Panasonic 32" LCD or 42" Plasma

Chong Warrior

Chong Warrior

Chong Warrior

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My trusty SONY 32" Widescreen CRT won't turn on and I'm unwilling to spend x amount of £££'s to get it fixed so I need a new TV. I've managed to wittle it down to choice of these two.

Panasonic TX32LXD60 - £600
2x HDMI
1200:1 contrast ratio
1366 x 768

Panasonic TH42PX60 - £800
2x HDMI
unknown contrast
1024x768
+ Panasonic DVD Recorder Digital Freeview (RRP £199)

Not really interested in a DVD Recorder, was thinking maybe I could seel it for about £140? Bringing the 42" to roughly £670. Both brand new with warranty, the plasma is from Curry's I know the manager and gets me a discount :)

Any known issues with these TV's? I've heard good things about the Viera range, are there better? I like the look of the LG range and I know the Samsung panels are quite good but these prices seem good.

Torn between the bigger size and better looking 42" or the superior sec of the smaller 32", prices are so similar.
 
I'll add that I've got an Xbox 360, part of the reson I can't be bothered fixing the Sony as I wouldn't mind playing it in HD :) Are LCD's superior to plasma for this?
 
if we were talking standard definition TV (like Sky or freeview) and especially Sport then the plasma is infinitely better. More pixels does not a better picture make.

Even with DVDs i'd say the plasma - much deeper blacks, less grainy and generally a more pleasant viewing experience.

If we're talking HD (Not much in HD yet) then there's less in it, but i'd still suggest plasma.

However, if you play a LOT of 360 (more than an hour at a time say) then the plasma may not be for you - due to screen retention/burn-in.

Apparently its rare on the pannys, but thats with TV. Games, having fixed hud pictures can aggravate the problem.
 
The panny 42" plasma's have bad problems with green flashes went playing some xbox360 games (GOW being about the worst for this)...

Plus the the purple snake picture problems with the panny 42" plasma's so many owners are getting.....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4063877&postcount=1588
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~jakeisal/pictures/
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394430&page=155

GOF1.jpg
 
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Cheers for that guys. I've been led to believe Panasonic are among the market leaders in Plasma's, seems they're having lots of problems!

Must say I'm very suprised at Pugs comments that the Plasma are superior to LCD's. Looks like I've got some reading and research to do.

Could you recommend a better TV than the Viera range for similar money?
 
dont take my word as gospel, i was in your position a week ago, and have just immersed myself in it as my father asked my adivce as he was looking to drop a few grand on a setup.

The beauty of plasma over LCD is the picture has massively better blacks, less blur/ghosting and offers a more "sumptuous" picture (colour saturation etc).

If you will be using it 100% for HD feeds, then the LCD isn't actually too bad an option, but my father was using it for mostly Sky+ - SD, and LCDs just aren't as good as plasmas at this...

Like you i assumed plasma to be dead, and LCD the future, but because LCDs are backlit this light "bleeds" through and around the screen and makes different areas of light and dark, with darks not being that dark. Plasmas glow from their cells, so have better blacks as a result...

Running costs and lifetime of sets are negligible now, so shouldn't be a deciding factor.

My worry in reccomending plasma to you is that you mention 360 games, and plasmas still have this screen burn issue (tho certainly with pannys its less of a problem). LCDs dont have this problem, and have a higher res if you ever decide to put a PC in there. For HD tho either are fine, as both can do 720p/1080i.

Good plasma (all of which have faults) are:

Panny PX60 (purple snake problem, and fan buzzing)
Samsung (not read much either way on these)
Hitachi (ALiS Panel, which deinterlaces all footage, but does native 1080i with a res of 1024x1080 - been told by one person these are ace, and a couple of others best to avoid - either way talk of probs withpower supplies dieing, and buzzing noises)
Pioneer (cant recall model, but these are meant to be good, but little more susceptible to screen burn - again specifically on Sky News tickers and games).

They all have their faults...

What advice i can offer i'm glad to. Just be aware that the people on AVForums are the type to buy a specific DVD, fast forward to a certain time and pause to look for things like the picture above. My suspicions are (could be wrong) the average joe wouldn't notic half as much. Equally, there are problem people on there with real problems...
 
There is now a fix for the purple snake issue on pannys and this will be rolling out shortly

having said that many people have no problems at all, you will only ever hear from the folks that do have


from the experinence I built up when looking for one something became abundantly clear, if you want to watch football then a plasma wins hands down
 
chaparral said:
The panny 42" plasma's have bad problems with green flashes went playing some xbox360 games (GOW being about the worst for this)...

Plus the the purple snake picture problems with the panny 42" plasma's so many owners are getting.....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4063877&postcount=1588
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~jakeisal/pictures/
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394430&page=155
Click to expand...

If you read these links you've posted here to the end, you'll see that Panasonic have apparently acknowledged the fault and are currently fixing it, so I don't really see this being a reason why not to buy what is apparently a great plasma.
 
there are literally hundreds of different reoslutions about for similar sized sets...

its not like windows resolutions sadly...
 
Well I had a similar situation to you. I was all set for getting an LCD and then I began my research and demoing a few sets. For my own personal viewing preference Plasma wins hands down every time over LCD. I prefer the richer colours, deeper blacks, less smearing watching the footie etc.I feed mainly SD from Sky and DVDs with only a little gaming now and again.

I ended up with a 42" Panasonic PX60 and have to say I've been very impressed with it. I haven't noticed any purple snakes nor green tinges of anything. I ran in the panel for a couple of hundred hours and have not had any problems with even temporary retention after hours of logos in one corner of the screen from either Sky Sports or black bars from movies (incidentally this is rumoured to help out if you do get retention issues: http://www.jscreenfix.com/ ) There is no discernible fan noise either unless I stand with my ear next to the set.

Like the others have said, if the XBox 360 is a big priority then the LCD may be better, but from the two options you've posted the plasma offers a subjectively better experience in all other respects and is a good 10" bigger. I'm also very jealous of the price you'd be getting it at.
 
I use my 360 for hours at a time and have had no retention, i have a Panny plasma (much better than the px60 but it should have no retention if run in correctly)

And its retention and not burn - if you get a bit it will dissapear after a while. I know a few people with the px60 and none have complained about retention. 2 have purple snakes but booked in with Panny for the repair.

As for the green tinge - i dont get it at all in gow (and i play gow lots) but if i really stare into the screen on TR i can occasionally see it. Defi cant see it in normal use.

Whatever you get is some form of compromise - LCDs issues are bluring/smearing and poor blacks. For me this has a far more negative effect on watching anything from SD tv to HD to games than worring about retention (as i say none in 2 years and my screen is on LOTS ! ) I would only worry about resolution if using a PC with the screen as a monitor.
 
Pug said:
dont take my word as gospel, i was in your position a week ago, and have just immersed myself in it as my father asked my adivce as he was looking to drop a few grand on a setup.

The beauty of plasma over LCD is the picture has massively better blacks, less blur/ghosting and offers a more "sumptuous" picture (colour saturation etc).
Click to expand...
It appears you were correct, I've now gone off the idea of an LCD set altogether, so now it's just down to which brand of plasma to go for. Been out and had a look at a few sets and had read up on a few reviews. Disappointed with the 32" LCD to be honest, it looks very cheap and it's light. Maybe a misplaced view but quality electronics usually weight more than their cheaper counterparts.

I've always fancied the LG's aswell as the Panny's, they're very good looking sets and I'm lead to believe they use high quality components. Pioneer are also superb sets but I'll have to pay a lot more for one of these so not really considering them.

Just had an offer of a 42" LG, still boxed with 1 year warranty, option of 3 more. Considering this as the issues of the Panny's worries me... how are they going to fix these problems? Tell all users to use certain settings? Replace faulty sets?

Good to hear from users who aren't having problems though :)
 
would be interested to hear information on the LGs... dont know much about them myself, and it was an LG that converted me to plasmas in the 1st place...
 
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