Looking at buying a new TV for living room and have kind of settled between these two.
Panasonic-TX-P42G10B
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-TX-P42G10B-42-inch-Widescreen-Freesat/dp/B0020ZHGI2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1257635127&sr=8-7)
VS
Sony KDL40W5500U (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-KDL40W5500U-Widescreen-Freeview-Motionflow/dp/B001RCU7GM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1257636096&sr=1-1)
I heard bad things about the W5500 and back lighting but not everyone seems to have that problem.
Ã,£700 is my budget, primary use is for TV with some Xbox/Wii gaming thrown in for good measure. I'm still watching movies from dvd, perhaps I'll join the hd revolution in the new year.
I just want a decent tv that will see me good for the next 5+ years. :)
Help appreciated as always
I did a big review of the panels in the market last Christmas, so whilst my research is now a little dated I think it probably is still of some value as some of your questions are not brand TV specific.
Panasonic plasmas are generally very highly regarded and considered to be best in class until you start spending serious cash on high end panels.
Sony LCD panels are generally regarded as some of the best.
So the first question is Plasma v LCD?
Early plasma got a bad rep for good reasons, but in my experience the early problems have been solved. They give superb blacks and contrast, no motion blur and the colour gamut coverage is literally stunning. That sentence is worth repeating, it's small but it has the bulk of the argument in it:
They give superb blacks and contrast, no motion blur and the colour gamut coverage is literally superb.
I have seen no screen-burn problems on my plasma and in real world viewing conditions have not had any issues with 'brightness' which is the other thing that is often thrown at plasmas as a possible weakness. My plasma is in a lounge near a big double window and across from floor to ceiling glass patio doors at the other end of the room - brightness has not been an issue with my plasma (and I have my brightness settings down to 50% on mine).
Having been to see a large number of LCD and plasma panels last cristmas I concluded that the plasma's simply looked better. In particular you will notice that HD sources actually look better on 40+" TVs, smaller than that and your eyes struggle to see the HD difference much. In my subjective review I found that the HD picture on a 42" was better than that shown by a 40". I eventually settled at the 46" level, but I did notice a difference between 40" & 42".
I bought a 46" plasma panel made by Panasonic (http://www.deadmen.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=25349&highlight=panasonic+plasma). I have not regretted it, the picture quality and ability to see fast motion pictures without 'LCD blur' has been fantastic. In the comparative viewing I did the 100Hz Motionflow LCD panels were simply not as good as the plasmas. Remember the 100Hz is actually older 2008 technology and was replaced by 200Hz in late 2008, which itself has also been superceded since then.
So, my 2 cents would be to buy the 42" Panasonic plasma, I have been delighted with mine. As a footnote, during the last 10 months I have had at least 3 people who owned Sony LCD panels visit me for various social reasons. All 3 of them left with the conclusion that they wished they had bought a Panasonic plasma.
Hope this helps.
Quote from: TeaLeaf;295669Hope this helps.
Massive Help :thumbsup: Thanks TL
I agree with TL
Ive got both a Sony W4500 and a Panasonic P50V10.. And without doubt the panasonic wins the medal, the sony is good, no doubt about it and worth the money.. But the panasonic is just better :)
But the plasmas can use up a fair bit more power..
example my Plasma can use up to as much as 430watts and my sony around 280w :P
But id still recommend the Panasonic over the Sony ;)
I'm not a huge fan of Sony for LCD. The price performance ratio is always a little skewed. Low price end stuff isn't great, high price end is good but too expensive compared to other brands. For LCD I'd go with LG, Samsung or Toshiba. Decent panels and very good prices.
Newer plasmas have got a lot better recently and you'll be happy with that Panasonic hopefully. I'm not sure if you'll want it for 5 Years though. That's a long time in the TV market. Just think how cheap 50"+ TVs will be then, do you think you'll be able to hold out?
I agree with both TL and Kreg. My own personal preference is for Plasma over LCD. Pioneer always used to be considered the best you buy in plasma-land. However, they exited the market earlier this year and that mantle has now been taken up by Panasonic.
I've recently bought a Panasonic TX-P42V10B (same model as Kreg's, only smaller) and have been completely satisfied with the picture it puts out.
The same physical NeoPDP panels are shared amongst the G, V, and (I believe) the top-end Z series. Only the image processing electronics, and the enclosures, vary the further up the range you go.
If plasma is the technology you decide upon, I doubt you'll be disappointed with that Panny set.
Nobody mentioning the Sharp LCD's then?.......I have the Aquos and the picture is superb and with THX certified speakers no need for a home cinema setup:)
When home cinema can look this good, why run with tinny built in speakers? Tbh when you spent the money on a decent TV you owe it to yourself to not skimp on the sound as it makes a *massive* difference to your viewing experience. I got myself a set of the below KEF 3005SE speakers in silver not black (5.1 system although only 2 side speakers pictured) and they are immensely impressive to listen to and keep the missus happy by being 'small' and almost invisible on the wall. Highly recommended.
(http://www.exceptional-av.co.uk/uploads/kef-3005-se-main.jpg)
Quote from: TeaLeaf;295709When home cinema can look this good, why run with tinny built in speakers? Tbh when you spent the money on a decent TV you owe it to yourself to not skimp on the sound as it makes a *massive* difference to your viewing experience. I got myself a set of the below KEF 3005SE speakers in silver not black (5.1 system although only 2 side speakers pictured) and they are immensely impressive to listen to and keep the missus happy by being 'small' and almost invisible on the wall. Highly recommended.
sorry if its derailing, but i agree with TL, sound is crucial.. I got myself a small Sony HTS prebuilt system and thought that was enough, but sitting there looking at this insanely great picture when watching HD movies the sound really lacks power.. might be a bit price compared to the TV but im currently looking at building a B&W XT setup, just need to find proper amps and all that jazz ;D But if your not into that HIFI fuzz, atleast by a prebuilt HTS system ;)
http://www.leicesterhifi.co.uk/uploads/images/b_and_w/bw_xt_group_sml.jpg
Ordered the Panasonic-TX-P42G10B (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-TX-P42G10B-42-inch-Widescreen-Freesat/dp/B0020ZHGI2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1257635127&sr=8-7) this afternoon :)
Sadly no next day delivery for some reason.