Ask S&V

Q I’m considering buying either an 82-inch Samsung LCD or a 65-inch LG OLED and am wrestling with the issue of TV picture quality versus size. Having happily owned a 50-inch plasma TV for the past 11 years, I’m wondering how the new LCDs stack up against plasma models when it comes to picture quality? — Gregorio Lopez / via e-mail

A Since plasma TV production ended in the high-definition era, a key difference between old plasmas and new LCDs is that LCD TVs now offer both Ultra HD resolution and an ability to display HDR content. Both of those factors could bring a quality boost over your old plasma TV, especially when viewing on an 82-inch screen. Plasma, on the other hand, offered the advantage of an extremely wide viewing angle — a feature you don’t get with many current LCD models but one that OLED does provide.

Since you’re a plasma fan, I expect you’ll find OLED TVs more to your liking since that technology delivers the same rich, deep blacks and subtle highlight rendition plasma was known for. LCD TVs, in contrast, offer a better bang for your buck than OLED models when you make price comparisons based on screen size. For example, LG’s 65-inch E7 series OLED UHDTV costs around $3,500 — the same price you’ll pay for an 82-inch Samsung LCD UHDTV.