Plasma or LCD....which is better?

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Product Reviews and Deals - From the latest Samsung UE40B7020 LED LCD TV to the Pioneer Kuro Plasma TV

 

There are so many different tvs out there that it would be impossible to review all them. Therefore on this page we have reviewed some of the most popular and best value deals that are out there on plasma or LCD tvs. In addition we only highlight tvs that we recommend. Although there are cheaper models out there, we feel these aren't worth considering for picture quality. To see cheaper models of plasma or LCD deals then click on our links to Kelkoo! Here you will find prices at almost all electronic stores on all models.

 

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE WHILE WE ARE UPDATING OUR PRICES AND LIST OF PLASMA AND LCD TVs. THE COMPLETE LIST SHOULD BE AVAILABLE OVER THE COMING WEEKS.** We are currently building a whole new site of tv price comparisons that should be more useful to our visitors. In the meantime check out the Samsung UE40B7020 prices we have temporarily added to this site below due to it's popular demand.

 

           

 

  • JUST IN! The latest in LCD TVs - The infamous LED TVs are now on Sale! We have all the best prices highlighted below for the Samsung UE40B7020. If you are concerned about making sure you have bought the best tv to enjoy your HD content then worry no more. As many of you know, we (like many others) have always rated the Pioneer PDPLX5090 plasma tv as the ultimate in HD home viewing. However, the quality of the blacks, the slim & sleak design, the cheaper price tag than the Pioneer plus all the extra features that the Samsung UE40B7020 brings, in our opinion makes this our Plasma or LCD, No.1 LCD TV!

 

 

Our Top 5 LCD TVs:  (NB: All amazon prices are for new tvs from Amazon directly or 3rd party sellers.)

 


SAMSUNG LCD TVs        

 

 

SAMSUNG LE40A436T1D - SERIES 4 Review 

 

  • 1366x768                           

  • 10,000:1 C.Ratio                    £519                   £509.10                   £539

  • 3 HDMI Slots

  • 24p Cine Mode                      

  • 2 Scart                           

  • Component                        Out of stock                 £549.99

  • PC Input

                                        

Pros: Samsung make great TVs (partly due to their collaboration with Sony) therefore again you won't go wrong with the Samsung LE40A436T1D. What we like about this tv is the extra HDMI, the 24p cinema mode and the slightly better contrast ratio.

 

Cons: Not the best one to get for serious gameplaying.

Overall: Fantastic value for money.   Rating: 4 Star ****

SAMSUNG LE40A455C1D Range - SERIES 4   Review    Compare cheapest prices at Kelkoo 

  • 1366x768                       

  • 10,000:1 C.Ratio                £591.03           Out of stock                   £569.99

  • 3 HDMI Slots

  • 2 Scart

  • Component

  • PC Input

 

Pros: OK, we were nearly duped into thinking this was a Full HD TV when we saw this. First impressions were "don't like the white" but when we saw clips from Vertical Limit and Spider Man 3 on Blu-ray we fell in love with this TV. Not only that but this TV proved that if you get a good make TV, it is not essential to spend extra money on 100 Hz tvs, as you don't get much faster action than Spider Man 3 or the bit in Vertical limit when the guy is rapidly falling down the mountain, yet it coped with it all brilliantly.

                                            Cons: It's white which is not our favourite colour for a tv but then maybe this made us feel like the blacks were better (although that maybe just our imagination).

                                            Overall: Although it is not Full HD, which means you aren't getting everything from your Blu-ray films, it was still fantastic. The down conversion of Blu-ray to the native resolution of the TV was good and on the plus side it is more suited broadcast HD (for the reasons mentioned on our buying guide section).   Rating: 5 Star *****

SAMSUNG LE40A559P4F Range - SERIES 5    Review

 

  • 1920x1080                   

  • 15,000:1 C.Ratio               £599                  £614.95                 £629.99

  • 3 HDMI Slots

  • 24p Cine Mode        

  • 2 Scart                        

  • Component                       £595.05

    • PC Input                       

     

    Pros: A nice little tv for the price. As movie fans we appreciate the 24p cine mode for judder free watching of movies...not that everyone will notice the difference.

    Cons: Have been a bit put off a bit by the fact that many users have had to update the firmware on these Series 5 tvs. In addition you may need to play around with the settings a bit to get the best picture quality.

    Overall: If you understand picture settings for your tv, then this tv can provide a great picture quality. Just may not be perfect for someone who wants to just plug it in an enjoy. Rating: 4 Star ****

    SAMSUNG LE40A656 Range - SERIES 6   Review

  • 1920x1080                       

  • 15,000:1 C.Ratio               £752.95             £849.99                £849

  • 4 HDMI Slots

  • 24p Cine Mode

  • 2 Scart                           

  • Component                        £799.97               £740.09              £999.17

  • PC Input

  •  

     

    Pros: The Samsung Series 6 tvs produce great blacks for an LCD, the 100Hz does seem to help on this tv and to top it off, it has the most number of HDMI slots you could ever need or ask for. It is full HD which is always great for those with a PS3 or Blu-ray player.

     

    Cons: Price - but then again you won't be disappointed with it once you have it.

    Overall: Ideal for those who want to get the most out of their PS3 or HD content.  Rating: 5 Star *****

    SAMSUNG LE40F86BDX Review                 Compare cheapest prices at Kelkoo

    • 1920x1080                    

    • 25,000:1 C.Ratio                  £879               £1016.97

    • 100 Hz

    • 3 HDMI Slots

    • 2 Scart

    • Component

    • PC Input

     

    Pros: It's got everything you could almost ever ask for in a flat screen tv, except for a 24p mode but this is hardly the be all and end all of getting a good tv.

    Cons: Now you are reaching the £1000 mark, you might start considering going for a Plasma now.

    Overall: Fine but why not go for a plasma instead now, for the reasons mentioned on our home page.   Rating: 4 Star ****

     


    PANASONIC LCD TVs

    Panasonic TX37LXD85 Range Review  Review          Compare cheapest prices at Kelkoo

    • 1366x768                        

    • 10,000:1 C.Ratio                   £639             Out of Stock                  £569.99

    • 3 HDMI Slots

    • SD Card Slot

    • 2 Scart                           

    • Component                           £729.99             £729.99

    • S Video

    • PC Input

     

    Pros: Finally a Panasonic in our list I hear you say.....well we thought we'd save this one. The 24p allows you to enjoy films the way they were filmed, which can only be a good thing. The SD card slot is handy as well in showing other media you may have on a memory card.

    Cons: Rather expensive considering it's not full HD.

    Overall: If your room is not very big then this is the best option for someone wanting to get as much out of their TV HD viewing experience as possible. If you have got room and money then personally we would always opt for a 42" version as this we feel has always given the optimum HD benefit in an average household. Also a Full HD TV would be better for around this price. After all, you are going to be spending a few hundred pounds anyway, may as well make sure that you get your moneys worth.      Rating: 4 Star ****

    Panasonic TX37LZD85 Range  Review             Compare cheapest prices at Kelkoo

    • 1920x1080                      

    • 10,000:1 C.Ratio                   £769                £720.09             £740.09

    • 100Hz

    • 3 HDMI Slots                 

    • SD Card Slot                          £799.99                £819.99

    • 2 Scart

    • Component

    • S Video

    • PC Input

     

    Pros: Now you are getting into real HD televisions. This is perfect for people with Blu-ray or PS3/Xbox as its full HD with a good contrast ratio from a good manufacturer. With the 100Hz too, anyone who has any doubts about whether there will be motion blurring will feel rest assured with this television.

    Cons: Really searching hard here but I guess the blacks weren't quite as good as a Plasma naturally but there is not much in it. 

    Overall: Buy it, buy it, buy it! But remember only for those who have HD.     Rating: 5 Star *****


    SONY LCD TVs

    Sony KDL40X3000  Review                       Click here to compare Cheapest prices at Kelkoo

    • 1920x1080                    

    • 18,000:1 C.Ratio              £1166.78           £1359               £1260.06

    • 3 HDMI Slots

    • 2 Scart                         

    • Component                       £1359                 £1399.99               £1349.97

    • USB Input

    • PC Input

     

    Pros: There are some nice little extras on this tv, which explains the slightly high price tag. Firstly, it has all the essential features. But it also has this great voice volume feature which allows you to increase the volume of voices without increasing the background noise. There's a USB input and Photo TV HD technology which basically allows you to show higher resolution images. The price listed here is unbelievably cheap compared to any other store. Buying direct from Sony would cost you £1989.

    Cons: The price but it is Sony!

    Overall: If you like LCDs and Sony design, then this is the TV for you. You won't get a much better LCD TV.                 Rating: 5 Star *****

    Sony KDL40W4000  Review

  • 1920x1080                    

  • 33,000:1 C.Ratio                 £879                  £999                 £979.97

  • 3 HDMI Slots

  • Component                   

  • 2 Scart                                £999                   £884.99

  • PC Input

  • USB Input

  •  

     

    Pros: The Sony KDL40W4000 is a high quality LCD tv. The blacks and colour representation on this tv are pretty impressive for an LCD - but then again it is a Bravia. Unlike the Sony KDL40X3000, this tv does not have 100Hz motion picture pro. That said the price saving of over £200 makes this an intriguing deal and one that should not be overlooked.

    Cons: A small amount of blur on fast moving images but neglible to most viewers.

    Overall: A good quality and reliable LCD tv.     Rating: 4 Star ****


     


    PANASONIC PLASMA TVs

     

    Panasonic TH42PX80   Click here to compare Cheapest Prices at Kelkoo 

    • 1024x768                       

    • 15,000:1 C.Ratio               £599.97              £630.09              £639

    • 3 HDMI Slots

    • 3 Scart                         

    • Component                         £639                    £679.99

    • PC Input

    • SD Card Slots

     

    Pros: This is an interesting tv. Now since this site is about HD, it frustrates us when we look at 1024x768 sets, as this is not improving the resolution incredibly and is far from being Full HD. However, we can find one use in them. For those people who don't have HD but want to have a sleak flat screen TV then in this case the Panasonic has made a tv that delivers a picture as good as a CRT. Blacks are stunning, sharpness is great. What we especially liked is its ability to 'uprezz' non-HD material.

                                               Cons: In our opinion this is not an HD tv as it barely HD ready.

                                               Overall: If you have a big enough room and no HD content then this is a wonderful television.

    Panasonic TH42PZ80    Click here to compare Cheapest prices at Kelkoo

     

    • 1920x1080                     

    • 30,000:1 C.Ratio               £769.10             £799.99                 £799.99

    • 100 Hz

    • 24p mode                  

    • 3 HDMI Slots                    £799.99

    • 2 Scart

    • 1 Component

    • PC Input

    • SD Card Slot

     

     

    Pros: Let's have a look at the list, or should we make a list of the features this tv doesn't have. To put it simply this tv is incredible especially for the price. The blacks are black, good colour representation, and with a good audio home theatre system connected you can start reproducing that cinema experience when watching Blu-ray movies.

    Cons: We loved it but would appreciate any other people's comments on this tv.

    Overall: This is the TV for HD at an affordable price.

    PIONEER PLASMA TVs

    Pioneer PDPLX5090

     

     

    • 1920x1080                   

    • 20,000:1 C.Ratio                £2399                  £2699

    • 3 HDMI Slots

    • 24p Cine Mode

    • 3 Scart

    • 1 Component

    • PC Input

    • SD Slot

    Pros: Ok...the Pioneer PDP-LX5090 is the best tv on the consumer market by leaps and bounds. As Tom Hanks once said "Whooa, eat my chair!" I don't know what that means exactly, but the words coming out of my mouth when I was experiencing this TV for the first time didn't make much sense either. The blacks were what they should be - black...not noisy grey. Along with that the colour representation was life like too. So often reds look orange on LCDs...not on this plasma.

    Cons: Guess?£? 

    Overall: There is nothing wrong with this TV. This will set the marks for TV picture quality for several years to come. The design is sleak and so if you are looking for a tv where both Joe Bloggs and the tv techie goes wow, then this is definitely the tv for you. Only con about this tv is the price but you have to pay for good quality!