Took the sony back today.
Was a bit sorry to see it go as i loved the set, just was not prepared to run the risk that others have been choked by on these forums.
In the end i went with the Panny Z81B. I like the idea of Freesat built in as i wont be in a position to get sky HD for a long time, and freesat is more likely to be running on the TV over the next couple of years. I also hope that some channels will be like freeview and end up a free service.
I do think the design of the 85 is (marginally) better, however i think both designs are a bit mediocre after the Sony.
My initial thoughts are; that this is an excellent TV!! Straight out of the box i found it to have better SD than the w4500. I don't know if this was due to more natural blacks or the slight more muted colours (less bright/artificial).
After some calibration (not quite done yet) i have the picture easily matching the w4500 in every department. I find the black level not quite as "black". But as this is plasma im noticing other things to do with the black levels. For example, i can have it going very dark yet different shades of black are still visable, whereas on LCD the whole area would be dark and drown out texutre or surrounding shadows/shades. On "The Descent", the caves remain very dark, but whereas the sony would completely surround the actors with blackness - on the Panny i am seeing wall texture hidden in the shadows still. Which i'm liking!
This is more natural and happens automatically even uncalibreated.
Havent noticed ANY difference to gaming quality - which surprised me and sort of discredits a lot of the hype of gaming and LCD. I am still staying away from long sessions for the first week, just to reduce the chances of burn in while the set breaks in.
I have turned Intelligent frame creation OFF! Just as i did with the w4500's hideous 'auto film' option and to a degree motionflow (though i will admit motion flow on 'standard' did give a subtle help to games that ran around the 30-35 fps mark).
Only slight thing i have noticed, though its not a big deal, is there is a VERY minor flicker effect if bright whites are mostly on the screen. I notice this with my peripheral vision, if im not looking directly at the area. Have other people noticed this on plasmas? the shop models had it too (though calibration seems to reduce this to much of a non-issue).
With the money i got back, i think i may go out tomorrow and pick up the BD35 panny blue ray to test out the 24p playback. Its more expensive than the S350. Weird thing is, on another review site (a 'trusted' review one
it claims DVD upscalling isn't that great on the DMP BD35, yet what hifi give it a rave review in this area.
Can anyone at Hi-fi re-state their opinion about this player as an upscaler, as i still have a large number of DVDs. The S350 is £30 cheaper. But if the DVD upscaling IS better i would rather pay the extra. I'd also be interested if i can use the same remote for both the tv and the BD35?
Was a bit sorry to see it go as i loved the set, just was not prepared to run the risk that others have been choked by on these forums.
In the end i went with the Panny Z81B. I like the idea of Freesat built in as i wont be in a position to get sky HD for a long time, and freesat is more likely to be running on the TV over the next couple of years. I also hope that some channels will be like freeview and end up a free service.
I do think the design of the 85 is (marginally) better, however i think both designs are a bit mediocre after the Sony.
My initial thoughts are; that this is an excellent TV!! Straight out of the box i found it to have better SD than the w4500. I don't know if this was due to more natural blacks or the slight more muted colours (less bright/artificial).
After some calibration (not quite done yet) i have the picture easily matching the w4500 in every department. I find the black level not quite as "black". But as this is plasma im noticing other things to do with the black levels. For example, i can have it going very dark yet different shades of black are still visable, whereas on LCD the whole area would be dark and drown out texutre or surrounding shadows/shades. On "The Descent", the caves remain very dark, but whereas the sony would completely surround the actors with blackness - on the Panny i am seeing wall texture hidden in the shadows still. Which i'm liking!
This is more natural and happens automatically even uncalibreated.
Havent noticed ANY difference to gaming quality - which surprised me and sort of discredits a lot of the hype of gaming and LCD. I am still staying away from long sessions for the first week, just to reduce the chances of burn in while the set breaks in.
I have turned Intelligent frame creation OFF! Just as i did with the w4500's hideous 'auto film' option and to a degree motionflow (though i will admit motion flow on 'standard' did give a subtle help to games that ran around the 30-35 fps mark).
Only slight thing i have noticed, though its not a big deal, is there is a VERY minor flicker effect if bright whites are mostly on the screen. I notice this with my peripheral vision, if im not looking directly at the area. Have other people noticed this on plasmas? the shop models had it too (though calibration seems to reduce this to much of a non-issue).
With the money i got back, i think i may go out tomorrow and pick up the BD35 panny blue ray to test out the 24p playback. Its more expensive than the S350. Weird thing is, on another review site (a 'trusted' review one
it claims DVD upscalling isn't that great on the DMP BD35, yet what hifi give it a rave review in this area.Can anyone at Hi-fi re-state their opinion about this player as an upscaler, as i still have a large number of DVDs. The S350 is £30 cheaper. But if the DVD upscaling IS better i would rather pay the extra. I'd also be interested if i can use the same remote for both the tv and the BD35?
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