Sony 46HX853 vs Panasonic ST50

[stevebrock]

Had my heart set on the ST50 all year and was waiting for prices to come down, but I have been distracted with the Sony HX853 series now and now not sure if i should go for plasma or LED.

Its mainly for Bluray playback and obviously HD channels

Are the blacks as good on the Sony as the Panny?

Please help Im in turmoil now and dont know where to dump my xmas bonus!

 

[strapped for cash]

According to HDTV Test, the 853 produces a black level of 0.0527 when displaying an ANSI checkerboard pattern, compared with a reading of 0.0012 with this same pattern from the ST50.

In other words, the ST50 can produce much deeper blacks with anything other than a completely black screen, where the 853 will shut down the panel to produce a reading of zero. The reading of zero from the 853 is of course an irrelevance, since none of us watch a screen with no content.

Personally, I'd go for the ST50, but I have a strong bias toward plasma rather than LCD/LED televisions. It might therefore be better to wait for a more objective view.

Your best bet is to audition both and see what you think.

 

[Sizzers]

Oldboy will eventually pick upon this post for you, but in the meantime here is his review on the Sony.

He had this as a replacement for a series of ongoing faults with his GT30 and I honestly can’t remember why he opted for the Sony rather than the new 50 series Panasonic’s, but I have a feeling it might have been something to do with extra costs involved.

Anyway, he will give you a very fair and balanced opinion, so watch this space!

 

[stevebrock]

ive seen both sets and they have both blown me away, however im thinking the ST50 is better VFM unless im missing something!

I have seen both sets in the respective stores, the Sony just wows you immediately, the Panasonic looks so lifelike....

ST50 50" 5 year warranty, 2 pairs glasses £999

HX853 46" 5 year warranty, BD player (Sony £99), Bond Bluray set and 7 other Blu rays and £100 sony vouchers £1299

 

[Oldboy]

As Sizzers has stated i went from 3 faulty GT30 plasma tvs to a 46HX853 just a few months ago and the reasons i didn't go for a GT50 were many...i would have faced a wait for stock to arrive in the UK as the GT50 range was incredibly difficult to source at that time, i really wanted to make the jump to a larger screen size, i had auditioned the 46HX853 which had an incerdible image for an LED tv and i got a good deal on the HX853 to name but a few.

The review for the 46HX853 had appeared in WHF just weeks before and so i was aware i could get a little extra screen size for a minimum outlay, about £150 after my refund if i recall correctly and so my head was turned in this direction but i didn't just dive in as i went out and auditioned the ST50, GT50, VT50, HX853 and HX753 tvs before i made a decision.

When auditioning i was struck by how close the HX853 image got to a plasma tv as i had never seen an LED tv that even got close up until that point, it seemed extremely natural and not overblown with contrast like many LED tvs and motion was simply exceptional. As strapped for cash points out the black levels don't go quite as deep as on the Panny plasma but what i would say is that at the levels stated it's debatable just how much of that will be truly noticable, coming from a GT30 i certainly don't feel short changed.

The counter argument here is that the HX853 deals with contrast and motion better than the 2012 panny plasma range but again it's a close call except for motion where i found the plasmas juddery in comparison, at the end of the day there is no substitute for your own eyes and it's vital that you get out there and audition them for yourself. Be aware of the potential pit falls of each tech ie image retention, screen burn (although less of an issue these days) and a continuing 50hz bug on the Panny plasmas and backlight inconsistencies or clouding, DSE effect and some reports of banding on the Sony HX853 and decide which works best for you.

I must add that i remain a fan of the image a plasma tv serves up and it remains a natural and enjoyable image but for my own personal circumstances i preferred to swap to an LED HX853 this time and not just because i would have to wait for a larger GT50 plasma or indeed stump up more cash. For me one tvs strength was the others weakness so it just comes down to personal preference and your own usage, for example, when gaming on my GT30 i had image retention issues which i wanted to avoid in my new tv and wasn't convinced a GT50 would solve this issue. That wasn't the only issue of course but in order to stop this post going on for much longer i won't list the rest, in the end the HX853 once calibrated serves up one hell of an image and one i remain happy with now...i made the right choice for me personally and that's what i recommend you do as the tvs are so close in performance terms it's hard to split them.

Get out there and look at them for yourself, at the end of the day you are going to be looking at it for some time to come so it pays to research all the options first, it could even come down to which tv is better styled or indeed the price for example as they are that close in performance and above all take your time to weigh up all the options for your particular needs.

I'm sure either tv will be a wise purchase in any case and just hope that i've been of some help and not confused you further

 

[stevebrock]

Thanks oldboy - food for thought.........

Think the Panasonic is doing it for me at the minute but I will continue with my research but in the end it will be 1 of the 2.

In effect im paying the extra £300 for the Sony for the bundled BluRays and the 3D player, at the momnent I only have a 2d player so it is makin the decision even harder!

will keep you updated on what i decide!