Page 1 of bought a lcd tv-returned it,now thinking about a plasma.

hi,
bought a 30"lcd for quite a bit of money,was very unhappy with the picture quality,football was an unwatchable blur,the colour black was grey and very hard to see,also dvds looked poor too.luckily i got a refund on it.i am thinking about buying a plasma in the future but do not want to rush out and buy any.i know their was a thread plasma v lcd but can anyone who owns a plasma answer these questions.thankyou.

1.what brands make the best plama tvs
2.is it best to buy online or in the high street?-returns/warranty.
3.is the colour black-black if you know what i mean?
4.is football from sky+ blurry like the lcd?
5.what`s the picture quality like for dvds-comparable with crt?
after having a lcd tv for a few days i can`t see why people would put up with the picture quality for the money.

Mates got a 30" Philips LCD TV and its quite good. Needs a good quality feed to get the best picture but with a digital box and a dvd record it works well. Was £2200 when he got it.

I would have still gone for a plasma as you can get a good 42" Panasonic for about £2500. They get really good reviews. Look for contrast ratio of 500:1 or better.

I have heard that the half life ( time it takes for brightnest of picture to half ) is not very good with plasma and could be as low as 3 years and with LCD at double.

Still prefer plasma

chuck norris, there are others on this forum who are better qualified to answer this, but from what they have said:

1. Pioneer (434HDE????)
2. For returns/warranty then Hight Street is easier, but on-line should be cheaper and can sometime offer similar returns/warranty provisions
3. I think the Pioneer comes closest. It can never be true black with a Plasma though because the Gas requires constant `excitement`
4. Yes (I think its the refresh rate and the bitrate Sky transmit...but not sure)
5. The Pioneer can beat a CRT with on DVD with a HDMI feed from an equipped player. About the same with a Component feed though

You might want to think about a DLP projector though or even better a DLP rear projector. I understand you can have a 50" DLP rear projector for less than 2 grand!!!! (although there is only 1 available in the UK at the moment)

I`m sure I will be corrected on any mistakes ;)

Quote:
bought a 30"lcd for quite a bit of money,was very unhappy with the picture quality,football was an unwatchable blur,the colour black was grey and very hard to see

Sounds like what I was saying in the other threads... ;)
Glad you got a refund!!

now:
1: Pioneer is excellent, but Hitachi and Samsung make decent models too much cheaper, and believe it or not, that cheapie "Techwood" one has some good images and stunning specs! (I see them doing my DLP training stuff)

2: High Street, every time! I`d like to see the online Retailer with in home servicing and someone to directly talk to for a problem.

3: Depends on the set. Hitachi looks very black, Samsung look "greeny" black, Pioneer does top the bill.(look at the screen SWITCHED OFF, and see the colour of glass used, darker the better)

4: Nope, but fast moving stuff will show a motion blur, especially football

5: Excellent depending on connection and disc quality. Cheapo connections and discs will show pixellation, good connections and good quality discs are stunning.

Again though, knowing what I know now, I would go for DLP. Can`t be wall hung, bigger than Plasma and not as good on the viewing angle, but simply SUPERB picture quality and the only digitial picture on the market!!

Although...which 50" is available in the UK!?!?!?!? I only know of the LG 44" and I do the training for the damned things!!!
(PS: some stunning sets in the US though!)

Jimbo : oÞ

Have you never thought of a projector and screen?

My mate has been searching for large screen stuff and eventually has decided on a projector and screen all coming in at around £1000.

Plasmas are ok if not heavily used as the screen degrades after about 3 - 5 years depending on useage.

The projector is only £800 and its able to do everything he wanted in a TV ( except the tuner of course ) and is a fraction of the cost.

The one he has picked is available in 2 versions, the business one and the home one, can`t remember which but one is half the price of the other and are exact same spec.

Once I track down the model I wil let you know.

8)

This item was edited on Tuesday, 20th April 2004, 09:32

thanks for answering my questions.
i am now leaning towards buying the panasonic plasma from comet for £2,999,
found a review for it and received 5/5,so hopefully they have one in the store for me to check out the picture.On their website it said you do not get a table top stand but their was a stand in the picture,as i don`t want to hang it on my wall,where would i get a stand for it( i don`t mean the tv cabinet just the little stand).

The Panny is a nice looking unit, but remember, check the others whilst you`re there! What those Reviewers "liked" you might not, and it should certainly have a tabletop stand included, if not, don`t buy.

Plasmas do not degrade in 3-5 years any way different to other TV`s. Plasma will "drop off" in an average 10 to 15, LCD/TFT will drop off in 12 to 18, and CRT drops off after around 20 years.
(remember this is an "average" not a given definite time!! mine still looks great after the equivalent of 3 years on the go!)

Front projectors are ok for "film" use, but really don`t cut it for TV. You have to lower the lighting level too far and supply it with a feed from a Digibox or similar. At the prices you quote, chances are he`s bought an LCD projector......don`t let him see the DLP equivalent ;)

Anywhoo....lerrus all know how ya get on with the Panny

Jimbo : oÞ

The other technology to watch - not yet available but due later this year - is LCOS.
Liquid Crystal On Silicon displays are going to be pushed by Philips and others , with some backing by Intel.
However, this is all theoretical because I have never actually seen an LCOS display.

You can get more information by Googling for LCOS.

Chris Muriel, Manchester.

Quote:
The other technology to watch - not yet available but due later this year - is LCOS.
Liquid Crystal On Silicon displays are going to be pushed by Philips and others , with some backing by Intel.
However, this is all theoretical because I have never actually seen an LCOS display.

The only people still trying to get LCOS working is Sony. Most of the manufacturers who have tried with it have given up and moved on, I believe the latest being Toshiba, into LCD and DLP development.

Jimbo : oÞ
(However...LEP...now that`ll be summat when it finally gets out....)

Jimbo

Sagem Axium 50" here

Although I can`t find anyone selling it and I got the price wrong, it should be about £2795. :)