LED or LCD TV Q

Stingray

Anyone any views on the best choice an LED or LCD TV? I don't know much about TV's other than turning them on and watching the picture.

Basics are LED's are wafer thin, cost more and are only just launched

Any feedback appreciated as I'm in the market for one

Owenw

Not quite. LEDs are used as a new way to backlight LCD displays instead of using cold cathode tubes. The only LED displays you'll see are the huge screens at concerts / sports events or in Times Square. TBH manufacturers have a lot to answer for in the way they advertise the latest tech.

There are pros and cons to both backlighting technologies.
Supposedly, LEDs offer superior black levels as the LEDs can be turned off behind dark areas of the image. Its not all rosy as some reports claim that there is an apparent jump from full black to lighter greyshades. Uneven lighting has also been claimed (can't see it on my monitor)

I know Samsung have a model or two out with LED backlighting, worth a look.

• What size TV are you looking for and what are you planning to mostly use it for (Gaming / Movies / Sports / Soaps) ?
  
• Are you planning to watch Blu-rays / High Definition or stick with DVD / Standard Def TV?
  
• Have you set a budget?

Have you thought about a plasma TV if you going for a large screen size (42" +)? Many consider these superior in almost every way to LCD (except power usage is about a third higher). Better black level, better viewing angles, better refresh rate. Panny and Pioneer have the edge at the moment.

donglen

Owenw wrote: »

Not quite. LEDs are used as a new way to backlight LCD displays instead of using cold cathode tubes. The only LED displays you'll see are the huge screens at concerts / sports events or in Times Square. TBH manufacturers have a lot to answer for in the way they advertise the latest tech.

There are pros and cons to both backlighting technologies.
Supposedly, LEDs offer superior black levels as the LEDs can be turned off behind dark areas of the image. Its not all rosy as some reports claim that there is an apparent jump from full black to lighter greyshades. Uneven lighting has also been claimed (can't see it on my monitor)

I know Samsung have a model or two out with LED backlighting, worth a look.

• What size TV are you looking for and what are you planning to mostly use it for (Gaming / Movies / Sports / Soaps) ?
  
• Are you planning to watch Blu-rays / High Definition or stick with DVD / Standard Def TV?
  
• Have you set a budget?

Have you thought about a plasma TV if you going for a large screen size (42" +)? Many consider these superior in almost every way to LCD (except power usage is about a third higher). Better black level, better viewing angles, better refresh rate. Panny and Pioneer have the edge at the moment.

Hi Owenw, apologies if I'm hijacking the OP's original post but you seem to know what you're on about and I could do with a bit of help. I'm also after a new TV and after a bit of research have decided on a Philips LCD . Now at the moment I'm determined to stick with an SD signal but may move to HD in the future. I'll also be doing a little bit of gaming on it but apart from that will not be looking for too many bells and whistles. I've shopped around a little and the best I can find is for it delivered for €870.
I've compared the Tech Specs on other makes/models around the same price range and I think this is a decent choice, however my knowledge of the nitty gritty on what these specs actually detail is minimal.

Any thoughts/experience/knowledge on the 42PFL7404 you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Owenw

hi donglen,

Philips TVs are currently well regarded at the moment.
My brother has the 32inch version so I'll pass on his comments after 4 months of use:

He chose the 7000 series because it has a very fast refresh rate (3ms i think) - avoids image lag in games.
You will have to turn off all the image processing to get the fastest pixel response time.

The panel is Full HD 1080p, but looks very good with DVDs too (slightly soft when compared with Blu-Ray, as you'd expect).
Image is excellent - very sharp and with a bit of tweaking you can get very life-like colours.

The only downsides are:

1) Black levels
As with most LCD screens you get more of a dark-grey - this was noticeable watching dark scenes in a darkened room.
However, the backlighting is even across the panel.
If black levels are of priority, then you need to consider Plasma.

2) Menus
The menus offer a lot of options but aren't the most user-friendly.
With a bit of effort you can get very good picture quality.

3) Picture enhancement
As with every TV the processing does more harm than good.
'Natural motion' is very "floaty" when the image pans across the screen.
It can all be disabled in the menus thankfully.

TBH, the best advice I can give you is to visit your nearest Philips dealer to test drive the TV yourself.
Bring a couple of DVDs you're familiar with, preferably with dark scenes, and trust your eyes.

If you're in or near Dublin, a trip to the Philips store, followed by Alliance Electric (to compare Plasma's) both on Georges St would be well worth the effort.

hth

donglen

Thanks a lot Owenw, I really appreciate your comments. I will def check out with my own eyes first but I think you've made up my mind for me. Most TV's in this price range will obviously have issues/concerns, however your brothers comments after 4 months haven't put me off. I'm not expecting a "perfect" TV and can live with the issues raised.
Thanks again.

Owenw

no problem donglen,

I love spending other peoples money

they are great TV's - the negatives are fairly minor and far outweighed by overall performance. I'm always struck by the pin-sharp image.