Will LCDs ever be as good as CRTs?

[admin_exported]

My Mum's 13 year old Sony CRT just lost its tube, so I decided to replace with an LCD, (various reasons: weight, space, area going digi next year, etc).

Found a good deal on the Sony KDL 32P3020, a 5 star reviewed TV.

Set it up for her yesterday, can't believe how far off the old CRT the picture quality is.

Will LCDs ever be as good as CRTs, because I couldn't put up with the quality of picture of the 3020, my own ten year old Sony CRT is much better.

 

[Anonymous]

If I can substitute 'LCD' with 'Plasma', I can honestly say that my 428xd pioneer is better but with a couple of health warnings. A good source is essential as flat screens tend to be far less forgiving than CRT's. Mine is fed a diet of HiDef and up-scaled DVD's via my PS3 and 720p tv broadcasts via my BT Vision box. No doubt with a Sky or Virgin HD box I would get even better pictures but that all costs money.

Flat screens tend to be less able at handling fast motion. Maybe we will have to wait for OLED before we can truly say CRT is dead and buried. Having no experience of LCD projectors I cannot comment on whether they are any better.

 

[Alec]

Good question. I hope someone more technically knowledgable than me replies. I've seen some pretty "good" LCDs and i find them unnacceptable with SD. Im hoping to find one of the new Panny plasmas acceptable, but im quite prepared not to buy this year if theyre not up to it. There are people who say theyre made for HD so thats why theyre SD performance is rubbish. But most will be waiting Years to have enough affordable HD progs. So, if my CRT goes "up it" befeore i find a flat panel im happy with, or before HD is commonplace, what am i to do? Sorry, bit of a rant. Anyway, i agree with you. OOPS, OUR POSTS CLASHED.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="alfajerry"]
My Mum's 13 year old Sony CRT just lost its tube, so I decided to replace with an LCD, (various reasons: weight, space, area going digi next year, etc).

Found a good deal on the Sony KDL 32P3020, a 5 star reviewed TV.

Set it up for her yesterday, can't believe how far off the old CRT the picture quality is.

Will LCDs ever be as good as CRTs, because I couldn't put up with the quality of picture of the 3020, my own ten year old Sony CRT is much better.

[/quote]

I have been saying this for ages, but I am accused of being a luddite. Yet to see an LCD I rate. Apparently, if you watch HD the picture is good, but I am yet to be convinced. Plasma is the way to go, although I still say the got rid of CRT to early.

 

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of us are in the same boat. When I changed my PC monitor from CRT to LCD I was very dissapointed in how it handled games and anything else faster moving than Microsoft Office so I've been hanging onto my Sony Trinitron TV for 10 years now. LCDs all look great in the showrooms when they are fed a HD source but if you get them to stick a standard def tv broadcast through they fall down.

Saying that, I have been having a good look at some Plasma sets from Panasonic and Pioneer which get good reviews in the mag and on this forum. There is a consensus that they handle SD a lot better than LCD which is what I'm after as I'm sticking with freeview (then possibly freesat if it ever arrives). Hopefully a decent blueray player will come out by the end of the year then I'll be sorted! Oh and I'll want to replace my ageing AV receiver/amp....so much to buy and so little cash to spend!

 

[Alec]

Bilbo Boggins - as i say, ill be looking at plasmas too. Thatll mean going a little bigger than i intended but it might be the breakthrough im looking for. Ive seen the 2006 and 2007 37" Panasonics close up recently, showing SD progs, and was very impressed. And i saw them both from closer than i sit to my telly - tho one was raised up quite high.

 

[Anonymous]

well seeing that CRTs are designed for standard def and flatscreens were made for High def... but i think top end plasmas beat CRTs easily...

 

[Alec]

matthew s - by top-end you mean...?

 

[Anonymous]

ok forget top end id say the majority but mostly top end...PDPLX508D, PDP508XD, TH50PZ700B PS50P96HDX i could go on ^_^

 

[Alec]

Mostly huge ones then? Oh well...I didnt mean that to sound argumentative btw, i was just asking for some examples to maybe take a look.

 

[cse]

What does CRT stand for please?

 

[timwileman]

cathode ray tube i believe

 

[Anonymous]

Can anyone tell me how to 'watch' or 'subscribe' to this thread (so that I get an email when it is added to)?

Thanks.

 

[professorhat]

Hi alfajerry - this functionality doesn't work on the site currently unfortunately. However - fret not, the all singing, all dancing new WHF website is on its way where all these little bugbears should be fixed (hopefully!).

Any news on when this will be yet? I know it must be soon!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Prof.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="matthew s"]well seeing that CRTs are designed for standard def and flatscreens were made for High def... but i think top end plasmas beat CRTs easily...[/quote]

Plasma was specifically designed for large TVs.

LCDs were originally designed for tiny watches!!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="alfajerry"]

Will LCDs ever be as good as CRTs, because I couldn't put up with the quality of picture of the 3020, my own ten year old Sony CRT is much better.

[/quote]

I currently have a 25'' Sony which I bought 18 years ago. The picture is still pretty good, but I do intend to get a 42'' Plasma (Pioneer 4280XD).

However, as I am in no real hurry, can anyone tell me what new models (any make) are likely to come on to the market and what effect they will have on the price of current Plasmas.

Will the Pioneer 4280xd be surpassed in the way of quality in the near future?

 

[Clare Newsome]

As luck would have it, we've an overview of all the new TV models (LCD and plasma) coming out in our forthcoming, May issue- on sale next Thursday.

We haven't seen a plasma yet that rivals the current Pioneer Kuro, but who knows what the new models from Panasonic, Samsung and more will offer? And then there's the new Kuros due in the Autumn...

 

[Alec]

great stuff! i think this was covered somewhere already, but do you have any idea of your review schedule for the new pannys...?

 

[Clare Newsome]

This story covers which models we've had in so far. Once we've had a good ol' look at them i'm sure we'll be posting reviews up here as well as running them in-mag.

 

[Alec]

many thanks!