I'm looking for the biggest and best TV I can get for a budget of £500. I'm way out of my element so I'd appreciate hearing from someone who knows about these things.
Flat Screen TV
I got a Samsung 42" plasma from Comet Dave. It was originally 650 quid but the knocked off 150 as an incentive if I took the 5 year extended warranty. (If they don't offer, ask for it - something along the lines of "I really want this TV but I've only got 500 quid to spend - can you ask the manager if he'll do me a deal if I take the insdurance?" Then what you do is sign up for the insurance paid in instalments, then just cancel it as soon as you get home. (Or keep it if you like).
There's a lot of argument said about the merits of LCD over Plasma and vice versa, for instance an LCD telly will last longer than a plasma. But we're talking an LCD panel should last 60,000 hours whereas a plasma will last 40-50,0000. Considering there are only 8000 hours in a year, you're talking over a decade of use from both machines as long as they're not on 24/7 (which of course they wouldn't be).
As for picture quality, again it's personal preference but for me plasma wins hands down every time. With LCD you get a thing called motion blur where you basically get a ghosting effect when something is moving fast onscreen. You do get used to it but if you're coming from a normal TV to LCD it's the first thing you'll notice and it's very annoying. Even the best LCD tellies have motion blur. Plasma doesn't. Plasma looks much more natural and the colours are better than LCD. LCD tellies are brighter and cheaper to run, but for overall pic quality, I'd go for plasma. Ask the guys who work in the shop - they've all got plasmas.
Also make sure your telly is 100hz and has a good contrast ratio - and stick to Samsung if you can, they're the best. Other good makes are LG, Sony (although they're massively-overpriced), Phillips. Avoid Beko and others you haven't heard of like the plague. At the end of the day it's the components that are going to fail, probably not the screen.
Now cue someone to jump in and tell you I'm wrong and that LCD is best.
I had some generic brand 42" LCD from ebuyer.com for about £500. It was pretty good until the missus put a cd rack through the screen. Once the insurance paid out I got a 37" LG LCD which is also pretty good.
I think there are only a few manufacturers of LCD screen and it's the electronics behind it all which make the difference.
Also plasmas are heavier, liable to screen burn (esp. with those annoying channel logos in the top corner nowadays) and use a lot more power than LCDs.
At home, I have a 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma. It's beautiful, I think you can pick one up for about £600-700, if you hunt around and are willing to pay a few pounds more.
Quote: Afinkawan @ April 6 2009, 1:02 PM BSTAlso plasmas are heavier, liable to screen burn (esp. with those annoying channel logos in the top corner nowadays) and use a lot more power than LCDs.
Not had any screen burn issues with mine. Anyway the insurance covers it
Yeah, I've heard the opposite from that (Afinkawan's post).
Quote: Lee Henman @ April 6 2009, 11:12 AM BSTAs for picture quality, again it's personal preference but for me plasma wins hands down every time. With LCD you get a thing called motion blur where you basically get a ghosting effect when something is moving fast onscreen. You do get used to it but if you're coming from a normal TV to LCD it's the first thing you'll notice and it's very annoying. Even the best LCD tellies have motion blur. Plasma doesn't.
Also make sure your telly is 100hz and has a good contrast ratio - and stick to Samsung if you can, they're the best. Other good makes are LG, Sony (although they're massively-overpriced), Phillips. Avoid Beko and others you haven't heard of like the plague. At the end of the day it's the components that are going to fail, probably not the screen.
To pick a few holes...
Motion blur is nothing to do with the screen. It's the processor in the unit. Plasmas can have motion blur, but as they're more expensive anyway, they tend to get the better quality hardware inside them and so it's much less common.
The best brand is Pioneer, by an extended country mile. The prices - although not as high as the quality would suggest - reflect this. Unfortunately, that means that they're not selling sufficiently in the recession, and so Pioneer are ceasing production. This could result in prices dropping over the coming months, so it's worth keeping an eye out and perhaps even trying to negotiate the price on this basis.
Personally, I highly recommend the Pioneer Kuro range. I recently saw a 50" one hooked up to a Blu-ray player with the last Pirates Of The Caribbean playing. I almost cried.
As for screen burn, it's possible to get it with both LCD and plasma, but far far far more easily with the latter. Be very careful to not leave a plasma unattended, or on a static screen (for example an EPG) for any length of time. (Regarding DOGs, Ofcom's guidelines state that they cannot be above a certain brightness, colour range or size for the very reason of avoiding screen burn.)
If it's 100MHz you shouldn't get motion blur even if it's LCD. I'd go for LCD over plasma myself. Just make sure there are enough inputs; HDMI, scart, whatever for the hardware you already have. It's amazing how many people by stuff that's not compatible with their existing equipment.
Yup, very good advice there. I think a lot of people assume that converter connection kits are available, but don't take into account that although they often are, it'll almost certainly harm the quality of the sound/picture.
Don't judge picture quality by the display ones in shops. They turn the colour up to max and close up it looks ugly. But if you tweak them yourself (you can search the 'net and find geeks that post the settings for you) there is a big difference.
Plus, the screens work best when you sit a certain distance from the telly. So if you have a tiny room, don't go for a huge TV or you won't get the benefits of HD picture.
Quote: Leevil @ April 6 2009, 6:48 PM BSTPlus, the screens work best when you sit a certain distance from the telly. So if you have a tiny room, don't go for a huge TV or you won't get the benefits of HD picture.
Good advice. Also a big screen in a small room just looks ridiculous.
I've got a 32" LG LCD job and I'm happy with it.
40" Sony Bravia, and I'm happy with it.
I have a 46" Samsung LCD and it looks great. Now it seems small and I'm thinking about a getting a 65" model in a year or two.
Quote: DaButt @ April 6 2009, 10:09 PM BSTI have a 46" Samsung LCD and it looks great. Now it seems small and I'm thinking about a getting a 65" model in a year or two.
Imagine the size of the remote! 
It's true though, I'm sure they're getting bigger. Sky's remote is the best.