Ok, so heres the problem, I am looking to buy a spangly new tv.... and something truly great, that will last. For me its a big and therefore longterm investment, so I want to make sure its the right one. The problem I am having is that reading reviews about new tv's tends to lead reviewers generally to all say that the tv's on my shortlist are all great, at least in the areas I am interested, namely picture quality - but I want the best one for me, not just one of a range of good tv's, as it's the one tv I will buy in the forseeable future. A couple of them stood out to me in the shop (which put them on the list in the first place) but then, with each displaying an entirely different source image, and not displayed next to each other for direct comparison, again it just adds to the confusion.
Though standard TV viewing is of course a consideration, I want the TV to be a real treat for DVD, X-box360 gaming and Blu-ray - and am not interested in web surfing apps, file sharing gizmos or other mostly irrelevant gadgets. They are all relatively similarly priced (and I am currently living and buying in switzerland, where pricing on certain models seems very favourable compared to the UK, particularly on the Philips models, which I have only seen advertised for a great deal more money in the UK). So which one?
So, here is the shortlist:
1. The Philips Essence 42pfl0001d - I love the elegant design, especially the thin bezel, making it less an imposing piece of furniture than other tv's. It's picture quality stood out to me in the shop where I saw it first. I like its natural yet vibrant colours, and sharp detailed picture. Its also comparatively cheap here at 1090gbp.
2. The Philips Cineos 42pfl9703d - Ive not seen this properly in the shops, but I have read several reviews that rave about its picture quality, some even saying it has the best picture for any LCD out there (though it is an older model now, so perhaps this is out of date?). The idea of ambilight is nice, but I honestly dont know if its something that will improve my enjoyment (I doubt it is easy to tell that until it gets home). This would be 1025gbp. Also there is the 9603, for 875 gbp - is there much difference? Also, the essence is newer - which will have the better picture quality?
3. The Samsung UE40B7000 LED - Good reviews, I like the thin design, though prefer the narrow bezel of the Essence. The picture looks good in the shop, but I havent been able to compare it to the Philips successfully. Though I will be eventually connecting up a surround sound system for movies, i am concerned that the sound is poor for general tv watching when I dont wnat to turn on the big sound (living in a block of flats means being careful about disturbing neighbours). Though the gloss glassy finish looks flashy in the shop, I am not convinced I like it for real use, where surely it will be troubled by lots more glare.... Also 1090gbp.
4. The Sony 40X4500 - which I think is also an LED tv, though I cant find anything in the way of reviews. I was under-whelmed by the W5500 compared to the Philips and Samsung image, and thought the Z5500 was good but not exciting. I briefly saw the X4500 and was more impresed, but thats about it for comments... I have not really been able to judge it against anything yet. Like the samsung, it gives up 2 inches size, and also is the most pricey at 1180gbp.
Really, any comments or help is hugely appreciated,
Thanks for reading!
Though standard TV viewing is of course a consideration, I want the TV to be a real treat for DVD, X-box360 gaming and Blu-ray - and am not interested in web surfing apps, file sharing gizmos or other mostly irrelevant gadgets. They are all relatively similarly priced (and I am currently living and buying in switzerland, where pricing on certain models seems very favourable compared to the UK, particularly on the Philips models, which I have only seen advertised for a great deal more money in the UK). So which one?
So, here is the shortlist:
1. The Philips Essence 42pfl0001d - I love the elegant design, especially the thin bezel, making it less an imposing piece of furniture than other tv's. It's picture quality stood out to me in the shop where I saw it first. I like its natural yet vibrant colours, and sharp detailed picture. Its also comparatively cheap here at 1090gbp.
2. The Philips Cineos 42pfl9703d - Ive not seen this properly in the shops, but I have read several reviews that rave about its picture quality, some even saying it has the best picture for any LCD out there (though it is an older model now, so perhaps this is out of date?). The idea of ambilight is nice, but I honestly dont know if its something that will improve my enjoyment (I doubt it is easy to tell that until it gets home). This would be 1025gbp. Also there is the 9603, for 875 gbp - is there much difference? Also, the essence is newer - which will have the better picture quality?
3. The Samsung UE40B7000 LED - Good reviews, I like the thin design, though prefer the narrow bezel of the Essence. The picture looks good in the shop, but I havent been able to compare it to the Philips successfully. Though I will be eventually connecting up a surround sound system for movies, i am concerned that the sound is poor for general tv watching when I dont wnat to turn on the big sound (living in a block of flats means being careful about disturbing neighbours). Though the gloss glassy finish looks flashy in the shop, I am not convinced I like it for real use, where surely it will be troubled by lots more glare.... Also 1090gbp.
4. The Sony 40X4500 - which I think is also an LED tv, though I cant find anything in the way of reviews. I was under-whelmed by the W5500 compared to the Philips and Samsung image, and thought the Z5500 was good but not exciting. I briefly saw the X4500 and was more impresed, but thats about it for comments... I have not really been able to judge it against anything yet. Like the samsung, it gives up 2 inches size, and also is the most pricey at 1180gbp.
Really, any comments or help is hugely appreciated,
Thanks for reading!
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