Large HD TV - LCD or Plasma

[philipbain]

I've been looking at HDTV, and I would ideally like to get something in the range of 40" in size. My question is which is better at this size, Plasma or LCD. I remember reading a while back that LCD's suffered in picture quality as they were scaled up, is this stil the case?

[MD]

not really true. it depends what your main uses will be for the TV, outline what you will be connecting, from sources etc and we can advise better...

Matt.

[Funkstar]

as Matt says, it depends what you are doing with it. My personal prefference is for Plasma every time, i just don't think LCD is as good a picture (colours, brightness, repsonse times etc.)

[suniil]

plasma all the way better (including better blacks and fast response times), but need to give extra care in runin (usually first 200 hours) period

[Bluecube]

No one seems to agree with me but I would check out DLP rear projection TVs which offer excellent picture quality, bigger screens and tend to be cheaper than equivalent plasmas/ LCDs. I have a Sagem 45" which rocks.

[Digitizer]

I've Installed a few & personally I think a good Plasma (Pioneer - Panasonic ) Have better PQ than Lcd's However Ive Seen resident logos in the Plasma's where for instance the sky one logo has been. Lcd are less prone to this and although I was assured this screen burn was a thing of the past, the chap telling me this was Demonstrating a LG 50" Plasma playing an Lg Hi-Def dvd when the picture changed the LG logo was still visible in the grass on the next clip !!!! So I would say if you are going to be using it for media centre or pc use get an Lcd if you are using it for movies all the time get a Plasma.

[SiM]

Large plamsa displays are also cheaper than large LCDs

[Kumagoro]

For TV DVDs etc then plasma. But gaming and computer type stuff I wouldnt risk it with
plasma. I couldnt be bothered with having to be careful as stuff.

[Bluecube]

I should add that it's can be very much down to personal preference. Always take a walk through a large Currys or Comet (or even Richer Sounds which is a far better place to go) and see what the TVs look like. I've heard some horror stories about the big stores using a crappy aerial feed to all their TVs so it would be difficult to make a decision but the one's near me (Dunfermline) all have excellent feeds.

[shaithis]

Plasmas are definatly better in all aspects, bar one.

They can burn-in.....LCDs can get image-retention but should never permenantly burn-in.

Of course, you need to go to some extremes normally to make a plasma burn-in but it happens

Keep brightness low for first 50 hours of use, don't leave channels with static DOGs on for 6 hours strait etc etc and all should be fine.

Have owned 2 plasmas now and never had image retention or burn in.

EDIT:
Comet, Currys, Richer: All normally use an RF feed as well!! The only difference is they normally show "Finding Nemo" as animation can look good no matter how crap your connection method...

[bigblue]

My vote goes for plasma too, providing it's mainly for TV/Movie use with the occasional bit of gaming or PC use. If it's the other way around I'd go for LCD.

Plasma burn-in is not nearly as bad as it used to be but is still an issue. In most cases now you only have to worry about retention rather than burn. It's still a pain in the backside though when you have to switch to an untuned channel for some "snow" to clear the screen. At least it's not permanent in most cases. There are still a few plasmas out there which will burn and sadly quite often it comes down to luck with the individual set you get.

This is nowhere near as much of an issue with LCD. It has other issues, most notably screen response. Try watching the footy or some other fast motion content on your favourite LCD and it may just put you off. It did for me.

I know you originally stated it was between plasma or LCD but have you considered a rear pro set ? Sagem/Samsung DLP and Sony 3LCD sets are pretty impressive and the new breed of sets like the JVC and Sony SXRD (1080p!) are a bit more expensive but still cheaper than equivalent plasmas. Main downsides are you can't hang it on the wall and you have a more restricted viewing angle.

Best you can hope for is finding a helpful high st. store that'll hook up an upscaling dvd or Xbox 360 and let you see what the sets are really like without a horrific distributed feed. Then if you're impressed you have the moral dilemma of whether to give the helpful store or the bargain internet store your readies

Good luck !

[menthel]

Originally Posted by Digitizer

I've Installed a few & personally I think a good Plasma (Pioneer - Panasonic ) Have better PQ than Lcd's However Ive Seen resident logos in the Plasma's where for instance the sky one logo has been. Lcd are less prone to this and although I was assured this screen burn was a thing of the past, the chap telling me this was Demonstrating a LG 50" Plasma playing an Lg Hi-Def dvd when the picture changed the LG logo was still visible in the grass on the next clip !!!! So I would say if you are going to be using it for media centre or pc use get an Lcd if you are using it for movies all the time get a Plasma.

Don't forget there is a difference between burn in and retention. Recent plasmas are very resistant to burn in though.

[Ste0803]

agree with most posts here, if your going to be gaming or watchin TV with icons you should definately get the LCD panel. i also agree that its not as bad as it used to be but is still an issue, recently was watching someones TV and they had a burn in of the discovery logo on their setup. just shows that prolonged use with static images is still a No No when it comes to plasma

[benstation]

Originally Posted by philipbain

I've been looking at HDTV, and I would ideally like to get something in the range of 40" in size. My question is which is better at this size, Plasma or LCD. I remember reading a while back that LCD's suffered in picture quality as they were scaled up, is this stil the case?

Plasma, have a look at the PS42Q97HDX