Hi - I'm quite new to this forum but just want to start off by saying how great it is.  The quality and depth of information provided by the guys running this site is phenomenal, as good and better than some sites and sources that try to charge for their information.....you put those guys to shame.  Credit to you all and everybody who assists in this. 

Anyway, enough lurving.....I wonder if anyone can help me with a request.  I live in the UK and want to get a big TV to go with my superb Wii.....I am thinking around 46 inches and I've heard that Plasma is better than LCD for use with Wii (don't really use my TV for anything else apart from playing Wii / DVD's given that most of British TV seems to consist of reality cr*p nowadays).  Does this sound reasonable to anybody more expereinced out there or should I go for something bigger / smaller and LCD?  Thanks for your help. 

Finally and off topic.....but I think you guys have a genius amongst you.....and John Lucas is the Galileo of our time.  As someone who didn't look at a console for 15 years until the Wii came along (loved my 64 and Amiga), I cannot tell you how much fun I, and my non-game playing friends and family have had with it for the last 9 months.  And that's what entertainment is about.....fun, and NOT graphics and / or reading instruction manuals that are like learning how to fly a Boeing 747.  Over the next 5 years I am convinced that the Wii will change the world of entertainment (and the world) and when Mr. Lucas says 200-250m+, I have to agree.    

Welcome to the forums, nikkihindocha (that's big). Plasma TVs kinda eliminate aliasing while LCD ones have sharper image and more intense colors. I'd suggest a plasma TV, but they're usually more expensive. Alternatively, you could hook up your Wii to an LCD one with a simple RGB cable which also hides some aliasing (although you get less sharp picture).

Personally I enjoy my Sharp Aquos 42" LCD. If I had the room I might have gone larger but I say go one size bigger than you think is right and you will be happy with no regrets. Plasma vs LCD depends a lot on the market prices where you are. I was able to get a better TV for the money with LCD but that was a year ago.

One thing few people talk about when selecting a TV is the available stretch modes and upscaling. For nonwidescreen content it is critical to have a stretch mode you can work with. Also all dvds and the Wii are putting out 480P. So a TV that can upscale that well makes is all look very pretty.

Short answer: yes, the people that told you that gave you a very good advice, you can trust them (they must be cinephiles).

Long answer:
Plasma and projection, in HD, have a picture near movie quality in theater. They deliver the same smooth picture, so they are usually very well suited to display SD content, which goes well with the smoothness. A consequence of that, is that plasma and projection have a correct and realistic colour representation.
On the other hand, LCD have a hard image and flashy colours that aren't realistic at all, but some people like that. But it's not suited at all to look at movies or SD content: it will denature the picture completely. Again, some people seems to be OK with a picture that doesn't look like what it was intended to be, as long as it's flashy.
Then, the LCD have several big problems with SD content, and even HD content. You (or at least I) can notice when someone has a LCD just by him saying problems he has with some "contents", when in fact, the problems come from the TV: lag, smearing, tearing, banding, posterisation, ...
The worst effects when a Wii is hooked to these, is the lag and smearing. The lag is immediately noticeable, and I guess lots of people with a LCD and a Wii just cope with it (I know I couldn't do that). You hear far less about it now, because I think people realized that it was their TV having the problem, especially when they saw the Wii working without any lag on a SDTV, putting them to shame.
Then there's the smearing, mosquitos, ... When someone tells you about their Wii looking like shit on their HDTV, you can be sure they have a LCD display. You can see in stores, the LCD who can't cope with the content, displaying huge splashes of colour.

And the best image quality is still held by the very expensive plasma from Pioneer.

@ ookaze: That's not entirely true at all - at least, not on a good LCD TV. An LCD with a good response time, high contrast ratio, and a decent upscaling chip will eliminate most of the problems you spoke of. I, for one, recently bought a top-of-the-line Samsung LCD for my gaming setup; there's no noticeable lag, the colors are amazing, and I notice very little smearing.

There may be a slight difference, and I might notice it if I looked at a top-of-the-line LCD and plasma side by side, but most of the MAJOR differences that videophiles speak of when comparing a good LCD and your average plasma are just the result of marketing, and the fact that videophiles (along with audiophiles) so regularly buy into so much snake oil. So, my advice would be to just go for a good LCD by Samsung or Sony, and don't bother with paying the extra money for plasma or projection.

46" !!!!!

40-42" should do fine, screens this size are much better value too, but if your loaded go for 46"-50".

Test out a Plasma and LCD screen at a dealer to see the difference for yourself.

I vote for LCD.

Thanks for the help guys....I think I will go for the plasma as that's what the majority (including other people I've talked to) seem to suggest.

Looking forward to 4-player Wii Tennis on that.....it should be the bomb.

If you want to get far here, you have to make friends and have a great avatar. My friend's list is exclusive () but there are plenty of people here who would be willing to welcome you.

Anyways, welcome to the community. Since you're a big fan of the Wii, you'll feel right at home.

Welcome and enjoy your Wii. I love mine =]

Welcome to VGChartz nikki!!!