Series1Dry

Probably the only people not to have a flat screen TV but gonna go for one soon. Around 40". What is best between LCD and plasma ? What's the difference etc as i'm a bit of a numpty in this department. cheeRS in advance

Roosie

iTrader: (8)

I chose plasma not much help but i got advised that when i got mine but a lot of people prefer LCD

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Generally above 42" go plasma, below and go for lcd. Plasmas have a softer colour to them so are more suited to darker rooms, lcd's which can be much more 'stark' should be used in a brighter room. Plasma's also have a higher viewing angle, so its easier for someone to watch if they are sitting towards the side of the telly.

Plasmas are a LOT heavier than LCD, and also chuck out a lot more heat, something to think about if wall mounting, however my 50" plasma is wall mounted on a stud wall with no problems

jpfour

Lol lcd or plasma....
now just to add confusion the latest generation are LED backlit Lcd which the manufactures are just calling led technology, these offer amongst the best contrast ratios and vivid colours they also have the advantage of being extremely lightweight and slim compared to older models (from memory the Samsung is either 19 or 22 mm thin not sure about the bravia) afaik only Sony and Samsung are offering the led tech currently expect to pay around £1k

cjwood555

LCD and even backlit-lcd's are sporting fantastic figures on the spec sheets these days, like 5ms response times and 30,000:1 contrast ratios...but bear in mind that these are measured in a way that best suits the image-processing employed. Plasmas have FAR superior contrast ratios and response times by the very nature of the technology - WITHOUT all the enhancement processing.

Panasonics Viera 42" full hd plasma is in curries at the moment for 599, with offers that include discounted bluray etc. Picture quality is the best you will find (other than a second hand Pioneer Kuro) that side of £1k.

Chris

Oranoco

Panasonic Plasma FTW. I looked at loads of tellies before plumping back right at the begining and getting the Panasonic set I originaly liked

Eagle

iTrader: (2)

led are very good ... much better to my eyes than lcd or plasma, pics look alot sharper... if i was buying again would be led...

BigErn

Go to Currys or wherever and spot the difference between them. I was looking at LED the other day and would definately go for one of those next. Shame I only bought my plasma not long back

Fiddy

Ive always had LCD mate. just bought another one, samsung 40" as my previous 37" gave up the ghost. LED is the new thing, if moneys no object, thats what id go for, but there not cheap, thats why i bought LCD again, only gave £500 for the new samsung.

cjwood555

The LEDs only have sharper pictures because of the new software they have which artificially boosts the contrast ratios. You still don't get a proper black like a plasma, and they still smear, although to a lesser extent than older LCDs due to the aforementioned software.

Bear in mind that a plasma pixel is off by default, and is energised to generate light. An LCD (with either CCFL or LED backlight) is ON by default, and is energised to make the crystal opaque and attempt to block out the backlight. This is why the NATIVE contrast ratio (which is what you should be paying attention to, not the 'dynamic' cr) is always better on a plasma.