Better to get lcd or plasma?

Radiation · 22 Jun 2011 at 17:27

If i wanted a 42" to 50" tv for under £400 which is the better one to go with, lcd or plasma?

Also same question but when you get between £500 and £700?

Paul11 · 22 Jun 2011 at 17:30

i prefer a plasma, but there are pros and cons to both

the wopster · 22 Jun 2011 at 17:30

plasma both times
better PQ,better blacks,better motion handling

Purgatory · 23 Jun 2011 at 00:56

Depends what your main use is for it... If for console or PC gaming and you are not willing to wait the breakin period for a plasma and the care needed not to get screen burn in then get a LCD.. BUT if you love image quality and it will be used carefully and you enjoy movies get a Plasma... I have a Plasma and game on it too but with care and not for long periods. LCD also for a bright room and if you dont really watch in the dark or dimmed room. Check some AVforums and AVSforums.. will give you a better idea... For me Plasma is still the best but im careful with them and dont abuse them and never had a single problem with 2 Plasma sets I have owned.

chaparral · 23 Jun 2011 at 06:37

plasma

Two my best mates swapped there LCD's for a plasma after seeing my plasma

Nick1881 · 23 Jun 2011 at 08:07

Purgatory said:
Depends what your main use is for it... If for console or PC gaming and you are not willing to wait the breakin period for a plasma and the care needed not to get screen burn in then get a LCD.. BUT if you love image quality and it will be used carefully and you enjoy movies get a Plasma... I have a Plasma and game on it too but with care and not for long periods. LCD also for a bright room and if you dont really watch in the dark or dimmed room. Check some AVforums and AVSforums.. will give you a better idea... For me Plasma is still the best but im careful with them and dont abuse them and never had a single problem with 2 Plasma sets I have owned.

I thought screen burn wasn't such a big issue these days?

ferret face · 23 Jun 2011 at 08:18

I play games on my Panasonic plasma all the time and dont get any screen burn. Just dont leave it on a static screen for hours

sHo0sH · 23 Jun 2011 at 09:26

I put about 9 days worth of Black ops through my Panasonic plasma - no screen burn whatsoever.

krooton · 23 Jun 2011 at 10:25

Whilst I have a Panny Plasma, they all have their own pros and cons.

My lounge is quite dark, with only small west and east facing windows, so the reflective screen isn't an issue.

My gf's parents have a VERY bright front room, french doors at the back and big bay windows, so a plasma will be no good.

As a result I specced them a great deal for a Panasonic Viera TXL42U3B, £399.

It has an IPS panel, meaning viewing angles which are the usual bugbears of LCD tvs aren't a problem, and the matte screen means the bright room is fine.

Radiation · 23 Jun 2011 at 11:03

Thanks, i thought there might be some big differences when the budget drops too low to make it worth getting one over the other.

So what models are recommended at the moment in each price range?

SpeedFreak · 23 Jun 2011 at 12:44

Panasonic 42 inch G30 plasma at about £700 if 3d is of no interest. Hugely better than the G20 from last year.

Nymins · 23 Jun 2011 at 12:48

woppy101 said:
plasma both times
better PQ,better blacks,better motion handling

Somnambulist · 23 Jun 2011 at 14:38

Image quality being the main concern, for a TV plasma is better.

knowlton · 23 Jun 2011 at 14:40

I've heard that plasma requires periodic (every 2 years?) gas refills though? Not entirely sure how they work as I've always used LCDs or projectors..

lucid · 23 Jun 2011 at 14:50

knowlton said:
I've heard that plasma requires periodic (every 2 years?) gas refills though? Not entirely sure how they work as I've always used LCDs or projectors..

Priceless. I've not heard that for the last 8-10 years. Thanks for reviving a classic

the wopster · 23 Jun 2011 at 14:59

knowlton said:
I've heard that plasma requires periodic (every 2 years?) gas refills though? Not entirely sure how they work as I've always used LCDs or projectors..

OMG do people still belive that,next you will be saying that they all get screen burn also

Stag · 23 Jun 2011 at 15:35

Every year a man has to come round with a gas tank and refill mine.

Purgatory · 23 Jun 2011 at 19:30

Nick1881 said:
I thought screen burn wasn't such a big issue these days?

It's not, you just need to be careful when the screen is new and you are breakin the phosphors in the screen for the 1st 200-ish hours.. They always burn hotter when new and that's really only time for concern about screen burn and as I said it's very rare for it to happen.. no normal person is going to leave a static image on any type of screen for serious amount of hours, which will in some cases cause screen burn if the screens protection measures are not very good. I have owned 2 plasmas in my time not one had burn-in ... on the other hand image retention is very normal and washes away very quickly when watching something else for a short while.

I did talk more about plasma screens in this thread and some of the issues and non-issues with plasma screens..

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18285901

My vote is always Plasma unless OLED shows it can be made to work well in large screens in the future.

beachBOYken · 24 Jun 2011 at 11:15

In terms of Picture Quality ive noticed no difference from a plasma and my new Lcd

perhaps a while ago there was better picture but going from my old panasonic plasma to a new samsung lcd the picture is just as good!

one thing i find better is the lightness of lcd (14kg) compared to my old plasma that was about 32kg!

krooton · 24 Jun 2011 at 11:38

Purgatory said:
My vote is always Plasma unless OLED shows it can be made to work well in large screens in the future.

Why always? It's situational, and there are situations were a plasma is just not ideal.