LCD or Plasma

We are just about to purchase a new TV looking at a flat screen 42" one. Just wondering as anyone any recommendations if we should go for a LCD one or a Plasma one. Also what are the pro's and con's?

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nev said:

We are just about to purchase a new TV looking at a flat screen 42" one. Just wondering as anyone any recommendations if we should go for a LCD one or a Plasma one. Also what are the pro's and con's?

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The common wisdom on this debate says that each have their good points and bad points - the best way to decide is to go and see both in operation and see which one you prefer.

Ive been told (bloke in DID) that LCD are the better of the two..longer lasting seemingly! I bought a 42" LG LCD recently for €999!

Yes agree that LCD seem to last longer. We had several Plasma screens in work and after a couple of years the images have actually burned in to the screen so that even when the screen is off you can see the image - like numbers etc. Imagine if you watched MTV a lot that over time you'd see the MTV symbol all the time with a plasma!
That being said the image on a plasma seems to be slightly superior than the LCD.

nev said:

We are just about to purchase a new TV looking at a flat screen 42" one. Just wondering as anyone any recommendations if we should go for a LCD one or a Plasma one. Also what are the pro's and con's?

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As someone that doesn't have a television in my house, take what I say with a grain of salt.
I was in DID Electrical recently and I spent some time looking at the TVs, for future reference. I was appalled at the poor quality of all the LCD screens. I think the problem is that the screens are too big, and as a result the image is spread out and indistinct. But then I noticed the small ones were just as poor. I noticed this both up close (as you'd expect) and far back. I was stunned that LCD are so popular, but I guess that's the "must have" nature of advertising. I definitely think a 24-28 inch tube has a better picture than an LCD.

As for the plasma, these seemed much better, easily as good quality as a tube. But I get the impression that tubes are difficult to find anymore.

I've read a few articles comparing the two, they point out that many TV shops show cartoons and shows with vivid colours. Apparently one of them, not sure which, is unable to show black (dark grey is as dark as it can go), and also that circular shapes, eg footballs, are not quiet round.

Got to say that CRT still beats the socks off either Plasma or LCD. And at a fraction of the price. If you can still get a CRT in the shops that is.

was told 'regular' tv's can no longer be got.lcd/plasma only.
i'm the same,would love widescreen sony tv,
i just dont think picture is anything great in either plasma/lcd
in comparison at the moment anyway.
Fredg.

Agree that ordinary digital-TV signals look pretty bad on larger LCD displays.

My motivation for getting one though was to watch high-definition formats.

This week, for example, I've been watching David Attenborough's "Planet Earth" which was shot in high-definition video and is released in Blu-ray format.

Watching this at 1080p (1920×1080) on a 46" LCD is nothing short of feckin' astonishing ! I've never seen the "likes" !

When it ends and I flick back to "digital" TV, it looks really really bad by comparison. (Doesn't bother me too much though as I rarely bother with TV anyway)

Gautama said:

I was in DID Electrical recently and I spent some time looking at the TVs, for future reference. I was appalled at the poor quality of all the LCD screens. I think the problem is that the screens are too big

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Don't be fooled by the image quality on TVs in large electrical superstores. If they are getting a feed from cable or satellite, the signal is degraded as a result of too many TVs receiving the signal. I have a Toshiba 32" LCD and the picture quality (even on standard defintion sources) is much better than any CRT I have ever come across. Of course give it a High Definition feed and the images are simply stunning.
CRT TV`s are old technology, dead wood.

The answer to your question will vary depending on which shop you go into. As to which is the best, they both have their own flaws. Depending on your requirements will depend on which is the better option. up to 40" lcds and plasma for larger. Picture quality is an issue, the thing to remember is that all sets in shops are high Def. however, unless you have high def signal at home, you will not get the best picture from your tv, and most people dont. The reality, is that the best tv is an crt tv 100 htz although they are not the "IN" item.

kilkerry said:

unless you have high def signal at home, you will not get the best picture from your tv, and most people dont. The reality, is that the best tv is an crt tv 100 htz although they are not the "IN" item.

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I disagree. CRT is old technology and both LCD and Plasma are superior in terms of picture quality, even on Standard Definition sources. Of course High Definition feeds bring out the best in LCD and Plasma, so I would always advise potential buyers to also invest in either a HD DVD or Blu-Ray player. If finances do not permit, invest instead in a much cheaper upscaling DVD player.

gebbel said:

I disagree. CRT is old technology and both LCD and Plasma are superior in terms of picture quality, even on Standard Definition sources. Of course High Definition feeds bring out the best in LCD and Plasma, so I would always advise potential buyers to also invest in either a HD DVD or Blu-Ray player. If finances do not permit, invest instead in a much cheaper upscaling DVD player.

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Sorry but got to disagree with your disagreement !!

If you consider that the vast majority of TV watching is still in SD, then CRT still beats LCD and Plasma, especially on Freeview and anything with fast moving images (ie sport or films).

OK LCD and plasma are great with HDTV, but how many people have it in (ie how many are happy watching endless repeats on 7 channels)?

They will be fantastic when SD is fading, but it is still the staple diet of most TV viewers.

It is just that people are being sold the myth. They go into Currys and the likes and see HD demos and are amazed by these new HD panels. They then get them home and hook up a poor feed like a roof aerial and the picture is crap. I don't say this lightly, as I have seen plenty of these screen in houses and the picture is truly shocking in terms of quality. A real step backward.

Another mistake that people make is to buy the biggest they can afford. Bad idea. If you are sitting in a 10ft x 10ft room and viewing from 6ft away a 42" is way too big. You'll see every imperfection. But people just don't want to go out and buy a 32" panel when they can get a 37" or 42" for not much more.

I'm sticking with CRT for the next few years anyway. At least until HDTV gets its act together.

RMCF said:

They go into Currys and the likes and see HD demos and are amazed by these new HD panels. They then get them home and hook up a poor feed like a roof aerial and the picture is crap.

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I agree that the picture will look worse than a CRT when fed with the likes of a roof aerial. But when buying a HDTV, one should ditch the foof aerial and upgrade to digital TV. I have a SKY (only SD) subscription and am very pleased with the image quality on a Toshiba 32" LCD. It is better than the old Sony CRT I had before that.

gebbel said:

It is better than the old Sony CRT I had before that.

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I have a NEW JVC CRT (32in bought earlier this year). I watch NTL Digital SD TV and it's vastly better on my CRT than any LCD or Plasma I've seen in anyone elses home. Particularly, as RMCF said, with fast moving images.

Breaking News...hold off on that LCD or Plasma purchase!

See attached just announced today.

[broken link removed]

gebbel said:

I agree that the picture will look worse than a CRT when fed with the likes of a roof aerial. But when buying a HDTV, one should ditch the foof aerial and upgrade to digital TV. I have a SKY (only SD) subscription and am very pleased with the image quality on a Toshiba 32" LCD. It is better than the old Sony CRT I had before that.

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Well I still am a great believer in CRT for SD sources.

I have yet to see an LCD/Plasma showing SD better than my 36" Panasonic CRT. I admit that some are very good at it, but they are built and tweaked to show HD as good as possible, and as a result are not geared towards SD, which the vast majority of the population have and will continue to have for several years.

I hope I don't come across as a HD cynic, because I would love the technology to succeed. I have seen the demos and they look great. But what I do fear is that Sky (and other providers) will water down the service and make the technology weaker than it could be.

I think of SkySD - it has the potential to be great for years to come, but there are so many channels on Sky that look so crap simply because they lower the bitrate to fit in all those crap late night quiz channels and Babestations.

And they will of course do the same with HD.

A.Partridge said:

Breaking News...hold off on that LCD or Plasma purchase!

See attached just announced today.

[broken link removed]

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Yeah that technology sounds great, but can't see them selling too many 11" screens for £850 here.