sony v panasonic, lets see if WHF are biased ?

[admin_exported]

i think 3d tv's should be rated against 3d tv's and leave it at that. we must accept WHF decision on the recent review of the panasonic 50vt20 compared against the sony 903 3D tv, the sony trumps.

However i would love to know what star rating WHF give the panasonic 42v20 tv as a 2d tv. every other review site out there rates it as the best tv currently on the market, better than the sony models.

so the pressure is now on the WHF team. will you conform with every other review site out there and give the Panasonic 5 stars or will you decide that for some reason there is still no panasonic good enough to grab 5 stars.......cannot wait.........

 

[Andrew Everard]

Whatever rating we give any product has nothing to do with conforming with anyone.

 

[TKratz]

Andrew Everard:Whatever rating we give any product has nothing to do with conforming with anyone.

And it of course shouldn't be. Otherwise you wouldn't be an independent review site.

As I have said many times before, I have no reason to question the objectivity of WhatHifi.
So when reviews comes up which contradicts what elsewhere seems to be the consensus, I am merely curious to figure out more in dept what has caused this contradiction, because clearly that must be down to different prioritisation during testing.

I know this can be annoying at times, but it simply only is down to my curious nature and desire to understand things.

 

[Anonymous]

i reckon the 50v20 will find itself up against a samsung 50c7000 plasma , and get the usual 4 stars because the sammy is cheaper and has 3d

 

[Anonymous]

well if you want predictions - I reckon the latest philips sets will be better than the sony but will be £500 more (more than double the samsung 50''3d).........oh and they'll get 5 stars because price won't be relevant so good will they be

 

[Andrew Everard]

maxflinn:i reckon the 50v20 will find itself up against a samsung 50c7000 plasma , and get the usual 4 stars because the sammy is cheaper and has 3d

For someone who only reads the magazine in the newsagent, you seem very concerned...

 

[Anonymous]

i always buy the mag andrew , was joking yesterday about tescos

 

[Andrew Everard]

maxflinn:i always buy the mag andrew , was joking yesterday about tescos

Of course.

 

[idc]

Why ask the original question? Buy the magazine and tally up all the reviews and see for yourself who is doing better at the moment. Over the years various makers have risen and fallen in favour depending on their and others product lines.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Let's deal with facts, shall we?

1) Sony didn't win a single TV Award from us last year- the range wasn't strong enough, and we had concerns about the backlighting.

2) Panasonic won a TV Award - for its 37in set. It also won Awards for its Blu-ray system and its Blu-ray recorder (alongside Sony winning Awards for its Blu-ray players)

3) Both Sony and Panasonic have stepped up their TV ranges this year, in the face of Samsung and LG starting to dominate TV sales globally

4) Both companies have had some firmware issues this year - Sony with the S370 Blu-ray player having sound drop-outs connected to some TVs; Panasonic with the current inability of its Freeview HD sets to output 5.1. We have reported both these issues, and indeed pushed both companies for responses.

5) Despite regular review requests, Panasonic chose to give us the VT20 after just about everyone else had reviewed it. That's just the way review samples sometimes go; we've had plenty of other Panasonic products before others, including the five-star BD85. If we'd had the VT20 earlier, it would have been a five-star product. Unfortunately by the VT20 co-incidentally arriving in our test rooms at the same time as the HX903, it suffered slightly in comparison. It remains a superb set, and a must-see for anyone thinking of investing in a 3D TV.

6) There's a Supertest of 32in TVs in the current issue. That's Britain's biggest-selling screen size - TVs in this range will outsell 46in+ sets by many, many times; thousands more sets are sold in this size/price class. Who wins that test, beating Sony? Panasonic.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

brettweir:

i think 3d tv's should be rated against 3d tv's and leave it at that. we must accept WHF decision on the recent review of the panasonic 50vt20 compared against the sony 903 3D tv, the sony trumps.

However i would love to know what star rating WHF give the panasonic 42v20 tv as a 2d tv. every other review site out there rates it as the best tv currently on the market, better than the sony models.

so the pressure is now on the WHF team. will you conform with every other review site out there and give the Panasonic 5 stars or will you decide that for some reason there is still no panasonic good enough to grab 5 stars.......cannot wait.........

It is in next months issue a 40-42inch supetest, lets see how it does.

I personally think it will get 5 stars and win the group test if it is in there.

 

[chebby]

Brettweir, what you think is to be gained from such bias?

(I just want to focus on the 'elephant in the room' only implied by your question.)

And, why should WHF feel any pressure to "conform to every other review site out there"?

 

[Anonymous]

the reason i asked the question was because of the rant currently occupying the forum about the 50vt20 review and its 4 stars. the 42v20 has been given top reviews by other sites and taking away from 3d tv's (as i only have interest in top 2d tv's) im sure WHF will award the v20 5 stars and thus alleviate many peoples conspiracy theory that WHF are having their summer holidays paid for by Sony this year.

Other sites give far more detail on how they come to their conclusions than WHF do.
Also other sites tend to down rate Sony, so something is going on somewhere as WHF seem to be alone in their findings, however the 42v20 review will be eagerly awaited by many ready to grind bigger axes or to maybe let the WHF team get an early night.

it will be an interested review in my opinion, i did not mean to throw an elephant in the room chubby...

 

[Anonymous]

guys , the fact remains , that the panasonic 50vt20 , according to whfi themselves , is better in some areas than the pioneer kuro , the kuro was (arguably still is) the undisputed best tv ever made ..

so how can a tv that betters it in some areas , only get 4 stars ? forget about the sony , just focus on why would the pana be deemed worthy of only 4 stars ..

is there even one person that can answer that question ? just one ...

 

[Anonymous]

valid point..........and one we can see but WHF cant. I may come across as a panny boy but i'm not. I'm open to what is best but WHF just seem to contradict themselves and it is frustrating to say the least....

hence waiting to see the v20 review as a 2D tv...........forget 3D

 

[Gerrardasnails]

brettweir:
valid point..........and one we can see but WHF cant. I may come across as a panny boy but i'm not. I'm open to what is best but WHF just seem to contradict themselves and it is frustrating to say the least....

hence waiting to see the v20 review as a 2D tv...........forget 3D

As I've said before, who cares?! If the mag gives a tv 4 stars, there is more chance it will be easily available with the chance of a deal or two. Spending that sort of money, surely you will try a few out and pick your favourite,

 

[Anonymous]

i would say plenty people care gerrard , ok , 4 stars 5 stars whatever , in the grand scheme of things , what does it matter ? hey ho and all that ..

but the issue here imo , is that there is a clear trend developing regarding whfis ratings of panasonic tvs , they consistently give them 4 stars , while all the other respected online reviewers give them higher marks , and in the case of the vt20 , the highest possible marks ..

why is this gerrard ? assuming the other reviewers are competent , which i believe they are ,( even though the whfi team takes a swipe at their integrity at every oppurtunity ) then how is it their reviews are consistent with one another regarding panasonic tvs , but not with whfis ratings of the same tvs ? dont you find that a little odd ? honestly , dont you ?

there is already two reviews of the sony 52hx903 online , both find crosstalk , people who have viewed this tv in stores have seen crosstalk , whfi , they dont see any crosstalk ? isnt that another strange finding ? i mean , to an intelligent person wouldnt these differences in findings be baffling ?

then you look at the panasonic , 4 stars here , the sony is according to whfi "a whole different ball game" ?? but not to the other reviewers to have tested both , who rate the panasonic slightly better ? hows that then ? does this not raise more questions ?

if whfi had given the panasonic 5 stars like every other reviewer on the planet , but said the sony was still better in their opinion , then i dont think anyone could argue with them , fair play , the sony wins the test , but to downgrade whats considered by everyone bar whfi to be the best 3dtv on sale in the world to 4 stars ? surely gerrard , more questions must be asked ?

whfi say there had to be a winner , they couldnt give both tvs 5 stars , but they often give several competing tvs 5 stars in a grouptest , but call a winner just the same , why was this grouptest any different ? given that it was made up of the best tv on sale in the world today (the vt20) going on the opinions of all other reviews of which there are about nine , and the best tv in the world (hx903) according to whfi , how on earth could one get 4 stars ? and another that is a whopping £950 more expensive get 5 stars in a review process that is supposedly based on performance per pound ? more questions gerrard ? surely ??

 

[matthewpiano]

Max - the 'best TV on sale in the world today' line is hyperbole. You can't identify a single set as the best because beyond the technical parameters of performance there is also an important element called personal preference.

My honest opinion? There is now very little to choose between the top TVs and I could quite happily end up with a good Sony, Panasonic, Samsung Sharp, Philips or LG without any concerns whatsoever.

 

[Clare Newsome]

maxflinn:
but the issue here imo , is that there is a clear trend developing regarding whfis ratings of panasonic tvs , they consistently give them 4 stars

Apart from the five-star Panasonic set that WINS THE SUPERTEST in the very issue you still haven't seen, but continue to endlessly dissect.

Your are entitled to your opinions, Max, but please do not ignore the facts.

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:Max - the 'best TV on sale in the world today' line is hyperbole. You can't identify a single set as the best because beyond the technical parameters of performance there is also an important element called personal preference.

My honest opinion? There is now very little to choose between the top TVs and I could quite happily end up with a good Sony, Panasonic, Samsung Sharp, Philips or LG without any concerns whatsoever.mathew thanks for your input , wise words as always ...

what id say is , i agree with you , i dont think there is that much between the top tvs around , especially with 2d performance and that is subjective , 3d is very new but the panasonic has the edge over the rest , if only slightly compared to the hx903 ..

but heres the thing , whfis choice of words re. the sony , astonishing , "a whole different ball park" seriously , a whole different ball park ?? thats a very strong statement , even by whfis excitable standards , hyperbole ??

 

[Dave_]

max have you seen the hx903?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Just as no-one has responded to my earlier post, choosing to ignore the facts. here they are again:

Clare Newsome:

Let's deal with facts, shall we?

1)
Sony didn't win a single TV Award from us last year- the range wasn't
strong enough, and we had concerns about the backlighting.

2)
Panasonic won a TV Award - for its 37in set. It also won Awards for its
Blu-ray system and its Blu-ray recorder (alongside Sony winning Awards
for its Blu-ray players)

3) Both Sony and Panasonic have stepped
up their TV ranges this year, in the face of Samsung and LG starting to
dominate TV sales globally

4) Both companies have had some
firmware issues this year - Sony with the S370 Blu-ray player having
sound drop-outs connected to some TVs; Panasonic with the current
inability of its Freeview HD sets to output 5.1. We have reported both
these issues, and indeed pushed both companies for responses.

5)
Despite regular review requests, Panasonic chose to give us the VT20
after just about everyone else had reviewed it. That's just the way
review samples sometimes go; we've had plenty of other Panasonic
products before others, including the five-star BD85. If we'd had the
VT20 earlier, it would have been a five-star product. Unfortunately by
the VT20 co-incidentally arriving in our test rooms at the same time as
the HX903, it suffered slightly in comparison. It remains a superb
set, and a must-see for anyone thinking of investing in a 3D TV.

6)
There's a Supertest of 32in TVs in the current issue. That's Britain's
biggest-selling screen size - TVs in this range will outsell 46in+ sets
by many, many times; thousands more sets are sold in this size/price
class. Who wins that test, beating Sony? Panasonic.

 

[Anonymous]

daveh75:max have you seen the hx903?
no daveh , i have not ... but , why ask ? are we not talking about why the pana didnt get 5 stars here ? oh , because the sony was sooooooooooooooo much better .... come on daveh , give us a break , and please people , forget about me .. talk about the review or whatever , im looking for answers i cant provide them .. ta

 

[Clare Newsome]

And yet again you choose to ignore my factual post that proves we're not biased.

 

[matthewpiano]

Sorry Max. If you haven't even seen the Sony for yourself then you can't possibly judge how it compares to the Panasonic and so you aren't really in a position to question the star rating on either. You are questioning WHFS&V's reviewing but at least their conclusions are based on spending time with the sets in question. Without doing this proper comparison all your thoughts are based on is trust in other reviews and/or a general brand preference.