LCD or Plasma TV?

[Lichtgestalt]

TV goes into repair tomorrow so to be prepared for the worst case scenario... should I replace it with a LCD or Plasma TV? Looking around 32 (current) to 40ish inch size wise

[Jedi]

Very subjective. Personally I prefer plasma. Check out Pioneer's Kuro 2 range.

[baloo]

Plasma still has the quality, especially with sports. The newer Samsung and Sony LCD displays are coming out with LED backlighting, instead of Fluro which apparently gives them a much better picture.

But if you want to save the Earth, LCDs consume a lot less power.

Hopefully in 3~5 years time large screen OLED displays will be the norm.

[Fat Bob]

I worked on some of the early OLED/OLEM discovery a few years ago. Wow!

I'd go for plasma too. However, looking at Dixons Online (probably not the best source, but hey, you're in the UK, right?) then there's only one 37" plasma and loads of LCDs. The plasma is a bit more expensive as well. So you may not have a choice unless you go for 42".

[Bender]

The Pioneer is simply the best flatscreen I've seen. It's a plasma and plasma is generally at it's best in sizes 40" and above. Here in Oz the Kuro series is a "premium" product and is priced accordingly. However, Pioneer is the only TV sold in Oz that comes with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty and in-home installation and setup included in the price.

For sizes 40" and below LCD appears to be the go and there are some very good ones. If you go shopping for one and compare picture quality, ask the salesperson to demo the TVs with a movie you know (a good seller will let you bring your own discs to use). Avoid anything animated (Finding Nemo, etc) when comparing picture quality - animation is favoured by the sellers because it can make any screen, even a bad one, look "vibrant". Generally the picture will look different when you get the TV home - in the shop the colour and brightness are usually cranked up to make the picture stand out.

One thing often overlooked at the time of purchase is whether the TV has good sound from it's internal speakers - many don't. If you're interested in using BluRay or high definition, make sure the screen has a resolution of 1280 x 1024, that the TV has a built-in HD tuner and a few HDMI input sockets. Check also that it has a long warranty (with in-home service in the case of the larger screens), or factor in the price of an extended warranty as these units are often not cheap to fix if they develop a fault. Don't know if it influences your decision, but LCD screens generally use less power than plasma. If a TV is exceptionally cheap, and especially if you haven't heard of the brand, approach with caution.

We've had a Sony X-series 40" Bravia LCD for a few years and we're very happy with it. It was superseded by a new model last year, and there's a newer series due out in Oz this month. You may be able to save a considerable amount of money on a perfectly good "runout" model with all the features you need around the time the new models are released. Remember, no matter what you buy, it'll be out of date soon anyway.

Buy a TV that you like and that does everything you want, but don't be fooled into spending more than you need to - for many people, there's more to life than having the ultimate TV.

[Jedi]

The ultimate plasma TV

[Lichtgestalt]

Yep, in the UK so Currys look like a cheap option. Plasma is only really offered on 42 and above as you said so probably I will end up with a LCD. I have a surround sound system so if the normal speakers are ok for regular TV then that's fine. HOw are the Sony LCDs compared to others?

Anyway, since I called the TV repair guy my current LCD (Hitachi 32") has stopped playing up and is showing a normal picture again

[Bender]

How are the Sony LCDs compared to others?

Spend a few minutes browsing "What Hi-Fi" and similar magazines at the newsagency or online. Many of the magazines have a list of ratings of the various products they've reviewed towards the back of the magazine.