Buying a 42-Incher. LCD, HELP !!

Originally Posted by nanaman

Get a plasma. Unless you're only going to watch high definition movies or play video games on the TV. LCD's are terribly overrated (and only because they seem better in the specifications). As soon you're not watching something in HD quality it will look like crap, especially on a LCD TV. On a plasma TV it's not as bad if you're looking on non-HD stuff as it can handle it much better. And then something that could be noted is that Plasma TV's show better detail on black surfaces. Like, on a LCD you could see a guy wearing a black shirt, while on a Plasma you can see the pockets and buttons etc. And well, on an LCD TV it can never like get truly black, only darkish grey black. And really, don't get a TV with too much contrast. Because you really don't need it in most cases (if you get one with too much you'll probably have to put it down a lot anyways).

But don't look at the numbers in the specifications really, go check out some TVs yourself and get a feel of what you want.

I don't know that very much about the different brands, but I've heard Pioneer are the best ones in Plasma, just as Megalith Prime said.

These are sweeping statements that really dont do the situation justice.

Plasma's dont show TV or SD content better than LCDs. What differeniates one set from another is always, 1)the scaler electronics 2)the display's native resolution. Plasmas for a long time, have had lower resolutions then LCDs, thus giving the impression that they show TV/SD content better, but that's just because the display didnt have as much detail. The big thing to look for these days is how well the TV scales. The electronics brand matters, but more importantly, the scaler inside. You can research this stuff. Also, just using your eye in a store can work as well.

Plasma's generally show blacks as a lower "brightness" than LCDs can. This is also not necessarily as big a deal as people make it to be. It depends where your display is in your home. If it is in a windowless basement, Plasma is much preferred. If it is in a windowed room in the house, I much prefer LCD because they are generally 1.5-2x brighter than Plasmas which matters ALOT when the sun is coming in.

Really the best thing to do is check your budget, then go looking at displays. It's really great if you can put stuff that you will use on the set to see how it looks. For instance, bring your favorite console with to the store, or insist that they plug in a DVD or turn to a TV/SD channel. Make sure you get something with a native resolution of 1280x720 or higher. 1366x768 is good, and 1920x1080 is cool if you can afford it.

And whoever said CRTs are better.... seriously. Yes they have the best blacks, but that is their ONLY literal visual advantage. Pixels are less well defined, even how the picture goes on the screen (for most TVs and HDTVs) is interlaced and that looks like such a piece of shit.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Parn

Honestly, you'll be happy with either technology, as the gaps between the two are narrowing as companies try to address weaknesses. If you go Plasma, you'll want Pioneer or Panasonic. If you go LCD, Sharp, Sony, and Samsung are recommended.

Ditto. I forgot to mention brands, and the ones you mentioned are golden. Off-brand LCDs can be good deals too, but not recommended unless you really know what to look for and what to watch out for.

BTW, go here for more info than youd ever want.

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