Help me choose a TV :) 47" LCD or 50" Plasma?

[1991_Vn2nV]

Hey guys, im moving to a new place in a few weeks and so im buying a new tv to go with it

I've searched and searched and im down to two choices. Both are LG. Both are full 1080p HD, both are 100hz. However one is a 47" LCD and the other is a 50" Plasma.

The 50" Plasma: LG 50PG30FD LG Plasma Full HD TV?50PG30FD - LG Australia official site

The 47" LCD: LG 47LG60FD LG LCD Full HD TV?47LG60FD - LG Australia official site

The LCD comes with a free 26" LCD as well... which is tempting. Suggestions???

[stocky]

i would pick the lcd. especially if youre want to plug a console into it

[MoNoXiDE]

I would definitely go with the LCD Dylan, pending on the contrast ratio that is. LCD's will generally last longer and MOST of the time look better. I don't think the plasma is worth the 3"... unless your trying to compensate for something lol jk.

Cheers

[VrWagz1]

with the Lg i'd go the LCD if it has a good contrast ratio, though generally im biased to plasma, i just dont like lg plasma's. I personally lik the Panasonics and the pioneers.

[1991_Vn2nV]

lol Both are on a 3 year warranty but i'll get extended to 5 years so life probably isn't a huge issue.

LCD has a 50,000:1 contrast, Plasma is 30,000:1, LCD is 500cd/m2 brightness and Plasma is 1,000cd/m2.

Also, apparently newer plasmas aren't really effected by burn in provided you keep brightness and contrast at lower levels for the first 100 hours of life? True/False?

[VrWagz1]

unsure about the burn in thing, ut the plasma by the sounds of it is going to be easier too see, but is not going to have a great black contrast to it, but the proof is in the picture when you look at it. I wouldnt worry alot, they are both going to last a long time just take your pick at which one looks better

[1991_Vn2nV]

Also, there is a large mark up on TV's normally right?

JB's told me they make $9 on the plasma (I asked if they'd do a better deal if I bought two of them instead of one). I find a $9 profit hard to believe in an area i considered to have decent markups.

[Full Spectrum]

I'd go LCD personally. Love mine love watching HD TV love watching Blu-rays. And they are getting cheaper. Now i hire Blu-rays to watch.

In the end you can't go wrong with both. Just my personally preference is the LCD.

[commsirac]

My advice would be dont touch LG. The place where I work runs a lot of av equipment and the lgs cause problems in terms of reliability and dealing with getting them fixed, Ive heard this in another work environment as well.

My advice atm is if you can tell the difference between the 1980p and the 1300 on HD tv then buy the higher resolution one.

I couldnt tell the difference between any of them in the shops I visited, and could only just see a difference when viewing it through bluray. Given that you are going to struggle to find anything worth watching on bluray for a few years yet, why waste your money now.......wait a couple of years till the market has the variety and the price will be even lower.

In the meantime get yourself a samsung 50in plasma 1300res for about $1500.

You can buy more than two of them for the same price as the 1980p version and you wont see any difference watching HD tv or you could buy a 50in lcd for about 2.5 times the coin. Dont get yourself caught up in the tide of you'll be somehow inferior for not choosing the 1980p model, its just bragging rights.

[adamc11]

As said above by commsirac, don't go LG. I have heard negative things about them and problems from the guys at JB. Go Samsung if your on a budget, Pioneer if you can afford. I am biased towards Plasmas... i did a lot of looking into it and reading, and plasma won me over. I went to JB and saw them all lined up, and generally plasmas have better colours (although an expensive LCD will look better than a cheap plasma), but generally plasmas are better for colours and blacks. Plasma burn in isn't really an issue these days. I ended up purchasing the Pioneer LX508 50" Plasma, which i havn't noticed any burn in on (although i don't neglect it and i'm wary of leaving the same image on it for prolonged periods of time), and i also have my wii hooked up to it with component cables and it looks fine. You really only want an LCD if your hooking your PC up to it a lot and your going to have the start menu down the bottom. LCD's also have finer pixels so they are better for hooking up a PC.

My friend purchased a 40" Samsung LCD (he reckons plasmas suck), and my 50" Plasma absolutely KILLS it for colour and picture quality. Plasma all the way (unless your going to use your PC on it )

Have a look at samsungs plasmas here for a rough idea on prices: http://www.digitalhome.com.au/Tvs_An...ndor+Ascending

[1991_Vn2nV]

The only thing about the Samsung is its $400 more expensive for an equivalent plasma and then extended warranty is nearly $100 more over the LG extended warranty. I will take a look tomorrow though and see what I think of the Samsung and see what price I can get it for

Even if LG has issues though im looking at a 5 year warranty and its only $1,999 for the 50" plasma which is what is so compelling.

[Ozzie]

check the warranty conditions on the plasma if your looikn toward it more.
make sure game consoles dont void the warranty

[Lumps of cheese]

My family, myself included, have all updated out tv's within the last 18 months or so. My mother and grandmother both have LG, my brother a sony bravia x series and myself a 46" samsung 6 series.
Mine is awesome. The picture is outstanding and the blu ray is just the best. I find the tv very easy to use and i'm very happy with my purchase. My brothers is also excellent and he's rapt. That's where the good storys end, my mother and grandmother have had nothing but trouble with their LG's. Mums has been repaired once and is still having dramas with picture freezing and turning itself off ect. My grandmothers is having similar issues with hers and it's looking like it'll have to go back.
I would personally pay the extra $400 if you could and get the Samsung but that's just me.

[needwork2-4fillhabbit]

I recently 5 months ago bought a 42" NEC plasma 1080i, then 3 weeks ago the digital set top box in the bedroom blew up so the gf said throw the 42" in the bedroom and buy a bigger one for the lounge. We got a 1080p LCD 47". Both are awesome tv's but the 1080i tv is better (ATM) for watching tv, the 1080p tv is way good to watch tv on, with it you can see pixels from the tv broadcast not broadcasting in 1080p HD. But i guess ill just buy a bluray till the lazy bastards start broadcasting in full hd.

[Joe Peeps]

Also, there is a large mark up on TV's normally right?

JB's told me they make $9 on the plasma (I asked if they'd do a better deal if I bought two of them instead of one). I find a $9 profit hard to believe in an area i considered to have decent markups.

if its a sale price i wouldnt be surprised - turnover is crucial - look at JB's profit margin vs turnover: the ratio isnt very high. JB and alot of others take the margins down to the wire on the individual unit but the more they move the more they get from the manufacturer at head office so everybody wins.

like many others i couldnt justify the difference in cost for full HD myself so consider a lower res from a different brand. if it must be out of those units, which screen do you like the look of better? ask if you can have a play with the settings too

[VT-565]

After having both, i'd go LCD out of the two.
My next telly is going to be LCD, but with a projector on the ceiling for movies.

[andyman]

just to be stick in the mud, i have lg products (tv, dvd, vcr) bar my surround sound which is panasonic and topfield dtv, mum and dad have panasonic everything, my lg runs rings around the panasonics but we are talking old fashioned crt pure flats here.

panasonic remotes fall apart, the video machine remote has shorted out or something and only half of the buttons work, dvd player broke, tv case vibrates like a mofo with the volume over 30 or the bass over 30 out of 62, also the first tv that was delivered had a big crack in the casing but the box was fine, so it must of been dropped in the factory before being packaged, so not much quality control,

the only thing i can say bad about my surround sound is that the satellite speakers are tinny high pitch sound and it lacks bass in dolby pro logic,

my tv smashes the pana for the colour and contrast and marginally sharper image.


i bout mum and dad a lg microwave for their Christmas present this year, they renovated the kitchen, its a top of the line 34l staino one, 320 down to 250 and the only one with a standard 3 year warranty, seems to be very good so far

also again, lg crt's, lcd and plasma screens come out of the same factory as the phillips ones, its a joint company called LgPhillips

[bezz]

Dont go lg man, they have an extremely poor reputation for lcds and plasmas. Everyone I know that has one has had problems with it. I'm using an lg lcd at work, one was DOA and the replacement now has a line of dead pixels across it. My advice would be to pick up a sony bravia x, going out really cheap due to the new models arriving in about a month. Probably be hard pressed to find one round Adelaide now though. I've had a Bravia W since January and don't regret spending the extra cash at all, really happy with it.

On the post above, my sister just picked up a 47" philips lcd.. can't fault it. The only dodgy thing is philips are leaving Australia at the end of the year. This one was made in Bruges, Belgium.. whereabouts are LG screens made?

[alien]

I work in Dick Smith electronics, DEFINATLY don't go the LG's! I hear so much bad rep about them from customers. And i dont reccomend them to even customers that are abusive and treat me like ****. Got a Sony myself and defiantly great, the Bravia Engine V2 does make it a nice unit.

Out of Plasma and LCD, about the only plasma i sell is the VIVO's because people only want them, all the rest of the TV's are LCD's. They may cost a bit more, but if the backlight dies in them then it's only about $20 to fix (most common problem). The Plasma's main problem is their half life, and there's nothing you can do to fix that except get a new one.

Maybe check GraysOnline for reconditioned Sony's? GraysOnline is an online reco dealer for Sony and you can get quite big LCD's on there for a LOT less than in shops but generally dont have as long a warranty on them.

Some TV's yes have a huge markup on them, some dont, some we even loose money on. Back when my mum got the 32" bravia it came with a free TomTom and free surge board, company was loosing money on that, then with staff discount it came even cheaper. And then Sony sent a free PS3.

If you were in Victoria i'd say come see me, i can do deals where it goes under cost, i dont mind. I do have to order in the larger TV's though sometimes. Although, if there's a powerhouse near you go check them out, they run at a loss every year, so they definatly must be doing big discounts under cost for almost everyone.

[SAV_117]

if its out of those 2 i would go the LCD if the lg has any probs its covered by warrenty so meh and yes that is true what u said about newer plasmas its not as bad as it was still would go LCD though much better

[bezz]

I work in Dick Smith electronics

i feel sorry for you, i used to work there

[alien]

i feel sorry for you, i used to work there

LOL, where did you work and as what? I've worked at Broady Tandy, Niddrie DSE and now at Highpoint DSE (Base stores). Yet i've also been called in at Altona DSE, Moonee Ponds Tandy, Deer Park Tandy, Sunshine DSE (the list goes on, that's all i can remember atm).

Some people are jerks, but you get used to them and can have fun with them My manager doesn't even mind if i say i'm the manager when a customer asks to speak to the manager.

But hey a job is a job. Better than when i was working for Spotlight. They have gotta pay the worst in the country! And before anyone goes calling me queer, it was in stock processing and receivals. So all manual handling and preparing stuff for the ladies/girls.

[bezz]

Worked as a casual while at uni in a few stores round adelaide. Hated it, it was always either bogans, old people wanting their ancient radios or telephones repaired or people who think they know everything. "I can use this $5 multimeter to test my powerpoints at home!"

[alien]

LOL, things havn't changed much, although there's less of them. And now i'm not getting many bogans at all at highpoint, luckily most of them are at broady.

[1991_Vn2nV]

This is the only Samsung in my price range with the specs im after (100hz, 1080p):

Samsung 50" series 5 HD plasma. Full 1080p HD, 100hz, 30,000:1 contrast ratio. 2 Year Warranty.

In the LCD range for Samsung there is the Series 6 46inch (LA46A650). Full 1080p HD, 100hz, 50,000:1 contrast ratio. 3 year warranty.

Because the Samsungs are more expensive, I can't afford the extended warranty. So what do people think?