Led, Lcd Or Plasma, Which To Buy?

[chiang mai]

I'm practically technologically illiterate but Mrs CM wants us to buy a flat screen TV, a 42 inch jobbie and I'm on board with the idea. I've had a poke around a couple of the stores but am confused by all the options and models so I thought I'd try and get some friendly advice, what do I need to buy and why, please? 42 inch seems like the right size, Sony has always worked for me previously although other major brands would probably work just as well, I don't need 3D and from what I've seen it looks like I'm going to spend somewhere around 30K.

All tips and simple guidance much appreciated.

[draftvader]

There is another option. A projector. This is a very valid option, however you would need to ship in from Europe to get a reputable brand at a decent price. If you need any more info on this route let me know. It is not for everybody, but I LOVE having a 62" screen that doesn't exist when I am not watching it.

[beano2274]

Samsung are under 20,000 for a 42 inch if you look around.

I find Plasma TV's do get hot at the front.

I was recommended to buy LED, which is cooler and the colours seem to stand out more.

BTW I have a Samsung 43inch 3D, cost around 16000 on special offer.

[chiang mai]

Samsung are under 20,000 for a 42 inch if you look around.

I find Plasma TV's do get hot at the front.

I was recommended to buy LED, which is cooler and the colours seem to stand out more.

BTW I have a Samsung 43inch 3D, cost around 16000 on special offer.

That's what I wanted to hear, thanks Beano, I like my shopping made simple.

[gmac]

Samsung are under 20,000 for a 42 inch if you look around.

I find Plasma TV's do get hot at the front.

I was recommended to buy LED, which is cooler and the colours seem to stand out more.

BTW I have a Samsung 43inch 3D, cost around 16000 on special offer.

Sounds like good advice but Samsung 43"? Isn't that a plasma rather than an LED?

[xylophone]

I like Plasmas because the "half-tones" show up well rather than the very crisp sometimes too sharp colours of the LEDs for example i.e. more lifelike.

However the general consensus of opinion seems to favour LEDs for other reasons. Look for a "Full HD" model rather than "HD ready" and ones with USB inputs so that you can plug in the info from a little flash drive.

Had Sony before but they seem to have fallen behind the pack so recently bought a Samsung 42" and am very happy with it. I am not keen on 3D so didn't consider that option. As Beano said, you should get one for around the 16k to 18k baht mark.

[innerspace]

Projectors have limited bulb life and expensive to replace. Plasmas outdated and susceptible to static image burn in. Lcd good. Led thinner lighter and more efficient.

Would recommend led and Lcd depending on availability in your budget.

[ronz28]

We have an LG LED Model LE5400. It has a beautiful picture and can get a limited number of internet sites like YouTube, Netflix, etc. so I was fooled by their internet capable baloney as its too limited and they have not expanded it to add other sites as they said. Sound is poor from undersized speakers but I have sound hooked from my cable box to a sound system and sound is fine that way. Have lost 2 HDMI ports probably due to surges from cable box, one replaced under warranty and the other not as I still have other HDMI ports that are functional. LED is cool compared to LCD and Plasma so I recommend LED just not the LG brand.

[chiang mai]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I'm starting to feel more comfortable with all of this. Sounds like LED is the way to go, did a side side by test of LED and LCD 42 inch yesterday, only 3k baht in it but oddly the LCD looked like the better quality picture, I'll do some more window shopping today and see what I can uncover. Thanks again.

[Jayman]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I'm starting to feel more comfortable with all of this. Sounds like LED is the way to go, did a side side by test of LED and LCD 42 inch yesterday, only 3k baht in it but oddly the LCD looked like the better quality picture, I'll do some more window shopping today and see what I can uncover. Thanks again.

Trust your eyes as they will be watching it. If the LCD looks better to you than get the LCD. Same to be said for led or even plasma. Led is still LCD but uses led for the white backlight so they are cooler and a bit more energy efficient

[Tatsujin]

There are some major technical differences (depths of blacks, color ranges etc) between LCD, LED etc but at the end of the day, best to look in some different shops and choose which works best for you.

For me personally, I've found the Samsung range of LCD's are superb . . . great value, great picture quality and colors etc . . . look for the special offers, you can get the 42" for less than 20k now.

[Jayman]

There are some major technical differences (depths of blacks, color ranges etc) between LCD, LED etc but at the end of the day, best to look in some different shops and choose which works best for you.

For me personally, I've found the Samsung range of LCD's are superb . . . great value, great picture quality and colors etc . . . look for the special offers, you can get the 42" for less than 20k now.

I'll say it again.. both LCD and led labeled displays use LCD displays. In the led version the backlight is done with led vs florescent. The industry has to keep moving fwd to convince the spending public to buy new stuff do they can keep having money. The fact is that the difference between the 2 is not that great.

Personally I'm a huge Samsung fan as they make great displays. If I was in the market for a new one I would be looking for the best price on a Samsung be it LCD or LED.

http://asia.cnet.com/led-vs-lcd-tv-which-is-better-62055838.htm

[xen]

I recently bought a Panasonic LED 32 inch, Wish i had paid a little more and got the 42 inch, Went looking for Samsung but thought the Panasonic looked better watchiung a DVD rather than Blue-ray.. However when looking in the shops , compare like with like and don't judge a screen if it is playing animations as they will always look good and if you are not using blue-ray then the screen will not look as great when you get it home . They use many tricks to make screens loook better .

Incidently ,one advantage of LED over plasme is viewing angle - that is you do not have to view directly from in front of the box . May not be important unless you have a lot of people watching at the same time.

[zzdocxx]

Something to keep in mind is that many buyers experience shrinkage after having the set a week or two.

I did a lot of research on this a few years ago, but things change quickly. I was set on an LCD (prior to so-called LEDs) but ended up buying a plasma.

Reasons

1. Even the other day I was in a store and some fast moving sport was on TV, the LCDs had motion artifact. Eg. if a hockey puck is moving quickly it makes like a tracer line. Plasma doesn't have. I know that problem was supposed to be fixed on the LCDs by faster refresh rate so I was surprised to see it the other day. Plus, the way the count the refresh rate, it can be misleading and not understandable anyway.

2. Studies done by the Psycho Visual Institute (something like that) have shown the biggest factor in perception of pic quality is how well the set renders different shades of grey/black, and plasma wins this one also. Though sure the newer sets are supposed to be better. Keep in mind that in the stores you are viewing under fairly bright fluorescent lights, so brighter may look better. But if you look closely you may see that much of the dark areas are basically blacked out.

Hmmm that's probably not the right name, I looked and can't find it or I'd link you to it. Will do if I locate it.

OK for more info you could peruse avsforum dot com, lots of engineers there.

Good luck!

[chiang mai]

Thanks for that, I've just taken my first serious look at Plasma and I'm impressed (by contrast to the alternatives sat along aside). I went out initially to look at a Samsung LED 42inch on the basis of one posters comments and was interested to find that two stores I went to only had 40 and 46 inch, which seems like a good way to upsell. I think I'll keep making the comparisons for a day or so, I'm in no rush and there's a couple of others stores I want to try. I'm a little concerned though that this could turn out to be a race for viewing perfection, the ultimate picture when very good is quite common and will easily suffice!

[negreanu]

All the reviews are glowing for the Sony HX855 series 46"/55". Probably the best LED of 2012 so far.

[TongueThaied]

You should choose whatever size fits you aesthetically. If you like to keep a TV for one year before exchanging for a new one, then buy Samsung. They have a beautiful cabinet and the picture is sublime. However, if you want to keep it for more than one year -- beyond the warranty -- then Sony would be the better choice. If you want a TV that lasts beyond the warranty and buy Samsung, bend over and touch your toes while Samsung shows you where the wild goose goes. The good news is that rumor has it that Korean "geese" are small.

[TommoPhysicist]

Sony is about 4 years behind the big boys not. They sat on their bums for too long.

LCD and LED are laggy.

Plasma has the best picture but is hotter and uses 3x the power of LED/LCD

Typical usage LED/LCD 75W Vs Plasma 225W

Any picture in the shops will look wrong as you are viewing under fluorescent lighting and the brightness on all the Tvs is usually set to maximum.

I just replaced my 3 year old Samsung 32" full HD LCD with a Samsung 51" full HD Plasma.

What's bad about the new Samsung plasma ...... only 2x HDMI and 1 component input, no headphone output.

[chiang mai]

If I'm honest then it does seem to me that the best pictures I've seen on any of the display TV's in stores have been on Plasma TV's, also the fact that they run hotter suggests that their useful life might be shorter or is that not the case?

Interesting numbers on power consumption on Plasma TV's vs the competition, even more useful would be to understand the comparison against CRT style TV's, as I recall the power drain of the average model is something like 800 watts hence a Plasma flat screen, whilst higher than LED/LCD, would still provide cost savings over the status quo.

Mmm, this is beomming complex yet again, maybe I can sell Mrs CM on getting a stereo instead

PS: an interesting chart here on power consumption, it doesn't look as though the three times rule applies across the board although I agree it can. http://reviews.cnet.com/green-tech/tv-consumption-chart/

[draftvader]

Projectors have limited bulb life and expensive to replace. Plasmas outdated and susceptible to static image burn in. Lcd good. Led thinner lighter and more efficient.

Would recommend led and Lcd depending on availability in your budget.

Are you sure? My 1080p 3D projector cost me roughly B17,500 plus having a member of my family bring it in their hand-luggage. Forget the new bulbs, just buy another, more up to date projector. The stated life-span of a bulb is 10,000 hours, my experience is they last around 7,000-8,000 hours.

It is horses for courses, but as somebody that does not watch any TV, just movies and documentaries, I find having a HUGE black monstrosity dominating my nice peaceful living room a little disturbing.

[astral]

Any picture in the shops will look wrong as you are viewing under fluorescent lighting and the brightness on all the Tvs is usually set to maximum.

Settings are very important.

When my Samsung 40" came from the shop I was very disappointed with the picture

but I found my way into the service settings and googled for best value recommendations.

After a little tweaking the picture is now superb

[Sayonarax]

Plasma's make better blacks.. thats about it. They consume alot of electric compared to LEDs

Heres a quick generation table

CRT<Plasma<LCD<LED<Organic LED

Large 50" above 3D Plasma screens are good for home movie theaters.. IE because using them for every day viewing will leave you with a nice power bill.

Reasons to buy LED over LCD - Power saving and better color management. But if your super anal about correct color setup, then youll run a dolby digital setup dvd.

Quick HD info:

Full HD is 1080p (Blu-Ray Movies and PC's)

HD is 720p (True Vision broadcasts most HD show in this format)

Simple fact is you want Full HD and it will say on the card 1920x1080 resolution.

If your penny pinching and only watch TV and the odd DVD then you can find a decent LCD 42" 720p TVs for 15k or less on promo (LED add at least 3k)

[chiang mai]

Plasma's make better blacks.. thats about it. They consume alot of electric compared to LEDs

Heres a quick generation table

CRT<Plasma<LCD<LED<Organic LED

Large 50" above 3D Plasma screens are good for home movie theaters.. IE because using them for every day viewing will leave you with a nice power bill.

Reasons to buy LED over LCD - Power saving and better color management. But if your super anal about correct color setup, then youll run a dolby digital setup dvd.

Whilst not wishing to seem uncaring about our planet and its resources, I'm starting to care less and less about the power consumption of plasma TV's. The Samsung 46 inch model has a power rating of 225 watts which is the maximum draw possible based on the picture composition. My bog standard TV set currently has a wattage draw od 125 watts and that's consistent, in my world that difference is small enough as not to be a determining factor.

[Pib]

An article that gives a good overview of the differences between LED, LCD, and Plasma TVs: Link

[Tywais]

Large 50" above 3D Plasma screens are good for home movie theaters.. IE because using them for every day viewing will leave you with a nice power bill.

As has mentioned, the energy usage has improved and not a significant operational cost difference for most.

TV power usage by the numbers

We'll use 5 hours a day viewing and .10 per kWh power rate to compare. A 50" plasma TV two years ago would have pulled around 150watts for a total monthly billing of around $2.75 per month. With recent technological advancements as widely touted by manufacturers and Energy Star ratings, we now can use an average 50" plasma TV for around 140watts or just over $2.50 per month. Wow, a quarter a month savings. This compares with around 1.65 per month for a comparably sized LED or LCD TV. So maybe a buck a month more to run a plasma. Hmm... dont think $12 a year is really going to enter into my monthly budget woe considerations. A few years ago there were some real energy hogs in the very large plasma department. But they are gone now. At most for a 60" plasma TV you will spend $4 a month.

Buying Guide

//edit - my 51" Samsung Plasma pulls around 125 Watts. My 6 year old 42" Panasonic probably 2-3 times that.

[chiang mai]

Large 50" above 3D Plasma screens are good for home movie theaters.. IE because using them for every day viewing will leave you with a nice power bill.

As has mentioned, the energy usage has improved and not a significant operational cost difference for most.

TV power usage by the numbers

We'll use 5 hours a day viewing and .10 per kWh power rate to compare. A 50" plasma TV two years ago would have pulled around 150watts for a total monthly billing of around $2.75 per month. With recent technological advancements as widely touted by manufacturers and Energy Star ratings, we now can use an average 50" plasma TV for around 140watts or just over $2.50 per month. Wow, a quarter a month savings. This compares with around 1.65 per month for a comparably sized LED or LCD TV. So maybe a buck a month more to run a plasma. Hmm... dont think $12 a year is really going to enter into my monthly budget woe considerations. A few years ago there were some real energy hogs in the very large plasma department. But they are gone now. At most for a 60" plasma TV you will spend $4 a month.

Buying Guide

//edit - my 51" Samsung Plasma pulls around 125 Watts. My 6 year old 42" Panasonic probably 2-3 times that.

Tywais: since you have a 51" Samsung Plasma TV, can you think of any compelling or even borderline reason(s) that would make you want to change to newer technology?

[Tywais]

Tywais: since you have a 51" Samsung Plasma TV, can you think of any compelling or even borderline reason(s) that would make you want to change to newer technology?

Actually I just got it two months ago so did buy the current technology that I am happy with. My personal reasons were experience in the quality from using plasma for several years. The previous one, Panasonic 42", was not HD but 800x576 pixel resolution as HD was not common in Thailand at that time but the image quality, even now, still impresses me with a proper video played on it. Now the full HD Samsung, the image quality such as black levels, contrast, no motion blur, etc. has a wow factor to it.

I'm not going to try and convince anyone one way or the other as the pros and cons can be found in many places, it is just my hands on experience. One concern of mine is light bleed through on LCD but less so on LED which I find can be quite annoying - Plasma, due to it's inherent technology, will not have that so lighting is very equally distributed. Just think of it as a few million light bulbs turning on and off with their own dimmers.

As for any complaints or reasons considering the other technologies, the Plasma is quite heavy relative to the other two so had to find a proper table to place it. And yes, heat off the screen is noticeable but acceptable for me. I normally only watch it in the evening and only movies off my media center computer. I have recently been bringing Youtube up on the set and watching full HD youtube content on it is a impressive experience.

I was considering LED but when at the store and looking around at the large LCD/LED models and the Plasma models, the Plasma just seemed more right to me.

[chiang mai]

Many thanks.

[chiang mai]

Here's the wrap: I finally bought the Samsung 43 inch Plasma, I got it from Super Cheap for 15k Baht which included a free DVD player. The 43 incher was the right choice, anything larger would have simply dominated my living room and size wise the 43 is perfect for our viewing needs.

The place I bought it from delievered it and set it up within an hour and I've made no adjustments since, the picture is outstanding and we are both extremely pleased, watching movies that we've seen many times previously is now a whole new experience.

Many thanks to all for your inputs, much appreciated.

[zzdocxx]

Congrats, now just remember to ignore any shrinkage that occurs.