GOT MY TV TODAY !!!

[LOST]

Thought i would start a new post as my previous one - NEWBIE Help which one !!! post was getting a bit long !!

Anyway i went to the tv shop today with the intention of walking away with either a pana px37 , pana lzd37 , sony 40w3000 or sony 40v3000 until i had another look and more advice .

Why cant you stretch to a 42 inch said the guy ??? there is much more choice !!!

After the guy explaining that the sonys look a bit to much in the brightness department or over the top, i agreed with him . They just didnt look as smooth as the panasonics .

He said had i seen the pana 42px70 which i hadnt and after taking a look was very nice . He then went on to show me the new pana 42pz70 which i fell in love with !! Plus i had read the good reviews .

I asked about other makes and he replied with - your better of sticking with pioneer or panasonic as they work very well and always get good reviews .

So in the end i walked away with a panasonic 42pz70 for £1200 which included a 5year warranty , a free wall bracket (normally £100) and a free qed scart (£30) not bad i thought !

So after all the questions to you guys/girls about what 37/40 inch to go for i end up with a 42inch plasma .

Its now all set up on my glass stand soon to be put up on the wall and i must say im very impressed , the blacks are black (not like my old lg lcd) and the sound is much better then i thought as some say its not very good ! Im only running sd at the moment with my qed scart and samsung virgine box and the picture is very good .

Anyway i hope i made the right choice and thanks to everyone for there help and advice !

 

[Clare Newsome]

Fantastic news - for you and the switched-on sales guy.

It's a fabulous set. Bet you succomb to the lure of HD sooner rather than later!

 

[Anonymous]

Well done mate it sounds awesome, but just a quicke. Can you tell me what distance you will be sitting from your tv as i'm really after a 42" plasma, but i'm only 9 - 10 feet away from it.

Thanks in advance

P.S Please clare or anyone else with a view please comment. I need all the help i can get.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Too close? Depends on what content you're watching/how good your source/display: strong HD content looks superb on a good set, but rubbish SD content (eg low bit-rate digital channels like ITV2 etc) can be all-too obviously struggling to suit the resolution of an HD TV. The closer you sit, the more you can notice this stuff.

Personally, I love a bigger picture - we've got an 80in projector screen we sit 12ft away from....

 

[LOST]

Im only sitting about 6ft away !! Im the same i like a big picture !! Plus the fact that when i play my nintendo wii bowling its just like being there !

I know people are going to say im to close but i suppose its about the same as clare , 12ft away = 80 inch screen , me 6ft away = 42 inch !! Thats why i was only opting for a 37-40 inch before but when i saw the 42pz70 i thought i want it and hey whats another 2 inches !

Also in the summer we will be sitting in the conservatory most of the time which has just been finished so we will end up about 16ft away , thats another reason i thought go the extra 2 inches !!

 

[Anonymous]

Lucky old you! The advice you were given was pretty much spot on. Budgeting up to 42" really opens up the choices.

Another screen size/viewing distance formula is 3 x screen = distance. That would put you about 10 - 11 ft away but gamers often operate from 6ft or so. The better the screen, the closer you can sit may be another rule of thumb.

Aren't projectors a different situation. They really are what we all call 'home cinema'. As long as both sides of the screen can be seen simultaneously, job done. Dedicated room. £1200 amp. 7 speakers.......... one day maybe!

But Clare, and any other projector users out there, do you watch 'normal' broadcasts on your big screen or do you have a tv for such mundane viewing.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice one LOST. Personally I think the PZ70 is the best 42" tv you can get, and hopefully soon I too will be a happy owner! Have you got any HD sources yet? I would be very tempted to get an HD DVD player seeing as you can buy them for so little right now. How do you find the picture quality with freeview, when you are sitting close to the screen? I'm glad to hear that you're happy with your new set!

 

[Anonymous]

.......apart from the Pioneer. The new Ventura HD dvd may come in around £150.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah but the Venturer only goes up to 1080i so it wouldn't be making the most of the lovely new 1080p tv. Also, you can get a Toshiba HD DVD player for just £200 now so I really wouldn't bother with the Venturer. Unless you have some sort of attraction to cheap tacky rubbish, or you like being 'fashionably' ironic or something. The Pioneer 428XD is amazing with DVDs. When I first saw one it was playing The Fifth Element and I couldn't believe it when I looked down, expecting to see a Blu-ray player, and saw it was just a Denon DVD player (I think it was a 1740) playing (no Blu-ray or HD DVD in sight). However, with high-def material, I really do miss the extra pixels you get with a 1080p screen.

 

[Anonymous]

I sit 10ft from my Pioneer so it would be impossible for me to miss any extra pixels - you must sit very close to your screen. Pioneer have no plans to produce a 1920x1080 42" screen for that very reason.

I only mentioned the Venturer, Benjamin, as you had suggested the HD dvd route to LOST and that would have been a newer, cheaper option albeit at 1080i. For £280 the Sony PS3 would offer the best Hi-Def playback route for the money + more titles, great upscaler, regular firmware upgrades (possible future PVR) and as a bonus 'Ratchet and Clank' !! A perfect Christmas.

 

[LOST]

[quote user="BenjaminHart"]

Nice one LOST. Personally I think the PZ70 is the best 42" tv you can get, and hopefully soon I too will be a happy owner! Have you got any HD sources yet? I would be very tempted to get an HD DVD player seeing as you can buy them for so little right now. How do you find the picture quality with freeview, when you are sitting close to the screen? I'm glad to hear that you're happy with your new set!

[/quote]

I have a ps3 and picture is amazing ! as for the freeview i dont use it as i have a virgin/ntl cable soon to be upgraded to the hd one . i also have a nintendo wii which connects wia the 3 wires red,white,yellow to the side of the tv but picture is quite poor , does anyone know why ???? as on my 32 lg lcd picture was great using these 3 wires (forgot the wires name , av3?)

I think you can get the pz70 cheaper but i did get a free wall bracket and qed sqart cable , plus there just round the corner from me so £1200 wasnt bad imho .

Hurry up and get one as you wont be dissapointed !

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="LOST"]I think you can get the pz70 cheaper but i did get a free wall bracket and qed sqart cable [/quote]

A local shop is worth a few extra bob. With the 5yr warranty I would say you got a bargain. Have you popped back there with your Wii problem?

 

[LOST]

Not as yet but i will do . Maybe there is a better cable to use etc but im not sure until i speak to them , that is if they know why !

Im sure the 3 wire setup is pretty poor anyway but im not sure if there is another option , either that or the tv needs adjustment ?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="david1997"]
I sit 10ft from my Pioneer so it would be impossible for me to miss any extra pixels - you must sit very close to your screen. Pioneer have no plans to produce a 1920x1080 42" screen for that very reason.

I only mentioned the Venturer, Benjamin, as you had suggested the HD dvd route to LOST and that would have been a newer, cheaper option albeit at 1080i. For £280 the Sony PS3 would offer the best Hi-Def playback route for the money + more titles, great upscaler, regular firmware upgrades (possible future PVR) and as a bonus 'Ratchet and Clank' !! A perfect Christmas.

[/quote]

Well when I play games i obviously sit quite close, and even when I watch films I only sit a max of 2 metres away. That's how I like it. And I do notice those pixels. Also, David1997, I'm not sure if the PS3 does offer the best high-def playback route for the price even though it does offer excellent quality, it just could never be as good as a standalone machine. And the point is with the Venturer that it costs £200, the same price as you can get the Toshiba HD-EP30 for. The Toshiba should perform better than the PS3 with both native HD material and upscaled DVDs, and as for you saying that there are more titles on Blu-ray, that depends on whether you like kids films and Disney films like Pirates of the Carribean or more grown up stuff. And if you want to play games, get an Xbox 360 because they are better and really do have many more titles than PS3.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="BenjaminHart"]I'm not sure if the PS3 does offer the best high-def playback route for the price even though it does offer excellent quality, it just could never be as good as a standalone machine.[/quote]

Trust me Benjamin, for the price it cannot be touched. Why could it never be as good as a stand alone machine? The fact that it was/is primarily a games machine is the reason for the keen price. When you buy an electric toothbrush you think 'wow what a bargain' until you come to buy the replacement heads. Wet shavers/blades, torches/batteries etc.etc. When you buy a games machine it is the games that are going to cost you, not the machine (Christmas excepted). Compare the price of a dvd or even a hi-def dvd with that of a PS3 game and you will begin to see the picture.

So I will stick to my guns on this one. For the price, the PS3 is currently the best high def player around. Judging by the posts, it is probably the most popular high def player around.

As for the Ventura, the price has not been released so your £200 is as much a guess as my £150. The fact that, as you rightly point out, Toshiba has now dropped below the £200 barrier, the Ventura will be launched after Christmas when we are all skint, the Sales are all on, and QVC will want to push up viewing figures ie.want the publicity, and that rumours that HD dvd players are being sold at cost on the other side of the pond, I have revised my launch price guess.

£99

 

[Anonymous]

I'll second that, the PS3 is BY FAR the most popular HD dvd player, AND by far the preferred choice of upscaler. It's ability to be upgraded easily via a firmware update, such as the recent one allowing 24fps playback, AND the fact it has great gaming ability makes it so popular. I think this is borne out by the recent statistics of it outstripping every other console in sales..

 

[Anonymous]

I never said that the PS3 is not the most popular HD machine because I'm sure it is. However, it isn't really a fair fight, considering the fact that it's not just an HD player (attracting home cinema-ish people) but also a games console (attracting gamers) and all-round media centre. Also, like David said, the PS3's price, like any games console, is subsidised by the actual games (because the sonsole manufacturer makes a profit on every game that gets sold, including third party titles). Now, having seen the rsults of both the PS3 and the Toshiba HD-EP35 in action, I would have to say that the Tosh certainly does offer better picture. It does tend to be the case that standalone players offer better performance than games consoles for the odvious reason that they are primarily designed for performance with disc playback, whereas the games machine has to be able to perform a variety of functions. Please don't get the idea that I am knocking the PS3 because it is an excellent machine, but it would be unfair to expect it to offer as good performance as a standalone machine (apart from the bargain basement Venturer - although I shouldn't really say that until I have actually seen it). Also, I hope I haven't seemed at all rude to anyone bacause that is not my intention, I am just passionate about all this new technology.

 

[Anonymous]

You're a lucky man lost. Tried to buy PZ70. Unfortunately all local stores have ran out of stock (those offering 5y guarantee). It looks like I'm going to spend Christmas without a TV unless a miracle occurs or I'll go for the PX70. I was really hoping of having my PZ70 + Sony DAV IS10 all setup when I move to my new place. Still 22 days to Christmas!!

 

[LOST]

If you were hoping to get a pz70 and there out of stock then wait till they get them in as its worth the wait !!

I just popped into my local shop on friday to pick up a 37 or 40 inch and came out with the pz model , which was lucky as when the guy gave me the free 5yr warranty card to fill out after i payed for the tv i noticed that it was valid from oct 1 st until the 30th november and as you can guess i very quickly asked for the date as i thought it was dec 1st !! and the guy replied with - its the 30th and we shut in 5 minutes ! how lucky was that !

Have you tried comet/currys ?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="BenjaminHart"]Please don't get the idea that I am knocking the PS3 because it is an excellent machine, but it would be unfair to expect it to offer as good performance as a standalone machine [/quote]

It's OK Benjamin!! No accusations are being made. You just seem a bit fixated with this standalone argument whilst sounding like a Toshiba salesman. Forget the PS3 as a games machine for a minute. Lets call it the Sony bdp-ps. That player is the best hi-def playing upscaler for the money. The fact that it is a Blu-ray player is just a bonus over hd dvd in so much as there are more titles available.(It will upscale my Transformers dvd so I will survive). Yes, it will also give you DIRT. So what?

The EP35 I am sure is a really good machine. The points made were not against Toshiba, or even whether Blu-ray is better than hd dvd, it was that we were just saying pound for pound that the PS3 is the best hi-def/upscaler out there.

This time next year the story will probably be completely different. My guess would be a dual format player being everybody's 'New Best Friend'. Anyway, LOST has got a good deal on a great tv(and already has a PS3 - and Wii!!).

 

[LOST]

Also guys/girls im thinking of adding a home cinema dvd system that can upscale etc for my plasma , is the panasonic sc-pt450eb-k any good ?? im only thinking pana as it will be a matching pair (tv/dvd) plus both have the viera link !

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="LOST"] thinking pana as it will be a matching pair (tv/dvd)[/quote]

Try not to think 'matching'. Its a ploy a few manufacturers like to use with their various links/systems/cords. They would have us buying matching toasters and kettles given half the chance. Whats the budget and floor area?

How did you get on with your Wii problem?

 

[LOST]

Have not had chance to sort the wii problem yet but i have made some adjustments to the tv so will take a look tonight !

As for budget around £200 or less and have seen the pana system at sound and vision for £164 all in delivered ! just wondered if they are any good ? plus i would like the small satalite speakers ! are the sony ones any good ?

And i do have a matching kettle and toaster (russell hobbs) but they both came in the same box !!!!!