Complete LCD Newbie & Totally Indecisive.

[admin_exported]

Hi

I think my subject line says it all. I'm currently running a Sony 28"CRT which i bought for £1000 around 10 years ago it's been a good tv but over the past year the sound is going and the colours going washed out, so time for an upgrade.

I have been looking and trying to decide what to buy now for 12 months, i have bored people silly asking questions so much so they believe i will never buy one, but hopefully before Christmas i will prove them wrong.

My favoured pick up until a month ago was the samsung UE40B7020, i really liked the look of it but then a friend bought the 8000 version and i heard the sound, or should i say lack of it 🙁

It was around this time i bought What HiFi awards edition and read about the Philips 42PFL9664, it seemed to tick all the boxes my only concern was 42 was maybe a tad to big for my room so i check the philips website and read about the 37PFL9604 and although it only had 100mhz it appeared to be very similar to the 42".

Tonight i ventured onto the whathifi forums and read about the watermark issues on some 9664 which raised doubts but i reckon if i looked through all tv related forum questions i would find some issues with all makes.

So here's the crux I really like the philips models, the 9664 is an award winner so it's go to be good right but is the 37" a better tv for me.

I will be sitting about 9 feet from the tv, the way my room is set up no one person will view the tv head on it will be at slight angles so is the philips range good at dealing with that. I have Sky but not HD so predominantly i will be watching SD but with a bluray player to come at xmas 🙂 and finally i want passable sound.

Reading the above a) do u think the philips will suit me and if so should i lean towards the 37 or 42?

Please help and confused and jittery potential purchaser 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

Judging by the response i don't think i worded my post very well, possibly too much waffle 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

As you rightly pointed out, no matter what TV you choose there will always be people who have had one that went wrong, even early in it's life, that's why you get warranty as standard. With modern production lines it's simply impossible to get every set 100% right, there are always going to be some rotten eggs in the basket. So it's not something I would worry about terribly much, although some poeple do report things like clouding on Sony TVs at an allarminly high rate, not to mention Sony won't do anything about it, those are more things I would look out for.

I have a 42 inch 9664 so I will be a little biased in my opinion in saying that it sounds like an excellent set for your viewing distance. I sit at about the same distance and its fine for 42 inches. It can get a little poor on some very ropey broadcasts, but generally it's fine. Bluray is the best thing since sliced bread (in my opinion) and you will really be able to take advantage of it with the 9664. DVDs also look great on it when upscaled by a decent player and generally the TV has been a joy to watch over the past 3 months.

So I would go to a store and stand 9 feet away from the 9664 and see what you think... Better to buy a little big and benefit on blurays than go to small and end up wishing for that great movie experience.

I agree the sound is quite good on the set, and along with the incredible sharpness it's what set the Phillips head and shoulders above the UE8000 Samsung in my opinion.

Hope this helps you a little.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers Duol

How do you find it for viewing angles?

 

[Anonymous]

Viewing angles are fairly decent. You do notice somewhat of a dropoff in black levels as you move more to the side. I have one single sofa straight ahead of the TV, a counch that gives about a 30 degree angle when lieing down on it and a another single sofa which creates an angle of about 40 degrees to the TV. All three offer more than adequete viewing positions and I have never heard anyone complain that their picture is diminished from any of the seats. Of course head on is the best picture, but this is in my opinion the biggest weakness of LCD tech (compared to plasma).

This is something that is difficult to compare to other sets, because the TV has to be properly set up in your living space for comparison. So I just relied on the top rating of What HiFi and trusted reviews for this aspect. After all, no TV is perfect and this one does a good enough job to suit my needs. Not to forget that the stand is easy to adjust slightly (give or take 30 degrees to either side), so if you we watching on your own you could tilt it suit the needs of your favourite chair.

In short:

I don't think you'd be disapointed with the viewing angles unless you sit in very odd positions.

 

[matthewpiano]

If you've been happy with your Sony CRT, don't forget to look at the W-series. Its still a stunning TV for the money and the current deals offering a free BDP-S560 with the W5810 are very attractive indeed.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys.

Matthew i did initially look at a 37" sony but i have to admit i didn't like the look of the set, very bulky and not a looker at all, sorry.

Cheers D re the viewing angles, i know thats a weakness of the lcd's makes me wonder why i don't consider plasma's more......oh no more doubting 🙁

At the mo i have decided on it being a philips, main reasons being excellent build quality, fine pictures, and acceptable sound it really just comes down to the size.

I'm going into the Home Cinema Centre this week to see if that will help me sway one way or another, knowing my luck i'll go off the philips and see something else 😉

 

[matthewpiano]

Hey, no worries. I agree the current Sony TVs aren't as striking looking as they could be. A lot of people seem to like the clean lines and they are certainly well made, but I completely see where you are coming from.

 

[Anonymous]

i doubt the 37PFL9604 would sound as good as the 42pfl9664 ...

 

[Anonymous]

Do you honestly think the 42" will have better sound than the 37", according to the web site they have the same spec sound wise.

 

[Anonymous]

my mistake , it appears they have the same sound , just a thought , but will you notice enough of a difference in picture quality over a 37pfl7404 to justify the extra outlay ??

 

[Anonymous]

Thats the million dollar question Max 🙂

I'm told buying the 42" will make bluray more impressive but will it have the opposite effect on SD pictures?

 

[Anonymous]

I've had my 37pfl9604 for about a month and went through a similar process of discounting Samsungs and LGs (poor sound), Sonys (possible clouding issues and shmbo didin't like the look) and Panasonics (shmbo said they looked to bulky and ugly). The biggest problem with the 37pfl9604 is trying to get hold of one.

We also sit at slight angles to the TV, probably no more than 30 degrees, as it has to sit in the corner of our living room. I can't see any appreciable colour/contrast change from any sitting position. As far as I can see, the viewing angle only becomes a problem when I'm more than 60 degrees off center, but we don't have any chairs in that position.

Sky SD over scart is quite watchable, certainly better than the 16 year old 25" Sony we had before, but not up to the standard of the inbuilt freeview tuner. We have a Sky HD box so we tend to watch Sky SD upscaled over HDMI as it is noticeably better. Obviously, HD is amazing, especially programs like Life and movies like Robots which I recorded for the kids last weekend.

I can't vouch for watching a blue ray disk yet as I don't have a dedicated player and my laptop's sound drivers won't talk to a Philips TV over HDMI - I just have to wait for Nvidia to release their new drivers. Having said that, the few minutes I have watched on blue ray, without sound, the picture is simply stunning.

If you can afford/accommodate the 42" then go for it but I don't think you'll be unhappy with the 37".

 

[Anonymous]

greymack:
Thats the million dollar question Max 🙂

I'm told buying the 42" will make bluray more impressive but will it have the opposite effect on SD pictures?
sd is said to be very good on the 9664 , if you do decide to get a 37" , what about a sony 37w5500 ? £599 at sainsburys afaik , clouding doesnt seem to be an issue on the smaller sized screens , nice tv , a few reviews ive read have said the blacks and shadow detail are as good as a panny plasma ...