Plasma v. LCD HDTV

[deuces wild]

When in the 46"+ range of these sets, which is the best option?

My research shows that Sony does not offer a plasma HD tv. Why not?

[andsome]

Plasma versus LCD :D

[AlanHo]

LCD TV's generally have more pixels than Plasma - therefore High Definition broadcasts have a sharper and more detailed picture on LCD.

My 42" LCD TV has 1920 x 1080 pixels and has a superb picture on HD broadcasts. I watched an HD football match on a friends 42" Plasma over the week-end with a 1024 X 768 pixel picture and the picture was not nearly as sharp - but the grass was greener because the colours were more vibrant than on my TV.

I suppose it's a question of personal preference.

[Irene]

We recently purchased a Panasonic Plasma HD TV - I think it's 37" though, not 42".

The picture is absolutely superb in every respect. We are delighted with it. :D

I do believe that the manufacturer is an important issue, when considering a purchase.

[AlanHo]

It's all so far removed from my childhood. We had a Phillips black & white TV with a 9" screen.

My dad got duped into buying a device which promised to transform it into a colour TV. It turned out to be a tinted clear plastic screen which was blue at the top, pink in the middle and green/brown at the bottom. So you saw blue sky, green grass and the newsreader had a pink face if the proportions of the picture were compatible. Most times it looked plain daft.

[deuces wild]

Thanks for the great advice folks.

Irene, are Panasonic sets as good as Sony's but without the high price tag of a Sony?

[AlanHo]

DW - I have had Panasonic for years and I think they are excellent.

The only reason I bought Toshiba this time is that Panasonic did not make a 42" LCD at the time and their Plasma lacked the same picture quality in terms of definition - but was brighter with more vibrant colours and contrast.

Looking at sets 18 months later - things have moved on dramatically and you are hard put to tell the difference between plasma and LCD in the showroom - unless they are showing an HD picture. In which case a good LCD will beat a good plasma for a crisp and detailed picture every time. The only advantage I can see of plasma is that it has a larger contrast ratio and a brighter picture in a well lit room. We only watch TV in an evening so this difference would not be of any benefit to us.

So my advice would be - if you need to watch TV in a very well lit room plasma possibly has the edge - but at the expense of picture quality in terms of fine definition when watching an HD DVD or high definition TV broadcast.

[Irene]

Thanks for the great advice folks.

Irene, are Panasonic sets as good as Sony's but without the high price tag of a Sony?

I must admit, we have a full compliment of Panasonic equipment. Their quality is, in our opinion, excellent. We also feel that the equipment integrates better if they are from the same source.

I am not sure how Panasonic prices compare with Sony in this instant.

However, I do have Sony movie camera, which I love. Having said that I have a Panasonic stills camera.

Maybe you could say that I am biased!! :lol:

Seriously, I suppose you are inclined to by from the manufacturer who has given you the most satisfaction. :)

[deuces wild]

Always good to hear first hand compliments of a product manufacturer. Thanks for the feedback Alan and Irene. Panasonic is now on our list,

[andsome]

We last had Panasonic, a TV, and a VHS recorder. We changed this for Sony a couple of years ago. The TV is fair, but the sound quality is no where near as good as the Panasonic. The VHS recorder is rubbish, the worst one we have ever owned, and the DVD player is fairly decent. I will buy Panasonic or Toshiba next time. :D

[AlanHo]

We last had Panasonic, a TV, and a VHS recorder. We changed this for Sony a couple of years ago. The TV is fair, but the sound quality is no where near as good as the Panasonic. The VHS recorder is rubbish, the worst one we have ever owned, and the DVD player is fairly decent. I will buy Panasonic or Toshiba next time. :D

Few televisions have good sound quality - the speakers are usually small or a long narrow shape which does nothing for bass quality. This is especially true of LCD and plasma sets because they are so thin. Music lovers in particular will notice this.

My TV is connected to the Hi Fi so we get the full benefit of the digital sound.

With the cable box and DVD recorder also connected there are 4 remote controls to play with - which is a pain - so I bought a Logitech programmable remote which controls all four. It is brilliant, the screen gives you the options of...

1 Watching cable TV or a cable recording

2 Watching Freeview TV

3 Watching a DVD or Freeview recording

4 Using the HI Fi to listen to the radio or play CD's

You just press the appropriate button and the required units are switched on and set for the selected option.

[CurlyWhirly]

Few televisions have good sound quality - the speakers are usually small or a long narrow shape which does nothing for bass quality

Agreed.

I have a Sony TV and the picture quality is excellent, it's just the sound that is poor.

It's a shame as I like to have good sound when I'm watching my DVD's :(

Do you know if there is any way to improve it for example by adding replacement speakers?

p.s. I can't find the instruction manual

[Irene]

My TV is connected to the Hi Fi so we get the full benefit of the digital sound.

Ours is too....

Makes an amazing difference.

[Irene]

I can't find the instruction manual

You could probably download one (or at least view it) from the internet.

[andsome]

We last had Panasonic, a TV, and a VHS recorder. We changed this for Sony a couple of years ago. The TV is fair, but the sound quality is no where near as good as the Panasonic. The VHS recorder is rubbish, the worst one we have ever owned, and the DVD player is fairly decent. I will buy Panasonic or Toshiba next time. :D

Few televisions have good sound quality - the speakers are usually small or a long narrow shape which does nothing for bass quality. This is especially true of LCD and plasma sets because they are so thin. Music lovers in particular will notice this.

I appreciate this, but the Panasonic was far more acceptable in the sound department. :D

[AlanHo]

Few televisions have good sound quality - the speakers are usually small or a long narrow shape which does nothing for bass quality

Agreed.

I have a Sony TV and the picture quality is excellent, it's just the sound that is poor.

It's a shame as I like to have good sound when I'm watching my DVD's :(

Do you know if there is any way to improve it for example by adding replacement speakers?

p.s. I can't find the instruction manual

Most leading manufacturers have the provision to download operating manuals from their web site - it may be worth you looking.

This may help

Do you have a Hi Fi close to the TV? - if so it is simple - you run a lead from the output audio socket(s) on the TV to the input on the Hi Fi and set the Hi Fi to receive Aux input (or whatever your unit calls it).

[Sparky]

We last had Panasonic, a TV, and a VHS recorder. We changed this for Sony a couple of years ago. The TV is fair, but the sound quality is no where near as good as the Panasonic. The VHS recorder is rubbish, the worst one we have ever owned, and the DVD player is fairly decent. I will buy Panasonic or Toshiba next time. :D

Few televisions have good sound quality - the speakers are usually small or a long narrow shape which does nothing for bass quality. This is especially true of LCD and plasma sets because they are so thin. Music lovers in particular will notice this.

I appreciate this, but the Panasonic was far more acceptable in the sound department. :D

If you are considering Panasonic, check which model you are looking at. When my parents bought a Panasonic 42" plasma 18 months ago, they had a choice of 2 models (42PX60/42PX600). They went for the 600 in the end as although a fair bit more expensive, it had substantially uprated sound - genuinely as good as a mid-range hi-fi though no surround sound. I believe there are equivalent models (70/700) in Panasonic's current range but don't know how their specs compare.

Having recently bought a new TV for myself, I'd also heartily recommend Pioneer. Their 'Kuro' range are simply stunning. They look good in the shops but are so much better when you get one in your own home away from shop lighting. Panasonic are good (having seen my parents' TV + a friend's 50" 1080p plasma). But I wouldn't swap my Pioneer. Not least because the sound is also excellent. Slightly lacking in bass but very good on precision and a very creditable illusion of surround sound. I have a pretty fair surround sound system but have rarely used it since getting my Pioneer as the sound is that good. They are a fair bit more expensive ( :( ) but worth it if your budget can stretch that far.

[Glazed]

We last had Panasonic, a TV, and a VHS recorder. We changed this for Sony a couple of years ago. The TV is fair, but the sound quality is no where near as good as the Panasonic. The VHS recorder is rubbish, the worst one we have ever owned, and the DVD player is fairly decent. I will buy Panasonic or Toshiba next time. :D

Few televisions have good sound quality - the speakers are usually small or a long narrow shape which does nothing for bass quality. This is especially true of LCD and plasma sets because they are so thin. Music lovers in particular will notice this.

I appreciate this, but the Panasonic was far more acceptable in the sound department. :D

If you are considering Panasonic, check which model you are looking at. When my parents bought a Panasonic 42" plasma 18 months ago, they had a choice of 2 models (42PX60/42PX600). They went for the 600 in the end as although a fair bit more expensive, it had substantially uprated sound - genuinely as good as a mid-range hi-fi though no surround sound. I believe there are equivalent models (70/700) in Panasonic's current range but don't know how their specs compare.

Having recently bought a new TV for myself, I'd also heartily recommend Pioneer. Their 'Kuro' range are simply stunning. They look good in the shops but are so much better when you get one in your own home away from shop lighting. Panasonic are good (having seen my parents' TV + a friend's 50" 1080p plasma). But I wouldn't swap my Pioneer. Not least because the sound is also excellent. Slightly lacking in bass but very good on precision and a very creditable illusion of surround sound. I have a pretty fair surround sound system but have rarely used it since getting my Pioneer as the sound is that good. They are a fair bit more expensive ( :( ) but worth it if your budget can stretch that far.

When it comes to picture quality it has to be Plasma. I have noticed a post further up that incorrectly says that LCD's have more pixels well this isn't correct. A Full HD plasma has 1920 pixels x 1080 pixels. Furthermore a Plama is able to produce blacker blacks than an LCD because the individual pixels on a plasma are responsible for producing the light that they emit. So when they are switched off they are black without and bleed through. Whereas an LCD TV has a back light behind the screen that is permanently switched on. An LCD panel produces black by trying to block this light rather than it switching off as with a Plasma. The problem with this is that you get bleed through with light leakage. Hence the blacks on an LCD tend to be more grey.

If a screen isnt able to produce quality blacks it affects its ability to produce natural colours and hence a realistic picture. There are other reasons why plasma is better than LCD for more information go to http://brains2go.blogspot.com/2008/11/lcd-...ch-is-best.html .

If you want to buy the best plasma on the market look at the Pioneer Kuro sets.

[andsome]

All the above will be academic if the EU ban the sale of plasma T V's. We have just bought a Panasonic LCD and believe me the blacks are far too black in the set up as purchased. I have toned down the contrast and increased the brightness to give a far more realistic reproduction. The sound is surprisingly good as far as televisions go. I hate to see a television where all dark colours are reproduced as black If a man has a very dark blue suit on then that is how I want to view it. :D

HERE

Also here

[AlanHo]

Why revive a thread almost a year old I wonder....?...

[rong]

Why revive a thread almost a year old I wonder....?...

Because things change and it gets people writing

This is it's third outing

[andsome]

Why revive a thread almost a year old I wonder....?...

Because things change and it gets people writing

This is it's third outing

It's a better morning for its outing than some lately. :lol: :lol:

[catgate]

This is it's third outing

Maybe we could have a section called "All our yesterdays" or maybe "These you have Loved" with Roy Plomley as mod.

We could have prizes, like chocolate teapots or rubber bells, for the ones to gain most votes.

Then again ....

[andsome]

This is it's third outing

Maybe we could have a section called "All our yesterdays" or maybe "These you have Loved" with Roy Plomley as mod.

We could have prizes, like chocolate teapots or rubber bells, for the ones to gain most votes.

Then again ....

I am a chocoholic. :D

[deuces wild]

All the above will be academic if the EU ban the sale of plasma T V's. We have just bought a Panasonic LCD and believe me the blacks are far too black in the set up as purchased. I have toned down the contrast and increased the brightness to give a far more realistic reproduction. The sound is surprisingly good as far as televisions go. I hate to see a television where all dark colours are reproduced as black If a man has a very dark blue suit on then that is how I want to view it. :D

HERE

Also here

You are correct (God I hate to say that) andsome. Factory setting need to be tweaked according to your specific room conditions and personal preferences.

In the end we purchased a Sony 46XBR4 LCD. We found several forums offering specific calibration settings (video and audio output) and in the end (and with the help of suggestions in those forums) found our ideal settings.