AVReview Group test: 50inch plasma vs LCD TVs

[Marcel_T.]

While LCD seems to have the weight of public interest on its side, plasma technology has always had one key factor in its favour - size. For while LCD has pretty much taken over up to 37in screen sizes, it's not been able to compete at the really big end of the AV market. Until now.

For today the 50in-plus territory so long exclusively the domain - at any sort of affordable price, anyway - of plasma is being assaulted on two fronts by new king-sized LCD contenders from Sharp and Samsung. So to find out how the battle's shaping up we've pitted the LCD wannabes against the latest 50in plasma models from Hitachi and Panasonic. Let's get ready to rumble!


In the LCD corner

Samsung LE-52M87BD



Sharp Aquos LC52XD1E



In the plasma corner

Panasonic TH-50PX70



Hitachi P50T01U



Final verdict
There's no doubt about it, big-screen LCD TVs have arrived as a serious AV force - giving plasma some really serious cause for concern. For while the various pros and cons of each technology continue to be very evident at the 50in plus size point - in fact, they're arguably even more noticeable - there's no denying that on the evidence we've seen today, both technologies can deliver very winning results depending on whether your tastes are for bright, colour-rich and dynamic images (LCD) or more natural, subtle and contrast-rich images (plasma). Worryingly for plasma, comfortably the weakest entrant in this LCD vs plasma clash is a plasma model. Hitachi's P50T01U might be the cheapest model tested, but it's a good few furlongs behind the performance pace and so isn't really the bargain it first appears.

Picking between second and third is very difficult, with the Sharp 52XD1E and Samsung 52M87BD LCD models both having very good but flawed pictures and sumptuous designs. But in the end we've put the Samsung ahead of the Sharp, largely on the grounds of the former models' ground-breaking black level performance, great connectivity and massive features list - including, don't forget, forward-thinking v1.3 HDMI sockets.

Clinging on to top spot, though, and proving there's still plenty of life in plasma yet for the serious home cinephile, is Panasonic's TH-50PX70. This might not grab your attention in a shop environment as aggressively as the LCD models, but get it home out of the blare of shop-floor lights and its natural touch and film-friendly subtleties are guaranteed to win your heart.


Lees de volledige test op:
http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/UAN/1127/v/3/sp/

[kippekop]

Ik ben erg benieuwd naar de toshiba z serie die nog gaat komen, met 100hz dus tegen beweging... de samsung heeft wel heel mooie blacklevels maar wel weer glasplaat ervoor, dus enorme reflecties (en zwaarder).

[Marcel_T.]

Ik ben ook erg benieuwd naar de opvolger van de Panasonic...  

[kippekop]

Als ze nou eens een mooi design krijgen... vind het echt spuuglelijk tot nu toe