Panasonic plasma or Sony LCD?

[Streamer]

I'm going to be upgrading my ageing Toshiba 32" LCD in the next few months and have whittled down my options to either the Panny TH-42PZ800B or Sony KDL-40W4500. I'll mostly be watching SD for the time being until I get an upgrade to Sky+ HD and a Bluray player, sport and movies (and Coronation Street for the wife) being viewed the most.

 £1000+ is a lot to spend on a TV so I want to make sure that whichever I choose is the best for me in terms of picture quality (sound will be dealt with on the surround system, input counts not too important as everything is fed to the TV via HDMI from the reciever). 

 Sorry to spark the plasma/LCD debate again........! 

 

[Andy Clough]

Well, the Sony is our 2008 TV Product of the Year so we think it's best in class. Standard-definition pictures are punchy and well-defined, and colours are well balanced. It works a treat with HD too if you do upgrade to Blu-ray and Sky+ HD.

 

[Streamer]

Thanks Andy - my only concern with the Sony is the lack of LED backlighting, I've heard great things about the plasma-like black levels that this promises to offer......also my cats like to chase footballs around when I'm watching a game so an easy clean (glass) screen would be useful!!

ÿDoes the Sony offer a better picture than the Panny?ÿÿ