Newbie needing advice on lcd or plasma

[admin_exported]

Hi Everyone,

Well as you can see im a newbie in the lcd v plasma war! and im looking for some advice and opinions on the two formats,so let me start at the begining.

I have a budget of £1400 for the i would like a 40" or bigger tv with a dvd home cinema system.It will be used for watching sd sky+ for now (hopefully sky hd soon)mostly for watching sport - football and F1. Playing Playstation 3 games/blu-ray movies and standard dvd movies on the home cinema system.

Now like most newbies im drawn towards the big names.I have been looking at the Sony kd40w3000 with the Dav-is10 or the Sony kdl40v3000- and dav-is10 but from what i have read the V series struggles with sd broadcasts.Also been looking at the Toshiba 42Z3030 and 40XF355D

I dont want to completly rule out plasma but so many people have told be they still suffer from screen burn etc that im afraid of spending £1000+ on one and being afraid of what i do with it....Or is this now a myth and im totally wrong?

Any advice on what system to buy for my budget would be great and appreciated.

Many Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Go for Plasma...screen burn is no longer an issue. Pioneer, Panasonic or Samsung I would recommend. Also Plasma for forgiving with SD broadcasts. But the Sony LCD setup you mention is good also (for LCD).

 

[Clare Newsome]

With your budget i'd definitely go for our TV product of the year - Pioneer PDP428XD. Better than the Sony - in fact nothing still comes close to its combination of superlative colour, contrast, motion-handling and more. Forget the urban myths and the spec-fascists and trust your own eyes....

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Clare,

Thanks for the quick reply to my post.

I hadnt considered the Pioneer for two reasons firstly it isnt 1080p and secondly because i want a home cinema system and tv for my £1400 the Pioneer would push me way over budget.The cheapest i have been able to find the Pioneer for is £1400 so leaving me with nothing for a dvd home cinema system.I will try my local retailers this week but living in a very rural area my choice is very limited and the internet is my only realistic option.

Would you wait for the price to come down? or can you recconmend anything else?

While i have your attention i have one more question for you, which is better for watching football on s.d sky, lcd or plasma? given my budget.£1100 on a tv and £300 on a home cinema system.

Thanks

 

[Clare Newsome]

Sorry, misread your budget - thought the £1400 was just for the TV! In which case i'd direct you to a Panasonic plasma with a Sony DAV-IS10 system. And yes, plasma far better for sport than LCD - motion-handling is superior (assuming you're watching a good set, that is!)

 

[Anonymous]

Ok Thanks,

I will get down to my local Panasonic retailer and see what they can do for me.

Thanks

If you had to compare a Panasonic th-42pz70 to the Sony kdl40w3000 which would you choose?

 

[Clare Newsome]

The Panasonic- we compared the two head-to-head in a Supertest last year. Although both got five stars, the Panasonic ranked higher, for all the normal plasma reasons. The better-specified '8' series Panasonics are just arriving in the shops - review of smaller LCD model plus link to range-overview story here.

 

[Anonymous]

If you want to watch sport, then I would go Plasma. I have yet to see a decent LCD which can show good, fast moving action. Plasma has much deeper blacks and far better natural colours. You can get the Pioneer for about £1180 if you shop about. Don't know how much you want to spend on the HIFI bit, so it may still be too much.

However, if you want the best picture I would get the Pioneer, and then maybe wait a few months to get the other bits.

 

[Anonymous]

Well guys i went to my local Panasonic retailer and they had the details on the new Panasonic TH42PZ95 and i have to say i was blown away by the 30000:1 contrast ratio !!!! holy smoke thats alot it also has 100htz and double scan and an astonishing 1ms response time.Unfortunetley they didnt have one on display but at £1299.99 i have to say im very tempted, it does completly messes up my budget of £1400 for a tv and 5.1 system but it may be worth it?. After being an LCD fan for a number of years it looks like Panasonic might of cracked this very hard nut! If the tv is as good as the specs how can i go wrong? any advice out there?

I was however very disapointed with the Panasonic 5.1 home cinema system i think it was the SCHT850 i think my current Poineer is almost as good but it lacks the 1080 upscalling,Think i will go for the Sony Davis10 for that option.And i have to say im going to see the Sony KDL40W3000 tomorrow to compare and seen as one internet site is now offering it at £999.99 thats £400 cheaper than the review price in what hifi this month.It might just sway me back to lcd. any comments?

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry everyone it was the Panasonic TH42PZ85 not 95.

 

[professorhat]

Well, if you're considering blowing your budget for the Panny, you should definitely audition the Pioneer Clare mentioned. I haven't seen it, but have read so many posts on this forum by people lauding it as the best TV ever, it's got to be worth checking out before you buy!

 

[Anonymous]

You were "blown away by a quoted figure of 30000:1" without even seeing it in action?

As above if you've got that much to spend see a Pioneer in action