Which is the best PANASONIC ? TH-37PX70 (Plasma) or TX-37LZD70 (LCD)

[admin_exported]

Hi

Looking at purchasing a new quality TV and feeling a little confused. Would you please advise which one from these two Panasonics offer the best picture and sound quality for both now and for the future when digital comes along. Having decided that our front room will take a 37" I have narrowed my choice to these two, having decided that if we went for a 32" it would have to be the Panasonic TX-32LXD700 as I feel this is the best 32 around.

The TX-37LZD70 (LCD) has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with Full HD and seems to have outstanding picture quality with fantastic sharpness and incredible detail.

The TH-37PX70 (Plasma) has a reslution of 1024 x 720 and with it being a Plasma seems to be the one to go for, but I am not certain if the picture quality is as good as the above LCD?

Please advise your thoughts, Which one would you buy?

Extremely gratefull for any advice

MEZ08

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry M8 I posted more or less the same question at exactly the same time as you! Seems to be a hot topic. Anybody seen these two side by side???

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Stiggy

Seen the two side by side at Comet in Shrewsbury today! Have to admit that I thought that the Panasonic TX-37LZD70 - The LCD had the better picture. Just seemed to have greater detail and the sharper set. Both were side by side and I fiddled with the contrast, brightness, sharpness etc on the Plasma but could not seem to get the same level of detail or sharpness as that of the LCD. Think you too should compare if you can, was set on the Plasma myself, but more confused than ever now! (My eyes tell me the LCD.)

 

[Anonymous]

We haven't put the two models head-to-head in a Supertest or Group Test, but when we did the First Test on the LCD set, we dug out our reference sample of the plasma for comparison. As you'd expect, the higher resolution LCD is sharper, cleaner and, superficially, more impressive 'out of the box'. Watch for longer, though, and the plasma set's more convincing colours and superior contrast (and in particular, black levels) give it the edge. In the end, we decided that if we had to choose, we'd buy the plasma, especially given the price differential between the two sets. The ideal 37in Panasonic would combine the two strengths, but it seems so far Full HD Panny plasmas only come in 42in and bigger screen sizes. Shame.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Andy, exactly what I needed to know. Would I be right is saying that whilst the LCD has a native resolution matching 1080P thereby giving the best from full HD sources everyting else i.e terrestrial TV, Freeview, standard DVD would have to be significantly "upscaled" (or stretched in laymans terms) leading to a "grainier" less detailed picture from these sources. In short whilst a FHD set will look better with a 1080P feed it would probably look inferior to a HDR set with all other sources; correct? Also would I be right in saying that the plasma suffers less from motion artefacts (something I am very sensitve to).
Is there any other set you are aware of (assuming a 40" max size) that comes close to the 37" Panasonic plasma overall quality that I should also view given a max budget of £1000?

 

[Anonymous]

It's true to say the Panasonic LCD has higher resolution, and yes, that does impose more demands on its video upscaling, but it's not always a given than a 'Full HD' set will look worse with standard-definition video signals than a lower-resolution alternative. If the job is done properly - see Sony's latest W and X-series Bravias, Pioneer's LX-series plasmas and Panasonic's LCD and plasma range -ÿa 1920 x 1080 panel can be persuaded to look good even with a 720 x 576 feed. In fact, it wasn't really a scaling issue that caused us to pick the 37in plasma over the LCD: more a question of black level and contrast.

As for motion: yes, we have found most plasma sets to be less afflicted by artificial motion than LCD, and we've often found that sets with 100Hz video processing can sometimes appear a little odd when watching DVDs and the like.

Finally, an alternative option, no larger than 40in? Hmm. I'd check out Sony's 40in KDL-40W3000, but in truth, I'd really suggest you try to find the money for a Pioneer PDP-428XD. Bigger than you want, more expensive than you want, but in my view the best there is at (roughly) this size. A quick Google suggests you can get one for under £1500 now.

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

Isn't the Panasonic TX-37LZD70 a full HD 1080 panel?

States in the stats on the Panasonic product page that it's a 1920 x 1080 panel.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Cofnchtr]

[quote user="Andy Kerr"]The ideal 37in Panasonic would combine the two strengths, but it seems so far Full HD Panny plasmas only come in 42in and bigger screen sizes. Shame.[/quote]

Hi,

Was confused by your comment quoted above.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Anonymous]

Ah, I see! The TX-37LZD70 is an LCD set. My comment quoted above mentioned Full HD Panny plasmas.

Cheers, Andy

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

Reading it slower, I can see my mistake now....

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Guys, sorry been away, thanks for your reply Andy. Will be buying the 37 panny plasma though as 42 Pioneer is just too big, love em though best on the market (and I sell these for a living for commercial applications).