lcd/plasma.

Quality

Hi,
Looking for a bit of info on this,
What is the difference between lcd and plasma?

What is the best make to get for say a 40-42"

Thanks in advance?

xanthor

Longer Answer:

LCDs are generally associated with a 'sharper' brighter display.. but sometimes with slightly inaccurate colors and the possibility of some motion blur.

Plasma screens tend to soften 'artifacts' making them generally better for watching Standard Definition TV. Colors are usually more natural looking. There is still some chance of burn in, but it seems to be less of a problem than it once was.

The differences aren't as pronounced as they used to be however. Toshiba's LCDs have a good reputation where SDTV is concerned.

Shorter Answer:

Depends on what you intend to use the TV for.

Quality

Television mainly,,, aerial

And sky digital..

Is it true you only get four years out of a plasma?

ongarite

Thats complete FUD. They have half-life of around 60,000 hrs or 10 years of constant use.
Plasma's scale SD content (aeriel and Sky) much much better than LCD and have much better black levels and natural colours.

The best value 42" Plasma is 42PV70EY by Panasonic, it'll be perfect for you if all you are going to use it for is regular TV broadcasts.

xanthor

Quality wrote: »

Television mainly,,, aerial

And sky digital..

Plasma is probably better in this case, but like i mentioned before Toshiba LCDS have a good reputation when it comes to SDTV.

More people will chip in eventually, being the time of year that is it, things are a bit quiet around here right now.

Quality wrote: »

Is it true you only get four years out of a plasma?

Earlier Plasma screens had a reputation for fading. It may be less of a problem these days though... i'm not entirely sure.

Quality

Thanks guys!!

Kashkai

I'm in a similar position, i.e. I want to get a large screen (46 inch or bigger) to use as a home cinema and for satellite as well. I was going for a samsung 46 inch tv I saw in DID for 2 grand but was wondering why I could also have a 50 inch Philips plasma for 1,800 in the same shop. I thought this might be because the LCD was a better buy (sharper image etc) but when looking at the specs of the 2 tvs in the shop, the philips had a response time of .01 ms while the LCD was 8 ms. The philips also had a greater contrast ratio so on face value, it appears to be a better tv for less money or am I missing something?

I've googled the interweb for an answer but there are so many conflicting viewpoints on which is better, i.e. plasma or lcd.

Ciaran500

We'd need more details.

What TV's were they? What resolution were they?

xanthor

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I thought this might be because the LCD was a better buy (sharper image etc) but when looking at the specs of the 2 tvs in the shop, the philips had a response time of .01 ms while the LCD was 8 ms. The philips also had a greater contrast ratio so on face value, it appears to be a better tv for less money or am I missing something?

.

Sharper isn't always better. LCD screens tend to sharpen images... but the feed in the shop may not be the same as the feed in your home.
Another thing to consider is that companys tend to embelish Contrast Ratios and they somtimes do likewise with refresh rates on LCD screens as well.

If you're going to use the TV for home cinema and either sparingly or not at all for playing games, then Plasma is probably the way to go.

As for the Philips Plasma....... Panasonics Plasma screens are generally regarded as superior to offerings from any other reasonably priced manufacturer... and some say they give Pioneer a run for their money too.

Kashkai

The tvs that I was looking at in DID were both full 1080p HD. The image quality on the LCD looked better as it was running the HD showcase movie were you get to see the models coming out of the swimming pool with the water droplets on their long legs:D:D:D. However, the philips plasma was displaying a football match via SKY and so the picture didn't appear as sharp. So I wasn't comparing like with like here.

Its tempting to go for the 50inch plasma over a 46 inch LCD but when forking out that kind of money, I want to get it right as the wife won't allow me to have a second go at this (its taken a year to convince her to splash out on the large screen tv - she prefers to spend the money on luxuries like food, esb, phone etc:rolleyes:)

So if a plasma was the way to go for movies and to use my PS3 on (with its blu ray drive), what are lcds good for? The brother has 2 lcds and he swears by them and if you go into shops, plasmas are becoming as rare as a crt tv. Everyone of the shops I've gone into seems to be pushing lcd - why?

So to sum up, the tv will be used mostly for movies with some ps3 gaming and occasionally satellite tv - all full 1080p HD. It will be a minimum of 46 inch up to 50 inch with a budget of 2,000 or so. Suggestions on makes / models would be appreciated. As I want to get the TV in the sales, I'd like to get some recommendations from guys who don't have ulterior motives unlike the salespeople in DID, Powercity etc who probably want to sell me their biggest profit maker as opposed to the best possible tv.

xanthor

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

So if a plasma was the way to go for movies and to use my PS3 on (with its blu ray drive), what are lcds good for?

Some would argue that the only area where LCDs have a clear advantage is displaying static images. Some also argue that LCD screens are less prone to burn in and have more longevity than Plasma screens. Those two arguments are inconclusive.

My guess would be that manufacturers are pushing LCD screens because they're cheaper to make.

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

So to sum up, the tv will be used mostly for movies with some ps3 gaming and occasionally satellite tv - all full 1080p HD. It will be a minimum of 46 inch up to 50 inch with a budget of 2,000 or so. Suggestions on makes / models would be appreciated. .

If it's mostly for watching films, Plasma is the way to go. Panasonic's Plasma screens are well regarded, you might want to make sure you get one that has a setting to avoid burn in though. As for where to get them... try alliance electric on Georges st.

ongarite

I would also recommend a Panasonic Plasma also, PY70 model is you want the full 1080p.
LCDs look great in the shops, in the bright UV lighting but bring them home in your natural dim TV environment and they will look poor. This is the one area Plasma TVs shine with superior black levels and colour reproduction.
Plasma handle motion much better than LCDs so footie matches will look better IMO. Are you planning to get Sky HD also? as you say you are going to be watching satellite in 1080p. If not, Plasma TVs will handle the regular Sky TV feed MUCH better than LCDs, they scale SD content much much better.

LCD are pushed by all the major brands as they are cheap to make and assemble, have better margins. Panasonic and Pioneer are the 2 main brands pushing Plasma these days and are doing quite well with the market share they have. Just look at all the people who have bought Plasma TV on this forum in the last while.

You are pushing it at €2000 IMO for a quality 46-50" screen. I've a 42" and thinks its a fine size. How far away do you plan to sit away from the screen?

Edit 2:
Feck me, Alliance Electric are having a cracking sale on Panasonic Plasma at the moment:
http://www.allianceelectric.ie/products/tv/plasmalcd/th42py70.htm That TV was €2000 a month ago, its the best 42" FullHD TV on the market
http://www.allianceelectric.ie/products/tv/plasmalcd/th50py70.htm 50" version at €2500.

mathias

Some also argue that LCD screens are less prone to burn in and have more longevity than Plasma screens. Those two arguments are inconclusive.

I prefer plasmas myself , but , I have hard experience to say that theres nothing whatsoever inconclusive about burn in , I work in a place that has large plasmas as notice boards , updated info from a computer being displayed regularly for the employees , Some of these Lovely plasmas ( which are being terribly abused in my opinion ) have dreadful burn in already and are less than a year old , I know cos I put some of em up.

By the way , the reason plasmas are being used is because large ( 60 inch or more ) plasmas are cheaper than the equivalent LCD's.

So plasma burn in is an observable fact for me. And I would never use a plasma for long computer/console sessions as a result , they are definitely better for movies though, in my opinion.

xanthor

mathias wrote: »

, Some of these Lovely plasmas ( which are being terribly abused in my opinion ) have dreadful burn in already and are less than a year old , I know cos I put some of em up.
.

Admittedly, fear of burn in lead me to go with LCD rather than Plasma (long idle periods on Xbox live) but i was under the impression that as long as the image refreshes fairly regularly burn-in isn't so much of a problem.

Perhaps i was mistaken.

ongarite

Any screen left static for long periods of time, even LCDs will burn-in. I have many LCDs in my job that have suffered pernament burn-in from static images.
Its pretty hard to impossible to burn-in a plasma these days with normal use, but image retention can still be an issue. One thing which will definately cause problems is leaving the TV colour settings on dynamic or shop mode, full contrast & brightness. Its looks terrible and will burn the screen phosphors.

mathias

Its pretty hard to impossible to burn-in a plasma these days with normal use

If your careful with a plasma , then you wont see burn in , but the above " normal use " thing is a makers/sellers spiel , real " normal use " is when the kids have the TV all saturday morning and leave a console on the load screen all day cos they got bored with the game.

Thats what you have to watch out for , also stations with permanent dogs ( designated on screen graphic ) which are always in the same place and too bright , like the sci fi channel , these are all things I have seen burned into plasma screens , the funniest was obviously from a big Tekken fans house , he had " You lose " permanently burned into the screen from where it was left there for twelve hours on pause.

trabpc

I was i my Uncle's House over Xmas He got him Self one of those Round Bottom edge(Tulip i Think) Samsung Tellys 37" He had it hooked up to NTL And it looked Terrible-Kept my mouth shut. He had an old 20" crt in Kitchen and the NTL looked perfectly ok. on the other hand my friend has a 32" LG lcd hooked upto sky and it looks fine but i supposed sky's signal would be cleaner than NTL.

Just bought a Panasonic 42py70 Plasma my self over XMAS for €1750 hoping to have it next week. Ill be mostly using it for SKY/Sky HD, DVD. and maybe HD DVD. Let you know how it fares out.

Kashkai

ongarite wrote: »

I would also recommend a Panasonic Plasma also, PY70 model is you want the full 1080p.
LCDs look great in the shops, in the bright UV lighting but bring them home in your natural dim TV environment and they will look poor. This is the one area Plasma TVs shine with superior black levels and colour reproduction.
Plasma handle motion much better than LCDs so footie matches will look better IMO. Are you planning to get Sky HD also? as you say you are going to be watching satellite in 1080p. If not, Plasma TVs will handle the regular Sky TV feed MUCH better than LCDs, they scale SD content much much better.

LCD are pushed by all the major brands as they are cheap to make and assemble, have better margins. Panasonic and Pioneer are the 2 main brands pushing Plasma these days and are doing quite well with the market share they have. Just look at all the people who have bought Plasma TV on this forum in the last while.

You are pushing it at €2000 IMO for a quality 46-50" screen. I've a 42" and thinks its a fine size. How far away do you plan to sit away from the screen?

Edit 2:
Feck me, Alliance Electric are having a cracking sale on Panasonic Plasma at the moment:
http://www.allianceelectric.ie/products/tv/plasmalcd/th42py70.htm That TV was €2000 a month ago, its the best 42" FullHD TV on the market
http://www.allianceelectric.ie/products/tv/plasmalcd/th50py70.htm 50" version at €2500.

I've just finished building a house and the sitting room (where the tv is going) is 28ft long by 16ft wide so anything smaller than a 46 inch will be lost in it.

I went out to Currys in Liffey Valley yesterday to see what they had to offer. They had a 46 inch Samsung lcd displayed next to a 50 inch Plasma (also Samsung). Both were running off the same feed which was a 1080p HD showcase video. In my opinion, the lcd looked better with more vibrant colours and a sharper image. Again, the plasma might not have been set up correctly but taken side by side, the lcd did look better. The "salesman" stated that he'd buy the lcd (as it was 200 dearer than the plasma I took his advice with a pinch of salt:rolleyes:)). When I told him the same lcd was 200 cheaper in Powercity, he said he always buys his own stuff from there so away I went from Currys.

I have to admit I'm no wiser after reading through the replies on this thread. My instinct would be to go for the lcd as plasma longevity and burn in would be a niggle at the back of the mind. Most of the games that I play on my ps3 have a constant HUD onscreen that never changes and this could lead to burn in on a plasma. Obviously it would be great to be able to afford a plasma for movies and a lcd for the gaming but thats not an option so I might go for the lcd - which powercity have now advertised has a further 10% off its price. Decisons, decisions

Morlar

mathias wrote: »

these are all things I have seen burned into plasma screens , the funniest was obviously from a big Tekken fans house , he had " You lose " permanently burned into the screen from where it was left there for twelve hours on pause.

Thats the funniest thing I have read all day - Classic !

trabpc

I would say the main reason that LCD's are more popular is the false information been spread about Plasma Like: they need to be re-gassed in 4 yrs, images burning in, heavy, old technology bla bla.

It amazes me when I walk into a tv store the amount of people ask for lcd,lcd lcd they don't even look at plasma. With the risk of offending some LCD fanboys, I think most of the cheaper LCD's should be avoided like the Plauge and i Include some Samsung's on this as well. Just look up av forums and you will see the problems they are having with lcd. The Plasma Forums such as Pioneer, Panasonis fare much better.

My brother bought a Hitachi plasma 4 yrs ago still has it. He plays quite alot of XBOX 360 on it as well as sky HD. Still loks fab today as it was 4 years ago!

I also have a 26" LCD my self and i have to say sky looks as good as my 32" CRT but from what I have seen once you go over 32" in LCD the Problems also get Bigger.

Like most other people here I spent Quite a while looking around before settling on Plasma.

Id say any thing 32" and below Lcd

Above 32/maybe 37 id say Plasma

trabpc

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I went out to Currys in Liffey Valley yesterday to see what they had to offer. They had a 46 inch Samsung lcd displayed next to a 50 inch Plasma (also Samsung). Both were running off the same feed which was a 1080p HD showcase video. In my opinion, the lcd looked better with more vibrant colours and a sharper image. Again, the plasma might not have been set up correctly but taken side by side, the lcd did look better.

Dave ,I was Also in currys In Liffey Valley on Wednesday. Did you see the 42" Samsung Plasma for €949 even though it had 3 hdmi's they had a cheap philips dvd Player connected by scart with a cartoon showing. What a way to show off a HD TV. But mind you even with the Cheapo player and scart it actually looked ok!

Kashkai

Yeah I saw that tv - couldn't believe it was that price. Its a damn shame when they hook up these latest tvs to crappy signals with scart leads which are past their sell by date - hdmi is the way to go!.

I'm heading out tomorrow to get a 46 inch samsung lcd. I know I could get a 50 inch plasma for less but the propaganda about plasmas and burn in has put me off buying one - my kids are notorious for leaving the tv on with the dvd menu playing which would cause burn in I'm sure

trabpc

Very Good Point About the Kids. My Wife Has alos a habit of Pausing Sky Plus and DVD's. I presume there must be A setting Built in onto The TV or Player to Turn on a Screen Saver or Similar to Save Burn In .

ongarite

Sure is. It think there is a pixel shift to stop image retention and screens dims after 20 mins of no change in input signal.

carrick

have read all these posts and still dont know what to get lcd/plasma two plasmas to choose from TH42PV70
TH42PZ70
will be doing alot of gaming can be up to 8h constant if i have the time and a good game
like alot of people am afraid of burn in from kids channels and xbox game hud.Plasma looks better in the screens that ive seen.
The chippy is coming in the next hour to size up for a new cabinet to hold the tv would llike some advice from anyone that uses their plasma for gaming and wether its a good as the day they bought it