40" 1080p LCD vs 50" 720p plasma

[superman22x]

My roommate is looking to buy a TV from one of two friends. The first TV is a 40" 1080p samsung LCD for $450, the second choice is a 50" 720p plasma for $400, also a samsung(cheapest plasma model).
That's all I know, which would you get?

 

[foothead]

720p will not look good on a 50 inch screen, so I gotta say the 40 inch LCD, as long as it has good contrast and color depth.

Any chance you can get us model numbers?

 

[superman22x]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung...HDTV/9789725.p?skuId=9789725&id=1218175321446
Idk for the 40" though.

 

[01001010]

720p will not look good on a 50 inch screen...

For this price, it's definitely passable.

 

[foothead]

For this price, it's definitely passable.

Agreed, but unless his vision is really bad, or he sits extremely far away from the tv, the 40 inch at 1920x1080 will look better.

 

[01001010]

Not always. Could you notice a small difference? Perhaps. Would the difference be worth a 50% increase in price? Don't think so in this case.

 

[foothead]

Not always. Could you notice a small difference? Perhaps. Would the difference be worth a 50% increase in price? Don't think so in this case.

$400 to $450 is a 50% increase? Or are you talking about something else?

720p TVs mainly look less sharp, but I can also notice significant screen door effect on 720p plasmas. It depends on the model a bit, but most at this size have it pretty bad. This is what I care about more than sharpness.

It is also worth considering what the tv will be used for. If it is for gaming, the plasma will have a much faster response time, but it will suffer from burn in. Whenever you play a video game for a long time on a plasma tv, you will end up with an image of logos, compasses, numbers, etc. Burned into the screen for a while afterwards. In my experience, they can last a few minutes to several days. It can also become permanent if the image is sustained for an extremely long time.

Samsung plasmas do have very good color reproduction. I haven't paid huge attantion to their LCD tvs but their LCD monitors are really awesome.

 

[01001010]

$400 to $450 is a 50% increase? Or are you talking about something else?

719.99 + (1/2)719.99 = 1079.98

720p TVs mainly look less sharp, but I can also notice significant screen door effect on 720p plasmas. It depends on the model a bit, but most at this size have it pretty bad. This is what I care about more than sharpness.

Not really.

That's all I know, which would you get?

Ask him whether or not the television is going to be in a bright room. Also ask how far his viewing distance will be. Those will be the determining factors.

 

[superman22x]

prob around 5ft and not in a real bright room if I remember correctly.

The other thing is, we don't have a blu-ray player, might not be getting HDTV service, and the only thing that really puts out HD is an xbox 360.

 

[01001010]

Go with the Samsung LCD then.