back the day after buying it.

was getting screen burn and ghosting from having my pc connected to it, could see the start bar and ghost images of websites i had been viewing when the screen went onto a dark or black screen. was not amused.

sticking to lcd now.

 

[Coby.]

Interested in Suggestions on this as hoping to hit the January sales for a TV with roughly that Spec

 

[Gally]

i believe without spending mega money as in upwards of 900-1k
lcd starts to lose its appeal picture wise above 42-47"
my lg is 1080p think 20000:1 contrast my brother paid a lot more for a samsung
similar size in lcd and he wasnt impressed after he seen mine with some cloverfield
and cod4.

 

[Keydogg]

Afaik that was the situation a year or 2 ago but now technology has moved on and up to 50" the difference is pretty much non-existent.

 

[Gally]

Afaik that was the situation a year or 2 ago but now technology has moved on and up to 50" the difference is pretty much non-existent.

maybe a good shout mate ive had mine since the start of the year and my
bro bought his in nov last year so poss the new versions are very similar in
performance.

 

[Keydogg]

maybe a good shout mate ive had mine since the start of the year and my
bro bought his in nov last year so poss the new versions are very similar in
performance.

Yeah I think that's the reason you never used to see LCD's above 37" or so, it was always plasmas that were big. Nowadays 42" LCD is becoming the norm because the quality is much better.

One of my best mates has a 50" Plasma from 18months ago and its fantastic I must admit!

 

[Gally]

i just fell above 42" plasma would be my choice.
your mates sounds like a beast! your looking at 35000:1 contrast and stuff now
its getting crazy!

 

[DrEnzo]

Sharp have some new slimline (LCD) 1080P models coming out at the end of the month 46" screens will be about £750.00

Dont think the prices will be coming down in Jan only on old stock and select items the pound is weak and some models are going up in cost as they screen get more features

 

[dk]

i noticed samsung now do an LED screen now, and LG had a 3D set in harrods, pretty weird!

As for LCD not being as good as Plasma, thats rubbish now, its the same old thing though that people will tell you to buy what they have bought, they obviously bought it because they thought it was best so they are bound to recommend their own.

Plasma jsut has too many negatives, LCD doesn't really have anything that serious against it. And as for size, I was watching a 70" Sony LCD in Harrods running BBC HD and it was absolutely stunning, easily as good at the 28" models, and that was sitting 5 ft in front of it too, so i was really impressed.

These days, there are so many screens around and the quality seems to eb quite varied, 3 or 4 years ago the price was high but the quality control seemed to be better, nowadays it seems to be hit and miss as to whether you get a good example or one with clouding etc. This is because of the increased pressure on manufacturers to reduce costs, so this means cutting corners and lower quality control.

As for contrast ratios, they don't really mena much, they are mostly dynamic figures that are quoted and most people find tv's better with all the fancy acronyms turned off and jsut getting a raw picture etc.

If you want a deal on a tv then have a look at hotukdeals, they have loads being listed, there was a 40" sony posted for £699 i think from M&S with a 5 year warranty.

You can't really beat some of the prices of empire direct though, especially when they have 10% off weeks etc.

Plasma is getting on a bit as a technology though, I would stick with LCD, i've not had a single problem with my 32" samsung which is now 3 yrs old, was quite cheap at the time too for £1200! Don't have any problems, with contrast, blacks, screen bleed and the picture is fantastic with a HD source and also extremely good with a freeview picture. I want to upgrade my screen to a 40" but I really don't know what to go for as the technology is changing all the time (LED out now for example, OLED coming soon too which is on another level of amazing), they are getting cheaper by the week and it all seems a little sad that you have to 'hope' you get a good one these days when spending a grand!

 

[Nigel]

I see what your saying dk. For me personally with what i've seen with my own eyes, above 37" I'd go with a decent plasma. The colours and blacks were superior. To me the only downside for plasma is screen burn, but I've had 3 plasmas and if your careful for the first couple of hundred hours then it isn't a problem.

Whatever model you decide on, try and see it set up in a proper AV store before making a decision. Definately not Comet, Currys or John Lewis.

 

[DrEnzo]

Someone said Plamsa tech is a bit old now...not really true at all and LCD has been around longer but not in residential displays. The first big screens were PLasma's but they have moved on in the last 10 years.

Well as its my job and I have been fitting top end system for about 9 years I have supplied and fitted 100's of screens LCD & Plamsa I can tell you.

1. LCD are better for smaller screens (kitchens bedrooms) however Sony & Samsung now do a 70" they are lighter, use less power they suffer from motion blur (noticable on sports) more than Plasmas despite 2MS response times and they colour is not normally as good as plasmas. IMO

2. Plasmas are for 32" and above so no small plasmas the picture and colour on most images is better than LCD as they are slightly more sympathetic to most images. But on a PS3 or PC LCD's maybe have the edge.

Plasma dont need a re gas. After about 50,000 hours of use they lose about 50% brightness so from day one the picture will get worse but it unlikley you will notice this for years, they also use about twice the power so they cost more to run.

Also Plasma's get screen burn LCD suffer from image persitance but not as bad as screen burn. Also LCD suffer from dead pixels and bright pixels so if you get one and it has a dead or bright pixel it is a pain. Many manufactures will allow up to a 20 dead pixels on most screens (check the companies return policy on dead pixels)

But the there is not a great deal between the two and the costs are about the same. Go with what you like but remeber many 1080 screen can make most images look worse.

The Best screen in 42+ range is the Pioneer Kuros series 9 (plasma) after this Samsung (LCD or PLASMA;s) I would say have the best range and quality and price. Panasonic/Sony/Sharp is all pretty much the same. Steer clear of cheaper stuff like AOC and other unknown brands.

Sharp have a new range of 46" LCD's coming out in 2 weeks for about £750 and they are good value high spec screen

Dont belive the hype with 5 year warranties they are unsually not onsite and some have an excess and dont cover everything read the small print

But all techs do come to an end and LCD and Plasma will be killed by OLED in 5 years

 

[Keydogg]

Thanks for your knowledgeable view DrEnzo, I think I am still going to go with the LCD because of the value for money here, even if I do suffer a bit of a lack of image quality compared with a plasma.

I could probably use your advice on my lounge set up tbh