[supertom44]

Hey all.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend and good 50" TVs for use with htpc and xbmc.

My budget is around £700.

I was looking at the LG PK590 or PK350, these seem to be god options anyone got any comments on these or suggestions of others to look at.

Cheers.

[poofyhairguy]

No plasmas. XBMC can cause burn in.

Favorite TV brands: Sony, Samsung, Philips, Sharp

Least favorite TV brands: Sanyo, LG, Mitsubishi, RCA

[supertom44]

Surely XBMC will only cause burn in if you leave it on a static menu for a long period of time.

[poofyhairguy]

Surely XBMC will only cause burn in if you leave it on a static menu for a long period of time.

Agreed, but you have to watch it.

By default XBMC leaves the static menu.

[supertom44]

It is something that concerns me, but the main reason Im looking at plasma is the price, an lcd of same size is more expensive. Plus I have heard people say that for larger screens plasmas are better.

I suppose I could one be careful and two if I get chance or develop some patience I could create my own skin.

[poofyhairguy]

No no, XBMC HAS screensavers. You just have to set them up.

Go with plasma if you want. The blacks are much better.

Just be careful. I burned in my older plasma with XBMC because I wasn't careful....

[DejaVu]

Unless you activate the screensaver!

I use XBMC on my Philips 50" Plasma and it's practically on 24/7.
No screenburn for me!

Screen burn, can also be sorted, so long as it's not serious. I have a video clip that runs for 6 minutes and is pure white and flashes to black every few seconds. It does seem to get rid of it quicker than waiting.

I've only used it twice to get rid of the score boards after the football's been on.

--EDIT--
Rule of thumb.
Anything over 42 inch go Plasma - but if you consider wall mounting, get a good mount!
Anything under go LCD. LCD Pixel out too much if the screen is overstretched at large sizes!
The only exception to the rule is an LED which are in a league of there own - and are very expensive.

I avoid LCD purely because they cannot show ANY dark colours, let alone black. The screens are far too fragile (Plasma's are perspex covered) and pixel drop-outs are seriously annoying.

Just as a heads up - I bought my TV 50" Philips Plasma (100Hz 1080p etc) from eBay. 6 Months old, still warranty on it for £480!

[misterpink]

LCD Pixel out too much if the screen is overstretched at large sizes!
The only exception to the rule is an LED which are in a league of there own - and are very expensive.

Umm, LED tv's *are* LCD tvs. They are just backlit with LED's, either around the edge, or a full array, instead of flourecent ccfls.

Most of the same limitations of LCD w/ regard to picture quality do not go away just because the backlight is LED.

If you want the best picture, get a plasma. If you want a lighter tv that uses less power, can be set to "torch" mode for daytime viewing and sports etc., and is fairly idiot proof in terms of burnin concerns, get an LCD. (and live with viewing angle issues, poor blacks, muddy contrast in dark areas, and not-quite-true-to-life color reproduction)

I own both, and each are preferred for their specific use.

[User 34959]

Hey all.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend and good 50" TVs for use with htpc and xbmc.

My budget is around £700.

I was looking at the LG PK590 or PK350, these seem to be god options anyone got any comments on these or suggestions of others to look at.

Cheers.

I bought the 50" PK250N for 699€ some time ago and i've been quite happy with it. Screen reflects like hell in broad daylight, but that's about it.