Wed
Dec
27
2006

Plasma V LCD TV's

I feel almost guilty writing this rather materialistic post…
For about 8-9 years, we’ve had an 80cm CRT 4:3 TV. It’s a big muther weighing 90Kgs. It’s still working fine, but it won’t fit in the house we are about to move into in under a month.

So, ‘she-who-must-be-listened-to’ has given her blessing to the idea of selling/giving away the big Sony, in order to purchase an 81cm flat screen.
So, I’ve been flicking through all the junk mail over Christmas, in an attempt to narrow down the options.
Here’s the list of desirable features:

  • 81cm widescreen (or very close to that).
  • At least 1368 × 768 resolution – HD ready.
  • Preferably with an HD tuner built in.
  • As compact as possible (ie: speakers along the bottom rather than the sides, to keep the overall width of the case down).
  • Fancy built in sound features not a priority, as the separate 5.1 home theatre system will provide sound 99% of the time.
  • Good contrast specs.
  • If LCD, fast response time (at least 8ms).
  • Price: Cheap as possible, but certainly <$2500 :-)

So… tech heads and geeks out there, what do you suggest?
What have you used/seen that has impressed you?

I’m open to LCD or plasma (like the contrast/brightness of plasma, but also appreciate the lower power of LCD).

Posted by Neil, 27 December 06
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Comment

  1. Not a recommendation as such, but I came across this article on the NYTimes via Digg: Forget L.C.D.; Go for Plasma, Says Maker of Both.

    Panasonic, a manufacturer of both LCD and Plasma sets, is advocating Plasma for larger sizes and LCD for smaller sizes.

    — Simon · Dec 27, 04:31 PM · #

  2. Thanks Simon. I had heard similar things around the place, but nice to have a source.
    Plasma’s are also significantly cheaper than similar size LCD’s…

    — NeilA · Dec 28, 02:12 AM · #

  3. 2 responses:

    1 – I doubt you will find a plasma of that size or one which is capable of that resolution – Goodguys at prospect currently have a LG 80cm LCD 1368×768 with HD tuner for $1948, but I’m not sure if it has sound…

    2 – not trying to sound like a smarty self righteous git (although I often do), but perhaps another option is to buy a smaller CRT TV that will actually fit and give the spare $2000 to someone who will never watch TV…

    — David Corless · Jan 10, 03:49 AM · #

  4. Dear Git,
    That indeed is another option that we are actually considering – but a smaller panel – thinking green(ish)... :-)

    — NeilA · Jan 10, 08:37 AM · #

  5. Hi there,

    Have you thought about trying ebay?

    There is one listed for $999 at:
    http://cgi.ebay.com.au/32-81cm-HDMI-HDTV-HD-TV-WIDESCREEN-w-SAMSUNG-LCD-PANEL_W0QQitemZ260079181997QQihZ016QQcategoryZ129527QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

    — deanne · Jan 30, 06:10 AM · #

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