Opinions on lcd or plasma.

[JaseNZ 53]

Right guys I need you help because I am replacing my current tv which is a series 4 Samsung plasma 50".

There is such an array of models out nowadays with 3d and smart tv's I need some direction on what to get.

I can take or leave the whole 3d thing and with 3d there is the active and shutter glasses ??.

I also have a dedicated lappy that runs xbmc and is controlled with xbmc iphone commander app, It all works really well plus gives me all the net connectivity so don't really need the smart tv side of things because I already have it.

Thing is all these things may just come with the tv anyway so its really a matter of picture. I have always been told that plasma is always better than lcd for watching sport which is what I do watch a lot of (motorsport).

What is the best brand , What gives the best picture ??

You may be asking why ditch your current tv whats wrong with it. (nothing according to the missus), I have been looking casually when I have been in stores and feel I am not getting the picture that I really want , Its hard to explain but my blacks are more of a reddish colour.

All suggestions would be most welcome.

[5amchris 45]

Size? You wanna stay around that 50"? wanna go any bigger?

I think Panasonic NEO Plasma. Very nice Tvs has some of the smart bits and bobs but not to over the top.

http://www.panasonic.co.nz/products/home-e...-series-plasma/

Worth a look. Yes LED's are nice but get a NEO plasma in a dark and it looks alot better to me.

[mrad01 0]

Plasma if you are a movie lover. I watch a lot of movies. They still represent movies the best by far. LCD/LED are sharper for sure - but for movies they are just wrong. There is a ton of electronics in the LCD/LED tvs to remove ghosting, boost the contrast shades, make fast motion look natural - but in the end, the plasma does all of these things by design and doesn't need the same amount of "electronic aides" to get it right.

Most people will buy the LCD/LED off the showroom demos because they DO look better in a demo situation. You compare tech details like brightness and sharpness etc - you don't sit and watch generally. (Harvey Norman would hate that! Can I watch Batman, on both, in full please?)

If all you do is play Xbox or PS3 - and sometimes TV, then maybe the LCD/LED route would work. Games and digitally created content (like animated movies) look awesome on LCD/LED...

Stay away from 3D tvs - they suck at the moment...

[Neal 544]

Hold out for 4k TV . Plenty of movies being filmed on red one digital and the first of the TV's are appearing.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/28/lg-unve...ringing-to-ces/

[deeveus 81]

Oh god, this topic again.

It depends on what you want to spend, the more expensive TV's are generally better. If you can spare 4-5k go Samsung LED, at this money you are 200hz and all the latest gear, you'll get a 55" for this kind of money, 5-6k for a 60" LED.

If you are 2-4k mark, go Panasonic neo.

If you are 1-2k mark then you're probably better to stick with what you have.

Also, take absolutely no notice of what a TV looks like in the stores. If they are setup properly in the stores they are displaying Full HD 1080p from a external hdd or usb drive, they always look different when you get them home especially if you have satellite set top box. If you have a FreeView HD aerial then you can have a larger TV without risking picture quality so much, if you have Sky, some broadcasts on 1,2,3 are in HD but Sky Movies 20 and 22 are HD all the time, and Sky Sport is HD with purchasing HD ticket.

To get the best out of a TV FULL HD video files are the sh*t.

Higher end TV's will have wireless and I have network storage in my garage which streams HD video to the TV. I've got a Samsung UA55D6600 and the picture is epic, but for everyday TV it isn't used to it's full potential. Some of the Sky broadcast TV programs belong on a TV the size of your watch because they are terribad.

One thing to mention, if you are going a slimline Samsung like mine, get a entertainment system, the speakers aren't the best as there's no area for the speakers to sit & create bass, that and the speakers are tiny as the TV is only 29mm thick. If you couple it with the Samsung bracket to put on the wall, the TV sits 40mm off the wall total. Looks very modern and when turned off confuses people to look like a blackboard!

I'm not sure if other brands do that bracket system but basically it's hung on the wall like a picture on a piece of wire.

One smaller thing to think about > my 55" LED consumes about 140watts, a 64" Plasma will consume as much as 550watts - quite thirsty if you run a TV an average of 5 hours per day, mine is on about 12 hours a day at the moment because the wife is home with our 8 week old. This can make a bit of difference over a year on your energy bill.

Edited July 7, 2012 by The Diesel Guy

[5amchris 45]

Agree what was said above. We thought over this before but yea Clinton is about right. But dont mix NEO Plasma and a normal Plasma very very different units.

[JaseNZ 53]

Thanks for the reply's guys, I am in the 3 -4k bracket , The tv is my relaxing medium I work some hard hours and this is my sit down and wind down time. We have mysky with the hd ticket and a ps3 for watching quite a large collection of br movies. Looks like a panasonic neo is probably the best way to go for me then.

Edited July 7, 2012 by M-Spec

[kevinator9 57]

I would say go for an LED TV with a high refresh rate. My brother has a Samsung LED Smart TV 46" with 500 or 600Hz refresh rate. There is absolutely no motion blur. I have a Samsung LCD HD 22" (Standard 60Hz) which has a fair amount of motion blur and my parents have a Panasonic Plasma 46" which has less motion blur than my LCD but more than my brothers LED. The picture quality on the Plasma is also the worst.

Just my experience.

[5amchris 45]

Panasonic ST-50" NEO Plasma

http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/tvs-dvds...prod115885.html

Say you will pay $2100. Its a very nice tv for that price.

or Panasonic GT-60" NEO Plasma

http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/tvs-dvds...ml?ref=pricespy

$4199 i would say a easy 4k should buy it.

[deeveus 81]

Anything over 200hz on an LED is good, but beware of gimmicks where they say clear motion 800, it's basically BS.

If you're spending 4k, spend another 10% and get this, this is as good as it gets as of today pretty much.

Visit My Website

That is a good price, virtually what my cost is - infact, I'm wondering if I can order one into work, sneak it home put it on the wall and see if the wife would notice the difference!

http://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/tvs-dvds...ml?ref=pricespy

$4199 i would say a easy 4k should buy it.

That TV although bigger doesn't compare to a 8 series LED Samsung.

Edited July 7, 2012 by The Diesel Guy

[5amchris 45]

Yes nice TV but so many things that people wont use. voice controls the touch remote thats useless, hand gestures.

We have last years 55" 8000 model for $2999 very much the same without all the bells.

[JaseNZ 53]

Well guys some will say yup good one and some will say nar you got the wrong one but I purchased the

Panasonic TH-P55VT50 which is the 2012 model, Price was 3900.00 , Is being delivered this arvo so will be able to say if my choice was ok ,I took into account what you guys were talking about and then read a lot of reviews.

[Neal 544]

Nice looking TV . I brought one a 200hz LCD a few year back and find they aren't cracked up to what they are hyped to motion wise. Suspect plasma would would also be better than lcd/led for less motion blur.

Check your blu rays for thanks picture setup (Dark Knight etc) and set your your new tv up and save to one of it's colour presets. You might find that your redish blacks become darker after.

http://www.thanks.com/consumer/home-entert...mizer-overview/

BTW, If you haven't already don't forget to run through your audio time alingnment on your home theater amp. Looks like your left front speaker is futher away from the TV than right front. Time alignment will have the effect of pulling the left speaker closer to the TV.

Edit: Auto spell checker is changing "T H X" to "Thanks"

Edited July 8, 2012 by Neal

[deeveus 81]

Yes nice TV but so many things that people wont use. voice controls the touch remote thats useless, hand gestures.

We have last years 55" 8000 model for $2999 very much the same without all the bells.

Mine has most of all the garnish the new ones to as well, I don't use it nor did I buy it for half the functions or crap it has, you buy these TV's because of their picture quality & bezel sizes & thickness & modern look.

Nice looking TV . I brought one a 200hz LCD a few year back and find they aren't cracked up to what they are hyped to motion wise. Suspect plasma would would also be better than lcd/led for less motion blur.

Currently in my shop I have a 6 series and a 4 series LED, 4 series Plasma and 32" LG LCD running off the same file shared on USB, the more expensive LED TV wins hands down, either on normal TV or HD files. The difference you'll find is quite dramatic, especially when things are going from side to side vs 200hz and 60hz Older non LED LCD TV's are a different story all together, make sure it's actually the hz refresh rate and not the marketing quotation of true motion e.t.c. CCFL (LCD TV's reffered to as) light from top to bottom, LED LCD light from behind (because the fluro tubes in CCFL take up so much space)

LCD is nearly fazed out on my Samsung price lists. It's Plasma & LED predominate.

Well guys some will say yup good one and some will say nar you got the wrong one but I purchased the

Panasonic TH-P55VT50 which is the 2012 model, Price was 3900.00 , Is being delivered this arvo so will be able to say if my choice was ok ,I took into account what you guys were talking about and then read a lot of reviews.

Good choice mate, for the coin it wouldn't be my choice but not far away! Enjoy your new TV I've seen this model for $2999 at Bond & Bond, I sometimes buy from them also.

Edited July 8, 2012 by The Diesel Guy

[Etwenty1 45]

Well guys some will say yup good one and some will say nar you got the wrong one but I purchased the

Panasonic TH-P55VT50 which is the 2012 model, Price was 3900.00 , Is being delivered this arvo so will be able to say if my choice was ok ,I took into account what you guys were talking about and then read a lot of reviews.

Hey out of interest did you buy any of those extended warranties?

I am currently taking a box box retailer to disputes tribunal after a 4 year old Sony (parents tv) LCD developed a permanent screen defect. First they try to fob you off to deal with the manufacturer, then will not accept the set back unless you accept costs and pay a bond etc. Now they are saying 4 years is the expected life of a new t.v.

I have never seen anything is those bs ads (all the same) saying that while your old CRT was good for 10 years plus, the new tech only lasts half as long.

I'm stickin' with my 29' CRT, crap is still crap regardless of the plate you serve it on.

[5amchris 45]

Extended warranties, yes pricey but i have to say with how technology is now days its worth thinking about. Your court fees are what $150 odd? a warranty on a $1000 Tv is around that kind of money for +4 years and they will normal come to you and fix the unit on-site.

Working in retail you have to believe in what you sell but tbh i dont like them, Ill offer it as thats my job but im not going to push anyone into something they dont want. Its there money at the end of the day. If it breaks i can say hay i did offer it.

The first models of the LCD and plasma Tvs had a very bad life time we are talking 2-5 years max. But with NEO plasma and LED Tvs they have been able to bring down the heat and the amount of components so less things to go wrong. As well as updating how the panel itself works.

[cliffdunedin 8]

I don't have anything really to add to this thread apart from never buy an extended warranty, seeing as it's pretty much all covered via CGA etc!

I literally laugh at the salesman when he tries to convince me it's in my best interest.

http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/extended-warranties

[deeveus 81]

I don't have anything really to add to this thread apart from never buy an extended warranty, seeing as it's pretty much all covered via CGA etc!

I literally laugh at the salesman when he tries to convince me it's in my best interest.

http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/extended-warranties

Yeah but not 4 years after it was purchased lol!

Extended warranty should cover major defects, saying that it's all they last for (4 years) is bollocks if it's under extended warranty.

The first models of the LCD and plasma Tvs had a very bad life time we are talking 2-5 years max. But with NEO plasma and LED Tvs they have been able to bring down the heat and the amount of components so less things to go wrong. As well as updating how the panel itself works.

It's the heat that kills them, infact with a lot of electronic goods. My LCD I bought 7 years ago has fans on it and I now have this at the crib, in between the ads you can hear the fans running lol & the picture is absolutely terrible & it cost me $4500!

Edited July 8, 2012 by The Diesel Guy

[JaseNZ 53]

So tv was dropped off yesterday arvo and took me about an hour to setup , Watched a lot of motorsports during the night and even watched a 3d movie via my ps3.

First impressions is i farkin love it, Such a nicer crisper picture. Unlike my other tv i am getting naff all glare off this one which means all the bloody curtains don't have to be closed to watch it.

To my surprise i thought mysky hd broadcast in 1080p but nope it is 1080i at 50hz , Dunno why I thought they did it in 1080p , oh never mind.

Very very nice looking tv with the one piece of glass design, very slim and hardly a bezel at all so I am very pleased with all that.

So far I would say 8/10 but time will tell I guess.

[deeveus 81]

Glare is a bit of a thing of the past these days, I can put my rather expensive tri-LED diving torch across the screen and nothing at all, laser pen across it & nothing. If you download movies, look for some 1080p 3D, the good ones are 8-12gb but offer superior picture quality.

For sports that TV will be super!

Edited July 9, 2012 by The Diesel Guy

[antil33t 90]

To my surprise i thought mysky hd broadcast in 1080p but nope it is 1080i at 50hz , Dunno why I thought they did it in 1080p , oh never mind.

1080p would require a shitton more bandwith.. Bluray's are like 35mbit/sec~ for example.

[jordan23 16]

Hey out of interest did you buy any of those extended warranties?

I am currently taking a box box retailer to disputes tribunal after a 4 year old Sony (parents tv) LCD developed a permanent screen defect.

Please keep us updated on how you get on with the disputes tribunal. Very interesting what your doing.

[Etwenty1 45]

Please keep us updated on how you get on with the disputes tribunal. Very interesting what your doing.

Will do, i think it stinks when companies like this (D**k S***h in this instance)have a corporate strategy to minimize refunds or returns. They employ every trick in the book to avoid their CGA responsibilities.

Step 1 - try to fob customer off onto manufacturer.

Step 2 - refuse to accept return of faulty goods unless customer signs form accepting costs

Step 3 - out source assessment of faulty goods so that floor staff have no authority to resolve defects

Step 4 - Tell customer that their product has reached the end of its life anyway.

Step 5 - only accept complaints via email.

Step 6 - query the genuineness of the customers crappy thermal printer receipt that fades after 6 months.etc, etc

[Allanw 1071]

Will do, i think it stinks when companies like this (D**k S***h in this instance)have a corporate strategy to minimize refunds or returns. They employ every trick in the book to avoid their CGA responsibilities.

I use my local 100% store (Barells 100% Whangarei) - I can always talk to an owner if I need to.

Plus, my last oven was $800 cheaper from them, than at Harvey Normans "cost + 5%" special sale for staff of the place I work... uh huh!

[deeveus 81]

I use my local 100% store (Barells 100% Whangarei) - I can always talk to an owner if I need to.

Plus, my last oven was $800 cheaper from them, than at Harvey Normans "cost + 5%" special sale for staff of the place I work... uh huh!

Don't rely on pricing that even your employee will give you. It's all rigged! I'm told I get cost + 2.5% from Noel Leeming Group, but that's the cost loaded into their system only, not the true costs they actually pay the manufacturer, I've caught them out countless times ending in countless arguments!

I needed 2x networkable printers for a job I was doing last week, quoted $283inc GST from supplier, my cost plus 2.5% from Bond & Bond was 360inc GST. Go figure.