Plasma or LCD - Very Difficult to Decide

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I am in the process of choosing a new TV for my house...before I start I would like to state that I already have...........

(a) Sony Wega (28" CRT) - bought in 2003 (widescreen)
(b) Sony DAV S 550 5.1 Ch Home Cinema System with DVD+Amplifier etc... - bought in 2003.

I need to know if my existing Home Cinema System will work with the type of latest TVs in the market....or if I connect it to PS3 (which works at 1080p), will it work ???

(1) LCD or Plasma.....that is the big decision I HAVE TO TAKE.........

I have "zeroed-on" 2 models - Sony KDL-40W4500 and Panasonic TH-42PZ800, please help in deciding.....

I would like a 40" or 42" only........would ideally like to buy after x-mas...to get some benefit out of the "sale" - is it worth the wait ??

Please help me in choosing the right TV (which will be future-proof !!!) for some years atleast.........

thanks,
Seemtab

 

[matthewpiano]

I'm not going to advise which TV to go for because I work in a Sony Centre and could be seen as biased. Both are excellent sets and either will give you lots of pleasure. Spend some time looking at both with SD and HD sources and make your mind up from there. The technology (LCD or plasma) is far less important than the overall ability of the set itself.

Which DAV system do you have? If it has an optical input on it the PS3 will work fine - just route the audio through the DAV and take the picture straight to the TV by HDMI.

Good luck - I'm sure you will be happy whichever set you choose.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for reply

My existing system is Sony DAV S 550 5.1 Ch Home Cinema System...if I opt to buy a sony BDP-S550,

Will it be compatible to my existing home cinema ?? and the audio will be fine in 5.1 ch ?

 

[Anonymous]

ahmed

I went through the same thought process but with two different models of TV. What I found to be the case when looking at my TV selection was that plasma TVs (generally) offer a better depth of black, which in turn offers a more life like colour. You might be forgiven for thinking that a plasma screen seems to be a little darker than an LCD and this is due to the fact that an LCD is lit from behind, giving what might seem to be a brighter picture (as you are effectively staring at a light bulb).

My advice would be to work out what you watch the most of and see that on screen. If your family watches a lot of standard def TV then look at that as (traditionally) SD pictures seem to be worse on an LCD screen as they can suffer from a bit of motin blur or lag.

If it were my money - it would be spent on a plasma...

In fact it was...

and I am glad it was...

 

[Anonymous]

Echo the comment - also went through this all just recently (great fun or complete headache depending on what frame of mind you're in!) with nearly the same models (W4500 vs PZ80) and changed my mind at the last moment after bothering to actually go and see them in action. Found the LCD to be pretty bad compared to the plasma - in fact bad full stop (on a separate post I said how my girlfriend said she thought it looked like "a TV that was going wrong and that the LCD would give her a headache in 5 mins"!). I found the LCD quite harsh to look at compared to the smoother plasma.

But to be fair it is personal choice and the point is to try and find somewhere that does both and play around with different settings and inputs (i.e. HD vs SD) and see what you will be happier sitting at home watching. Despite my feelings on the Sony, the WHFSV folks must know what they're about so if they think it's the 2008 winner it must be good. Might be an idea to put a post on the forum asking what they own??! Trouble is with the Sony, they have just brought out the 200hz model!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Ok so iv got to get my new tv tommorow and i sill dont know what to get. Im stuck between the panasonic th42pz80 and the sony kdl 40w4000. Taking into account everything they do can have peoples opinion please? O and it will be used for everything.

 

[Anonymous]

This is probably not the advice you want to hear, (or indeed the advice most people will give) but if there is nothing wrong with your Sony CRT 28" I would stick with it as long as you can for the next 2 years. On SD, nothing, in my opinion beats CRT. In time, as the great digital switch over takes place, and all the old transmitters are switched off, then they can start to boost the signal for digital, and much more will be broadcast on HD.

Of course you can buy an HD box now but, there is a limited amount to watch. In 2-3 years time the quality of the TV's will have improved and so will the whole digital experience. Obviously, if your set is faulty then fine, you have to change, but as it is only 5 years old you should still get another 2-3 years out of it.

It depends how much you really want a larger flat screen TV now really.

 

[lobby]

Go with the plasma ive got an lcd and now regreting it although bluray looks fine sd viewing most dvds and sky dont look that great and sometimes i feel its a little to bright and unatural. I think plasmas are improved crt i mean better contrast and deeper colour and lcds are just large computer screens im going plasma next year sell my to my parents. But everyone will have a different take on things, so go to your local Currys look at all the ranges and see what sticks out for you wish i did.

 

[Sorreltiger]

.....or, alternatively, don't go to Curry's, because you can't make any meaningful choice in a store like that. ÿYou're even wasting your time in John Lewis. ÿDO find a friendly, knowledgeable dealer (or two, if necessary) who will take time to show you the screens you're interested in showing a variety of sources and under conditions which replicate your home more closely.

Whatever you do, don't rush into it!ÿ