Help !! There are just so many to choose from !

[admin_exported]

Looking at this forum I see you get this sort of question a lot and it must become really repetitive, but any help you can give me would be really appreciated !

I am looking to buy a new TV and need your help, here are my particulars:

Price - circa £800 (£1000 max)

Screen - LED (would consider LCD/Plasma)

Size - 40 - 42" (would consider 37" at a push)

Spec - needs to be full HD, also needs scart and component/composite and a builtin freeview HD tuner would be a nice to have

Useage - sport is my biggest consideration, so I want something that doesn't jump that much, but other than this I will mostly just be watching freeview and the odd movie disc

Up to now from the searches I have done the two sets that stood out are the Sony KDL40EX503 and the LG 42LE5900, however this is by no means a closed list and hopefully you can share your experiences so I get the TV that is right for me.

Cheers

Dave

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi Dave, and welcome to the Forums

A couple more questions and we should be able to help you to a shortlist to go off to shops and check out.

Firstly, how far away will you be sitting from your new set?

And where will the set sit in your room - is it near a window/other strong light source?

You mention wanting Freeview HD - do you have/plan any other external TV sources (eg Sky, Virgin, BT Vision etc), or is it (as you say) be largely Freeview?

What about other partnering kit? DVD player? Blu-ray player?

Finally, do you intend to use the TV's own speakers, or add a separate sound system?

Answers to all of these will help us all narrow down your many choices!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Clare,

Thanks for the quick reply ! Answers as follows.

I will be roughly 3m away from the TV, with the set on an angle to the right of the sofa next to the window (hope that makes sense).

At present I have a thomson freeview recorder (DTI6300-25), my plan is to split the ariel feed and use the Thomson for everything except HD broadcasts, when I will switch over to the TV's in-built tuner. I also have a Philips BDP3000 Blueray player which I will use for Blueray, DVD and Div X. In time I plan to switch the whole operation over to a HTPC, however this will probably be 12 months down the line. I won't be using any of the pay TV services (Rupert has done enough damage to football as it is without me giving him another £70/month

I don't watch a great deal of movies so would probably just be using the TV's speakers, I bought a sony 5.1 system with my last set and to be honest its just gathered dust ever since.

Thanks again

Dave.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, forgot to mention we have a Wii as well.

 

[Clare Newsome]

byethecrin:
Hi Clare,

Thanks for the quick reply ! Answers as follows.

I will be roughly 3m away from the TV, with the set on an angle to the right of the sofa next to the window (hope that makes sense).

At present I have a thomson freeview recorder (DTI6300-25), my plan is to split the ariel feed and use the Thomson for everything except HD broadcasts, when I will switch over to the TV's in-built tuner. I also have a Philips BDP3000 Blueray player which I will use for Blueray, DVD and Div X. In time I plan to switch the whole operation over to a HTPC, however this will probably be 12 months down the line. I won't be using any of the pay TV services (Rupert has done enough damage to football as it is without me giving him another £70/month

I don't watch a great deal of movies so would probably just be using the TV's speakers, I bought a sony 5.1 system with my last set and to be honest its just gathered dust ever since.

Thanks again

Dave.

OK, so if I've got this right, you won't have direct light on your new TV from that window? That makes plasma (typically more reflective than LCD/LED) a strong option in the mix.

Sitting from 3m, 40-42in is good as you've a mix of SD and HD viewing in mind.

Finding a modern flatscreen that's going to suit for sound, at your price point, is a harder shout.

I'd go and check out these models in shops; all are around your price point if you shop for a deal:

Sony KDL-EX503 (review here)

Panasonic TX-P42G20 (review here)

We've reviewed the LG 42E5900 you mention in our current (August) issue and weren't that impressed - it only got an average review, with the sound being a particular weak point. Other LGs have been far more impressive this year, but we'd give this one a miss.

If you don't have to buy right this minute, we do have a further 40-42in Supertest in progress, but you won't be able to read those results until our issue on sale 25 August.

Hope this helps so far - any other questions, please ask.

 

[TKratz]

Some very good advice by Clare

I fully agree on the suggestions and by the point about viewing angles.
If you do not always watch TV right in front of the screen, you should be aware, that LCD TVs (and by the way, LED is also LCD TVs, it is just a matter about the light source) easily becomes 'washed out' when viewed at an angle. In this situation I would definately go for the Panasonic TX-P42G20.

 

[Anonymous]

Byethecrin is in a very similar situation to me - on the cusp of buying and a bit confused, as it were.

Thanks Clare for the heads-up about the new supertest, I look forward to getting my hands on the Mag on the 25th Aug.

Take care.

 

[Oldboy]

Panasonic 42G20 is the answer....you know it makes sense! I had the 40ex503 before i bought the G20 but unfortunatley i received 3 faulty sets, don't let that put you off however as it's a great tv but for my taste the G20 is a slightly better tv despite the review it received and as a heads up it's currently available for £799 at Amazon. Bargain!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone for all your help and advice, I am now the proud owner of a 42" Patrick Viera G20 Plasma and what a great decision it was !

I checked out the the LG and wasn't impressesed, I thought the picture was flattering to decieve as it seemed to be using brightness as a substitute for detail, whereas the Panasonic was razor sharp ! Unfortunately I didn't manage to have a look at the sony, but from what I had read here and elsewhere along with the Panasonic having a built in freesat decoder it swayed the balance and I took the plunge.

Its looking great on the HD channels and the sound is ample for my needs, although I may consider un-retiring my 5.1 system Looking forward to this weekend already when I am going to spend some time gtting to grips with all the settings and see exactly what it can do.

Cheers

 

[Oldboy]

Great decision....you won't regret it! I love my G20 more with every passing day as it beds in and don't forget it will need around 200hrs viewing before you get the best from it so the best is yet to come!!

Welcome to the plasma owners club