So i'm here to report back on what I saw today when I got to see every tv on my list for myself apart from the elusive Philips 8008 so here goes...
Now please don't knock me but I started at Currys (yes I know but I have no intention of buying from them) and they did indeed have all the tvs on show BUT...the lighting was terrible and very harsh, seriously it was brighter than outside and even worse was the fact that all the tvs were displayed at knee height for some unknown reason. Anyway it became clear that in that environment that two tvs were clearly the best, the Samsung UE55F8000 and the Sony 55W905, the salesman was actually quite good (for Currys) and knew his stuff but was really trying to push the triluminous tech in the Sony as being the best thing since sliced bread which is very debateable indeed.
There were places where the triluminous worked but all too often it looked overblown and false and as many reviews have pointed to blue was the real problem and it was very telling that the demo showed very little blue at all infact just one scene! The rest of the demo was made up of reds, faces, paint pots...anything to not show a blue sky. Anyway I got the remote and had a good look through the menus and switched picture modes etc and looked at some freeview but blues were still an issue for me and skies at Wimbeldon were just false but other than that the PQ was impressive however the off axis issue was apparant and is a big minus point for this tv.
The Samsung seemed much better in terms of off axis viewing and didn't seem to suffer until you got to ridiculous levels of off axis but as the lighting was so useless and the salesman so pro Sony I made a Sharp exit and headed to John Lewis with many questions needing to be answered.
I have to say John Lewis had far superior lighting and know how to display a premium TV, the Samsung 55F8000 and Sony W905 were wall mounted and next to each other with soft non directional lighting...arrggghhh very nice. It was far easier to get an idea of how the tvs on my list would perform in a normal home environment but of course keeping in mind that they were all set up for shop purposes and that as nice as the lighting was it was still a shop and will be slightly brighter than most homes but at least the store had natural light coming in as well unlike Currys.
I got to see the Samsung F8000 and 7000 the Sony W905 and 805 in John Lewis and I have to report that the 805 is a non starter right away as it just doesn't measure up as the blacks are more like greys in general and when compared to the 905 it lacks punch, detail, insight and colour (it just looked washed out) and is a real disappointment after the excellent HX853 series of last year so avoid this one is my advice.
Now the Samsung F7000 was quite different in that it didn't let the side down as much but it was clear this tv isn't quite up to the standard of the 8000 as it lacked a bit of insight and depth to blacks, a bit of punch in the contrast and that last level of detail and smooth motion that is so alluring on the 8000. It was clear that no matter how many other sets I looked at including the equivalent LG models that there was only ever going to be two contenders for my money and it was the same two tvs.
I have to give a big shout out to John Lewis whos salesman was laid back, quite knowledgable and not at all pushy, he was more than happy to give me the remotes and let me delve into both tvs and take my time which is rare on a busy saturday or anyday for that matter. There is no doubt that despite the performance of the W905 that viewing angle would be an issue in my living room, it's too tight and unless I sat in the middle of the sofa and went without my precious recliner positions at each end of the sofa I wouldn't hit the sweet spot for the tvs picture. No matter how good the picture undeniably is that is a real issue and has cost it dearly with me but what should be said is that if your seating position can accomodate it then the Sony W905 is an impressive tv.
I think you can guess what's coming next but the Samsung 55F8000 came out as the clear winner today oh and one thing I forgot to say was that I noticed a bit of a shadow effect on the left and right hand of the screen on the W905 which seemed backlight related, only about 1cm or so but clearly there. The Samsung scores high for backlight uniformity with absolutely no sign of bleed or the tourch effect from last year, no signs of DSE, high levels of punchy contrast next to deep inky blacks and sky high detail levels next to believable colours and skin tones even in shop mode and of course you get all that smart content and a bezel that might as well not be there and although I couldn't care less about styling it is an alluring tv if design is your main concern.
It didn't matter what I looked at today I kept coming back to the Samsung F8000 and next week or at the latest the week after that baby will be mine and thanks to gel I will be getting it for £1856 and then claiming back my £200 from Samsung making it just £1656 in total which seems like a total bargain to me. Yes Sony are throwing in an Experia Z phone and bluray player for free but it's the tv that concerns me most and how that performs and for my needs I just can't see past the F8000 so it's my tv of choice so the decision has been made and the HX853 sold so no going back now.
Will report back when I get it (unless I change my mind of course) but it just goes to show how important auditioning before you buy is because no matter how much valuable research you do on the internet there is no substitute for seeing them in the flesh and with a 5 year warranty and John Lewis as my retailer I feel confident any potential issues would be addressed quickly with minimal hassle.
A valuable day out and worth the trip to search out John Lewis...can't wait to get it now :dance:
even worse I got my info incorrect too...long day looking at tvs and absorbing info to blame i'm afraid. The info I put up about renaming the input applies to the Samsung F8000 doh! :doh:
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