4K or NOT 4K..? Panasonic or Sony..? Panasonic TX40CX680B or Sony KD43X8305C or Sony KDL43W805C

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Hi everyone,

Hope you can help or advise. My current TV which is a 37" LCD has just packed up after only 6 years.

Good excuse to get another..!

So, here's my dilemma TX40CX680B @ £699 or Sony KD43X8305C @ £849 or Sony KDL43W805C @ £649 the latter being a small curve ball with it being a 1080P screen. Most of the TV watching will be through a Sky HD box and very occasionally a bluray film. May consider updating sky box to 4K as and when it's released provided of course they don't ask for stupid money for it.

For the moment though, what are your thoughts between the Panasonic TX40CX680B and Sony KD43X8305C? So far I've had mixed opinions from shops, John Lewis raved about the Sony but I think he was a Sony rep so was biased. Richer Sounds liked the Panasonic but did advise going for the Sony KDL43W805C because it was 1080P and cheaper.

http://www.whathifi.com/sony/kd-49x8305c/overview

http://www.whathifi.com/panasonic/tx-40cx680b/review

I can't post the link for the Sony 805 because it gets stopped by spam filter

Your thoughts will be gratefully received.

 

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Just an update on my quest to choose one the the three mentioned before

One shop I wnet into suggested that although the Panasonic had local dimming it wasn't real local dimming so not that effective....

Is there such a thing a real or not real local dimming???

 

[bigboss]

At that size, you're better off going for a 1080p TV. You need minimum 65-inch screens to appreciate the benefits of 4K. I prefer Sony and Samsung to Panasonic. Samsung has some of the most uniformly back-lit screens. H6400 series are currently available at a bargain price.

 

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At that size, you're better off going for a 1080p TV. You need minimum 65-inch screens to appreciate the benefits of 4K. I prefer Sony and Samsung to Panasonic. Samsung has some of the most uniformly back-lit screens. H6400 series are currently available at a bargain price.

Thanks for the feedback. Think I'm swaying towards the Sony KDL43W805C now. Richer sounds seem to have some good deals on the go with the Sony sound bar.

 

[marb67]

Appliances Direct do the TX40CX680B for only £569 delivered. That seems a bargain to me. I was looking in Richer Sounds and John Lewis and this tv stood out as one of the best image quality. I am sure future proofing to 4K is the best way to go.

 

[marb67]

At that size, you're better off going for a 1080p TV. You need minimum 65-inch screens to appreciate the benefits of 4K.

That's not true and quite a ridiculous statement. Why would 4K tvs in the stores look so good starting at 40" ? Why would they bother making any sizes lower than 65" ? It's all to do with viewing distance that decides what size screen to get. Smaller room closer to the tv means smaller screen. Larger room, longer distance bigger screen.

 

[Paul.]

Just an update on my quest to choose one the the three mentioned before

One shop I wnet into suggested that although the Panasonic had local dimming it wasn't real local dimming so not that effective....

Is there such a thing a real or not real local dimming???

"micro dimming" and other variants of the term do not vary the backlight, it only tweeks the lcd panel to get darker screens. It's more contrast enhancement. It's not like local edge dimming which can give noticeably better blacks.

 

[bigboss]

At that size, you're better off going for a 1080p TV. You need minimum 65-inch screens to appreciate the benefits of 4K. 

That's not true and quite a ridiculous statement. Why would 4K tvs in the stores look so good starting at 40" ? Why would they bother making any sizes lower than 65" ? It's all to do with  viewing distance that decides what size screen to get. Smaller room closer to the tv means smaller screen. Larger room, longer distance bigger screen. 

What did you demo on the 40-inch 4K TVs?

Check this chart. At what distance does benefit of 4K resolution become noticeable?

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

 

[bigboss]

At that size, you're better off going for a 1080p TV. You need minimum 65-inch screens to appreciate the benefits of 4K. 

That's not true and quite a ridiculous statement. Why would 4K tvs in the stores look so good starting at 40" ? Why would they bother making any sizes lower than 65" ? It's all to do with  viewing distance that decides what size screen to get. Smaller room closer to the tv means smaller screen. Larger room, longer distance bigger screen.?

What did you demo on the 40-inch 4K TVs?

Check this chart. At what distance does benefit of 4K resolution become noticeable?

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

Link now clickable.