Would you recommend this Plasma TV?

DisrupTor75

DisrupTor75

DisrupTor75

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exactly as the title says, Would you get this?

LG 42PJ350 42 Inch HD Ready 600Hz Digital Plasma TV
£399.99

As i know next to nothing about tv's i was hoping this would be a good "first buy" but while the price seems good (got a £450 budget) i don't want to skimp on quality if i can so was hoping if some of you that know about these kind of things can put this in perspective.

Here's the tech specs, i would post the link but while i know OCUK does not do these TV's it was probably best not to get a warning for linking to potential competitor :)

Plasma TV:

* This LG 42 inch HD Ready Plasma TV has 600Hz technology making it ideal for watching fast moving action such as sports and films.
* 600Hz - 600Hz Plasma technology provides zero motion blur and the ultimate razor sharp response time perfect for watching high speed sports and movies.
* 2 HDMI Inputs - Connect your High Definition devices such as games console or Blu-ray player through the two HDMI ports for a true High Definition multimedia experience.
* USB Input - Connect your digital camera, MP3 player or flash memory using the USB port.

Television picture quality:

* HD Ready.
* Freeview digital tuner.
* 42in (107cm) widescreen TV with 41in (104cm) visible screen size.
* Resolution 1024 x 768 pixels.
* 100Hz.
* Brightness 1500cd/m²
* Contrast ratio 3000000:1.
* Dual XD engine image enhancement.
* Viewing angle 178/178 degrees.
* Progressive scan.

Connectivity:

* 2 HDMI sockets.
* 2 SCART sockets.
* PC input socket.
* Composite.
* Optical connection.
* AV socket (rear).
* 1 USB port.

Sound quality:

* Dolby sound system.
* 2 x 10 watts RMS power output.

Digital features:

* Digitally interactive.
* Digital text.
* Digital audio broadcasting (DAB).
* Digital video broadcasting (DVB) subtitles available.
* RF loop.
* Auto setup.
* Auto scan for new channels.
* Now and next programme guide.
* 8 day electronic programme guide (EPG).
* Top up TV compatible.
* CI slot.
* Audio description compatible.

Additional features:

* UHF/VHF tuner.
* Sleep timer.
* Child lock.
* Remote control batteries required 2 x AAA (included) .
* Size of TV H61.7, W98.8, D5.5cm.
* Weight of TV 20kg (unpackaged).
* Complete with tabletop stand.
* Size of TV with stand H68.8, W98.8, D26cm.
* Weight of TV with stand 21kg.
* Suitable for wall mounting with a VESA 400 x 400mm bracket (bracket not included).

Energy efficiency information:

* Standby power consumption 0.1 watt.
* Energy Saving Trust recommended.
* EAN/Barcode No: 8808992746041
Click to expand...

Most of that above goes right over my head but if this is any good i would like your thoughts.

Cheers.
 
TheVoice said:
Is it specifically a plasma you want? That sort of budget will get you a decent 1080p 40" LCD.
Click to expand...

Im not sure if it matters that much, either plasma or lcd. it will be used a lot for outputting from the pc to the tv so i suppose the better the quality.

easyrider said:
Resolution 1024 x 768 pixels.


Nope
Click to expand...

i take it that's bad for a tv?

the shadow said:
Get a tv with 5 years peace of mind or it might become a doorstop :cool:
Click to expand...

any recomendations for the price bracket? (£450 is as much as i can spare at the moment)
 
DisrupTor75 said:
i take it that's bad for a tv?
Click to expand...
1024x768 is very very bad for if you ever wanted to connect a PC or HTPC to it...;)
This low res is also not good for HD & blu-ray movies as they would have to be scaled down from there 1080p (1920x1080) res

I would highly recommend not to buy this Plasma
 
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If you don't mind not having 1080p then have a look at this. Great value for money.

This res is absolutely fine for HD. IIRC all Sky HD is 720p. If you play console games then you're looking 720p. A 1080p film scaled down to 720p will have a slight loss of fidelity, but whether it's even noticeable will depend on how close you intend to sit. Really, people (Like chaparral) get very funny about things having to be 1080p without due reason. Yes it's technically better, but in most instances the difference will not be noticeable. Sure you can get a 1080p LCD for £400 just about, but what you will notice is the much poorer blacks in comparison to the plasma.
 
chaparral said:
1024x768 is very very bad for if you ever wanted to connect a PC or HTPC to it...;)
This low res is also not good for HD & blu-ray movies as they would have to be scaled down from there 1080p (1920x1080) res

I would highly recommend not to buy this Plasma
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that res at all. I have an HTPC and 360 hooked up to my Panasonic X20b which is 1024x768.

Looks unbelievable, never had any issues. Most plasmas even at this res will look a lot better than 1080p LCDs.

It's not just the resolution that determines a good picture.
 
At £400 you will not find an LCD with better picture quality than a plasma.

If res is all anyone cares about, then why buy Sonys or Panasonics? Should we all just pay £300 for 40" Sainsburys branded 1080p LCD?

Again....resolution is not everything.
 
Nymins said:
Nothing wrong with that res at all. I have an HTPC and 360 hooked up to my Panasonic X20b which is 1024x768.

Looks unbelievable, never had any issues. Most plasmas even at this res will look a lot better than 1080p LCDs.

It's not just the resolution that determines a good picture.
Click to expand...

sorry but a 768p plasma will not look better then a similar branded 1080p LCD. True Plasma's at the same res are likely to be better then a LCD (Although not by much!) due to better contrast although LCD's are better in rooms with a lot of sunlight.
 
Every Panasonic plasma I have owned destroys similarly priced LCDs and many prices higher, even though it's "only" 1024x768.

Bluray is the only source where a 1080p TV is beneficial atm. Almost all console games are 720p or lower and Sky/Virgin/Freeview/Freesat are broadcast at 1080i.

If you up the budget to £500-£600, then you could get a 1080p plasma. But at £400, plasma would be the only way to go to get the best picture possible in the price range.
 
Nymins said:
Nothing wrong with that res at all. I have an HTPC and 360 hooked up to my Panasonic X20b which is 1024x768.

Looks unbelievable, never had any issues. Most plasmas even at this res will look a lot better than 1080p LCDs.

It's not just the resolution that determines a good picture.
Click to expand...
I own a pioneer 436xde 720p (1024x768) plasma and pioneer LX508D 1080p (1920x1080) plasma ;)

And using a PC on a plasma with non square pixels (1024x768) is crap compared to using on a plasma with square pixels...
Yes movies still look great, But using it for desktop use and browsing the internet is not..
 
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It looks the same, well it looks like 720p on my Panny. Depends how close you sit for browsing etc, but I only use the HTPC for movies.

Op hasn't said what he will be using it for, so PC use could be a non issue.
 
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Nymins said:
Op hasn't said what he will be using it for, so PC use could be a non issue.
Click to expand...

I mentioned it in my reply to TheVoice (post 5) Nymins but pc use is very much an issue ;)

Its main use will be for a mix of tv/dvd's with output from the pc, be it games or films. i have a hdmi to dvi cable ready for this. I did have a 2nd hand Panasonic Viera for around 2 weeks till it went wonky (green lines down the screen then black screen after 10 mins, still got sound but no picture) so that's gathering dust upstairs and from what i am told will cost more to fix than it's worth). I have been after a new tv for a while now but as you can probably tell im a total nab when it comes to picking a decent one. the one i originally quoted had some good reviews and was on offer at the £399 price untill the end of the month.

Sadly i cant really go above the £450 mark as it's took me a while just to squirrel that much away. Obviously i know i cant expect something amazing for the price point as i have seen many tv's (40'' - 42'') go over the £1000 mark :eek

Opinion seems to sway towards plasma for qulaity but in the end be it LCD or Plasma if it's a good one ill take it. :)

cyclops12 said:
Go check out the LG 42pj650b at RS for £400, it has simular speck but has the proper 720p res of 1366 x 768.
Click to expand...

Thanks ill check that out now.
 
Would this be a good choice? i know it's LCD rather than Plasma but it might be worthwhile.

Toshiba 40RV753B 40-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p Digital LCD TV with Freeview HD

£423.90

from a famous bookstore ;)

Hopefully it's worth getting
thanks in advance guys.

Or maybe this one

Hannspree SJ42DMBB 42 Freeview Full HD TV £400.00 inc VAT

I have never heard of Hannspree but it has 2 Years Warranty with Pick Up, Repair and Return Policy.
 
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The LG plasma is terrible to be honest, extremely grey pictures and crap sound, for the Money your better off looking LCD, somewhere has the Samsung le40c650 which is a fantastic telly for your budget.
 
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