CRT on last legs, please spec me a LCD/Plasma...

[melbourne720]

Hi there

Yeah, the old 26" CRT TV is making some funny noises recently (damn Philips rubbish) and it looks like it is on way out.

I'm thinking of spending £500-£600 ish on a LCD TV (26" to 32") to replace it. A few questions arise:-

1. If I go Hi Def am I correct in thinking that I won't get a 1920 x 1080 set for that size & budget, or anywhere near it?

2. At 32" and under, does 1366x768 represent a much better picture than standard?

3. Will you need a DVD player / next gen console with suitable HDMI output to get the benefits of the high definition?

4. Are Samsung, Panasonic and LG the brands to go for? They seemed to be well liked here.

5. What would you get in my position?

thanks...

 

[richolmes72]

In my opinion, The difference of 1920*1080 with HD is only noticeable on big screens (40"+) and will make the SD picture worse. Stick with 1366*768 for now. 1920*1080 IS definitely out of your budget.

Samsung and Panasonic are both very good makes, LG are pretty good, and Sony are worth considering (though they only do LCD's).

The latest Samsung 42" Plasma 42PQ97HDX is a good buy at around £750 with 3 HDMI's and looks great. A 37" Plasma Panasonic is a similar price. If you want to go LCD (i'm a plasma fan though) then I've heard good things about the latest Panasonic 32". Bought a 2006 model 26" for my gran, and we've been very pleased with it. Can't really advice you on anything smaller as i'm looking at considerably larger stuff for myself atm.

Component, VGA, DVI and HDMI can all carry an HD signal.

To get HD nowadays you will need to get Sky HD or connect a PS3 by HDMI or an Xbox360 by component or VGA, or a dedicated BluRay or HDDVD player.

You can get DVD players with HDMI sockets which will "upscale" normal DVD's to HD resolution to get "slightly" better picture quality.

 

[melbourne720]

Thanks richolmes72, just what I wanted to know. Now all I have to do is get the misses to sign off on the idea...

 

[Buckster]

get a decent 2nd hand Plasma

I bought a Panasonic PWD8 (non-HD) about 4 months ago for about 500 notes with 15 months warranty remaining and have been BLOWN away by the image quality. I had a Loewe 32 inch CRT before which I thought couldn't be bettered but I was wrong.

Even though my Plasma is only 880x448 (or something) - HD still looks HD (it will take up to 1080i) and I MUCH prefer the PQ on my Plasma to my friends Sharp Aquous 1080p LCD.

Mark.

 

[melbourne720]

Thanks Buckster, wouldn't have considered that.

Do Plasmas have a shorter life span than LCDs? (or is that bull?)

 

[Buckster]

in theory they do - but the life of them is pretty long - we're talking 4 years or so at least I'd imagine.

I'd be a bit wary about ones without warranty - just as with any expensive 2nd hand item.

When I look at LCDs - they almost look over-sharp, over-processed (even the expensive ones), and the colours and contrast don't impress me.

The Plasmas though - especially the older Panasonic ones - the colours are superb - contrast superb - I've had no problems with image retention - even though my son watches many hours of kids TV with static logos.

Mark.

 

[MagicBoy]

I've just got one of the new range of Panasonic LCDs yesterday to replace a 28" Toshiba CRT. First impressions after a bit of tweaking are that it's definately as good as a Samsung and has a better SD picture. Manual states it will accept 1080p over HDMI, but obviously scales down to the panel. I've not got any HDMI sources at the moment, but my laptop connected via the VGA input looks fabulous. I can just about properly read text from a normal viewing distance of 2.5m but there's no way I could read a 1080p native from that distance.

 

[melbourne720]

The misses has given the thumbs up, so this will happen!

Right, at the moment I'm thinking LCD, because the TV can't really be any bigger than 32" because of the living room size (am I right this rules out most Plasma sets?).

I'm looking at:-

Panasonic TX32LXD70
Samsung LE32N73BDX

Samsung LE32R74BDX
Samsung LE32R87

Any additional thoughts? I suppose it will come down to actually going to a showroom and seeing them in action.

Thanks everyone for your comments so far

 

[Butters]

Whats the difference between

Samsung LE32N73BDX

Samsung LE32R74BDX
Samsung LE32R87

Is there a comparison site available. I'm about to purchase a Samsung LCD (possibly only a 26" although the price difference between the 26" and the 32" I'm thinking of is only £40).

Do the model numbers depict the year or something?

 

[Energize]

The samsung website has all the differences on.

EDIT- The samsung website has died.

 

[DuncyBoy]

To the O/P, please let us know what you pick.

I'm in an identical position- CRT on it's way out and a similar budget for a similar size LCD

Let us know how you get on and good luck with the Mrs

 

[melbourne720]

I'm thinking the Panasonic TX32LXD70. I'll have a look at these in action, and let you know what I think.

 

[melbourne720]

Hi All, got the Panasonic in the end

Panasonic TX32LXD70

Truly an amazing TV set:-

Picture
Blacks are very black, blending in with the frame.Colours are good and natural. 100hz technology means CRT or better fresh rates, no ghosting, no blur, no flicker, fantastic really.

Sound
I really liked the sound, certainly good enough for TV programs with clear reproduction of voices and background noises. Obviously films will benefit from surround sound, but if this TV had arrived and you had to wait a week for the 5.1 kit you ordered, you wouldn't mind too much!

Ease of Use
Switched it on, it set itself up automatically, for both Digital and Analogue channels. A simple, if uninspiring, remote is uncluttered and well laid out.

Connectivity
2 x HDMI ports
2 x SCART (both RGB)
1 x PC VGA
1 x Component RGB
1 x Composite
1 x Ariel In
L&R Audio Out

Overall
The best TV I have ever owned, a great start into the world of LCD TVs for me

 

[no_1_dave]

Its the one I got, I honestly cant fault it at all. My pc is hooked up to it for use as a media centre & believe me, HD looks stunning
SD is also very good on it, better then SD looks on most TVs when looking around the shops.