I'm buying my first TV and I was wondering if anybody could give me a bit of advice regarding a good choice? I have between $700 and $1000 to play with.
Could someone briefly explain the difference between HD, HD ready, LED, LCD, PLASMA, or even suggest a reasonable option. Bare in mind I am currently watching Foxtel on a 10 yr old 20" box TV…. badly need an upgrade.
Cheers,
O
Answer:
Plasma and LED LCD TVs have the best picture qualities. However, Plasma's have the edge.
Plasma TVs have the highest "native" contrast ratios(40,000:1), giving them the blackest blacks and most vivid and rich looking colors! They also have the fastest response times(.001ms) and fastest refresh rates(600hz). Making them the best at producing the sharpest and smoothest motion. Perfect for fast motion content like sports, movies & gaming! Plasma TV's are also more affordable.
LED LCD TVs have slightly lower native contrast ratios and slower response times(2ms) and slower refresh rates(240hz). However, they do have the edge in terms of energy savings. Generally they use about 40-50% less energy then Plasma's and standard LCD. However they are considerably more expensive!
For your price range, you could get an outstanding 42" to 50" Plasma TV. Or a much smaller LED TV(32" or less). I recommend you go with Plasma. Much better picture quality for their money!
My recommendations:
Panasonic 42" 1080p(TC-P42S1): http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P42S1-42-Inch-Plasma/dp/B001UE6M8O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264039004&sr=1-1
Panasonic 42" 1080p(TC-P42G10): http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P42G10-42-Inch-Plasma/dp/B001UAEWSU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264039004&sr=1-3
Panasonic 50" 720p(TC-P50X1): http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P50X1-50-Inch-Plasma/dp/B001SN7QUU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264039151&sr=1-2
Hope this helps!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Every one of those displays (LED, LCD, Plasma) are an HDTV. This just indicates the TV is capable of displaying a high amount of detail for extra 'realism' if the TV show or movie you're watching is provided in High Definition (HD). Older TVs might say HD-Ready if they were built after the HD specifications were decided on, but before HD video/TV was actually being used.
An LED TV is typically an LCD TV with a an LED back-light (most LCDs use another form of backlight). The advantage of LED lighting is that it can last much longer and it tends to produces brighter and more accurate colors, and it also uses a lot less power.
An LCD TV uses a liquid crystal screen to display a picture. LCDs tend to be pretty affordable and they produce a high quality image. Compared to Plasmas, they don't always have as high refresh rates so the video can jitter a bit in some cases if the camera pans too quickly (during sports for example).
A Plasma TV also provides good picture quality with fantastic contrast ratios (compared to LCDs). One issue with Plasmas is they are susceptible to burn-in (which LCDs are not). This means that if you leave the same image on the screen for a long time, you can cause it to be permanently burned/imprinted on the screen (the burn-in (if any) is usually not too bad and not usually very noticeable). Plasmas also use a lot more power than LCDs.
Both technology have pro & con
LCD come with thinner set,less problem,not burn-in,less power consumption,not glare in bright room and last longer.
Plasma come with better picture quality for dark room,smoother motion but sometime have burn-in problem.
Personally I would go with LCD tv.
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