LED or LCD?

[anonymous-user]

I'm in the market for a 1080p 32 inch TV and was originally looking at a Toshiba LED for £310:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-32RL853B-Widescree...
...but now the price has gone up.

So now I'm looking at this LG:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-32LK450U-32-inch-Widesc...

Should I wait for a good deal on an LED or just go for this LG LCD? Will I notice the difference as I've read that LED televisions are actually just backlit by LEDs but still use LCD technology? It's primarily for playing PS3 but will be used for watching films too.

Edited by MSTRBKR on Monday 7th November 17:18

[Luke.]

LED is LCD. Is just lit in a different way. I think.

[anonymous-user]

Crap, caught me before my edit!

But as you say, I think LED is actually LCD and is used as a marketing thing.

[Luke.]

MSTRBKR said:

Crap, caught me before my edit!

Sorry.

[DoctorX]

LEDs supposedly use less power and are thinner, apart from that not much difference.

[OldSkoolRS]

Don't be too sucked in by LED backlighting...sometimes it is more uneven than the old school CCFL type so you get annoying dark patches on the screen or around the edges.

[Zippee]

I'm looking at TVs at the moment and one thing we found with LCD/LED is that the colours are just too vibrant but the blacks and darker areas too dark - the picture just looks un-natural hence we've opted for Plasma. Hopefully a 42" Panny G30.

[natben]

I agree 100% LCD/LED just TOOOO artificial and most/all of the leds backlight is uneven.
Plasma everytime, if you are looking at 42" and above. I have a Panasonic GT30 42" and frankly it is a fecking stunning picture.

[hadal]

I have the LG 32 LED, am watching it now!

Fantastic TV really nice bright picture, much better than the tube lit LCD's I've had in the past.

[STiG911]

The reason LED/LCD tv's always look so 'in your face' in because the settings are usually set to '11' out of the factory, so they can shout 'LOOK AT ME!!!' in the shop displays.

All tv's will need tweaking to give the best performance, (or personal preference) and there are a number of films that have built-in test screens to help - usually a 'THX optimised' film. Yes, this sounds like a faff, but the results are worth the effort.

Also, don't fall into the trap of believing what you see in the shop straight away, and be sure to try a screen with a direct Blu-ray or Sky input too, as most will have a single feed in from the shops distribution system which will be split down and piggy-backed to within an inch of it's life.

[STiG911]

Oh, and make sure you buy (or stand in a branch of WHS and read) a copy of either What HiFi, or Home Cinema Choice - these guys know what they're talking about, and will make a good starting point.
For my money, Samsung for LED/LCD (and hands-down the sexiest looking screens on the market by a long way) or Panasonic for Plasma. The lines between the two types are not so clear now as they were a few years ago.

[OldSkoolRS]

STiG911 said:

Oh, and make sure you buy (or stand in a branch of WHS and read) a copy of either What HiFi - these guys DON'T know what they're talking about, and will make a good starting point.
For my money, Samsung for LED/LCD (and hands-down the sexiest looking screens on the market by a long way) or Panasonic for Plasma. The lines between the two types are not so clear now as they were a few years ago.

EFA.

Home Cinema choice might be a little better, but I don't bother buying that these days as pretty much all the reviews are of equipment that has long since been reviewed on the web and also often by unbiased owners.

I agree with the 'everything up to 11' syndrome. If it's a Sony that you're looking then at least these days they put a 'Theatre' mode which is pretty close to accurate out of the box: I calibrated my kitchen TV (anal I know ) and found that basing the calibration on Theatre mode needed very little in the way of further adjustment as even the white balance wasn't far out. Can't say if the same applied for other makes, but worth reading up first to see if there is a more accurate mode so you can see the TV properly.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm a big fan of Samsung stuff, my 24" Samsung monitor is almost 4 years old and is still going strong so I'd be happy to buy another Samsung product. However the LG is £80 cheaper than the nearest Samsung and I'm sure they're decent. Not sure what to do!

Edited by MSTRBKR on Tuesday 8th November 18:25

[fatboy b]

I've got a 3 year old Sony 32" HD for sale. It still has 2 years John Lewis warranty. I've just bought a new 40"Sony so I need shot of it for about £150.

[Skyedriver]

thanks for the advice re LCD/LED
Now for a bit of a thread HiJack

I have been looking at Sony v Panasonic 22" & 24"
Needs to be wall mounted.
Now all the next bit comes from Amazons Customer REviews but:-
The Sony fails on this apparently because the mounts need an adapter and the co ax lead is on the back needing a space of 40mm from the wall apparently
Some Sony get poor reports on sound quality others don't. Panasonic gets good reports nearly everywhere.
Lot of Samsungs get poor sound quality reports too.
John Lewis does a 5 year guarentee (but that puts about £40 onto the Amazon price).
Amazon delivery now a little suspect with poor packaging whereas John Lewis very good apparently.
JL do a Linsar and their own make. Anyone any idea about either of these?
Kind of liked the idea of white but that might be just getting too complicated.
Sorry about the hijack but this might open up the conversation a bit