Sony KDL40V3000 or Panasonic TH42PZ70?

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Does anyone have the Sony KDL40V3000, and are they happy with it?? I'll be mainly using it for Freeview but it will be connected to a PS3 for games & blu-ray. The alternative is the Panasonic TH42PZ70, but Ive currently got the option of the Sony for the same price (both sets £900) but with a free PS3.

Is the Panasonic Plasma going to be worh £300 extra?

Any comments particularly on the Sony would be great.

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Chris,

Got a KDL40V3000 from an independent dealer in Belfast a few days ago. Price from the dealer was £899, though I took a package which also included a Toshiba DVD Recorder (DR17DT) which has 1080p upscaling, glass plinth, golf HDMI cable and 5yr warranty for £1200. As it happens my friend bought the TH42PZ70 plasma, which I was interested in, but I was put off the plasma by the sales guy who talked about heavy power consumption, old technology and burn-in.

Anyway for £900 for the V3000 if that includes a free PS3 is a fantastic deal and I would jump at that. As for the V3000, the Freeview tuner is excellent and compares as good as by the SCART feed from my SKY+ box. Pixellation is minimal, except where the are large areas of near black that moves. Maybe this is where the plasma has the edge. The V3000 was on test in the showroom with a Blu-ray feed and looked superb with a detailed image. I'm very happy with the size of the screen in my room, I was worried a bigger screen would dominate the room. Another reason for V3000 was the nice shiny piano black casing (rather than matt black on other Sony models).

Negatives - hard to find any, the Panasonic has an SD card which the Sony lacks. Also, I don't know if I can really see any difference between the output from a standard DVD on the 1080p upscaling from 576p from the Tosh DVD recorder (via HDMI). I don't know if this is me or the TV or the DVD recorder. In fact I would have been happy with the other Sony on offer at the time - a 1080i for £200 less, but worried about future proofing. Also check out the W3000 which has a better engine, but you would need to compare.

Bottom line - very happy with the V3000, especially with the Freeview tuner which is delivering a better picture that I was expecting. With a free PS3 for £900 this is a no brainer - go for the Sony. I had a quick look at my friends TH42PZ70 and I think the plasma delivers a slightly more natural image (just a little less bright/brash), but definitely not worth £299 (price of a PS3). Go to a good local dealer who can show both models at the same time especially look at any freeview images which has a lot of near black (dimly light scenes if you have a DVD with this) to compare, but my money is on the V3000 if it includes a PS3.

Hope that helps.

Frank

 

[matthewpiano]

Grab that V3000. Its comparable to the old KDL-40W2000 on performance but with the benefit of the much better new 10-bit panel. At that price with a free PS3 its a bargain. Don't, however, forget to buy a decent HDMI lead to connect the PS3 to the TV. One with decent insulation and 1.3a standard certification is essential for getting the best out of your kit.
Regarding Frank's comments on the HDMI upscaling, it never is a night and day difference. The Sony RDR-HXD970 does it very well but I've seen other machines on which it makes only subtle differences. After all, its basically guessing at information that isn't there in the first place.

 

[Anonymous]

Thats a great, and detailed post Frank - many thanks. Im still unsure which way to go with this I must admit, I think the Panasonic is perhaps the better TV but the free playstation isnt to be ignored!

And thanks also to Matthew - Ill bear the cable in mind... I think the V3000 is still an 8 Bit panel BTW..

Regards

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Chris, I have been considering both TV`s but have not found the deal on the Sony . Is it a one off and if so can you point me in the direction of the dealer .

Cheers

Dave

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Guys,



I Found this review and it says that it doesnt have a 10bit screen, http://www.hdtvorg.co.uk/reviews/lcd/Sony_kdl-40v3000.htm



I have been looking into this screen but what has put me off is that it doesnt have hdmi 1.3 ports, I have a PS3 and that has hdmi 1.3. Does anyone know if hdmi 1.3 makes a real difference and is something i should really consider?



Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

In a recent review of the The Top Ten Plasma / LCD TV's for Standard Definition picture quality the

Panasonic TH42PZ70

came 3rd between only by the Pioneer PDP 428 and the Phillips 32PFL9632D. My poor Samsung PS42Q97HDX was 10th. However the differences between 1st and 10th are in my view not significant.

 

[matthewpiano]

I stand corrected, which is slightly embarrassing seeing as I'm a Sony dealer. Looking back at our original specs it was originally intended to have the 10-bit but it didn't get carried through. The 10-bit is a much better panel. The new 40D3500 DOES have the 10-bit panel and doing a side-by-side in the shop today, looks quite a bit better than the V3000.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="matthewpiano"]I stand corrected, which is slightly embarrassing seeing as I'm a Sony dealer. Looking back at our original specs it was originally intended to have the 10-bit but it didn't get carried through. The 10-bit is a much better panel. The new 40D3500 DOES have the 10-bit panel and doing a side-by-side in the shop today, looks quite a bit better than the V3000.[/quote]

No problems... As you say all the early data said it did have the 10bit panel (yes Ive been reading far too much!!).

So what do you think of the V3000 using the inbuilt freeview, and do you know anything about the v1.2 HDMI ports as mentioned - is this a major problem??

Many thanks

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Tallyho"]

In a recent review of the The Top Ten Plasma / LCD TV's for Standard Definition picture quality the

Panasonic TH42PZ70

came 3rd between only by the Pioneer PDP 428 and the Phillips 32PFL9632D. My poor Samsung PS42Q97HDX was 10th. However the differences between 1st and 10th are in my view not significant.

[/quote]

Cheers..... Did the Sony get a mention??

The Pioneers are supposed to be outstanding...

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Haddock"][quote user="Tallyho"]
In a recent review of the The Top Ten Plasma / LCD TV's for Standard Definition picture quality the

Panasonic TH42PZ70

came 3rd between only by the Pioneer PDP 428 and the Phillips 32PFL9632D. My poor Samsung PS42Q97HDX was 10th. However the differences between 1st and 10th are in my view not significant.

[/quote]

Cheers..... Did the Sony get a mention??

The Pioneers are supposed to be outstanding...

Chris
[/quote]

Only one SONY got a mention Sony KDL-32D3000 . The Pioneer is very good

Outstanding............... I have yet to see any current crop of TV Display that I can honestly use that adjective for though to coin a phrase highly recommended is often used by a lot of reviewers . To put into context at £900-£1,000 yes outstanding....at £1,500 highly recommended

 

[Anonymous]

I deliver and install tv for a living and in my opinion the panasonic is far far better than any of the sony lcd's, if your watchin alot of freeview i cannot recomend the panasonic enough the picture quality is better by a mile. The company i work for is doin the ps3 deal and it is for a limited time.HD content isnt brilliant with the sony but the panasonic is the only problem with the panasonic is the analouge picture which is sub par.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fmcdowell"]
Chris,

Got a KDL40V3000 from an independent dealer in Belfast a few days ago. Price from the dealer was £899,

[/quote]

Hi, Could I ask what dealer you got that from? Thanks