New Tv Needed. Advice Please On Variants?

[Chris Skelton]

I need all you experts' help on what to replace my lovely old 37 inch CRT TV with. I guess the choice is Plasma or LCD now as CRTs seem to be defunct?

I have a digi-box and really good 5.1 amp, so really only need the monitor function, though I guess integral Freeview would mean one less handset; always welcome!!

the second part is, of course, once I know which TYPE to get, then what MAKE? I'm happy to get something well made to last (another ) 12 years!

I need something large (37 inch is about 48 in 'elongated' screen?) Fading eyesight!!

So, what's the Lexus of TVs?

It WOULD blow up mid-football! I'm watching on a 19 inch Trinitron now!

[Parthiban]

Is cost an issue? If not, go either for Pioneer plasma, or if LCD, go Sony or Samsung.

If you're thinking of getting something as large as 50", for me plasma is the best option. A Pioneer 50" should be somewhere around the £2k mark I think, the full HD one is a bit more.

[GlynnB]

Just got a 37" Sony from amazon for £499. Looks good to me.

[Lexus2D]

Im a Sony nut so would say go Sony

Iv got the sony 46" lcd bravia, full hd 1080 & its fantastic

[kam05]

I prefer Panasonic plasma screens, got a 37 inch screen myself, v pleased with it (had it for nearly 2 yrs now).

[Mike_B]

Can second kam05's recommendation for Panasonic. Just took delivery (week or two ago) of a 42inch full HD plasma - and it's absolutely stunning.

The Panasonics don't look as bright in the shops, but when you get them home and set them up properly, the image looks a lot more natural than the ultra-bright Sonys and Samsungs which stand out so much in the shops. The sheer power of the luminance coming off the Sonys makes my eyes water!! (It seems to be them in particular, maybe they are just set up in the shops like that in the same way that some radio stations pump up the loudness of their music to make the reception *seem* better...) The Panasonic is much more comfortable to watch for longer periods, especially for movies.

A couple of months before I bought, I spent an hour in a quality hifi and home cinema shop in New Malden (SW London). The guys in there really know their stuff; their opinion was that the Pioneers were the best, but the Panasonics were 95% of the quality, for 75% of the price - which makes them much better value unless money isn't an object. Of all the ones on the market, and they had several makes on display, their opinion was that Pioneer and Panasonic were the best, in that order.

The considered opinion is that for 37" and below, LCD is the way to go, but for 40" and above, plasma is better. Plasma also tends to give more natural looking colours, especially in darker scenes as black is exactly that on a plasma - black rather than dark grey. This is because of the way each produces the image; on an LCD screen there is a very powerful backlight which is then filtered through each pixel by combinations of LCDs. On a plasma, each pixel is stimulated to produce light internally, so when a pixel is dark there really is no light coming from it - and no possibility of light leaking through. So since you're looking at a big set, look at plasma.

[Matrixabc]

I did some research before i bought my sony 42" lcd bravia, full hd 1080 x 760, i got the high spec one, it can be confusing as they can have one size with three different prices but the look very similar. it is worth measuring where you want to put your TV, as they look much smaller in the shop, and the bigger the tv the further away you need to sit from it, theres no point getting a 63" if your only a few feet away..lol

at the cheaper end the Samasungs looked quite impressive.

[swfcdan]

the rule a while back was anything 40" plus go for plasma, anything below go for LCD, however i think over the past year or two both have been improved substantially so it doesnt matter which you opt for.

We have 2 Samsung LCD's and 1 Toshiba plasma in our house and all all have been great.

[Chris Skelton]

Thanks for all this folks! And I was wrong! There ARE still big CRTs about, well, 37 inch ones. Sony Trinitrons for example. But having it hanging on my nice white walls would be good too......rather than huge heavy box filling room? The big CRTs take 3 people to carry AND I guess, must use fair amount of electricity?

Will have a look at your ideas, especially the top end (as I'm a quality-hi-fi fan, so with TV. After all, we spend a few hours every day, PLUS more when Euros on?

Have good weekend!

[Einstein]

I can heartily recommend the Panasonic Plasma's.. I have a 42" model, and have been very pleased with it..

As for HD, it is HD ready, but as we don't subscribe to SkyHD or V+, we don't view it at it's best..

Saying that, you can download HD clips from microsoft, and play the video through the TV which I have done, and all I can say is it is stunning..

John

[swfcdan]

I can heartily recommend the Panasonic Plasma's.. I have a 42" model, and have been very pleased with it..

As for HD, it is HD ready, but as we don't subscribe to SkyHD or V+, we don't view it at it's best..

Saying that, you can download HD clips from microsoft, and play the video through the TV which I have done, and all I can say is it is stunning..

John

out of interest, how did you get the vids to play on your tv, this may be the thing that enables me to pursuade my dad that Sky HD is a MUST for the new football season

[boddamloon]

I got told there just all LG's and rebranded

[Mike_B]

I got told there just all LG's and rebranded

You may well have been, but not by someone who knew what they were talking about!!

Certainly there are some components that crop up in different makes - there are only a handful of plasma screen makers for example, so all the different brands will only use one of those 5 manufacturers. The electronics makes a huge difference, as does the care and attention paid to the quality of all the other components that drive the display.

[Parthiban]

Will have a look at your ideas, especially the top end (as I'm a quality-hi-fi fan, so with TV. After all, we spend a few hours every day, PLUS more when Euros on?

If you're a hi-fi fan, and looking top end, then Pioneer plasma is the way to go..........think the new 9th gen ones are out now, the 50" should be about £2.5k for the Full HD one.

Don't take my word for it, read any review, go see them in store......whichever way you look at it, the Pioneers are the best TVs out there :)

[Einstein]

Lionel,

I just took a VGA output straight into the TV.. and set it to PC mode.. set the resolution to whatever looks best, and fills the screen..

Ok, so not exactly HD... but running at a much higher resolution than normal TV, think about 1024..

Some of the vids are 720p some are 1080i or 1080p so setting the output to 720X576, or 720x480 is still HD quality..

Try it and see the difference..

John

[oldcro]

I bought a Panasonic 42 inch ( TH-42PX600B) a year last august direct from Panasonic for £1850 and up until a month ago was very pleased with it. But a month ago it developed a green line near the centre of the screen from top to bottom. Last week a second line has appeared next to it. These lines spoil the viewing experience and for the screen to last less than 2 yeare is a disgrace in my opinion. Panasonic are not interested and could not care less by their attitude show so far.

A quick Google of Panasonic plasma and lines on screen will show pages of people with the same problem. My next TV will definately be an LCD as a few missing dots is much better than lines right down the lengh of the screen. Sony by the way offer 5 years warranty free, which is far better than the 1 year I got from Panasonic by the way.

[Mike_B]

I bought a Panasonic 42 inch ( TH-42PX600B) a year last august direct from Panasonic for £1850 and up until a month ago was very pleased with it. But a month ago it developed a green line near the centre of the screen from top to bottom. Last week a second line has appeared next to it. These lines spoil the viewing experience and for the screen to last less than 2 yeare is a disgrace in my opinion. Panasonic are not interested and could not care less by their attitude show so far.

A quick Google of Panasonic plasma and lines on screen will show pages of people with the same problem. My next TV will definately be an LCD as a few missing dots is much better than lines right down the lengh of the screen. Sony by the way offer 5 years warranty free, which is far better than the 1 year I got from Panasonic by the way.

I've just done a quick google of panasonic plasma and lines on screen, but haven't found 'pages of people with the same problem'. Have you got a link to the forums etc with this? Not good if there really are loads of them with the problem... The PX600 models are now 2 generations old, and the OP is likely to be interested in a full HD model which will have a completely different panel in it so is unlikely to experience the same issue. BTW, Panasonic are also offering 5 year warranties if you buy from a proper dealer, and if you buy from John Lewis you get a free 5 year warranty on any brand they sell.

[Lexus2D]

I must admit Sony customer services r brill very helpfull not like most :winky:

My PS3 played up & they sent a new 1 out the next day no problem :)

I had a prob sussin my lap top out & they kept phoneing me 2 chek everthing was ok ;)

I had a Samsung TV & it was a nightmare tryin 2 get it sorted :tsktsk: so iv kept away from them

& like the above post says u get 5year gaurantee with the TV :)

[oldcro]

I bought a Panasonic 42 inch ( TH-42PX600B) a year last august direct from Panasonic for £1850 and up until a month ago was very pleased with it. But a month ago it developed a green line near the centre of the screen from top to bottom. Last week a second line has appeared next to it. These lines spoil the viewing experience and for the screen to last less than 2 yeare is a disgrace in my opinion. Panasonic are not interested and could not care less by their attitude show so far.

A quick Google of Panasonic plasma and lines on screen will show pages of people with the same problem. My next TV will definately be an LCD as a few missing dots is much better than lines right down the lengh of the screen. Sony by the way offer 5 years warranty free, which is far better than the 1 year I got from Panasonic by the way.

I've just done a quick google of panasonic plasma and lines on screen, but haven't found 'pages of people with the same problem'. Have you got a link to the forums etc with this? Not good if there really are loads of them with the problem... The PX600 models are now 2 generations old, and the OP is likely to be interested in a full HD model which will have a completely different panel in it so is unlikely to experience the same issue. BTW, Panasonic are also offering 5 year warranties if you buy from a proper dealer, and if you buy from John Lewis you get a free 5 year warranty on any brand they sell.

I Googled "Panasonic plasma fault + lines on screen" and it listed many reporting the same fault, even some dealers have called the fault common. BTW I bought my TV from Panasonics Eshop. In Panasonics favour, I reported the fault again after the second line appeared and this time they have shown an interest but I'm not sure they can help me. All I got when first repoting a line on screen was to take it to a Panasonic repair shop.

[Mike_B]

I Googled "Panasonic plasma fault + lines on screen" and it listed many reporting the same fault, even some dealers have called the fault common. BTW I bought my TV from Panasonics Eshop. In Panasonics favour, I reported the fault again after the second line appeared and this time they have shown an interest but I'm not sure they can help me. All I got when first repoting a line on screen was to take it to a Panasonic repair shop.

Well, there are some people reporting it, true... But if you replace Panasonic with Sony or LG you get the same things being reported on those TVs instead. I guess it's more of a 'feature' that flat screens tend to fail with lines on them, rather than total failure or loss of one colour gun like you might get with a CRT set. How old is your set?

[oldcro]

I Googled "Panasonic plasma fault + lines on screen" and it listed many reporting the same fault, even some dealers have called the fault common. BTW I bought my TV from Panasonics Eshop. In Panasonics favour, I reported the fault again after the second line appeared and this time they have shown an interest but I'm not sure they can help me. All I got when first repoting a line on screen was to take it to a Panasonic repair shop.

Well, there are some people reporting it, true... But if you replace Panasonic with Sony or LG you get the same things being reported on those TVs instead. I guess it's more of a 'feature' that flat screens tend to fail with lines on them, rather than total failure or loss of one colour gun like you might get with a CRT set. How old is your set?

My set is 22 months old. As you say faults do seem to be a feature of flat screen TV's which is a puzzle to me. LCD monitors seem to last for years without problems which is why I question whether a plasma is a better buy than an LCD. The choice is limited when it comes to screen sizes for both which can be an issue although LCD's are being offered in the larger sizes now. When you bought a CRT Tv you expected it to last for years, which they did, So when I upgraded to a state of the art plasma the least I expected was an acceptable length of service.

£1850 paid and less than 2 years before developing a fault just ****** me off, reason for my rant by the way.

[oldcro]

Can second kam05's recommendation for Panasonic. Just took delivery (week or two ago) of a 42inch full HD plasma - and it's absolutely stunning.

The Panasonics don't look as bright in the shops, but when you get them home and set them up properly, the image looks a lot more natural than the ultra-bright Sonys and Samsungs which stand out so much in the shops. The sheer power of the luminance coming off the Sonys makes my eyes water!! (It seems to be them in particular, maybe they are just set up in the shops like that in the same way that some radio stations pump up the loudness of their music to make the reception *seem* better...) The Panasonic is much more comfortable to watch for longer periods, especially for movies.

A couple of months before I bought, I spent an hour in a quality hifi and home cinema shop in New Malden (SW London). The guys in there really know their stuff; their opinion was that the Pioneers were the best, but the Panasonics were 95% of the quality, for 75% of the price - which makes them much better value unless money isn't an object. Of all the ones on the market, and they had several makes on display, their opinion was that Pioneer and Panasonic were the best, in that order.

The considered opinion is that for 37" and below, LCD is the way to go, but for 40" and above, plasma is better. Plasma also tends to give more natural looking colours, especially in darker scenes as black is exactly that on a plasma - black rather than dark grey. This is because of the way each produces the image; on an LCD screen there is a very powerful backlight which is then filtered through each pixel by combinations of LCDs. On a plasma, each pixel is stimulated to produce light internally, so when a pixel is dark there really is no light coming from it - and no possibility of light leaking through. So since you're looking at a big set, look at plasma.

A month ago I would have agreed with you and said a Panasonic plasma was the bees knees.

[oldcro]

I Googled "Panasonic plasma fault + lines on screen" and it listed many reporting the same fault, even some dealers have called the fault common. BTW I bought my TV from Panasonics Eshop. In Panasonics favour, I reported the fault again after the second line appeared and this time they have shown an interest but I'm not sure they can help me. All I got when first repoting a line on screen was to take it to a Panasonic repair shop.

Well, there are some people reporting it, true... But if you replace Panasonic with Sony or LG you get the same things being reported on those TVs instead. I guess it's more of a 'feature' that flat screens tend to fail with lines on them, rather than total failure or loss of one colour gun like you might get with a CRT set. How old is your set?

My set is 22 months old. As you say faults do seem to be a feature of flat screen TV's which is a puzzle to me. LCD monitors seem to last for years without problems which is why I question whether a plasma is a better buy than an LCD. The choice is limited when it comes to screen sizes for both which can be an issue although LCD's are being offered in the larger sizes now. When you bought a CRT Tv you expected it to last for years, which they did, So when I upgraded to a state of the art plasma the least I expected was an acceptable length of service.

£1850 paid and less than 2 years before developing a fault just ****** me off, reason for my rant by the way.

Just a quick update, a third vertical line has now appeared. I now have two green and one red line. Yipee! Can't wait for some blue line to appear so I'll have the full set. shouldn't be too long as Panasonic are quite reliable they say.

[Mike_B]

Just a quick update, a third vertical line has now appeared. I now have two green and one red line. Yipee! Can't wait for some blue line to appear so I'll have the full set. shouldn't be too long as Panasonic are quite reliable they say.

Any movement from Panasonic yet? Have you tried a stiff letter to the CS dept, citing the 5 year warranty on new sets and the fact yours is less than half that and is becoming unusable? Might be worth writing to one of the hifi or AV magazines as well, to let them know the situation?

[Matrixabc]

Chris, you want to nip over to Costco, they have some good prices, its very close to you is it not?