Plasma TV vs LCD. Which to Buy?

[BearUK]

I would (I did!) buy LCD. Plasma technology has bigger panel sized but with 40" plus LCDs only people wanting enormous screens would be forced to buy a plasma.

I watched a supposedly state of the art Sony 46" LCD the other day that costs over £4000 and while the colour was extremely vivid my eyes detected some strange 'motion' (for want of a better word) when there were scene changes in the movie. Like when a TV autodetects a widescreen signal and changes shape, but obviously not nearly so marked. Almost a 'corner of the eye' type thing.

Some people swear by Sony, I just hate the company so I am not objective. Panasonic and Pioneer are well respected, but I bought a Samsung 46" LCD a few months back and I am very happy with it.

Just remember that 'High definition ready' just means it has an HDMI socket. If you want true hidef check the pixels...

[K-Bee]

I decided to get the SONY KDL 32 S 2000K after all and it was brought to my apartment this saturday. I'm very happy about it so far. Both sharpness and colors are better than I expected and the response time (8ms) is no problem either. I was watching NFL last night and there was no problems capturing fast movements whatsoever. Sound quality is decent too, but since I usually put the TV sound over my stereo I won't actually be using the TV speakers that much.
A highly recommended set and for 1350 euros, I doubt there's anything better (at least that I know of)

[Mixmachine]

Originally Posted by originalbigm

:roll: Interesting discussion. I have a Sony KV-36XBR450 whose video board just went.So I was trying to decide whether or not to spend the $500.00 to fix it or move into the new technology. My Sony had a phenomenal picture before it went and after reading MixMachine's comments I'm seriously thinking of
repairing it and waiting things out.

HD RPTV were (are) available at a great price during the Thanksgiving specials here in the USA i'm sure in Canada too..

Check out Sears , they were advertising a 51" 1080i Hitachi for 849.00 usd, Circuit city ran adds for a 52" RCA for 700.00 usd (1080i with DVI connection) a popular Florida electronics store, Brands Mart still sells Phillips for around 800.00 also. You get a year factory warranty plus dirt cheap extended warranty if you want as you wait for better deals (and maturity) on the rest of this new digital displays..

All reviewers of Digital displays I've seen still say none of them can compare in Picture quality to CRT base RP displays, still to this day!!! But hurry they will be gone in 2007 for ever.

[QUINNY]

I've never seen a good picture on any of the monster TVs that are now taking over. All of them appear rather 'out of focus' when compared to a (now tiny) 22" analogue screen. Unfortunately, most people in the UK don't have a living room that's really large enough to accommodate these big screens, IMO. They tend to completely dominate the whole room.

[paul]

Quinny, perhaps the flat panels hung on walls would work better in England. Anyway, I somewhat agree with your criticism. I still have my Sony and I have really been doing some critical viewing. One thing I always liked about Sony's are their abilitiy to get flesh tones right. That is something I'm anal about. Most plasmas I've seen don't do this as well as the Sony. They have brilliant colors but perhaps they need adjustment.

[paul]

Still haven't bought yet but I think I'm closer. Right now I'm definitely leaning Samsung. The specs say Pioneer, the hype says Sony, my eyes tell me Samsung. They simply (both LCD and Plasma) looked better in side by side comparison to the Sonys, Sharp, and Pioneers they had at Best Buy. This was especially noticeable when reproducing white.
I'm still not sure whether to go LCD or Plasma though. I've read about buzzing on plasmas. Is that a real issue? I liked the fact that Samsung LCDs are 1080p. Still deciding though.

[Bernie]

Paul,

No buzzing on any plasma HDTV I've seen/heard.

You think prices are low now? Wait till February just before Superbowl for some really good prices.

[paul]

So buzzing is not an issue then.
The Samsung LNS4696 and HP-S4273. Slight edge to LCD only because it has 1080P native resolution. The plasma looks slightly crisper. What to do?
So February, there'll be great deals huh. At the rate I'm going it might happen then

[Bernie]

Yeah Paul, if you've waited this long then hold off till February. I'm holding out for 1080p plasma HDTVs when they come down to a reasonable price-and my finances are in better shape.

[paul]

OK Bernie, I'll wait a few weeks. I am ready to pull the trigger on a Samsung HP-S4273 plasma. I saw a good deal at NYC's datavision though I usually shop at Vann's.
Are the best prices due to President's Day and/or the CES show?

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by paul

OK Bernie, I'll wait a few weeks. I am ready to pull the trigger on a Samsung HP-S4273 plasma. I saw a good deal at NYC's datavision though I usually shop at Vann's.
Are the best prices due to President's Day and/or the CES show?

Hi Paul,

I am no longer in the AV field, but the Samsung HP-S4273 is a jump up from the 53 series which were awesome for the price. It adds the CableCard, which is sweet since you won't need a cable box if you aren't doing pay-per-views.

I used to work in New York at J & R so I quickly got to know who were good dealers and who weren't. Please stay away from Datavision and buy directly through Amazon as Datavision does not have a good rep. If anything, I prefer buying these types of items locally, but if it must be internet then stick with Amazon directly and not their Marketplace sellers.

In addition to the two reasons you cited above, the Superbowl is another major reason for some pretty competitive pricing in February.

[Bernie]

In the New York Times:
Watch a Plasma TV…for Your Health
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/0...r-your-health/

[paul]

Thanks for the help Bernie. I was really considering Datavision. I will certainly heed your warning.
So it's probably worth to pay a couple hundred bucks extra for the peace of mind when buying at a local store.
Interesting article on plasma and eye strain.

[paul]

OK Bernie,
I did it. Taking your advice, I bought from a local Best Buy and avoided buying over the net, in particular datavision. I got the Samsung 4273 and a Samsung DVD upconverting DVD player for about $1600 plus tax. I don't have 'em yet cause I'm having them do a wall mount install.
This is the most involved TV purchase I ever had
By the way, Best Buy has a 60 day price protection so I decided to get it now.

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by paul

OK Bernie,
I did it. Taking your advice, I bought from a local Best Buy and avoided buying over the net, in particular datavision. I got the Samsung 4273 and a Samsung DVD upconverting DVD player for about $1600 plus tax. I don't have 'em yet cause I'm having them do a wall mount install.
This is the most involved TV purchase I ever had
By the way, Best Buy has a 60 day price protection so I decided to get it now.

Congrats Paul! I used to sell the model below yours (4253) and every customer loved it so I feel confident you'll love the newer 4273. Let us know when you have it set up.