Hands up if you hate LCD.

[danwood6]

Having read many posts on this forum, I was wondering if there is anyone out there that likes LCD TVs. Heres why, the question often comes up 'Sony vs Pana' or some such, read LCD vs Plasma'. The answer is more often than not. 'I'd buy the Panasonic all LCDs are rubbish at black and can't handle motion!' Or some variation there of. I find this interesting, how is it, if this were the case, that sets like the W4000 and many that have gone before it achieve the full WHF 5*? Surely these reviews should say, 'nowhere near a Plasma 2*!' Any ideas??

Perhaps these LCD artifacts are as out dated as the Plasma recharge rubbish and other supposed problems with that type of set?

For anyone out there thinking of purchasing a new set, here is something to consider. I have a LCD set, 40", 1080p, nearly 3 years old, WHF 5* rated in its day. I use it for Blu-ray, DVD & Sky HD- alot of football. I sometimes turn out the lights when I watch a movie and I even sometimes watch in daylight hours with the curtians open! Here's the thing. It makes no difference what I watch or how, the picture is fantastic, make no mistakes here I really mean great! I know it can't do black as well as the best Plasma- thats what the specs say. They probably even say it doesn't respond as quickly as the best Plasma. Yet somehow:- see previous comments about picture.

I've lost track of my point, if I had one. But maybe we could give better advice to those seeking it here. Next time someone asks 'W4000 vs PZ85' etc the answer should be:- You've made the right shortlist, enjoy finding out for yourself! I choose the ....... because....... . Instead of I love Plasma LCDs are rubbish!

 

[PJPro]

Would not disagree. Take a look.

Some people prefer LCD to plasma. I seem to remember that fr0g prefers LCD. Sounds like you do too. Having said that, I don't suppose that you would be disappointed with picture the best plasmas had to offer ie the Kuros.

I have a Kuro but I also have a LCD. Happy with both.

 

[danwood6]

I'm sure I'd love the Kuros. I've heard many great things. The point is I'm sure I would love the current top LCDs too. I wonder how many people leave this forum thinking LCDs only produce grey and they blur every time someone breaks out into a walk?

 

[PJPro]

Yeap. To some extent the LCD prejudice is justified. However, if you buy quality, whether plasma or LCD, they are all pretty good nowadays.

 

[Anonymous]

"I use it for Blu-ray, DVD & Sky HD- alot of football."

Most people watch SD, and LCD is pants at dealing with that. Fast action like football on LCD on SD is, in my opinion, rubbish. Obviously on HD, LCD improves greatly, but so does Plasma. Plasma gives you the best of both world's, and I think still beats it in therms of blacks and natural colours.

But people must judge for themselves, and if they like LCD, I have no problem with that. As long as they understand that all the pub talk about re-gassing plasma's is nonesense.

 

[danwood6]

"Fast action like football on LCD on SD is, in my opinion, rubbish."

Is it? I know someone who bought a Plasma- not a great one- because of advise like that. Its SD performance is terrible with anything. He bought it because the guy in the shop shares your views.

Not all Plasmas are the same!

I've got a really nice Nicole Farhi shirt, but not every shirt that bares that label is to my taste.

 

[Anonymous]

And I know a lot of people who bought LCD based on the nonsense they were told about un-reliable Plasmas. If you have got, and like LCD, fine, I have no problem with that, but don't tell what I can, and can not advise other people based on my own experience.

 

[D.J.KRIME]

As with all technoligies there are rubbish, good and fantastic examples, and there is no differance to this rule when it comes to LCD and Plasma TVs.

Now I will only ever give My oppionion from My personal experience on anything I coment on in these forums and no simply re-cycle what I have read/heard else where.

Now I do not hate LCD I simply far prefer the results a Good Plasma set can reproduce, which I believe to be far better black levels and a much more natural colour palet. I have always found LCDs are over bright and give a slightly washed out almost computerised colour even after serious tweeking.

Now these points are irrelevent if You wish to buy a TV under 37"" as LCD is the only option, but when you are into larger sizes there is also a price factor that comes into the equation as more often than not a Good LCD is more expensive than a Good Plasma.

Ultimatly the descission lies with the person parting with their hard earned cash and if they decide to make a purchase solely based on what someone has suggested on here then more the fool them! But I sit firmly in the PLASMA CAMP for larger TVs and Yes I do own LCDs but these are in the Kids bedrooms where I only wanted smaller sets,and I have My old 42"" Plasma in My bedroom.

 

[Anonymous]

I have no problems with black levels or motion blur on my 40" sony lcd in fact their better than many plasma screens ive seen, I will admitt that the kuros are better by a margin but then there better than anything else ive seen by a margin.

 

[Anonymous]

danwood6:I wonder how many people leave this forum thinking LCDs only produce grey and they blur every time someone breaks out into a walk?

I did, and as a result decided against a Panasonic 37LZD85 or 800 LCD in favour of the 37PX80B Plasma. That said, I cannot fault my purchase, I find the SD quality excellent, and as I watch mainly sport, have noticed no lag or blurring so am glad I made the choice I did. Would I have been as happy if I had bought the LCD, I'll never know!

 

[Anonymous]

I, after a ridiculous amount of research, opted for a panny 37px80 and i'm extremely happy with it. I think that the clincher for me was the fact that I viewed both that and a full HD similar sized TV in John Lewis and yes, the images were slightly crisper on the LCD but it was so minor in my honest opinion that it simply wasn't a deciding factor. The Panny still looked superb in HD and the point is that it was far, far better in SD - truer colours, smoother and generally less noise. I've now had it for a month and the SD picture just seems to have got better and better and upscaled DVDs and Blu-rays on my PS3 look fantastic! Games look and play superbly also. I do have an LCD upstairs by the way (Philips) and although good, it simply doesn't compare. Each to their own but i'm sticking with my Plasma and would recommend the same to others who are torn between the two.

 

[danwood6]

Good news you've made a good choice of set there by the sounds of it Buzzer.

But can you really advise others not to consider LCD on the strengths of your set alone?

What I mean is, when you bought yours, of those you considered it was the best overall. I understand that. But can you be sure that by that token a different Plasma (even from the same manufacture) is better than a different LCD?

 

[Anonymous]

danwood6:

Good news you've made a good choice of set there by the sounds of it Buzzer.

But can you really advise others not to consider LCD on the strengths of your set alone?

What I mean is, when you bought yours, of those you considered it was the best overall. I understand that. But can you be sure that by that token a different Plasma (even from the same manufacture) is better than a different LCD?

Do you work for an LCD manufacturer or something?

You seem very concerned that too many people are recommending Plasma over LCD. You are free to chip in and recommend LCD if you feel so strongly about it.

 

[Anonymous]

I have got a 37LZD80 LCD - I bought it because the HD images looked crisper then Plasma and side by side on SD I could not really tell any difference between them when viewed in store. As for blu ray I would say the LCD definately comes into its own over plasma. I have never had any problems when watching football although ITV can sometimes look a bit dodgy. The only drawback with LCD is backlight bleed for a while when the set warms up - I believe this issue affects virtually all LCD's.

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

I don't hate LCD - at the time of buying I preferred the plasma I purchased to all other options. These included price, picture, design of set, local support and 'free' 5 year warranty.

I also spent a ridiculous amount of time sitting in front of numerous sets in various stores comparing images, adjusting contrast, brightness etc to try and get the best image I could.

I had narrowed my choices down to 3 tv's - one Panasonic plasma one Samsung LCD and one Sony LCD. The Panasonic won in the end.

I searched here and used the mag reviews for guidance and what to look for in each set. I saw some 'faults' with both LCD's but not the plasma so I bought that.

I didn't listen to any 'myths' from either camp and made my own informed decision. I'm happy with my choice and nobody can convince me I made the wrong one. Best advice I can give you would be to do the same. Do some research,take on board any useful guidance and make your own final decision. If you think it's the right set for you then you made the right choice.

Cheers.

Cofnchtr.

 

[Andy Clough]

Good point Cofnchtr. As we always say, we can give you guidance in the magazine and online, but ultimately it's your own money and choice, so there's nothing to beat auditioning a couple of products on your shortlist to see which one suits you best.

After all, you wouldn't buy a new car without taking a test drive first, would you?

 

[timwileman]

Andy Clough:
Good point Cofnchtr. As we always say, we can give you guidance in the magazine and online, but ultimately it's your own money and choice, so there's nothing to beat auditioning a couple of products on your shortlist to see which one suits you best.

After all, you wouldn't buy a new car without taking a test drive first, would you?

actually my bro did that....most reliabel car he has ever had and it was french..........

but then he is one of that jammy folks, i always say if he ever Cr***ed himself he would be wearing someone elses trousers.......

he knows nowt about hifi or TV's though, he told me that he wated the latest Sony with the flatter squarer tube a month or 2 ago...i almost wet myself laughing

 

[murg]

This is the point of the whole debate. After reading so many great reviews on the Panasonic px80b Plasma, I secured a good price and took it home full of anticipation. After setting it up with the thx calibration disc I settled down and watched. Faces in the "mid distance" on sd were blurred and the whole picture had an appearance of being washed out. So I put it side by side with my 3 year old lcd and, using the same feed watched freeview tv,dvd and sky. There were six of us all watching and to a man all agreed the plasma didnt come near. Granted, the plasma had deeper blacks but the lcd simply revealed so much more detail.This was proved when freeze framing a dark scene on the latest Bond movie. What the lcd revealed just wasnt visable on the plasma. I dont care if its plasma,lcd or whatever else is out there. I simply want the best pictue for my money. So I took it back and the salesman agreed with me.It all comes down to what YOU like not what others think.
try before you buy.

 

[professorhat]

murg:It all comes down to what YOU like not what others think. try before you buy.
You've hit the nail on the head there. The only times I tend to get involved in TV recommendations on these forums nowadays is when someone says they're not interested in a plasma TV. When it comes down to it, this is normally because they have been misinformed by someone on it, so I advise them to at least check out the difference and quite a few people, once they've got over the fact they were misinformed about screen burn, re-gassing etc. do actually prefer them.
I still prefer plasma TVs on the whole as, on the whole, they do provide the better motion handling and more natural colours for the price. This doesn't mean every plasma is better than every LCD of course - that would be a silly thing to say. However, if I was buying a TV today, I certainly would take a look at the best LCDs and plasmas, compare the price etc. and then make my decision and I'd advise everyone to do the same.

 

[Anonymous]

I personally did a lot of research before moving on from CRT. i read plenty of opinions on different forums and heard bad things about both LCD and Plasma technologies. What put me off plasma was the burn in when playing games so i decided to go for LCD, the high price (i was looking at KUROs which at the time were considered as the best) and there was a lot of talk and predictions by experts that plasma technolog was going to be phased out gradually. I bought a Toshiba 37Z3030D and ever since i have been very very happy with it. Superb picture both on SD and HD. It has all the latest technology and a great price at £800.

During my research i noticed that Samsung lcds were very popular and i must say that every Samsung and LG lcd tv i have viewed have nice designs but the screen quality is horrible.

 

[matthewpiano]

Having sold Sony TVs (and other Sony gear) for a living before moving over to the car industry, I've always thought that both technologies had a lot to offer. Sony, of course, phased their plasma range out completely and so I only really ever sold LCDs but, having seen both technologies in action, I think a lot of it is down to the qualities of an individual make and model rather than the specific technology it uses. I always thought the 32D3000, 40W3000, and 40X3500 were outstandingly good televisions but never thought very much of the 32P3000 or the 26" versions of the S3000 series (viewing angles seemed problematic on these but not on the larger ones).

I think the Pioneer plasmas are glorious and probably the best screens available ultimately, but that is down to excellent execution and product development rather than the fact they are plasma. The latest Sony W4000 series LCDs run them very close indeed.

Personally I use a Sony LCD (32S2510) and I'm very satisfied with it.