AVReview Group test: Plasma vs LCD 42inch TVs

[Marcel_T.]

By John Archer, 03 / 02 / 07
   
Just when we thought LCD seemed to have won the battle for the UK TV buyers' hearts, minds and cash, plasma came flying off the ropes with impressive aggression in the shape of a huge internet and in-store joint campaign by plasma technology's three biggest hitters: Pioneer, Hitachi and Panasonic. And then plasma sales jumped a huge 75 per cent in Japan in December versus a 37.1 per cent year on year for LCD.

To be honest, we're really quite glad plasma is still alive and kicking, since our experience to date suggests that plasma is more consistent overall as an AV format than LCD.

But we also know that nothing changes as fast as technology, so to see if we can get a snapshot of where the 42in flat TV market is at circa February 2007, we've put four current 42in flat TVs - two LCD, two plasma - through their paces.

Plasma

Fujitsu P42XHA58



Samsung PS42Q7HD



LCD

Philips 42PF9831D



Sharp LC-42XD1E



Final verdict
The best news here is that all four of the TV's we've featured can be considered very fine performers, especially with high definition, meaning that really any one of them would make a great centrepiece for a home cinema system. That said, they're not all quite equal, and we've managed to put them in some sort of pecking order.
Bringing up the rear by the narrowest of margins is Samsung's PS42Q7. At £1,300 this set is sensational value considering that in many ways its pictures are really very good. But with the quality of the competition we can't ignore either the slightly noisy appearance of the Samsung's pictures, or the slight flatness of its audio presentation.

In third place we've got our other plasma contender, Fujitsu's P42XHA58. With high definition this is an absolute dazzler, but its lack of any tuner or Scarts together with a slightly average standard definition picture performance make it less flexible than its rivals. It's a bit on the costly side too.

In second place we've put the Philips 42PF9831D. This isn't because of its performance, though; in fact, its pictures are actually the best overall in this group test. And it's got more features than we've had hot dinners. The only reason it didn't romp home across the finishing line in first place is its price, which in our opinion is just too high for comfort, no matter how much quality you're getting.

So that means Sharp's 42XD1E is our winner this time. With its full HD resolution and 1080p compatibility it's the perfect partner for the burgeoning high definition age - especially as its picture quality also happens to frequently be nothing short of breathtaking. And don't forget that all of this is yours for comfortably under £2,000.

There is, of course, one final important conclusion to draw from this group test: that LCD appears to be no longer a second-class citizen in AV performance terms. Our two LCD contenders have scooped the top two places in the final league table, meaning that however much plasma supporters might still try to argue that plasma technology is more consistently good for AV use as a whole, when stand-out LCD models get it right, they can be a match for anything else out there.

Group test winner: Sharp LC-42XD1E


Bron: http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/UAN/989/v/3/sp/