# Lcd Or Plasma?



## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Time to upgrade the telly with a new HD one. :yes:

Probably going for a 40" or 42"...but plasma, LCD or LED LCD ? :huh:

I know, I could Google and I have; there are many comparison site like this one: http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv-plasmavslcd.shtml

But I still cant make up my mind. :to_become_senile:







:taz:

What other factors do I need to consider? Cost, contrast ratios, freeview, freesat, etc etc 

Comments? Lots of them please...I'm being really indecisive.


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## Dusty (Feb 3, 2010)

Bit like watches......go have a look and get the one you like !!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Dusty said:


> Bit like watches......go have a look and get the one you like !!


But that's not how I buy watches...just based on "one you like".


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## mulliner86 (Jan 12, 2010)

LED is what I have, saves space, clearer picture display than lcd or plasma and I believe, but am willing to be corrected, that led have a longer life-span.

cheers

Leo


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## Deco (Feb 15, 2011)

LCD. Plazmas use a hell of a lot more electricity, or so I'm told.


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## oddgitt (Mar 19, 2008)

I went to the Tesco Extra in Chesterfield. It's absolutely enormous and has a huge AV section. It had a very good selection of flat screen HD tellies.

There were LCD, LED and Plasma screens lined up side by side, row upon row.

The Plasma stood out by a long way in terms of picture quality and the depth of colours.

I opted for a 50 inch LG plasma 1080p for Â£500. The only one that came close to this in terms of quality was the 37inch LED by Samsung, which was about a grand.

Simples, methinks.... although it nearly didn't fit in the car....


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

I have an LCD and my mother has a plasma, I'll often drive over to watch the footie (about the only thing I watch besides Kath & Kim). Response times are faster with no lag, I really notice it with sports. I have heard of LCD "fast repsonse" TV's but they must have even more tech to deal with what is an inherent problem. If I was going to spash out on an new HD TV (I'm not) then I'd buy Plasma, if you want HD then surely you want the best pic quality, regardless of size, heat, power consumption or lifespan?


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## feenix (May 27, 2008)

I've still got a CRT. I know I should consider replacing it, but the aging hippy in me keeps saying I can't until it wears out :to_become_senile:


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

MarkF said:


> I have an LCD and my mother has a plasma


Mark, I bet your mother doesn't watch footie....you should swop TVs with her.


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## Billtr96sn (Jun 15, 2011)

We have a plasme here and I love it.

When we bought it (about 6 months ago) we looked at all the others, plasma had far superior picture to LCD, better viewing angles compared to LCD and less 'smear' (lag?).

The LED tellys were over twice the price and the picture wasnt as good.

\beware though, as some companies are selling LED tv's that arent, they are only lit by LED's, what you want to look out for is OLED (Organic light emitting diode) But IMHO the technology isnt up to a decent LED TV yet, so plasma wins.


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

If you watch sport then go Plasma no question. The lag on my old Samsung LCD could make a fast pass on the football look like a comet.

I switched to a Panasonic 600hz with built in Freesat, but this was before HD was available on freeview. I combined this with a Humax PVR with freesat and the combo is great, giving great quality pictures and sound in HD. In SD I can't watch the football anymore as it looks blurry compared with HD

LCD is cheaper to run, and LED is thinner, but neither would suit me once the screen size gets over 37". Below that size and you don't notice the refresh rate as much


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Silver Hawk said:


> MarkF said:
> 
> 
> > I have an LCD and my mother has a plasma
> ...


Like father, like mother, like son, my mother is football mental. 

What Feenix said, I had an old top range Sony CRT, split screen, loved watching 2 channels at the same time, loads of gizmo's to keep me happy. I am convinced that the whizz bang, slim, modern Philips LCD that replaced it has a far inferior picture quality.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

scottswatches said:


> If you watch sport then go Plasma no question. The lag on my old Samsung LCD could make a fast pass on the football look like a comet.


That's exactly what I meant, fast stuff "blurs" on LCD.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

MarkF said:


> scottswatches said:
> 
> 
> > If you watch sport then go Plasma no question. The lag on my *old* Samsung LCD could make a fast pass on the football look like a comet.
> ...


Isn't that the issue though...LCDs have come along way recently.


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## martinzx (Aug 29, 2010)

You can find much information here it should help you make an informed choice,

Good luck Martin

http://plasmaorlcd.co.uk/default.aspx


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Silver Hawk said:


> I know, I could Google and I have; there are many comparison site like this one: http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv-plasmavslcd.shtml
> 
> But I still cant make up my mind. :to_become_senile:
> 
> ...





martinzx said:


> You can find much information here it should help you make an informed choice,
> 
> Good luck Martin
> 
> http://plasmaorlcd.co.uk/default.aspx


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## Dusty (Feb 3, 2010)

Silver Hawk said:


> Dusty said:
> 
> 
> > Bit like watches......go have a look and get the one you like !!
> ...


Mmmm maybe that's were I am going wrong then I always go for what I like and not what I am told I should like, I take other opinions in to consideration but I remember when I was told (by so called experts) that betamax was the way to go :schmoll:


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## martinzx (Aug 29, 2010)

Silver Hawk said:


> Silver Hawk said:
> 
> 
> > I know, I could Google and I have; there are many comparison site like this one: http://www.lcdtvbuyi...asmavslcd.shtml
> ...


If it is just a matter you cannot make up your mind  Plasma for sure IMHO


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## martinzx (Aug 29, 2010)

Dusty said:


> Silver Hawk said:
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> > Dusty said:
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Technically Sony's Betmax was superior to VHS, but the Victor company did a better marketing job on VHS


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## The Canon Man (Apr 9, 2010)

Dusty said:


> Bit like watches......go have a look and get the one you like !!


Choosing a telly like you choose a watch wont work for Silverhawk. Find a broken telly using a redundant technology that nobody else fully understands, and then fix it.


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## handlehall (Aug 7, 2009)

judging from your taste in watches it's pretty obvious what you need


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

handlehall said:


> judging from your taste in watches it's pretty obvious what you need


...and wearing Martinus Scriblerus's Flight II










Can we get back on topic now....I need to buy this evening!


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Silver Hawk said:


> Isn't that the issue though...LCDs have come along way recently.


I don't know, mine will be my last, we won't have one when the kids leave. Why don't you not spend any money and have more conversations with your wife instead? :inlove:


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

MarkF said:


> Why don't you not spend any money and have more conversations with your wife instead? :inlove:


:rofl:


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## bsa (Dec 23, 2010)

We have a new full HD lcd TV no noticeable lag during sport good colours however be aware you may want better external speakers as the set is so thin the onboard speakers were crap and faced backwards i couldnt understand a word. What i dont like about LCD is the amount of time they take to switch between stations but thats all, the rest is good.

Be aware of room size do not buy oversize and remember plasma do produce a lot of heat.


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## feenix (May 27, 2008)

bsa said:


> Be aware of room size do not buy oversize .....................


If your living room is more than 30% plasma then your TVs toooooo big


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Panasonic Viera 42 inch Plasma with freeview built in and as many hdmi slots as you can get... Preferably from John Lewis with their free 5 year warranty ......

Job done...........


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

jasonm said:


> Panasonic Viera 42 inch Plasma with freeview built in and as many hdmi slots as you can get... Preferably from John Lewis with their free 5 year warranty ......
> 
> Job done...........


+1.....or Samsung.....either as long as Freeview HD or Freesat HD included (preferably both), watch also for USB socket which can be used with a stick to record/pause live TV without a seperate PVR, not as flexible as a seperate PVR but damn useful anyway!


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## Russ (Feb 7, 2006)

It's all been said. Sport and plasma.


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## LeeKaye (Jun 3, 2011)

I bought a Panasonic plasma after a huge amount of research. What sealed it for me was seeing a demo of an LCD where they showed some football. I don't know if they hadn't calibrated it correctly or what, but you could hardly see what was going on at times.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Just to put a spanner in the works, the best picture is LED 

Latest Samsung LED tv's actually better than Plasma, on 40" upwards, and that is saying something.....

Tesco do their own make "Technika" which has a Samsung LED screen and basically a Samsung re-branded, 32" TV for Â£400, half the price and you get club card points to!!! 

Of course you need a good DVD player, 1080p with 24 frames per second, and a high grade HDMI cable, ideally a cable made by Chord around the Â£60 mark...... Not forgetting a mains filter... ( Â£25 ) .... it all helps..


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

And if you buy a Plasma it must travel upright, not face up or face down!!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Having trawled around all the big stores around me (Comet, Currys Superstore, Tesco Extra) being "advised" by 16 year old spotty youths who do not know their ar$e from their elbow...and then reading hundreds of user reviews on Amazon, I've just hit the button on one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LE40C650-Widescreen-Allshare-Internet/dp/B003DNSJ4A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1309354706&sr=1-1

Looked at LED, Plasma...but this LCD just did it for me.

It arrives tomorrow...can't wait.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

BTW: thanks for all your advice.


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Silver Hawk said:


> BTW: thanks for all your advice.


Glad to see you absorbed it, mulled it over, chewed it up and spat it out again :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Billtr96sn (Jun 15, 2011)

Boxbrownie said:


> Silver Hawk said:
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> 
> > BTW: thanks for all your advice.
> ...


Ignored it, then bought a LCD.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Billtr96sn said:


> Boxbrownie said:
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> > Silver Hawk said:
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 :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

That's not true...I did not ignore it; I'm grateful for people's comments and have learnt alot.


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Silver Hawk said:


> Billtr96sn said:
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> 
> > Boxbrownie said:
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 :grin: Just kidding.....every scrap of info helps us make an informed choice....let us know what you think of it when it arrives.....if you can drag yourself away from the new gogglebox :good:


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

harryblakes7 said:


> a high grade HDMI cable


I thought that had been dismissed as bunkum? (Great word, must try to slip that in to conversation at work tomorrow).

Anyhoo - HDMI cables are carrying a digital signal, so surely you're either going to get the digital information (the stream of 1s and 0s) from the DVD to the TV or you aren't?

Might get intermittent data, if the cable is defective, but signal degradation shouldn't be an issue like it is with an analogue signal (you aren't going to get 0.5s instead of 1s, for instance).


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## langtoftlad (Mar 31, 2007)

At least you can rely on the Distance Selling Regulations & Amazon's excellent customer service to send it back after a week and get a "*Plasma*"

:rofl2:

You know it makes sense.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

langtoftlad said:


> At least you can rely on the Distance Selling Regulations & Amazon's excellent customer service to send it back after a week and get a "*Plasma*"
> 
> :rofl2:
> 
> You know it makes sense.


 And a :thumbsdown: to you as well. Plasma is dead....only Panasonic support it







.

But I agree about Amazon...had to make a claim on Monday --- wrong goods supplied by 3rd party and I wasn't getting anywhere with seller --- Amazon paid up the following day...so they can have a :thumbsup:.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Friggin Amazon! I hope that your High St dies the death of a thousand guinea pigs and that you are upset...............


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

MarkF said:


> Friggin Amazon! I hope that your High St dies the death of a thousand guinea pigs and that you are upset...............


You obviously have never visited George Street in Hove; I think it died before TV was invented.


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## jeffvader (Jun 10, 2008)

Got a pair of Samsung LED's & really happy with them. Lovely thin profile & great picture quality. The black is very good too. Just watch out if you've got SCART based stuff, as you've only got one port which can be adapted to run SCART & 4 HDMI ports.


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

Silver Hawk said:


> I've just hit the button on one of these:


Good choice, in my opinion. I have a Panasonic with similar spec and I don't notice any lag when watching sports. A friend has a plasma with a lot of lag watching football.

I guess it depends on how good the signal is and how well its tuned in.


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## sparky the cat (Jan 28, 2009)

Paul

After a lot of soul searching I went for an upgrade and went for this Samsung http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-UE40C6530-Widescreen-AllShare-Internet/dp/B003DNSIYQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top but not from Amazon used Best Buy.

Worried about the torching and clouding I read so much about - but no sign of it - made an agreement with the shop if it was on the one I took delivery of they would take it back.

Think the Samsung is renowned for the picture quality - but the sound is supposed to be it's weakness. I think it's okay but I don't use surround sound etc - so no problem to me. My logic was that the sound can be sorted with peripherals, but the the picture can't so I make sure the picture was the quality aspect of my choice.

Had it about six months now, and even this miserable b*gger who doesn't get impressed by much looks and it and thinks 'Bl**dy good picture that' - and we haven't got HD. My mate had to agree = he gets the best electonic/audio gear, I think it nearly stuck in his throat saying it.

Just my two pennies worth

George


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## langtoftlad (Mar 31, 2007)

My Panny Plasma would be very 'hurt' to hear you say it's dead... 

Anyway, because I don't hold a grudge...

You may or may not know that all THX certified DVD's have an set up Optimizer as an extra.

Good for getting the best out of your flipping LCD pixels...

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/thx-optimizer

and list of THX DVD's & Bluray

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/thx-certified-releases/


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## LeeKaye (Jun 3, 2011)

Oh, and one thing you will notice with the new TV is the differing broadcast quality of the channels and programmes. ITV football can be rubbish, whereas some things like Desperate Housewives (girlfriend watches it honest) on 4 can be sharp. Even when viewing all on SD.


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## bsa (Dec 23, 2010)

Now you have got it, enjoy. Our lcd hd tv is perfect. Be ready when you first start watching HD it looks strange but your eyes adjust, it took the wife about a week to adjust........

but she is slow.


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## plumsteadblue (Sep 4, 2004)

HI PAUL, I have just "up graded" to a 42" led (LG) and I must say the picture quality is just great, I had a lcd before and after seeing an LED one at friends house I was smitten, it is so much clearer than the lcd one, tennis looks great on it, only thing I have found out is that you also need a decent DVD player that is hdmi as well to get the best out of your dvd's, I found one in a sale and yes there is a marked difference in picture quality via the hdmi lead, oh well my 2 pence worth over.

Cheers, John


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

TV's great....Freeview in my area is not....no HD until 21st March 2012 :thumbsdown:

Good job I have Freesat HD although it would be nice with a few more HD channels.


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## LeeKaye (Jun 3, 2011)

Silver Hawk said:


> TV's great....Freeview in my area is not....no HD until 21st March 2012 :thumbsdown:
> 
> Good job I have Freesat HD although it would be nice with a few more HD channels.


That was frustrating when I got mine. I am with Virgin and only BBC HD and a couple more were available at that time. It's better now, but you still have to pay more for sports and so on.


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## Mal52 (Oct 7, 2003)

Upgrade a few months back from a Samsung 40inch LCD to a Panasonic Viera G20 46 inch Plasma with freeview/freesat HD.

The PQ on these sets are outstanding,once bedded in past the 200hr mark PQ looks even better

Would recommend these sets to anyone looking for a Plasma.

Mal


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## gaz64 (May 5, 2009)

Dusty said:


> Silver Hawk said:
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> > Dusty said:
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the experts were right if you wanted the better quality... if you wanted the more popular format then that was another matter... that was down to marketing and licencing....


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

gaz64 said:


> Dusty said:
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They sure were, and I still have a C7 in the loft and a 950 Super Beta machine in the electronics spares cupboard, who also had SuperBeta?


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## itsguy (Nov 16, 2009)

As a film maker I've been in and out of high end professional colour grading suites with reference level video monitoring for more years that I care to mention, and know how a TV picture is meant to look. So believe me when I say: get a Panasonic Plasma. Pioneer are also good.


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## Rotundus (May 7, 2012)

shame really

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13989548

just one of two sites in europe "under threat", the one in germany is going too.


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

Billtr96sn said:


> We have a plasme here and I love it.
> 
> When we bought it (about 6 months ago) we looked at all the others, plasma had far superior picture to LCD, better viewing angles compared to LCD and less 'smear' (lag?).
> 
> ...


That was the conclusion I arrived at when I bought my Panasonic Plasma. Two points:

1) I asked a very busy TV repairman which manufacturer he sees the least in his workshop. He said Panasonic - he gets more Samsungs than anything, and second place (surprising to me...) was Sony.

2)The Samsung LCD I had before this set suffered screen failure at 18 months old. Replacement quotes came in between Â£520 and Â£600. Didn't have the extended warranty...... Big OUCH!!!

Rob


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## langtoftlad (Mar 31, 2007)

So Paul, had it a week now - happy with your choice?

Put all us Plasma lovers in our place?

All seriousness

Short version - I was advised Plasma for SD TV and sports ( = me )

LCD for gaming & HD. ( = not me )


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

langtoftlad said:


> So Paul, had it a week now - happy with your choice?


Yes, I am....the 710 is not so sure. She says all films now look like soap operas; she means that the actors appear to be in her living room...which she doesn't like  .

I was a little worried about it when Wimbledon was on and we were trying to watch on BBC HD (as opposed to BBC One HD)....the screen sometimes duplicated with a split down the middle. I thought we had a fault...until I saw that the BBC was broadcasting in 3D on this channel :bag:







.


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## langtoftlad (Mar 31, 2007)

Brill - that's all that matters...

...3D, not yet seen anything that impresses yet.

Picture has depth but all the 3D objects, characters etc, are flat, very odd effect.


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## LeeKaye (Jun 3, 2011)

I think I know I am getting old when I have only just caught up and bought into HD...and 3D broadcasts are starting to happen.


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

I bought a Sony LCD a few years ago, it's very good quality and I have never noticed a "LCD lag" looks good on HD as well. But then it is not that big by today's standards so maybe large LCD's suffer from some of the problems Mark mentions?


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## handlehall (Aug 7, 2009)

Boxbrownie said:


> gaz64 said:
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Betamax? Pah! I bought a Grundig Video2000 machine - reversible cassettes, 8 hour recording time rock-steady freeze-frame and slomo,indexing system but try to get a film to hire and no chance (one place in Rusholme)I kept it and used it for years until it was stolen in a break-in


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

handlehall said:


> Boxbrownie said:
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And that was the problem....Philips really cocked up the marketing with the 2000 system, it was also unreliable something to do with the fact it was designed in the smokey haze of a Dutch coffee bar







:alcoholic:


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## dobra (Aug 20, 2009)

Had a Panasonic Plasma for over two years, and the quality of the picture is as good as HD. Another important point to me is the depth of the blacks, with photography as a serious hobby perhaps I am over critical.

The only negatives are higher power consumption (it's not on all day) , and signal strength. Here on the IoW, I am reasonably above sea level, but erratic signals cause pixilation.

Would I buy another - yes.

Mike


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