panasonic 42pz85 or sony 40w4500?

[admin_exported]

Having been looking at the panasonic 42's for the last year i was pretty set on getting the pz85 now its £900. But, having seen the reviews of the sony 40w4000 and more so the 40w4500 at the same price i'm stuck to which to get.

I'll be using it to watch bluerays, sky hd and freeview. Plus endless days on fifa09 and gears of war2 with my bro. Only problem now is which one? I've seen a demo on both n still on the fence. Any suggestions? Any advice would help loads. Thanks.

 

[Andy Clough]

Nothing wrong with the Panasonic, but the Sony 40W4500 is something else.

 

[drummerman]

I am in the same position (though I've only looked at new models for a few days). The Sony's are very impressive 'in-shop' playing hd material. The Panasonic plasmas, which I assume your pz85 is one off, are more evenhanded. With SD material the Panasonics really are, imo, superior to the LCD's which, in comparison, look blotchy, pixelated and just downright bad. Some higher end sonys dont have 100hz processing and it shows. The ones that do (over a grand) loose some of the sharpness and therefore have not much to recommend over a good plasma. Add slower refresh rates and inferior colour compared to good plasmas from panasonic/pioneer and its a no-brainer imo. Some argue that LCD's last longer but lets face it, the way things are progressing you're unlikely to keep a flatpanel for more than 5 years anyway. Make sure you get a good warranty with your purchase ie. 5 years.

 

[nws56]

I stood in the Curry's branch in Bridlington (don't ask ) only 2 weeks ago looking at these two models; one was mounted just above the other.They were being fed a ( Pioneer !!! ) Blu ray demo disc from a cheap Samsung machine ( I think ).

Beautiful, rich,vibrant colours . Dark solid blacks. Smooth as silk motion. Which ?

Both of them equally .... although my wife was favouring the Panny slightly . I was leaning towards the Sony , but was really surprised how similar they performed. I learned two things in Bridlington ; that the two technologies can produce such similar-and excellent - pictures , and that I'd really like a copy of that Pioneer demo disc.

The final surprise - as I was leaving the scene - was to learn that I'd been watching the ' budget ' model 40 V 4000.......