LCD or PLASMA UPDATE!

[Gosling1]

Rob - whichever brand or type you end up with - join up the DTV forum. There is a sub-forum for every brand and style of new TV there, and you can guarantee that if your chosen unit has had any issues, they will have all been discussed to death on that forum.

It does have a lot of good information contained there, but you do need to dig for it. I have to admit though, that we do a lot of gaming here, and the new-generation LCD style is a lot better for that. We hardly watch any movies, which is where the plasma is regarded as a better performer due to its ability to display better contrasts.....but having a Bluray player and HD.....well it makes all the old DVD's look very dated.

For everyone else out there considering the purchase of big TV.......Phillips are currently developing an Organic LED screen - OLED. This style of screen uses LED's that are...in a manner of speaking....alive. The colour's they can reproduce, will make *everything* else on the market look very very ordinary in the next 3-4 years.

Current pixel count of 1920 x 1080HD is the top of the range. When I did the research for our new tele back in late 2007 - and asked the salesman about how long this would be the highest standard.....he talked about the definition available on small (<17") computer LCD monitors. Its about 5400 x 2600 !! They can't match that yet on big screens......but they are aiming for something like 7400 x 4800 inside the next 3 years !!

With resolution like that......1920 x 1080 will look very 'blocky' indeed (as it does now with Foxtel.) - Rob - get yourself a good SCART-RGB connector for your Fox connection, it cleans up the image quite a bit - better than the normal SCART-A/V cable......

and don't forget to get a good digital antennae as well.....although it may not be such an issue up your way.....it makes a big difference down here.

[gpxpunk]

damn dude, should have jumped on last night....

Haha i used to work at havey's selling this crap.

We have the 42 inch panasonic plasma. Best bang for your buck and not much goes wrong with them.

I cant say which is better coz the only way you can see is to actually go there have a look at them all and make your own mind up.

All i can say is what i would stay away from any brands you dont know. DOnt trust any sales person saying "THIS IS THE BEST ONE WE HAVE"

Dont get caughty into buying very expensive cables. most have % mark up and they dont discount them!!! {not aloud to by company} Will say sometime they are free but they just take the money off the tv.

Surge boards are good, but always read the guarante, since alot wont be covered.

Extended warranty will sometimes only work once and if it breaks down it will usual happen outside the warranty. And if its inside the warranty good luck!!!

when i was at harvey's the brands that always came back was lg and samsung.

And most of all Brown goods sales people are stingy when it comes to reducing, so when they say your getting a REAL GOOD DEAL. you are probably getting ripped big time.

[robracer]

OK we had a good look around & visited 4 stores & in each store the lighting was different & the content showing was different but we very quickly came to the conclusion that although the plasma has allot going for it including price the colour & quality of the LCD was far superior, this was not just a bit but a huge difference looking at the two side by side with the same images showing.
The only downside was the 40" Samsung HD 1080 was in our price range but a bit smaller than what we wanted, after looking at a 40" & a 46" side by side we were sold on the 46" but the price was over 3K we ended up getting the 46" from the good guys for $2800 with an extra 3 years warranty & to sweeten the deal we also bought a fridge form them

We are happy with the result & thanks again for the input guys ... it was good being able to go into the stores with some background info to help with the choice.

We also had a look at the LED TV's & for the cost was not in our price range & being such new technology we were unsure of the longevity.

[MrWasabi]

congrats mate good move on not getting an led tv, leave then for the people who have money and no idea how to spend it. Few years later they will be lower in price and with more technology behind it

[ijuschill]

That's good news Rob, hopefully if you get it setup in time for the Superbikes tonight @7:30 then MotoGp @9pm

ENJOY

[6maniac]

I'm free tonight for an unbiased opinion on your selection.

[robracer]

Not setting up for a couple of weeks when the rest of the furniture arrives & I have repainted the room

[ty]

How can you have a brand new big screen tv sitting there in the box for a couple of weeks?
I don't understand!
I can mind it for you if you like

[StuMiller]

I bought a Panasonic Viera and I can't speak highly enough of her.

When I was looking, it was recommended that anything over 30" you go for plasma, under, LCD.

For fast moving sports and considering it would be in the living room, you can't go past the Panasonic Viera.

Let me just add, the Panasonic Vieralink is F%^&*in' great. I bought a 1080P HDD recorder and being able to use the one remote control that controls both units, it's fantastic. The next purchase will be a Panasonic Home Theatre which can also be unded through the Vieralink.

Too many remotes just causes me too much stress......Go the Panasonic!!

[robracer]

How can you have a brand new big screen tv sitting there in the box for a couple of weeks?

It gets delivered next week with the fridge so i can sit back & relax for now.

[Slow and wobbly]

Nothing wrong with a 51cm crt in the lounge for everyday viewing.
But for Shock and Awe I have a 110" HD LCD projector and sound system down the back - Playing movies and games on anything else now is second rate.

[ttc]

Glad to hear you went with a good brand

You inspired us Rob, we bought a 32" LCD for the bedroom today
Works great even with bunny ears

[javaman]

When is OLED coming?

I agree pic quality of LCD is not there yet. My CRT looks better albeit smaller.

JB is selling $800 plasma screen, but even that worth 50 movie tickets ie. 20m screen

[Saki]

42" Samsung plasma with HDMI (1080i) right here

[Gosling1]

......When is OLED coming?

I agree pic quality of LCD is not there yet. My CRT looks better albeit smaller......

I spent almost 6 months researching a new tele towards the end of 2007, when we finally decided to upgrade from the old Panasonic CRT 68cm behemoth.....(although to this day, that TV....."The One" - still has better in-built sound than 99% of new TV's on the market today...)

Back then, the development of the OLED TV had been going for almost 12 months, and was still 4-5 years away, according to the dudes at HN. The Phillips website confirmed this - I have'nt looked at that website for a while, so perhaps its worth checking out. The HN guys reckoned that the first-gen OLED TV's would probably cost upwards of $10k........but like everything else, would drop in price over time...

Some of the members here would know Aussie Ninja (Darren) - he moved down to Anarchy Road a few years ago from Qld.

He is one of the senior techo's at SouthernCross 10, and has been heavily involved in the release of OneHD here in the southern zones.......well he knows a bit about TV's....and resolution.

This may come as a surprise to some people - but SC10 uses a CRT TV - to monitor the quality of their HD signal !! Not just any old CRT mind you - this is a $30,000 dollar Phillips masterpiece........and it has a better picture than *any* TV that you or I could buy in a retail shop.

Even our old Panasonic - when fed with a SD digital signal - still has a really clean clear picture.......its just not compatible with the wide-screen signal, and its not really big enough for 4-player Rock Band either !!