Advice for a LCD novice

[admin_exported]

Hi

i am looking for a new tv, 40" or 42" ideally though I would drop to a 37" for the right set, initially I thought about the Sony KDL40W5500, then I went to couple of local stores over her in Ireland and was told in the first one that this model had backlight issues and as I wore glasses it would end up giving me headaches!?!, anyways he was pushing the Phillips 42PFL7404 and when I went to the 2nd store they were pushing the Philips 42PFL8404.

I have a standard sky box, a sony surround sound system,and watch alot of dvds, I will be getting a HD sky box (for sky+) in the future and maybe even a playstation 3 for games and blu-ray if I'm lucky!

Would appreciate any help and advice, I guess I'm just looking for some reasurance for what is for me a large outlay, I am not set on any particular manufacturer / model, I just want something that will give excellence performance on standard sky and dvds but will also deliver into the future when I get upto date with the HD viewing.

 

[Anonymous]

of the lcds id go for a sony 40w5500 or samsung 40b650 , or a panasonic 42g10 plasma if you can find one ....you could try d.i.d. electrical ....

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that, I guess the commission on the Philips must be higher at the moment with both D.I.D and Joyces recommending their models !

Would it be worth my while waiting to consider an appropriate new range Sony 40", have they solved the backlighting issues with these new models?

 

[Torres09]

Hi pete, what's your budget?

 

[Anonymous]

Received my LE40B550 on the strength of recent reviews and it is superb and absolutely cracking value for money (£525)! it was definately a step up from my 3 yr old HD Ready 40" Samsung LCD, even on the SD content. watching the rugby over the weekend, the close up views were very good and it only suffered from a lack of definition on wider shots. I think this is ultimately down to the quality of the signal and SD resolution rather than refresh rate. Feed it a HD signal (as it was designed for) and the picture is top notch, in my opinion. depending on the programme and channel, some of the SD images are a match in terms of quality to the HD over the airwaves content.

I got the Samsung along with my first BluRay player (BDP-S360) and the Full HD picture is excellent. everthing is so clear and colours vibrant. there is none of that 'blocking' and skin tones and dark shadowed scenes are faultess. Again, for only £95, it is difficult to find any issues and can see why it has been the WHF Best Budget BluRay for so long. I find that now I just spend time enjoying whatever BluRay film, rather than just seeing all the faults with the image and moaning about the picture quality as I previoulsy did with my old tv.

if budget is a big consideration, you cant go far wrong with the LE40B550

 

[Anonymous]

hi Torres09, Budget would be under ?900, good std picture quality would be high on list of priorities, as I will be getting a Sky HD box but it'll be for the sky plus element rather than the HD channels. (over here in Ireland Sky seem to have stopped supplying Sky+ boxes, now you have to get a HD+ box and either take the HD channels package or not)

I have to admit to being abit of a tele addict but not, as you may have guessed, a tele techie! hence my need for a model that will see me a few years ie 5-10 and cover the eventual getting of a blu-ray player and HD channels when hopefully Skys monthly charges come down.

I'm heading off to town on friday and will have a look at the models recommended, my point from my first initial look in ther shops was that the Salesmen in both stores I went to were pushing a make that probably wasnt best suited to me in the Philips, when better options, ie the Sony and Samsung were discounted, like will the sony 40w5500 give me headaches because i wear glasses? When spending this amount of money on, for me a long term purchase, I need some unbiased advice, because the choice is so big and ever changing. thank goodness for these forums!!

 

[Anonymous]

hi pete , both torres (dublin) and i (waterford) live in ireland too , so we may be able to help you , we,ll try anyway , firstly , you can forget all that hocus pocus about sonys giving headaches , some recent sonys have had an uneven backlight , or clouding , as its also called , where when watching a dark scene , you may see little pools of light in some of the corners , often only noticeable in a dark room , knowbody knows how many tvs are affected , but if you were considering a sony , then you could organise a no quibble refund with the retailer , before you buy ..

the w5500 range is heavily discounted now , i certainly wouldnt put you of one , in fact , power city is selling this w5810 for e999 , ok its a little over budget ,but its a great tv ,its the same as the w5500 , excellent with sd and hd , but it also has freesat , so you could run another cable from your sat dish to it , and you will be able to get bbc hd , itv hd , and loads of other channels with no subscription , free , its great for sports , champions league , fa cup , world cup , wimbledon etc , all in hd ...

also , did electrical has this samsung 40b650 for e899 , the equal of the sony more or less , but without freesat , im not sure about power city doing deals , but id say you could get did down a few bob , maybe getting the sammy for e800 , theres nearly always a sale or special offer on at did....

did are also advertising the panasonic 42g10 plasma at e999 , but again , id say you would get this under budget , i would reccomend it myself , as i have one , and i think they are fantastic tvs , but they are discontinued , so id ring did to make sure they actually have them , if you watch alot of tv in a bright room , a plasma is probably not your best bet , they still look fine , but lcds tend to look a little punchier , however , if you watch most of your tv in a dimly lit envoirement , then a plasma will look more natural ..

as for the philips , well what hifi really rate them , as do many others , the 8404 has ambilight , the 7404 is the same without it , and did will probably do you a good deal on either , i remember back in november , they were selling a 42pfl8404 for e800 , the only thing id say about the philips , is some people find its motion processing hard to get used to , i guess you would need to demo , anyway , hope this helps ...

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the help, very much appreciated, I think it'll come down to the deal I can get both on price and warranty...

 

[Anonymous]

I have a LCD 26" samsung, a 40" samsung LED and the Pioneer LX5090 Plasma.

My advice is go for a 42" plasma preferably panasonic, they still blow away the other 2 types of tv and all the above were awarded 5 star by what hifi and the 40" I bought last week...

P.S My parents have a 42" plasma panasonic hence the suggestion, they are terrific value for the money and that's coming from a very proud Pioneer LX5090 owner which I don't care what anyone says they are still miles better than Philips new range of tv's )