Plasma or LCD TV???

[Rossluck]

One of alarm initially... one of the other blokes at her work spent $7K on a big screen & big stack of HiFi/Video gear to go with it.... she calmed down a bit when I told her that it was THAT much.
This morning we had Rage on for the first time in many years.

When we bought our plasma for $4000 5 years ago the way people reacted it was as if we'd bought a Roll Royce or something. But if the tv died tomorrow I'd be content in the knowledge that it provided good value. At the same time we bought the plasma my brother bought one of those projector screen models. He recently took it to the tip and bought an LG plasma.

So far as the difference between LCD and plasma is concerned, I don't think that it's all that important. I've looked at them in stores and I can't really tell the difference until I read the labels. The fact that the debate continues indicates the lack of a clear front runner.

[Cliff Rogers]

Once you know what to look for, you can see the reflections in a bright room on the plasma screens that the LCDs don't have but you can also see that the plasma screens have blacker black than the LCDs have in a dark room.

[losonogo]

i used to sell tv's for david jones and the questions i would ask people is when do you watch the most tv?
This was important as the the tvs project differently
If it was during the day (this lended itself to oldies more than the rest) - i would recommended lcds. The colours are vivid and compared to a plasma, brighter.
If tv was watched more at night then a plasma is definitely first choice as the colours are phenomenal!
Pioneer is premium, superb viewing experience for plasma - makes there own
Sony is biggest seller of lcds, very trusted by consumers - made by benQ
Panasonic best range for the masses- makes there own
lg and samsung - can you spot the difference? great for market competition - make there own
all the rest on the market are made by the above companies, great to know when getting a budget screen.

If your after a screen that dosent reflect light like glass? ask for a panel with a diffuser like panasonics current range or standard with sony's screens.

Best viewing for sport? who cares! most of the time you end up soo wasted or engrossed in debates with your mates, you never end up watching the screen that closely to notice any faults my favourite selling line, worked wonders!
Seriously, if u needed a screen dedicated to sport, get a panel with a quick refresh rate ie '2ms', they say the tail behind the ball greatly reduces with quicker refresh rate.
Keep in mind if you have eye problems or are wearing old glasses, this becomes irrelevant as most testing is done with 20/20 vision

The important thing to remember is once in your own home, you have nothing to compare it against like you would in a shop, so you WILL be happy with the choice no matter what (unless it stuffs up of course)
The rule definitely applies, buy middle of the range. This will ensure it doesent age as quickly and will have some cool features without being excessive.
One last tip if your not confident or want backup if something goes wrong, buy from a reputable dealer. They will go out of there way to help if you ask nicely!

[Cliff Rogers]

Good info.