Plasma v LCD tellys

F111 · Post by **F111** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:17 pm

Anyone got one?

What are your opinions?

I've read numerous reports including 'net forums and tech spec sheets etc...

* What models have you got,
* what did you pay and
* where did you buy from?

ealesy · Post by **ealesy** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:34 pm

Mark Taylor prefers LCDs.....easier to say!!

lozza89 · Post by **lozza89** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:44 pm

Well i have a TCL LCD tv thats 128cm, and we haven't had a problem with it.
We paid about 2,000, but we got mates rates.

Post by **danstar84** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:41 am

Go the LCD. They are a better technology, and if you ever want to plug a pc into it, will look very clear, although icons large due to the resolution.

Make sure you view it before you buy. Each model has it's own look about it, especially in terms of brightness and contrast. Some you will find are too dull, while others too bright no matter what you do to the settings.

Sismis · Post by **Sismis** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:50 pm

Apparently a new format coming out next year. laser or something???

Either way prices for all of them wull be coming down.

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 5:07 pm

LCD = Liquid Crystal Display - much better than plasma

F111 · Post by **F111** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:54 pm

Well...I've gone plasma. I saw some image trail on a couple of models of lcd which scared me off.

Anyone got a Panasonic Th42px600A? With 5 year extended warranty, it'll be $3300.

rrp $3799, warranty quote was $450.

It's a two week wait unfortunately, before I can play, but it should be here before the 1st test I hope.

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:45 pm

either way they are both good models.. id take either anyday.

has to be better than my pissy 68cm TV which takes up half the loungeroom

Gossy7 · Post by **Gossy7** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 1:32 pm

Got a plasma.

Ours is a Pioneer. We did a bit of reasearch and found that that was the best going around.

We got the whole lot as well. Austar, Set Top Box, New Video etc etc. Its a ripper.

Think all of it costs about 5k.

F111 · Post by **F111** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:28 am

Of the better ones available, Pioneer, Fujitsu and Panasonic seem to get the accolades. Panasonic is more affordable than the other two so it got my vote. Commonly the Pioneer is the model people refer to when speaking of standards.

Filthy · Post by **Filthy** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:20 pm

One of my best mates is an Exec at Toshiba....I can get mates rates there...whats best there and are they any good?

j-mac31 · Post by **j-mac31** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 1:24 pm

I reckon LCD makes skin look sort of pastely. Also, not great for movement. Panning shots at the footy make the grass look fake.

But they do seem to give a sharper and brighter image than plasma. And apparently plasmas "run out" (of what I don't know), but that's after like 50,000 hours of viewing.

F111 · Post by **F111** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:07 pm

Filthy wrote:One of my best mates is an Exec at Toshiba....I can get mates rates there...whats best there and are they any good?

filthy, I have NO expertise in these matters but have done a bit of reading recently. hth.

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=43268&hl=

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=42898&hl=

http://www.plasma.com/classroom/whomakesplasma.htm

Toshiba seem to use Panasonic parts and come with a 5 year warranty.
5 year warranty is good, hard to argue with that.

Normally you'd pay $400+ for an extra 5 year warranty.

F111 · Post by **F111** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:34 pm

j-mac wrote:I reckon LCD makes skin look sort of pastely. Also, not great for movement. Panning shots at the footy make the grass look fake.

But they do seem to give a sharper and brighter image than plasma. And apparently plasmas "run out" (of what I don't know), but that's after like 50,000 hours of viewing.

You've described one of the common observations re: lcd. They have more gray and can give a washed out image apparently. Plasmas have more black which has a big effect on contrast I think ??? and improves clarity.

50K hours of viewing is a loooooooonng time. 8 hours a day for 1 year = 2920 hours. 20 years at that rate is 58400 hours.

Supposedly the biggest advantage of LCD is longevity. They are supposed to survive 20+ years.

For me though, that's a very moot point. Who still has their telly from 1986? Not many.

spikefan · Post by **spikefan** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:49 pm

The best plasma are by Pioneer and Panasonic.

The best LCD are by Sony, Sharp and Toshiba. Sony and Sharp have the best above 40", Toshiba is the best 32-36". The Chinese brands e.g. TCL are very well priced but are not as good.

While LCD is the technology of the future, it still will take a couple years to match plasma in terms of contrast (plasma has blacker blacks) and temporal effects (LCD will refresh at 100Hz in the future instead of 50 now).
Whether this is important depends on your room viewing condition.

Today it is perfectly reasonable to buy a 50" Panasonic or Pioneer Plasma, a 46" Sony or Sharp LCD or a "Chinese" 42" LCD at less than 2K $.

Always watch the picture carefully before you buy.

F111 · Post by **F111** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 9:21 pm

A 50" panel of either brand for $2K would be nice! Have you seen examples of such prices? If it's high definition with a built in digi tuner then it's likely way above $2K...unless mates rates are involved.

The 42" panels can be less, but they're likely standard definition and need a set top box. Brands like Soniq, TEAC have them at that price.

JB have a current brochure out. In my recent experience, sale prices can be haggled down around 15-20% more.

spikefan · Post by **spikefan** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 12:58 am

Sorry my sentence was misleading: while it is reasonable to buy a 42-50" plasma panel, it is only the LCD 42" and below that will be less than $2K (and a bit more from major brand).

$3.5K for a 50" plasma is a good price.

The resolution of all panels 42" and below is usually 1366x768 60p, while this is not as good as "full HD" 1920x1080, this is really good enough since there is really no broadcast content that can show you a real difference. Avoid Plasma with resolutions that are only 1080x 680 since those are usually older models.

Good haggling and mates rates should be roughly he same.