Cupramax Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Hi peeps, Am considering buying a new TV this month but am in a quandry as to what to go for. Due to space limitations in my current house a 37" is my size limit but this begs the question which do I go for LCD or Plasma as I read so much conflicting info about this size? Well, actually its way to big but I'm planning to move to a bigger house after xmas and wont have the money for it then so I'm getting the biggest I can afford and physically fit in now. The two I've been considering are Panasonic's new TX-37LZD70 Full 1080p HD LCD and the TH-37PX70 HD Plasma. I've had 2 previous Panasonic CRT's for a total of 10 years which have both been uterly reliable so am not looking to any other makes, plus Panasonic have a free 5 yr warranty offer at the moment. Any thoughts on these two units? I realise the LCD is quite a bit more expensive but is it worth it as I'm only using a Virgin cable digital SD source at the moment and this seems to be where I read most of the issues. I'm not big on DVD's and dont have a PS3 or Xbox (yet ) but do still use my PS2 quite a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingermouse Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 samsung 40" is v nice , bit bigger but v cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Yep, but I want a Panasonic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I wouldn't write the Samsungs off, if you want to go LCD then they are pretty impressive, the new F86 range has much better black levels than the Panasonic LCD you mention. From what I have heard the new 1080p Panny is good with HD, if a little over exagerated with colours and sharpness artifacts, but not so clever with SD material. I have a Samsung 37R87 as a second set and it is a beter LCD than the Panasonics I have owned like the LX60, and teh new F86 range is more of the same but with 25000:1 contrast ratio compared with the 7500:1 of the panasonic. The new Panasonic is meant to blur a bit with sport and fast moving action, and LCD is passed that relly so a bit of a shame, seems like it is a screen for the spec hungry kids who need 1080p, and not designed for the best overall image. The plasma is always going to give the better image overall, as a main set I would always choose Plasma, so much smoother image, looks more like a big CRT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Good info, thanks... I watch a lot of footy on Sky Sports, (no HD thanks to Virgin ) so smooth motion is v important. I think I know how I'm going to spend Saturday morning... a trip to Curry's and do some investigation I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukeboy749r Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Personally I wouldn't touch Currys with a barge pole. And Guy knows his stuff! Try looking up the models mentioned and the one you want on the web, then you might get a better comparison. Obviously a trip to a retailer is good for actually seeing what they look like, but you can never really see true pic quality, as they don't have the rest of the stuff to support it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Obviously a trip to a retailer is good for actually seeing what they look like, [/ QUOTE ] Yep, thats the only reason I'm going there... I've read review after review, its only that persons opinion and they're all so different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simkna Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Go plasma every time, no contest - especially with SD material. Panasonic do a nice 37" plasma. Job done. Go to Currys by all means, but only to judge which cabinet style you prefer, you'll learn absolutely nothing about which set has the better picture. The way they have the sets set up / adjusted is always an absolute joke, and the set that looks best under bright fluorescent lighting isn't necessarily the one that works best in your home environment. Si. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 The problem with viewing displays under fluorescent lighting is they wash out the brightness (overall luminance) of the set, so under a fluorescent light an LCD will always look better, they will actually look like they have better blacks and therefore a punchier image. Get back into your front room and it is completely the other way round, same with putting a screen in a conservatory, although plasma is generally the better tech, in a conservatory during the day an LCD will wipe the floor with all plasmas, but get to early evening or night and the plasma starts to look a whole lot better. I can totally understand why people go into a store and come out with an LCD, but calibrate both in normal viewing conditions and I have never had anyone in a side by side demo pick an LCD over plasma. Where are you based?? There are a few decent retailers around who set the screens up properly, and this is the important bit, out of the box the LCD will look better, but once 10 minutes has been spent on them the Plasma really does shine through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Where are you based?? There are a few decent retailers around who set the screens up properly, and this is the important bit, out of the box the LCD will look better, but once 10 minutes has been spent on them the Plasma really does shine through. [/ QUOTE ] Down in Poole, we have got a couple of specialist suppliers around so may take a look at them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet_man Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I'm sure most of you have seen this, but if you haven't Cupramax, it's worth checking out. Cheers LCD/Plasma - which one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Thanks, I hadn't come across that before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I'm sure most of you have seen this, but if you haven't Cupramax, it's worth checking out. Cheers LCD/Plasma - which one? [/ QUOTE ] Plasma it is then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 That is an interesting report, it was actually funded by Panasonic who sell more LCD than they do Plasmas. The one feature that really sells LCD displays is resolution, however the one specification that none of the LCDs show is moving resolution, now considering we are talking about LCDs in the home cinema/tv enviroment this is pretty important. A 768 resolution Plasma can show approx. 650 lines of moving resolution, a 1080p screen can show over 900 lines. In comparison a 768 line LCD struggles to show 450 lines of moving resolution, regular Pal TV is 576 lines, and a 1080p LCD will not resolve more than 700 odd lines. LCDs are great for static images, but for a moving image their biggest selling point is a bit of a con. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I'm definitely leaning towards the Plasma now, will have a look at them both over the weekend though judging by previous comments its not worth basing my opinion on what I see in the shops other than if I like the cabinet or not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vman Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I had the same dilema, Plasma or LCD. I have ended up buying the Samsung 40inch M87 LCD. So far I am very pleased with it. I have it connected to my Sky+ box. The picture quality seems to vary between channels a lot. Like for example I watched CSI Miami on Five and the picture was stunning, really impressed by it. As for motion blur, yes it is there but only when you really look for it. I also have a PS2 connected which looks very good, cannot wait to get a 360 for Christmas though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJ Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Ok I can help I reckon. 12 Months ago I bought a Sony KDL40X2000U 5 star rating everywhere and side by side in the stores nothing compared. In reality - is awesome with an HD signal - and with the PS3, but most of the time all we have is an SD signal - and then - well its just not all that great. Additionally .. although black levels are good enough ... its not up to some plasmas I have seen. Its one of the best LCD TV's I reckon though ... so on that basis .. If im honest I would go for plasma next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 sisters want to buy a 37" TV. They're not bothered plasma or LCD so I might buy a "job lot" with my Panny. As well as the Samsung M86 which other ones are decent/worth considering? What about: Tosh 37" LG 37" Sony 40" All LCDs... more details: LG37LC46 - £497 Sammy LE37R88BD £588 Tosh 37C3030D £610 Sharp LC37AD5E £580 Sony KDL40U2000U £600 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vman Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Just a bit of info, Sony and Samsung share the same lcd panels but use there own processing technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Well, I've been and had a look and am really none the wiser. Side by side running an HD demo the Panny 37" LCD looked absolutely stunning, easily better than the Plasma I was considering which was conveniently right next to it running the same feed, but the Samsung mentioned above beside them was even better despite not being Full 1080p. They did however have a Sony 40" LCD (not sure exactly which model) running a live Sky Sports HD feed of the Everton v Liverpool game and that was totally gob smacking. I'm going to have to spend some more time investigating this as every review I've read about the TH37PX70 Plasma has given it 5 stars but next to the TX-37LZD70 it looked crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 I can guarantee you that the plasma would not have been set up properly, out of the box an LCD will always look better, once you start to calibrate them though the plasma steams ahead. Problem with plasma is they are not as bright when calibrated properly, so straight out the box they are in Dynamic mode as most buyers will be more impressed with a bright colourful image, but once set up you will see so much more detail in the image, especially in darker areas. I have the Samsung R88 37" at the moment, I had the M86 before this and the only difference is the M86 has darker blacks, but in the conservatory these are not seen. The M86 went back as I couldn't live with it after living with Panasonic plasmas for 4 years, it just looked crap in comparison. However I then bought a PX70, and although 100x better at night, it just isn't bright enough during the day, so you have to up the contrast and put it in dynamic to see it properly and then it actually looks worse than the LCD, so I ended up ordering the R88. This was the point I was making about in store demos, it tells you nothing, to get the most from a plasma it will look dark compared with an LCD and a dark image does not sell sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 It was more the resolution that bothered me, the plasma did flash "1080i" up once on screen so it may have been running interlaced. Perhaps that was why it looked so crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 As soon as you crank the contrast and sharpness up passed calibrated levels on a plasma it becomes a pixilated mess, and thus makes it look more like a 320x240 resolution than an HD resolution. You need to ask for the remotes, make sure the following settings are adjusted, CINEMA MODE, Colur Temp Normal or WARM, contrast is around 50%, colour to around 45%, and sharpness between 25-50% and certainly no more. For setting the black level put a film on with black bars and stand right next to the screen, turn up the brightness till you see green lit pixels and then knock it back down so the black bars are noise free and rock solid. On my Samsung I have the Backlight on 3 and brightness on 43%, this is calibrated and gives the best results, however the blacks are still far lighter than the plasma and the LCD is no longer any brighter. Make sure you view some SD material too, this is one area where LCDs really suffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted October 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Thanks for the info Guy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vman Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Have a look on avforums.com plenty of advice and info on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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