Panasonic, Sony or Pioneer

[admin_exported]

Going to buy my 1st flat screen tv and have narrowed it down to 4. Was convinced I was going to get the Sony 40w4000, but when I went to various shops, everyone recommended the panasonic 42pz85 over the sony every time. 

On the other hand when I see the panasonic next to the pioneer pdp428xd I really see the difference (in favour of the pioneer of course!) in picture quality. However, the price difference is quite huge, both sony and panasonic are below £900 (from Dixons) or £1000 with 5 yr warranty from John Lewis, but the best price I've found for the pioneer is £1450 with a table top stand. Is it really worth the difference. Will be used mainly for off air viewing (virgin box) and dvds.

And for those of you paying attention, what's the 4th choice? Found a pioneer pdp508xd for £1500 - only £50 over the 428 - very tempting.

 Just can't make up my mind and need to do this at the weekend, so any advice would be very welcome. 

 

[Anonymous]

if you can fit the 50 pioneer just get it does matter how far you are sitting from it after owning a pana before my kuro i would not give it a second thought the pioneer is miles better and will still be working for years to come panas are really becoming unreliable just do some searching

 

[Sorreltiger]

Hispek have the Pioneer 4280 for £1399.99 including 5 yr warranty if you pick it up yourself (just outside St Albans). ÿIt's basically the same as the 428, but you don't get the calibration done for you. ÿOn the other hand, you might feel that the warranty is worth having!

 

[Anonymous]

If I am not wrong you can get a Pioneer 4280 for £1299 from Richer sounds.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm going through the same dilemma and have come to the conclusion it'sthe panasonic over the sony but is it worth the extra for the Pioneer, just can't decide with the major stumbling block being you don't get full HD with the pioneer. Will this make a difference in picture quality for both Sd and HD. Please help !

 

[Anonymous]

I think my main dilemas are

ÿ1. Is the panasonic better than the sony (the LCD vs Blu Ray debate) and more importantly why.

2. Is it worth getting the pioneer 508 over the 428/4280

ÿAs to if the pioneer is better than the panasonic - no contest. Even my 60yr old mother with a cataract picked it out as the best picture!

 

[Anonymous]

Go for the Pioneer, best black levels by a country mile, lovey colours and probably the best standard definition performance of any flat panel television. It also looks great on high definition and I promise you you wont notice the difference between the Full HD and HD ready televisions from a couple metres back. What will stand out is the colour and contrast, which the Pioneer is best at. Another advantage is that you wont cry when you watch a DVD, as you are more likely to with a Full HD set. I also think that the design of the Sony and Panasonic will date. Hope this helps you.

 

[Anonymous]

As to what Pioneer... get the 42", unless you are wall mounting it, then you will need the 50". As its not a lot more, avoid the '80XDs as the screen isnt as good and you miss out on the intelligent brightness control, which adapts to your room lighting.

 

[Anonymous]

Ta Lewis but why would I

when watching DVD on Full Hd ? Is it the 4280 or 428 that's on offer

@ £1,299 in richer Sounds ?

 

[Anonymous]

Lewis P:As to what Pioneer... get the 42", unless you are wall mounting it, then you will need the 50". As its not a lot more, avoid the '80XDs as the screen isnt as good and you miss out on the intelligent brightness control, which adapts to your room lighting.The 508/5080s have the same screen. The 508 has more tweakable options.

Richer Sounds are selling the PSPSX4280. This not the same as the 4280XD. I believe it is an older panel. You should check on the Pioneer forums before you buy. There are few of the 4280XDs left.

 

[Anonymous]

fishyfella:
Ta Lewis but why would I

when watching DVD on Full Hd ? Is it the 4280 or 428 that's on offer

@ £1,299 in richer Sounds ?
Because of the amount of upscaling that your TV or player has to do to make the image with 576 lines fit on to the panel with a resolution of 1080 lines. Its like zooming in on a digital photograph on your pc five times, so even with good upscaling the images will still look soft. On a HD Ready TV this is not as bad. The same goes for any standard def image

 

[Anonymous]

rewerb:
Lewis P:As to what Pioneer... get the 42", unless you are wall mounting it, then you will need the 50". As its not a lot more, avoid the '80XDs as the screen isnt as good and you miss out on the intelligent brightness control, which adapts to your room lighting.The 508/5080s have the same screen. The 508 has more tweakable options.

Richer Sounds are selling the PSPSX4280. This not the same as the 4280XD. I believe it is an older panel. You should check on the Pioneer forums before you buy. There are few of the 4280XDs left.
I may be wrong but I thought that the '8XD plasmas had a more advanced colour filter. However this isnt mentioned on the Pioneer website, but like you said the ISF calibration is another advantage. I think this a service you have to pay for though.

 

[Anonymous]

Because of the amount of upscaling that your TV or player has to do to make the image with 576 lines fit on to the panel with a resolution of 1080 lines. Its like zooming in on a digital photograph on your pc five times, so even with good upscaling the images will still look soft. On a HD Ready TV this is not as bad. The same goes for any standard def image

Not true! I would agree that the pioneer is the best choice but ive a 40" full hd tv and SD looks
very sharp and not at all soft! in fact some material looks close'ish to hi def! i do run everthing through an external scaler though.