Plasma / LED - why do people put up with it?

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I've had plasma TVs the last few years. A friend got an LED set and it had weird artefacts; ghosting and the like. He said it was within the realm of acceptable, which I never really fully understood.

Fast forward; I've just received my new set and it's LED; I set it up last night and it's ok I guess but it seems I too, will have to think up what I'm ok with as in certain scenes, it just doesn't look right; a slight haze and ghosting. Looking online; it seems everyone gets some form of this and it's up to the purchaser to decide what is acceptable or not.

I miss my plasma TV now; I can't get my head around how people are ok with TVs that don't display a perfect picture 100% of the time.

Anyone else gone LED and been underwhelmed?

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Yes, I still don't get plasma demise. This new TV is my first foray into LED and it feels a bit like a bad joke. I'm likely to send it back. Nothing is so bad that it screams 'horrid' - but it just feels below par.

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Ahonen said:

When I bought our last TV, four years ago, I read an awful lot of reviews and settled on a Panasonic plasma to replace our elderly Sony Trinitron CRT. Its picture remains brilliant and in HD (normal 1080p) I can't fault it. Friends' LED TVs just never seem as good - they're more vibrant and brighter, certainly, but the quality of the image isn't a patch on mine.

It's such a shame that I won't be able to replace it with another plasma when the time eventually comes.

Agreed. My last TV was also a Panasonic plasma. Perfect picture every time. No matter what the source. How / why did LED ever catch on? Is it an energy consumption thing or something??

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I still have our Panasonic plasma and I think it'll remain pride of place. I really wanted a bigger screen but I think I can wait; and return this LED telly. The Panasonic is 3D as well and whilst it never caught on; playing Gran Turismo on the PlayStation; with a driving seat and in 3D was a genuine hoot. Funny what catches on and what doesn't!

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Salesy said:

toasty said:

I have an old Pioneer plasma 436XDE which were the dog's danglies back in their day and pretty good today. I think I paid about £2.5K for it back then.

Now, the equivalent for the same money seems to be a 55inch 4K OLED. They do look pretty but I'll keep mine until it breaks and then see what's about.

Me too, Cant bring myself to change it. Unfortunately i missed the boat on some of the last stocks of the Panny GT/VT series (work in the trade)
But have just removed a 50" Pioneer from a clients house who said can you dispose of it........... MMMMM me thinks that will be going up in my lounge as a straight swap for the 43.

You lucky sod. Pioneer, I remember, was the absolute benchmark and then Panasonic kinda took on their tech? I think that the average joe was not bothered by the class of those sets; just wanted cheap...

What's odd is that the audio world has its audiophile niche - that is well catered for. Low volume quality products. The TV world doesn't seem to have such a large niche. Maybe I'm wrong but there are shops who's sole purpose is to cater to audiophiles.

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I love my Panasonic plasma ... but I must confess to something: I wanted a 65 inch for another room and didn't want to pay a lot. My first post was in reference to this new set. It's a Hisense 65M5500. I'd read that 'for the money' it's great. So I took the plunge.

Link: http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/hise-65m5500

Hooking it up a few days ago; I was gutted and felt almost cheated. However, I found some recommended settings online and have used these new settings and I must say, I am now won over. The set can be had (or could be) for £703 from AO.com.

I just wanted to report back and to balance my initial disgust with an evolved perspective. It's a 4K set and the upscaling is pretty damn good; even SD footage is fine; the menu and smart options are very intuitive and a joy to use. It does have the odd struggle, seemingly, with manic footage but again, FOR THE MONEY, it's a good set and I take back my initial dismay at, what is basically a budget set.

Having said all of this, for me; plasma still wins. But if anyone is after a 65 inch screen; take a look at the Hisense range; Chinese sets; well made and with great menus; attempting to crack the western markets; sponsoring Red Bull F1 and the Euro's etc etc. I think they offer a good budget option. Read up more on AVforums and the like.

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All that jazz said:

LDN said:

Chinese sets; well made

The stereotypes don't always apply!

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ClockworkCupcake said:

Has anyone had positive experiences buying used plasmas on eBay?

This thread has got me thinking that I would really like to move up from 720p to 1080p, and from 42" to 50" or more, and there are a few on eBay that are collectable within a 20 mile radius of me.

(Quite how I would get my old one down off the wall mount and get the 'new' one attached to it, all on my own, I don't know. Billie no-mates here. LOL)

I'd be wary without an warranty... perhaps see if there are any traders / B stock who hold old stock who will include some kind of warranty with it.

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TEKNOPUG said:

I wouldn't buy one without a demo. I'd suggest AVF or similar, as they will be private sales by enthusiasts who should be more than happy to demo.

Yes AVF: https://www.avforums.com/