Key Post: LCD or Plasma

H

Hansov

Guest
Just writing my letter to Santa and want to explain exactly what I want!!!! (Wanting does unfortunately not mean getting!! as she who controls the purse strings continues to state). Aldi are or were selling LCD TVs this week (1699 euros) and in the flyer were extolling the virtues of LCD. Anybody got views on the benefits or lack thereof of Plasma or LCD. (And perhaps she might remember my letter next year!)
 
Re: LCD or Plasma

Aldi are or were selling LCD TVs this week (1699 euros) and in the flyer were extolling the virtues of LCD.

I'm pretty sure that was Lidl (the new store on Moore Street) and not Aldi. I presume that you've tried for comparisons/reviews?
 
Re: LCD or Plasma

Thanks Clubman. You do know your German retailers! Yes it was Lidl (I was in both yesterday in Lucan). BTW there were three of the TVs left there at 3pm yesterday. Unusual but I suppose They are not something that would fly off the shelves! Googling it now but of course I was looking for real live Irish views from AAM colleagues as well!
 
Supposedly....

LCD is the better format however you normally pay more for LCD when comparing two screens of the same size. My thoughts are to hang on til next chrimbo. Its still a relatively new product and there are still massive leaps being made in the technology. The common view is that the old CRT still gives the best picture.
 
Re: Supposedly....

One thing I hear said about Plasma screens, is that there life span is limited, at least compared to CRT. How does LCD fair in that department? And is LCD picture quality as good/better than Plasma?
 
Re: Supposedly....

The problem of burn-in with plasma which doesn't affect LCD was one of the issues mentioned in the Lidl flyer.
 
Re: Supposedly....

plasmas are limited in lifespan, easily damages and operate at quite a low resolution.think of it this way, a plasma is a flat telly as opposed to a lcd which is a mega cumputer monitor. add a pc with wireless kb and mouse and you have the ultimate family pc. personally, im waiting until you can get a 42'' lcd for todays plasma money
 
Plasma Vs LCD

[broken link removed]

For the copmparison of Plasma Vs LCD

Seems that LCD is the way to go
 
Re: Plasma Vs LCD

I picked up one of these the other week in DID:

LG KZ17LZ21 17" LCD Screen with Built-in DVD Player

It was a tad expensive (a grand) but space and cable clutter is an issue for me so I was willing to pay a little more for the built-in DVD.

I am overall very happy with it. Contrast is not as good as my CRT TV but I was expecting that.

Here is a review in
[broken link removed].

January's issue of HCC also has a LCD TV comparison.
 
Re: Plasma Vs LCD

Great link Dan, definitely LCD seems much better technology. Just to wait for prices to come down now!
 
Re: Plasma Vs LCD

On Dan's link, it says:

Typical plasma TVs have a life span of 20,000 to 30,000 hours, which equates to at least two years, three months of 24/7 usage before the TV fades to half the original brightness.

This is not true, at least not for the latest generation of Plasmas (from Pioneer, anyway), which are at 50,000 hours, same as LCD.

Bad news is that these Plasmas cost c. €5000 :(

Here is another useful comparison of LCD versus Plasma, for both TV and Computer usage.
 
Important if you are comtemplating.....

.... a plasma/lcd tv.

Sky HDTV not going to compatable with some plasmas/lcd in 2006.

[broken link removed]

I assume (but could be wrong) that the same applies for CRTs.
 
Re: Important if you are contemplating.....

.... a plasma/lcd tv.


Sky HDTV not going to compatable with some plasmas/lcd in 2006.

Interesting. I'm sure this is not the last word on the subject.

People will find ways around this. For example, component Video output on DVD players has only recently (in the last 2 years) been ratified for PAL, even though it was available for NTSC for quite some time. The reason was to do with copyright and copy protection. However, most DVD players could be hacked to provide PAL component output.

HDMI or DVI interfaces seem to be used on larger displays, as HDTV really works best on large displays, i.e. greater then 32".

You won't find HDMI or DVI inputs on most LCDs below 32" and neither will you find it on many CRTs of 32" or below.
 
Re: Important if you are contemplating.....

The thing about HDTV is the screen resolution. It will render almost all current equipment obsolete.
 
Re: Important if you are contemplating.....

The thing about HDTV is the screen resolution. It will render almost all current equipment obsolete.

I agree, but not for at least 5 years.

Just look at the slow takeup in the States.

There is currently little or no HDTV content in Europe (apart from that I know of).

There is no practical way to record this content at present either (leaving aside copyright / DRM issues for the moment), until Blu-Ray of HD-DVD become affordable.

I am looking forward to HDTV and to high definition DVD, and if I buy a big-screen Plasma in the next few years I will ensure it supports all relevant standards.

I won't be junking by 32 inch CRT or my 17 inch widescreen LCD anytime soon, though, and neither, I suspect, will many Irish or UK consumers.
 
My money

... is on every Tom, Dick & Harry buying a plasma or lcd when SSIAs start to mature ( Apr 06 )
 
Re: My money

a little off topic & wondering if you went ahead with the Lidl TV. My elderly parents bought one and it takes half an hour of stripes before the picture kicks in... the troubleshooting guide says return to the suppliers. The problem is getting it there (OK, me & it!) and will they replace it..... and how fast. The prospect of being TV less seems to be alarming them. Anyone had problems with this TV / 7/or experience of returning this type of thing to Lidl?
 
Re: My money

There is currently little or no HDTV content in Europe
You could say the same for widescreen, but that hasn't stopped it becoming the dominant format in the shops (even in there is very little content filmed in widescreen (apart from made-for-cinema movies).
 
Re: My money

You could say the same for widescreen, but that hasn't stopped it becoming the dominant format in the shops (even in there is very little content filmed in widescreen (apart from made-for-cinema movies).

I disagree. You will notice that most UK channels in particular have black bars on soaps and dramas - they have been moving over the past 2 or 3 years towards increased widescreen and eventually widescreen-only programming.

I heard the other day that one of the UK channels (can't remember which) was going to go widescreen only in 2006.

Sky Digital broadcast many widescreen films, and most DVDs you rent or buy are in widescreen.

Thus, buying a widescreen telly makes a lot of sense.

I do see TVs saying "HDTV" ready - I would buy one of these if I was buying a new TV now. If buying a Plasma / LCD model, particularly a larger one, would try to get a model with an HDCP compliant HDMI connection, if available.
 
Re: My money

I heard the other day that one of the UK channels (can't remember which) was going to go widescreen only in 2006.
I've been hearing for 3 years that 'everything' will be widescreen in 6 months time - it just never quite seems to happen. I'd love to see some statistics on the percentage of material filmed in widescreen on each channel.
 
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