Flat screen Tellies.

kneemos · 06-02-2016 12:47PM #1

Anyone else not really a fan of these and find the picture a bit harsh to watch?
Great for sport,but a bit wearing otherwise.

Lights On · 06-02-2016 12:52PM

Hell of a lot easier to steal than those fat back ones though.

Mesrine65 · 06-02-2016 12:58PM

Concave screens are where it's at OP

Menas · 06-02-2016 01:02PM

Better sound off those CRT tellies too....

recipio · 06-02-2016 01:04PM

kneemos wrote: »

Anyone else not really a fan of these and find the picture a bit harsh to watch?
Great for sport,but a bit wearing otherwise.

They can be adjusted via the handset.

I agree the curved screens are great, but only for one person. There are various operating systems but oled technology seems to be in front at the moment.?

Wibbs · 06-02-2016 01:04PM

Not much of a fan of the LED/LCD myself. As you say a bit harsh. Great for animation(and why they tend to run that kinda thing in a loop in TV shops),bt for films not so great IMHO. I'm a plasma flat panel man myself.

Masala · 06-02-2016 01:06PM

Can you still get plasma TV??

Sir Osis of Liver. · 06-02-2016 01:06PM

They seem fail easier too and unlike the CRT ones they're not really fixable.

frozenfrozen · 06-02-2016 01:06PM

our tv is a 50" rear projection yoke that does 1080i, bought in 2006 or so. No smoothing, dynamic contrast, denoising, colour enhancement, or super bright nonsense. All the cheap lcd flat panels I've ever seen come out since then look like arse in comparison. Not saying my yoke is any good but I could do worse when buying brand new at the moment.

I'll buy a new tv when it can be bigger than 50", OLED, and cover 100% of rec 2020 specs. And for less than a grand.

smash · 06-02-2016 01:07PM

The problem is that you're supposed get a tv to fit a space in a room, not do the Irish thing and big a huge tv and build your room around it.

/goes back to watching my 65" from 5ft away

recipio · 06-02-2016 01:22PM

smash wrote: »

The problem is that you're supposed get a tv to fit a space in a room, not do the Irish thing and big a huge tv and build your room around it.

/goes back to watching my 65" from 5ft away

Thats big !! I watch a 32" Samsung at 5 ' and its been super reliable but I'm tempted to get a smart TV. With Xtra-vision gone I have withdrawal symptoms on Sat night.

LDN_Irish · 06-02-2016 01:27PM

recipio wrote: »

Thats big !! I watch a 32" Samsung at 5 ' and its been super reliable but I'm tempted to get a smart TV. With Xtra-vision gone I have withdrawal symptoms on Sat night.

Just buy a chromecast for 30-40 euro if you're happy with the TV itself. Plug it in to the HDMI and your TV acts like a Smart TV as long as you have a smart phone or tab to control it. You can get more expensive things that do the same if you want. Chromecast gets updates regularly compared to most Smart TV's too.

Wibbs · 06-02-2016 01:40PM

Masala wrote: »

Can you still get plasma TV??

Sadly not, as far as I know anyway? A real pity IMHO as the picture is so much better. In "blind" consumer tests time and time again the plasmas won out. To quote from this article.

What's the big deal, you might ask? Don't LCD TVs—or LED TVs, if you like to mistakenly call them that—already represent the overwhelming majority of TV sales?

Yes, though frankly I've never been able to understand why, unless you happen to live in a sun-drenched house without any window coverings, where LCD's higher brightness and less reflective screens would be a plus. (Or if you need a TV with a screen smaller than 42 inches.) All those so-called LCD TV features that manufacturers like to brag about, such as local dimming and 120Hz and 240Hz technologies—plasma doesn't need them. They're simply efforts to overcome LCD TVs' inherent weaknesses. And let's not even get into viewing angles.

The best plasmas deliver everything a videophile could want in a TV: great, deep black levels, accurate colors, and unlimited viewing angles. Think that plasmas only appeal to video snobs? We recently brought a bunch of new employees into our TV labs and asked them to pick their favorite two TVs. Out of the 15 TVs playing the same program, every single person picked the only two plasma sets in the room.

The LCD's are cheaper to make so… Plus if all you have on offer are the LCD's then their disadvantages don't stick out. OLED's are looking better over time, but for me it'll be a sad day when my 2010 42inch Panasonic plasma dies.

smash · 06-02-2016 02:05PM

LDN_Irish wrote: »

Just buy a chromecast for 30-40 euro if you're happy with the TV itself. Plug it in to the HDMI and your TV acts like a Smart TV as long as you have a smart phone or tab to control it. You can get more expensive things that do the same if you want. Chromecast gets updates regularly compared to most Smart TV's too.

Chromecast is pretty useless really. I bought one for another tv and all I've ever done is watch Netflix on it once or twice, which I can get through the PlayStation anyway.

LDN_Irish · 06-02-2016 02:07PM

I remember reading something about plasmas being prone to "screen burn" which made them a poor choice for people who play games on the TV. Saw a few pics of a TV with Eastenders on and COD burned in to the screen.

smash · 06-02-2016 02:08PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Sadly not, as far as I know anyway? A real pity IMHO as the picture is so much better. In "blind" consumer tests time and time again the plasmas won out.

But if you paused the signal even for a minute you were left with ghosting on the screen. Lifespan wasn't great either.

Menas · 06-02-2016 02:10PM

LDN_Irish wrote: »

Saw a few pics of a TV with Eastenders on and COD burned in to the screen.

Ya sure that was not Kat Slater having a fish supper?

LDN_Irish · 06-02-2016 02:11PM

smash wrote: »

Chromecast is pretty useless really. I bought one for another tv and all I've ever done is watch Netflix on it once or twice, which I can get through the PlayStation anyway.

I suppose it would be useless if you only watch Netflix and already have something that you can watch Netflix. Even if you only watch Netflix and don't have something that you can watch Netflix on then a Chromecast is a much better buy than a console or Smart TV. We watch more than just Netflix so it gets a lot of use in my house. My wife didn't want to get rid of our UPC TV package so I took the batteries out of the UPC remote on a Monday and checked a week later and nobody had noticed. Must ring them to cancel actually!

riclad · 06-02-2016 02:11PM

I,d prefer to buy a secondhand plasma tv than a new lcd,
the picture is better with
more natural colors .
Of course they want everyone to buy 4k tvs .
even though theres not much tv programs to watch in hd 4k .
a few years ago everyone was supposed to buy 3d tvs,
but hardly anyone makes 3d tvs now .
I don,t know if shops still sell plasma tvs, or do they still make them .

recipio · 06-02-2016 02:13PM

LDN_Irish wrote: »

I remember reading something about plasmas being prone to "screen burn" which made them a poor choice for people who play games on the TV. Saw a few pics of a TV with Eastenders on and COD burned in to the screen.

Plasma has lost the LED/Plasma battle mainly because of a limited lifespan.
Is there any online streaming app that will have up to date movies with crisp optics ?
I got used to blu-ray and am looking for an alternative to buying discs at inflated prices.

smash · 06-02-2016 02:15PM

riclad wrote: »

I,d prefer to buy a secondhand plasma tv than a new lcd,
the picture is better with
more natural colors .
Of course they want everyone to buy 4k tvs .
even though theres not much tv programs to watch in hd 4k .
a few years ago everyone was supposed to buy 3d tvs,
but hardly anyone makes 3d tvs now .
I don,t know if shops still sell plasma tvs, or do they still make them .

You can buy an 8k TV now. Pretty useless at the moment but grey to see what the future holds. A lot of TV's have 3D features, which can be hard to watch but at the same time it's great to stick on a bit of high def 3D David Attenborough to have your mind blown!

Harry Palmr · 06-02-2016 02:23PM

smash wrote: »

The problem is that you're supposed get a tv to fit a space in a room, not do the Irish thing and big a huge tv and build your room around it.

/goes back to watching my 65" from 5ft away

ha! So true, I have a poverty sized 22" but for the room its just about right, its also just about right bearing in mind the number of channels which operate at the low-fi SD rate of 544 x 576 rather than 720 (and that is almost every channel that does not have a BBC/ITV/C4/Channel 5 association), A huge screen in a small room watching say Movies4Men or CBS Drama means spending time counting the pixel blocks than watching the action.

warpdrive · 06-02-2016 02:32PM

LCDs really do need to go. I hope there's a big breakthrough with OLEDs soon that makes them more affordable because a 1080p OLED looks better than a 4K LCD. They're the best thing since plasma.

Once people see movies playing on OLEDs they've previously watched on their own LCDs they'll be mad to get one. Watching a 4K BluRay on a 4K OLED in the comfort of your own home will be absolutely unbelievable. Early adopters will probably cringe if they visit other people's homes and have to look at a poverty LCD again.

Wibbs · 06-02-2016 02:52PM

smash wrote: »

But if you paused the signal even for a minute you were left with ghosting on the screen. Lifespan wasn't great either.

That was only with the early examples, though it's oft repeated a "problem" often by TV company sales types trying to shift higher margin LCDs. Zero ghosting on mine. In one "incident" a mate who will remain undoxxed used my satellite box remote to mute the sound. Unlike the internal TV mute that moves the icon around the screen periodically the satellite one doesn't. So there was a bright white mute icon onscreen for the best part of a day. Ghost image? Nope.

In long term tests of dimming over time plasmas don't seem to age any faster than LCD. IIRC my plasma has a ten year extended warranty and I know a chap with a nine year old Panasonic that still looks the mutts nuts. The blacks are better, as is colour fidelity, as is the contrast ratio, zero motion blur and overall the picture quality is "better" than LCD. Watch a Bluray of a film on both tech and the plasma is sooooo much better.

However if I was a gamer I'd go for LCD as games are essentially animation and that stuff looks better on LCD. LCDs are much brighter too so better in very bright rooms. Plasmas also use more electricity.

Graces7 · 06-02-2016 02:52PM

Never seen one.. ah well!

Wibbs · 06-02-2016 02:57PM

warpdrive wrote: »

LCDs really do need to go. I hope there's a big breakthrough with OLEDs soon that makes them more affordable because a 1080p OLED looks better than a 4K LCD. They're the best thing since plasma.

Once people see movies playing on OLEDs they've previously watched on their own LCDs they'll be mad to get one. Watching a 4K BluRay on a 4K OLED in the comfort of your own home will be absolutely unbelievable. Early adopters will probably cringe if they visit other people's homes and have to look at a poverty LCD again.

+1. When my plasma dies *sadface* I'll hope the OLED's are at my price point, because for me personally I find LCD's extremely meh. Too sterile a picture or something.

AllGunsBlazing · 06-02-2016 03:25PM

Yep. Just bought my first led flat screen after my fourteen year old crt tv finally went to the repair shop in the sky. First two days were spent trying to find a colour setting that wouldn't burn the eyeballs out of my skull. Still can't find a natural looking tone though, just one that isn't quite so harsh.

Masala · 06-02-2016 03:51PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Sadly not, as far as I know anyway? A real pity IMHO as the picture is so much better. In "blind" consumer tests time and time again the plasmas won out. To quote from this article.

What's the big deal, you might ask? Don't LCD TVs—or LED TVs, if you like to mistakenly call them that—already represent the overwhelming majority of TV sales?

Yes, though frankly I've never been able to understand why, unless you happen to live in a sun-drenched house without any window coverings, where LCD's higher brightness and less reflective screens would be a plus. (Or if you need a TV with a screen smaller than 42 inches.) All those so-called LCD TV features that manufacturers like to brag about, such as local dimming and 120Hz and 240Hz technologies—plasma doesn't need them. They're simply efforts to overcome LCD TVs' inherent weaknesses. And let's not even get into viewing angles.

The best plasmas deliver everything a videophile could want in a TV: great, deep black levels, accurate colors, and unlimited viewing angles. Think that plasmas only appeal to video snobs? We recently brought a bunch of new employees into our TV labs and asked them to pick their favorite two TVs. Out of the 15 TVs playing the same program, every single person picked the only two plasma sets in the room.

The LCD's are cheaper to make so… Plus if all you have on offer are the LCD's then their disadvantages don't stick out. OLED's are looking better over time, but for me it'll be a sad day when my 2010 42inch Panasonic plasma dies.

Same here..... Love my Panasonic 42 inch!!!! Mine over 6 yrs now. Paid close to €900 at time with 5 yr warranty. Wonder what my options 'if' it ever gives up on me!!!

Tony EH · 06-02-2016 03:52PM

kneemos wrote: »

Anyone else not really a fan of these and find the picture a bit harsh to watch?
Great for sport,but a bit wearing otherwise.

They're much better today than they were 10 years ago.

deco nate · 06-02-2016 04:00PM

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

Yep. Just bought my first led flat screen after my fourteen year old crt tv finally went to the repair shop in the sky. First two days were spent trying to find a colour setting that wouldn't burn the eyeballs out of my skull. Still can't find a natural looking tone though, just one that isn't quite so harsh.

Google make and model *best settings *and do the sub hues or whatever its called.
and that will fix it. Pre sets are crap. Main color go by eye.

colossus-x · 06-02-2016 04:05PM

Used to have plasma TV and now have a 2012 LCD.

The plasma had a superb picture BUT it consumed lots of electric, had a slight buzz sound from it , was quite thick and heavy and you could feel it heat coming from it. Connecting computer equipment to it would run the risk of burn in which was annoying if you only had to constantly worry about it.

My newer LCD is light as a feather, economical on electric. The picture is about 80% as good as the plasma BUT I had to fiddle with picture settings forever and a day to get it like that. It cost 1/3 the cost of the plasma. Never gave any trouble whatsoever. Very satisfied with it over the plasma.

The default picture settings on most LCD out of the box are usually awful but thankfully you can fix that. Does require a bit of reading up on what the settings mean and how you should adjust them.

Flat screen Tellies.

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