HDTV 42" plasma vs 37" LCD, same price?

[purplemonkey]

hi guys, I know the plasma vs LCD debate has probably been flogged to death on here but I'm a bit confused by this....

brand new HDTV 1080p units from John lewis.
Panasonic 42" Plasma
http/www.johnlewis.com/Technology/Televisions/Televisions/Plasma+TV/1377/230443383/Product.aspx
Panasonic 37" LCD
http/www.johnlewis.com/Technology/Televisions/Televisions/LCD+TV/1284/230446801/Product.aspx


I was originally kind of thinking plasma because I understand plasma has better black levels. I will be using the TV for movies, and all my PC gaming. but then I found out its rare to get sub-40" sets, which I kind of need due to having a small flat. but also I was told plasma resolution was around 1024x768 levels for a grand(1080p being around 3k). I more recently started thinking LCD due to its technology getting much better on black levels, and the higher res 1080p...
now my mate just turned up with this panasonic set which is full 1080p for the same price as the 37" LCD. so now i'm totally confused.

asside from my personal problem of having a small flat thus probably being better off with a 37" set, can anyone convice me or highlight why I shouldn't go for the plasma?

 

[rexter]

Burn-in, even though plasma is getting better at it. It still have burn-in. LCD doesn't have that problem. Plasma is better if only use is to play TV programs and Movies. But with gaming, LCD is better due to no burn-in issue.

 

[purplemonkey]

yeah I heard about the burn in effect, but with careful use it can be avoided. I also heard that Plasma is better for gaming?!?

 

[KingLoftusXII]

LCD's can still have issues with fast motion and plasma's have better black levels. For a TV to be used mostly for gaming I would suggest DLP. No burn in, no issues with fast motion, and generally better blacks than LCD.

 

[purplemonkey]

ah, DLP, I remember seeing one of those in Selfridges or somewhere about 3 years ago, was the best TV I'd ever seen.
I'd be interested to where the hell you can buy them from though? looking around the internet you'd think they didn't exist. Maybe its because its rear projection, they just don't have the market? Also do they support 1080p?

Good point about the motion blur though, thats something I want to avoid at all costs. I see your an F1 fan too, my old CRT used to process the image to 'improve' it, all it did was make all the cars jaggy!! but its the kind of thing you don't find out till you've unboxed it, set it up and invited all your mates round to crack some tinnies!

In Comet the rolling demo on the top Panasonic LCD was very impressive, it has a processor for cleaning up the image, and football and text were clear as day, but I do wonder if demo is 'doctored' at all.

 

[KingLoftusXII]

Yes DLP comes in the 1080p flavor. LCD's have come a long way in the fast motion dept so it shouldn't be a huge concern, but for mostly gaming, see if you can find a nice DLP to at least compare.

 

[Altema00]

To make things easy, go to the store and pick out the one with the best picture for the money you can afford. Don't worry about a thing, you're not marrying the tv. You can always return it (usually within 30 days) if you don't like it.

The price difference does not make sense because plasmas are generally more expensive than LCDs. You may want to consider that the reason for the price difference is that the manufacterer is trying to get rid of the 42" plasma you're looking at, because they've already, or about to, introduce a better one. A 37" LCD is balderdash, and a 42" plasma is not what you really want. My advice is to hang in there and save your money for a little longer until you can buy a great tv, instead of just an ok tv. You can get a fantastic 47" HD TV for around $2000 and it will be worth it I promise you that. Luckily I talked my wife into a 54" but she's glad now. But whatever you decide, make sure the tv you buy is full 1080p, and that the HDMI cord you buy is also full 1080p. That is the fastest and best HD TV available.


I've played Unreal Tournament for the PS3 with my son and daughter, which you probably know has extremly fast motion, on my Samsung LCD. The playback is crystal and actually met my high expectations. Since it's LCD and not Plasma, I don't have to worry about burning the image and ruining my pixels. Why anyone would risk that I don't know. Oddly enough, it is the PS3 that limits the quality of the graphics, not the tv. This is because most, if not all PS3 games can only be played up to 720p if you use an HDMI cable.


When it comes to HD television, the native resolution of your HDTV (the one thats advertised), the device you hook up to the tv, the type of cord you use to connect the device, and the media you put into the device, whether its a dvd, bluray, game, or cable television, are all things that affect the quality of what you see on screen. For example, dvds are not played back in HD because dvds came before HDTV. You won't be able to play HD-DVDs or bluray with your regular dvd player.

Digital cable is not the same as HD cable. HD cable is a special digital signal that only an HDTV can process. See if your TV has an HD Cable tuner built in (HD Cable-Ready). If it is then you won't need a special cable box from your cable company. Just because you have HD cable doesn't mean every channel will be in HD. Cable television stations broadcast using different signals and determine the quality when you're watching tv (the station must be broadcasting in HD). HD cable is usually broadcast in 1080i and your television will convert that signal into its native resolution. You will convert that signal into 1080p if your HD-TV is full 1080p. That being said, you will have the best of both worlds. You get the speed of 1080i with the quality of p (progressive scanning).

If the lighting is bad where you're going to put the tv you might want to go with plasma. If you have lots of windows I'd go with LCD. If you're worried about black levels on an LCD than make sure you get one that has good black levels. Not all LCD tvs, plasma tvs, or DLPs are created equal. Hopefully you'll get one with a detailed menu that will allow you to adjust the color, lighting, picture size, color tone, etc etc.

Well it's about time to watch the Steelers game. Hope something I said helps you in your quest. Good Luck.

 

[purplemonkey]

Thanks for the reply. i have now decided to wait on the the TV purchase, as where i'm living is causing me to have to comprimise. So instead I've opted for a Hyundia 24" PVA monitor, should be arriving tomorrow, and has inputs for HDMI, Component, DVI, so fingers crossed will meet all my short term (TV) needs, and hopefully last me a long time as a great pc monitor.

 

[rexter]

Yes burn-in can be avoided especially if playing games with an option to change the view without all those static objects on the screen. So as long you know how to prevent plasma from burn-in I would recommend it.

PLASMA Burn-in, like on CRT Static images can leave a permanent mark on the screen. This is why nobody should use a plasma TV as a computer monitor or video game display. But as long as you know how to avoid burn-in on plasma then yes go with plasma. Some Panasonic and Sharp have very good color reproduction. Sony's Elite version is one of the best.

LCD burn-in called Image Persistence - Like the PLASMA, image persistence on LCD monitors is caused by the continuous display of static graphics on the screen for extended periods of time. The crystals could get a permanent memory. But It is very unlikely to have this happen to general consumers unless they use the monitor as a signboard that doesn’t change.

1080p Resolution, I considered as marking tool as everyone wants higher resolution most people forgets. Like Mega pixels on digital cameras it's nothing if it can't produce good quality pictures, an amplifier with high wattage make a lot distortion and not quality. I think you know where I'm getting at.

720p with good image quality reproduction is better than 1080p with average image quality. 720 is already High Definition and if you want 1080p it comes with price.

 

[rubix_1011]

This topic has been closed by Rubix_1011