Please wake me from my nightmare!!!

[jbill]

Ok it's not really a nightmare, my Panny CRT has just given up the ghost so I am going to buy a nice LCD. But it is a bit of a minefield. I have decided on Panasonic, it is only going to be 32" and I have Sky (just ordinary not HD) and a PS3. I also have a 5.1 setup so sound is not as important as it could be. But which model is the nightmare!! So my choice seems to be an older LMD or LXD 70 which everyone seems to be flogging off cheap. The new LZD80 looks lovely but is it nice enough? My big worry and I am not sure if I should be worried is that the LZD80 is not 100hz. Whilst I appreciate that the lovely people at What Hifi have not reviewed the LZD85 which I believe is 100hz, is 100hz that important? Should I wait and pay a bit more and get an'85. Does anyone have a view/opinion on the 100hz issue?

My other alternative is to try and find one of the few remaining LXD700's around. Oh I think my head is about to explode!!

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, 100Hz isn't that important.

And our view is that while the new Panasonics we've seen so far are very good, they're not sufficiently so to have someone with a 70/700 series model upgrading. So if you can get a 70 or even a 700 at a good price, and given what you'll be watching on it, I'd go for that and save yourself some money.

 

[jbill]

Thank you for the incredibly quick reply Andrew. Whilst I do not doubt your opinion at all and I feel relieved by the comment re 100hz, just as a matter of discussion, if it is not that important why do manufacturers put it on some models and not others, and why ask us to pay extra for it?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Because:

a) TV specs are a numbers game, and if you can quote a bigger number the marketing people get all bumpy-trousered

b) some people reckon 100Hz looks better by reducing flicker

and

c) you can charge more

IME, merely having 100Hz is no guarantee of quality, and many sets look better without it.

 

[Anonymous]

If you are moving from CRT to LCD I would go into a shop and ask to watch SD, with moving action such as sport. You may find it quite an eye opener.