Going to be used for Sky, freeview (when sky quits in rain) and DVD with possible blu-ray at a later stage. What would you choose and why?
Panasonic TX-37LZD80 or Panasonic TH-37PX80B
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I would go for the TH-37PX80B...... (actually I am waiting for a price match on a TH-42PX80B).
The LCD is fullHD, but at 37in I am not sure you will notice a great deal of difference when using HD sources, but that depends on how close you sit to the set. If you sit closer than 2.5m then you may be able to tell the difference between HD ready and fullHD.
The main differences with LCD vs Plasma is the quality of standard def viewing and black levels. On both of these the plasmas win. It seems as though you are mainly watching SD television, and on fullHD sets, SD looks appauling, especially on LCDs. Best bet is to get yourself to a high street retailer.... John Lewis would be a good start. There you will see all the sets looped on a HD source, which the LCD will look great on, and LCDs suit the brightly lit shop floors better, making the plasmas look dull and undefined. Get them to show you how they handle SD and you will be able to tell the difference. Compare the black levels on the two types of telly, you will notice how much blacker the plasmas are. Don't forget to bear in mind that you will be watching TV in a room which has less lighting than a shop floor (unless you have 20 flourescent strips in your front room). Have a look at what others have said about the Panny plasma, there are plenty of threads. I don't think you will be disappointed with the plasma.
The LCD is fullHD, but at 37in I am not sure you will notice a great deal of difference when using HD sources, but that depends on how close you sit to the set. If you sit closer than 2.5m then you may be able to tell the difference between HD ready and fullHD.
The main differences with LCD vs Plasma is the quality of standard def viewing and black levels. On both of these the plasmas win. It seems as though you are mainly watching SD television, and on fullHD sets, SD looks appauling, especially on LCDs. Best bet is to get yourself to a high street retailer.... John Lewis would be a good start. There you will see all the sets looped on a HD source, which the LCD will look great on, and LCDs suit the brightly lit shop floors better, making the plasmas look dull and undefined. Get them to show you how they handle SD and you will be able to tell the difference. Compare the black levels on the two types of telly, you will notice how much blacker the plasmas are. Don't forget to bear in mind that you will be watching TV in a room which has less lighting than a shop floor (unless you have 20 flourescent strips in your front room). Have a look at what others have said about the Panny plasma, there are plenty of threads. I don't think you will be disappointed with the plasma.
Thanks for the info. I was all set on the LCD (due to screen burn misgivings) but am swaying towards the plasma now.
Screen burn is a myth. I think brought about by the likes of stores such as HMV playing contantly looped video through plasmas when they first came out, with a logo in the corner. I heard the turn around on a plasma in HMV in Piccadilly was around 3 months before replacing.... but that was back in 2003. Plasmas have come a long way since then and you won't be watching your TV 18 hours of the day 7 days a week with a logo in the corner. Panasonic state a screen life of 100,000 hours, which is more than enough.... you'll be buying something else before then.
I have been considering the exact same TV's. LCD or Plasma???
BIG question!
I have just ordered the Plamsa 37PX80D for exactly the reasons given by tom83cat. Mostly, I watch SD TV and a DVD perhaps twice a week. 100,000 hours screen life is a long, long time... And with the John Lewis 5 year warranty I have absolutely no concerns.
BIG question!
I have just ordered the Plamsa 37PX80D for exactly the reasons given by tom83cat. Mostly, I watch SD TV and a DVD perhaps twice a week. 100,000 hours screen life is a long, long time... And with the John Lewis 5 year warranty I have absolutely no concerns.
I seem to be in the same boat. Plasma or LCD....
I went into my local Hughes store at the weekend and the 37PX80B looked OK but they also had a 37LZD70 next to it and I guess the Plasma was showing off the blacks better than the LCD. My only concern is that I sit about 8 ft away from the screen and the pictures did look a bit fuzzier when I was standing 8 ft away, I know it was a showroom and they are not set up properly. I guess what I am asking is can I get a good picture in SD TV at only 8 ft away on this TV?
I went into my local Hughes store at the weekend and the 37PX80B looked OK but they also had a 37LZD70 next to it and I guess the Plasma was showing off the blacks better than the LCD. My only concern is that I sit about 8 ft away from the screen and the pictures did look a bit fuzzier when I was standing 8 ft away, I know it was a showroom and they are not set up properly. I guess what I am asking is can I get a good picture in SD TV at only 8 ft away on this TV?
[quote user="MikeyDave"]I seem to be in the same boat. Plasma or LCD.... I went into my local Hughes store at the weekend and the 37PX80B looked OK but they also had a 37LZD70 next to it and I guess the Plasma was showing off the blacks better than the LCD. My only concern is that I sit about 8 ft away from the screen and the pictures did look a bit fuzzier when I was standing 8 ft away, I know it was a showroom and they are not set up properly. I guess what I am asking is can I get a good picture in SD TV at only 8 ft away on this TV?[/quote]
I would make sure you see SD on LCD before you buy one. The shops have all HD blasting out on their TV's. But most of your tv watching will be SD. Also, get them to show you fast moving action like sport.
I would make sure you see SD on LCD before you buy one. The shops have all HD blasting out on their TV's. But most of your tv watching will be SD. Also, get them to show you fast moving action like sport.
Mikey Dave, I am sat about 10-11ft away from a 42in PX80... so you should be fine at 8ft with a 37
get the plasma.........
i bought the lzd LCD last week...chronically disappointed with the SD picture, a mass of blurry edges, awful!! Exchanged it for the px80 yesterday and whilst still a little blurry on football, the picture is infinately better...
i bought the lzd LCD last week...chronically disappointed with the SD picture, a mass of blurry edges, awful!! Exchanged it for the px80 yesterday and whilst still a little blurry on football, the picture is infinately better...
[quote user="MikeyDave"]My only concern is that I sit about 8 ft away from the screen and the pictures did look a bit fuzzier when I was standing 8 ft away, I know it was a showroom and they are not set up properly. I guess what I am asking is can I get a good picture in SD TV at only 8 ft away on this TV?[/quote]
Absolutely. I sit at 8' for day to day SD watching and even closer for footie - as long as the source is decent (not all freeview channels are the same)
Absolutely. I sit at 8' for day to day SD watching and even closer for footie - as long as the source is decent (not all freeview channels are the same)
Just back from John Lewis, both plasma and LCD were on display showing BBC1 SD images.
The plasma wins over the LCD hands down. The LCD was blocky and not impressive at all whereas the plasma was much smoother.
So my minds made up. A curved ball though has just been thrown in - I can just squeeze the 42" model in but will only be sitting 7ft away from the screen. Decisions decisions.....
The plasma wins over the LCD hands down. The LCD was blocky and not impressive at all whereas the plasma was much smoother.
So my minds made up. A curved ball though has just been thrown in - I can just squeeze the 42" model in but will only be sitting 7ft away from the screen. Decisions decisions.....
[quote user="GCS"]. A curved ball though has just been thrown in - I can just squeeze the 42" model in but will only be sitting 7ft away from the screen. Decisions decisions.....[/quote]
That's a tight one. Only your eyes can make that judgment.
HD will be fine, SD will be OK on the better freeview channels, but some are going to look blocky.
That's a tight one. Only your eyes can make that judgment.
HD will be fine, SD will be OK on the better freeview channels, but some are going to look blocky.
[quote user="tvmog"][quote user="Conethirty"]
. 100,000 hours screen life is a long, long time...
[/quote]
About eleven and a half years if you never turn it off.
[/quote]
Don`t leave it on for 11 1/2 years, you may get screen burn!
. 100,000 hours screen life is a long, long time...
[/quote]
About eleven and a half years if you never turn it off.
[/quote]
Don`t leave it on for 11 1/2 years, you may get screen burn!
I went into Comet this afternoon as they had the TX-37LZD80 and TH-37PX80B sid by side.
I played about for a while on SD and HD. On HD they were both very impressive. On SD the plasma wins as whenever there was movement it was blocky on the LCD. This was freeview, BBC1.
However when it was a detailed shot, say of an antique the LCD seemed to have the edge. Also the salesman was trying to convince me that the colours on the plasma looked "washed out" whereas on the LCD they were very bright/real.
Any thoughts?
I played about for a while on SD and HD. On HD they were both very impressive. On SD the plasma wins as whenever there was movement it was blocky on the LCD. This was freeview, BBC1.
However when it was a detailed shot, say of an antique the LCD seemed to have the edge. Also the salesman was trying to convince me that the colours on the plasma looked "washed out" whereas on the LCD they were very bright/real.
Any thoughts?
[quote user="GCS"]I went into Comet this afternoon as they had the TX-37LZD80 and TH-37PX80B sid by side.
I played about for a while on SD and HD. On HD they were both very impressive. On SD the plasma wins as whenever there was movement it was blocky on the LCD. This was freeview, BBC1.
However when it was a detailed shot, say of an antique the LCD seemed to have the edge. Also the salesman was trying to convince me that the colours on the plasma looked "washed out" whereas on the LCD they were very bright/real.
Any thoughts?[/quote]
i dont think bright is real. and it leaves me feelng quite strange after a while of watching lcds too close at friends places.
I played about for a while on SD and HD. On HD they were both very impressive. On SD the plasma wins as whenever there was movement it was blocky on the LCD. This was freeview, BBC1.
However when it was a detailed shot, say of an antique the LCD seemed to have the edge. Also the salesman was trying to convince me that the colours on the plasma looked "washed out" whereas on the LCD they were very bright/real.
Any thoughts?[/quote]
i dont think bright is real. and it leaves me feelng quite strange after a while of watching lcds too close at friends places.
I've had the same "which 37in Panasonic??" dilemma and was, until recently, erring towards the plasma. But having read the review on this website of the LZD85 I may have to go for that. The review highlights "deep, detailed blacks" which is quite something for an LCD, and it also singles out its handling of motion. So what to go for? The considerably cheaper PX80B with poor sound and 720p HD - or the Full HD, decent sound, but £300+ more expensive LZD85?
By the way, is anyone aware of any clouding issues with the LZD80? Its predecessor the LZD70 did attract a number of complaints on this issue on this, and other, forums.
By the way, is anyone aware of any clouding issues with the LZD80? Its predecessor the LZD70 did attract a number of complaints on this issue on this, and other, forums.
Brightness and colour are two different things. LCD's are very bright, that is what attracts many people to them. However, the depth of colour is much better on plasma. Look at the blacks, on LCD they are washed out greys, but on plasma they are very deep and dark.
Interesting that the salesman was trying push the LCD, but at the end of the day you have to judge using your own eyes. If you prefer the LCD then go for it, but most on here would buy the Plasma.
Interesting that the salesman was trying push the LCD, but at the end of the day you have to judge using your own eyes. If you prefer the LCD then go for it, but most on here would buy the Plasma.
[quote user="Dartmouth"]
So what to go for? The considerably cheaper PX80B with poor sound and 720p HD - or the Full HD, decent sound, but £300+ more expensive LZD85?
By the way, is anyone aware of any clouding issues with the LZD80? Its predecessor the LZD70 did attract a number of complaints on this issue on this, and other, forums.
[/quote]
I suspect with these two TV's the differences aren't that great, and could be considered "nitpicking". Still think I'm going to go for the plasma.
So what to go for? The considerably cheaper PX80B with poor sound and 720p HD - or the Full HD, decent sound, but £300+ more expensive LZD85?
By the way, is anyone aware of any clouding issues with the LZD80? Its predecessor the LZD70 did attract a number of complaints on this issue on this, and other, forums.
[/quote]
I suspect with these two TV's the differences aren't that great, and could be considered "nitpicking". Still think I'm going to go for the plasma.
Get the plasma GCS as it is an absolute bargain and 5 stars for a mere £619 online its not only got a better picture on what everyone watch's most - SD.. but also around £100 cheaper... i wish i had the room in my cabinet for it but i had to settle for a 32. It will shine with blu ray as my mates got one with a PS3 and it looks great
I am looking at the same models and have been to currys and john lewis today. Both shops were showing sd and there was not much to notice between them. But imo the signal was not the best as they do not have a good feed in the shops . In john lewis the asistant showed me a hd feed and the plasma seemed to have the edged but I said that lcd was set up corectly when we went into setup there was no contrast which when inreased looked very good. I think overall it is a pesonal opinion and if you are going to go down the hd feed (blu-ray and hd tv) then what is the point of only going hd ready. The debate I am sure will go on.
southdownswolf
Well-known member
- Nov 12, 2007
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[quote user="Dartmouth"]
So what to go for? The considerably cheaper PX80B with poor sound and 720p HD - or the Full HD, decent sound, but £300+ more expensive LZD85?
[/quote]
Do you use a seperate sound system when watching movies? If so, don't worry about the sound, it is easily good enough for everyday listening to normal programmes. Only when you have the sound turned up high will it start to sound poor. As for the 720P/1080P, at this size screen it really doesn't make any difference. I am sure that when What Hifi review the 37PX80, it will regain plasma's grip on the top of the charts.
So what to go for? The considerably cheaper PX80B with poor sound and 720p HD - or the Full HD, decent sound, but £300+ more expensive LZD85?
[/quote]
Do you use a seperate sound system when watching movies? If so, don't worry about the sound, it is easily good enough for everyday listening to normal programmes. Only when you have the sound turned up high will it start to sound poor. As for the 720P/1080P, at this size screen it really doesn't make any difference. I am sure that when What Hifi review the 37PX80, it will regain plasma's grip on the top of the charts.
I was in the local electrical store yesterday comparing these two sets.
To my amazement, they looked almost identical in terms of picture quality, maybe the plasma edging it in terms of the movement (tested on Sky Sports News) and easily had deeper blacks, in fact much deeper. The demo disc being used was the Panasonic one with the stupid dancing fruit things.
During this demo, there is a screen which is entirely black except from the word Panasonic in the middle in white. This is when you could see the huge difference in the black levels. I had tried messing about with the settings, but couldn't get it anywhere near the plasma.
By the way, as a note of caution, I checked the cables etc being used to input the signal into the box (sad, but I always do). The PX80 had an HDMI and the LCD had compnent. I was absolutely baffled, why have a 1080p screen on display and only use component. I asked the salesman, who seemed none the wiser, before I walked out in disgust at his lack of interest.
To my amazement, they looked almost identical in terms of picture quality, maybe the plasma edging it in terms of the movement (tested on Sky Sports News) and easily had deeper blacks, in fact much deeper. The demo disc being used was the Panasonic one with the stupid dancing fruit things.
During this demo, there is a screen which is entirely black except from the word Panasonic in the middle in white. This is when you could see the huge difference in the black levels. I had tried messing about with the settings, but couldn't get it anywhere near the plasma.
By the way, as a note of caution, I checked the cables etc being used to input the signal into the box (sad, but I always do). The PX80 had an HDMI and the LCD had compnent. I was absolutely baffled, why have a 1080p screen on display and only use component. I asked the salesman, who seemed none the wiser, before I walked out in disgust at his lack of interest.
Just to let you know I went for the 42" plasma in the end.
Got a great deal through John Lewis with the 5 year guarantee!!!
Whoohoo!!!! Can't wait, being delivered shortly 🙂
Got a great deal through John Lewis with the 5 year guarantee!!!
Whoohoo!!!! Can't wait, being delivered shortly 🙂
Glad you went with the Plasma, I don't think you will regret it.
We should get commission the amount of plasma's we are selling on here.
We should get commission the amount of plasma's we are selling on here.
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