Question:
Hi Guys,
We are looking at buying one of the new 42 inch flat screen HD TVs and I've read all the blurb on the HDTV posted earlier, so may decide to go with a normal one instead, anyway my question is should we go LCD or Plasma?
We had a look at the weekend and different stores/salesmen had differing views on both.
Any advice/opinions gladly accepted.
Debs
Answers:
Hi Debs,
When you put a post like this down, there will be a lot of differing opinions, and in my case, tend to confuse more than help sometimes.
So, my suggestion is to figure the answers to some basic questions like,
1. How much do I use my TV?
2. What do plan to watch mostly (Comdies, Movies, etc.)
3. What kind of equipment I use mostly (Freeview box, DVD player, etc)
*4. How much do I want to spend?
5. Who else will use the TV?
6. Am I going to connect other devices? (Ie. Hifi system)
Questions like this can help your decision and allow you to arrive to an answer quickly.
But, in case you want to know where I stand, I would most probably go with an LCD TV. My primary reasons are:
1. Price
2. Portability (Using a wall mounted swivel would be a easier with an LCD)
But, if you want more information, you can just click on the following link:
Good luck!
Answers:
Thanks Soulistic, I never thought to look at it like that. There's only me and hubby and we watch a lot of mainstream telly rather than films.
I will take all your questions into account when choosing.
Thanks again Debs
Answers:
Thanks Soulistic, I never thought to look at it like that. There's only me and hubby and we watch a lot of mainstream telly rather than films.
I will take all your questions into account when choosing.
Thanks again Debs
There isn't a right answer right now. LCD probably is the future but you don't care about the future, you care about what's out there right now. Some of the issues with plasma (they used to suffer from "burn in" and didn't last as long as normal TVs) have been fixed. LCD on the other hand was known for "ghosting" - where you can see a shadow of a fast-moving image. That too is really a myth for the newest screens. For all intents and purposes there isn't much difference. A few things;
1. Plasma is a lot heavier. If you were thinking of wall-mounting then be aware. Plasma also gets warm so if you were thinking about mounting over a fireplace you use, be warned this is bad for them.
2. _All_ analogue TV - so VHS or non-digital terrestrial - will look awful. You have to use digital to get the best out of these, _and_ be aware that cable companies and Freeview boxes often have the picture as "composite" by default. Manually chance (buried deep in the options) to RGB. It will look so much better it is like getting a new TV there and then. Ideally you want a built-in Freeview tuner.
3. Don't get too hung up on pixels. 1,024 x 768 is fine. Any less isn't; any more is nice but not necessary.
4. However, the higher the "contrast ratio" the better.
5. Make sure it has at least one HDMI connector. This is to allow high definition in the future and it is definitely worth future-proofing now.
All that said, I reckon the best value you can get right now are the Pioneer 43" plasmas. These win most of the awards and also have a separate box to plug things into - cuts down on the cable confetti and is really useful if you do wall-mount.
You can try this link:
It compares the Pioneer PDP-436XDE; you'll be looking at about £2,400. Personally I think this is the best you can get for the money. You can pay half as much but you'll be looking at replacing one of the Tesco ones in not very much time at all.
Answers:
Thanks Alex,
We will be wall mounting it and no issues with a fireplace.
Thanks for the link to the Pioneer I tend to agree it is the best although the price is putting us off, only because we are moving and downsizing so we have to buy every item of furniture from new for moving in February, so don't want to spend anymore than £2k max for the TV.
I assume the contrast ratio will be visible on the TV info details displayed or is this something we should ask?
We are going to hit the sales after Christmas but no doubt there won't be any bargains in this category!!
Cheers for all your valuable feedback Alex.
Debs
Answers:
Thanks Alex,
We will be wall mounting it and no issues with a fireplace.
Thanks for the link to the Pioneer I tend to agree it is the best although the price is putting us off, only because we are moving and downsizing so we have to buy every item of furniture from new for moving in February, so don't want to spend anymore than £2k max for the TV.
I assume the contrast ratio will be visible on the TV info details displayed or is this something we should ask?
We are going to hit the sales after Christmas but no doubt there won't be any bargains in this category!!
Cheers for all your valuable feedback Alex.
Debs
No probs! Having read that I am even more convinced you should go with the Pioneer as if you want to wall mount properly, you will want to hide the cables in the wall. A separate media centre makes that much more practical as if, for example, you got a Windows Media Center PC - or even if your DVD player went on the blink - you wouldn't want to get a plasterer in to deal with the mess to the wall too!
Contrast ratio_ yes it is a black art. But the reviewers say this is one of the strengths of this screen, hence the recommendation. I completely agree with normal on Panasonic by the way, though it doesn't have the separate box. (Personally I have a Sony and after just over three years it is dying. I wouldn't refuse to get another but obviously from where I'm sitting that's not a ringing endoresement. Generally they're quite expensive and/or under-featured, though they often look good. If it dief tomorrow - which it might - I'd get the Pioneer. I'd prefer to get a Fujitsu as I like the minimal look and their screen technology is second to none but they're more expensive still and the current model doesn;t have HDMI. The Sharp 45" LCD is the cream of the crop, but at £4,500, it should be!)
I's very easy for me to spend your money :-) but I think it's the one for you. If you can hold off there will always be a new model, though it;s worth noting that while new models usually get announced in January (when the trade shows are) they're usually not delivered till the Autumn.
Answers:
Don't bother asking about the contrast levels from anyone. They're about as acurate as the power values on old stereos. Basic guide, have some money? Buy Panasonic, Sony or Pioneer. Don't have any money? Buy Toshiba or Hitachi. Again, this is a very basic guideline for you. If you can answer soulistic's questions then people may be able to advise. If you're moving somewhere smaller, a 37" telly may also suit you.
Answers:
Hi Normal,
Answers to questions from Soulistic
1. How much do I use my TV?
On all the time - if I'm working from home during the day it is on as well as night.
2. What do plan to watch mostly (Comdies, Movies, etc.)
Standard TV programmes - the occasional DVD for films and comedy
3. What kind of equipment I use mostly (Freeview box, DVD player, etc)
We want to try and get onewith Freeview built in - we have Sky at the minute but will cancel when we move.
*4. How much do I want to spend?
Max max of 2k
5. Who else will use the TV?
Only the 2 of us.
6. Am I going to connect other devices? (Ie. Hifi system)
Not planning to add the hifi system but might consider using microsoft XP.
Think that's it.
Debs
Answers:
We're coming around to the idea of paying more and going for the Pioneer.
We have a Sony widescreen TV that cost £2k 3 years ago and the picture is second to none and we're concerned that the picture wouldn't be as good on some of the Plasma screens, as we've seen in the stores. I think it might just be their reception in some cases.
Ta
Debs
Answers:
We're coming around to the idea of paying more and going for the Pioneer.
We have a Sony widescreen TV that cost £2k 3 years ago and the picture is second to none and we're concerned that the picture wouldn't be as good on some of the Plasma screens, as we've seen in the stores. I think it might just be their reception in some cases.
Ta
Debs
That's why I said you need a digital source. Analogue really does look dire. It is shown surprisngly often in shops though. DVDs will look amazing as will the "decent" Freeview channels (basically the BBC and the terrestrial three others) - or the Sky or cable equivalents. But you'll perhaps notice that E4, More4, and some of the other minor digital channels look "worse." On the one hand they will be very crisp. But watching "Lost" on E4 when it's dark and they're sitting by the fire - forget it, you might as well listen to the radio for all you're seeing as it is so compressed it just comes across as a mass of black. You also often get banding - where you can see that they've only used a limited number of colours, this is where they join - a bit like painting by numbers. You would have been much less likely to see this on your CRT Sony, which sort of smooths out the rough edges. The summary of all of this is that all flat screens are much less forgiving, and the better the input source, the better your experience will be. If you didn't watch DVDs, didn't want Sky, and weren't in a Freeview area I would actually not recommend a flat panel screen at all as no question your picture would appear worse (in reality of course you're seeing the same thing but on the better screen flaws are more apparent.)
Answers:
Excellent choice... Pioneer do well. After reading this post, I began doing some of my own research, and came across some sites with reviews that I thought would be helpful. In case you have the time to look at it, here are the sites:
Anyhow, good luck with your purchase!
Answers:
Excellent choice... Pioneer do well. After reading this post, I began doing some of my own research, and came across some sites with reviews that I thought would be helpful. In case you have the time to look at it, here are the sites:
Anyhow, good luck with your purchase!
Thanks for this Soulistic I will get hubby onto it as he is in charge of this purchase! That way I can blame him if it all goes wrong...only joking
many thanks
Debs
Answers:
Don't know if you're still looking for a telly but looked like a really good deal for what you want. Also note you can get £200 cashback if you buy a Sony DVD recorder with it (highly recommended!)
Answers:
Don't know if you're still looking for a telly but looked like a really good deal for what you want. Also note you can get £200 cashback if you buy a Sony DVD recorder with it (highly recommended!)
You may be right normal, although this requires you to plug in leads into the back (small beer perhaps). But I have seen these demoed: I have mentioned already that my (Sony) plasma is on its last legs which is one reason why I take an interest (as it still works I am not replacing it yet; I am holding out for three HDMI and a DVI for my Mac - if my current screen lasts that long so hoping for the best but planning for the worst...). One thing is that the £200 DVD deal is from Sony so you can do this anywhere. But another is that the picture quality on these Bravias seems very bad. It is hard to tell though as in my local Comet they display all these proudly wth little "HD ready" cards on them, yet pipe in their own adverts on a standard RF cable so it looks awful (in passing it is no wonder that most people claim not to care about HD, because if that's what they think they're seeing in these chain stores, neither would I). But I think Dixons had Freeview on one and that didn't look a lot better. I still don't get "Bravia" - Sony's name for these LCDs - are they supposed to be cheaper than the Wega line? That is my suspicion. From what I have seen I would definitely not buy one of these screens off the net just on the basis of the spec, whereas I would happily do that for either the Panasonic or Pioneer screens. Happy to be corrected / informed by someone who has one.
Answers:
Thanks Alex,
Hubby checked the Freeview availability and they said it wasn't available in the area we are moving to, but he reckons we should be okay! if not it will probably be Sky again.
Will let you know next week what happens and thanks for all the comments, you're all a great bunch on here.
Debs
Answers:
If you can borrow a freeview box from a friend it would be worth checking for yourself.
Apparently i cannot get freeview here but no one seems to have told my TV.
Perfect picture on all channels
Answers:
If you can borrow a freeview box from a friend it would be worth checking for yourself.
Apparently i cannot get freeview here but no one seems to have told my TV.
Perfect picture on all channels
That's what hubby reckoned, that they haven't caught up yet Hythers...you've just proved the point. Good idea about checking it out first though.
Cheers
Debs
Answers:
Im am after an LCD Tv at least 17"-20" preferably with a built DVD player for no more than £300, any models/sites you would recommend?
Answers:
Im am after an LCD Tv at least 17"-20" preferably with a built DVD player for no more than £300, any models/sites you would recommend?
Superman I would put this on again as a new thread as I think it might have got lost in hear.
Cheers
Debs