3DTV or Plasma? Help!

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With my relocation to Eire just a matter of weeks away, the good woman and I have landed a gaf but need to fill it with 'stuff'.

Naturally as trouser wearer and 'bloke' (and not a sexist pig at all) I took it upon myself to be super manly and begin flicking through the numerous sites offering tech goodies in the quest to find a brilliant telly.

I've settled on either a 50" or 60" LG plasma. I'm concerned however that the 60" may lose quality in picture definition due to the size of the screen, mainly when playing 480p or 720p content. Would it be wise to play conservative and plump for a 50"?

I've been away from real tech for so long having been sealed away on this little island for so many years that I don't know if even plasma is a good choice any more.

I like the look of LED and 3DTV but both are a bit too new for my liking, maybe in a couple of years I'll take another look. Unless it's a good time to buy LED now? Or even 3DTV?

What would you guys and girls recommend I buy? Also I'm looking at a 7.1ch HD home cinema kit. Would it be better to go the AIO box route or buy separates? Or even buy a sound bar?

Oh and it would help if there was an online retailer that ships TV's to Eire as Amazon don't seem to want to...

Finally I want to get Sky HD+, is there much in the way of quality HD programming? Many channels? I mainly want my La Liga matches on Sky Sports in HD. Plus the DVR box will be essential as the pair of us will never be home all the time, especially myself working abroad a lot throughout the year. So I want my shows and football matches recorded to watch when I get home. Is the HD worth it or can I just get the Sky Sports in HD and cut out the rest of the channels?

HELP!

 

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LCD? (Blah, entry was too short apparently)!

 

Is LCD better than plasma? Any time I see plasma and LCD screens side by side in a store, LCD looks poor in comparison...

 

For a start not all screens are equal, so you can get poor LCD's and brilliant ones. Reviews on AV forums are the best thing to check out (although you can get a bit punch drunk after a while reading them).

Plasma's are generally considered to be better quality for SD content when compared to LCD's. When it comes to HD it will come down to the quality of the individual set as opposed to Plasma/LCD. I'd steer well clear of 3D TV's if I were you. Apart from it being a gimmick (IMO) there isn't a set standard for delivering it's content yet.

As for a sound system ... Well depends how fussy you are really. You will get a far more customised experience if you go for seperates, and no doubt extra quality as well .... It will cost you more than an all in one solution though. I personally would probably go for an all in one system as they are simple to setup and cheap. You don't have to compromise on quality either just because it's an off the shelf system.

 

Thanks for all the great feedback! I'm wondering now if a plasma set is such a good idea...

I really like this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-50PK590-50-inch-Widescreen-Freeview/dp/B003FMSIW2

But now am wondering if LCD or LED might be a better idea? LCD displays have always looked really lousy to me, and I'm wondering if going for a 50"+ set would make both SD and HD content look a bit blocky with an LCD set?

As for Sky HD+ I did want to get a Freesat HD+ setup (one of the Humax boxes), but I can't live without Sky Sports HD so I think Sky HD+ is a given that I won't find a way around unless you can 'add on' Sky Sports HD to Freesat?

I think too that an AIO setup for speakers etc might be the way forward, although a soundbar looks like an interesting concept.

 

Agreed! I'm exhausted reading so many differing opinions! I think 3DTV is out the window for now, it's just too soon. It was just a brief consideration if a 3D Ready TV was marginally more expensive than a standard plasma, LED or LCD set.

 

The 3d tvs can give you a headache I find.
Whereas everyone I know with a plasma is really happy with it.

 

I seem to remember the deal with LCD/plasma being related to size. Plasma tends to be better for really big tellys but in the middle of the range there's not much in it. I seem to recall reading that LCD was better on power consumption and had a longer life.

In terms of size, I think it depends on the size of the room and how close to the TV you'll be sitting. 60" will probably be wasted on you if the sofa is 4' away. You'll miss most of what's going on.

I'm giving 3D a miss until the pr0n industry decides on what standard it's going to adopt, then go with that.
Can't wait.

 

Agreed on all points but I'd wait for holographics TVs before you subscribe to any pr0n channels

 

If you can still get one, buy a Pioneer Plasma

Will cost you between £2,000 to £3,000 but worth the investment.

 

Thanks for the feedback all! I actually don't know the dimensions of the front room of our new gaf. It's a pretty big 4 bedroom detached, from the snaps I've seen the front room looks huge. I'm thinking a 50" would be fine. A 60" might be overkill in terms of the distance of the couch from the television.

I'm also giving more thought to an LED TV which is essentially an LCD television anyway but seems more reliable and less of a power drain than a plasma. The more I think of the reflective panels on a plasma, the more I think it would do my head in.

One thing's for sure though I'll be throwing in a 250gb XBox 360 slim, an Onkyo 5.1 3D surround kit and receiver and a Humax HD+ PVR (although I'm tempted by a QBOX HD because it's 'Linuxy'). Not sure if it's worth investing in a BluRay player though...

Is the XBox still pro-HD-DVD? Or does it have a Blu Ray player now?

 

PS3 mate...

 

The Xbox dropped the HD DVD (though you can still pick the drives up second hand) and went with a digital distribution model for their highdef content. Annoyingly you still have to pay in MS points for it.

 

Can't bring myself to buy in to Sony, same as I can't bring myself to buy Apple product. That said I happily buy in to Nintendo and their annoying use of unique power supplies and connectors.

 

Cutting your nose off to spite your face there mate, if you want a decent games console that also plays blu-ray...

 

philips 3D tv is good!

 

Ah I know, I know. But in all seriousness, I don't really like the titles on offer on the PS3. If I get an XBox 360 I'd be able to hook it up to my Zune, the Kinetik hardware looks like great fun and of course there is the media centre aspect of the machine.

I'm not entirely fussed about Blu Ray to be honest. I think it would be better to get a stand alone player. Optical media is on it's deathbed...

 

Well, I finally put the order in, I went with a 50" LG plasma. The LG 50PK590 to be precise.

Chucked in to shopping cart:

• LG 50PK590 50" plasma TV
• Humax Foxsat HDR Freesat+ HD receiver/PVR
• Onkyo HD 7.1 3D ready receiver/speaker package
• Sony BDPS370 Blu-ray Player
• 2 x Monster M850 HD-4 HDTV HDMI Audio/Video Cables
• 1 x Monster M850 DCX-8 High Resolution Digital Coaxial Digital Cable
• Techlink WiresNX - Toslink Optical Socket To 3.5mm Optical Plug Adaptor (for my Zune HD)
• 3 x Ixos Digital Optical cables
• 1 x QED HDMI P cable
• Tacima 6 Way Mains Conditioner and Radio Frequency Interference Filter
• Watchmen - Director's Cut (2-Disc) [Blu-ray]

Also managed to nab a copy of Franco Nero's Street Law DVD that I've been pining for for about 5 years!!

Decided to buy a Blu Ray player instead of a PS3 as I'd prefer the XBOX 360 to hook up with my Zune HD etc. Going to plump for the 250GB Super Elite FFXIII box with copies of Bioshock, Bioshock 2, FIFA 10, Alan Wake and Mirror's Edge.

It's good to be going home!