Toshiba 47Z3030D or Sony KDL40X3500

[admin_exported]

Hello everybody! My name is JJ and I am Dutch, so please forgive my bad English 🙂

Within a few months I am planning to buy my FIRST full HD LCD TV.

My first choice was a Sony KDL40X3500 cause I have read nothing but positieve reviews and it has got some pretty impressive specs with options like 24 true cinema and is in short - atleast what I have read and heard - a very impressive LCD and one of the best LCD's of 2007.

Then I found out about the Toshiba 47Z3030D which in comparison to the Sony is 1) Cheaper 2) Bigger and 3) the specs are almost as good or the same as the Sony. They both offer 100HZ, Full HD, 10 bit processing, the same brightness (500) and they both have a very high dynamic contrast (Sony offers 18000:1 and Toshiba 15000:1). So in theory, I think I should go for the Toshiba because it's cheaper and bigger! But....

1 Am I right or am I focusing too much on the specs?

2. Also, what is the difference between the 24p true cinema that Sony offers in comparision with Toshiba's 24 FPS with 5.5. pulldown? Is that just as good as the 24p true cinema or is it different?

3. Does the Toshiba have a digital tuner just like the Sony has? (DVB-C)

I really hope someone can help me with this!

Greetings,

JJ

 

[Anonymous]

Am i right in thinking 24fps is for Blu-ray only ? Or am i wrong there ?

In that size bracket i'm pretty sure most will agree that, yes you have to pay extra for it, but the Sony is the class-leader, so if you want the best...

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

I guess it's a simple question of size versus image quality. I've had a look at the 42" Toshiba and it not a bad tv and looks very good with HD material. However, it can't match the Sony for overall image quality. I favour plasma over LCDs but the Sony is one of the few LCDs that I've found quite impressive. It has great blacks and colours. The Toshiba looked a bit washed out in comparison. The 47" screen would give you more of a 'wow' factor but, depending on how far you sit from the screen, might highlight flaws in the image to a greater extent than the Sony. How far do you sit from the screen?

To answer your other questions:

1) Specs are a good guide but you do need to go out and actually look at the tvs. Ignore contrast ratios specs as there's no standardised way of measuring it for LCDs. Each company uses their own figures so it can be misleading. I admit that the Tosh may represent good value compared to the Sony on paper but it might not seem so appealing after you've actually compared them. Also you need to make sure a 47" would appropriate for the room you're going to put it in. TVs all seem much smaller in the showroom.

2) Both TVs esentially do the same thing with a 24fps signal. The Toshiba implements a 5:5 pulldown at 120hz and the Sony does 4:4 at 96hz. Both are, on paper, equally good systems.

3) I believe both tvs have a built in digital tuner but the one on the Sony, from what I have read, is more futureproof as it HD-capable and so will receive free-to-air HD channels. Worth checking as I'm not 100% on that.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello, thx very much for the reply!

Glad to realize that both offer a stable 24 fps signal if I understand it correctly (?).

The distance to my LCD would be between 3-3.5 m. with a maximum of 3.5 m..
So I quess that the Sony KDL40x3500 would do the job if i understand the post 'How To Choose The Right Size Of TV' correctly.

Just like you say and many others; I hear nothing but positive reviews about the Sony LCD when it comes to things like deep black and colours. Also nice to hear that contrast ratios and stuff are more of a 'merchandise' talk then something that is a 100 procent guarantee that it really is a visible difference. From what I have understand the Sony is indeed capable of recieving HD signals with the built-in digital tuner. Something that is - looking at the future - definitely is an advance compared to the Toshiba. And looking at the reviews on the net, there isn't any site at all that favors the Toshiba in comparision with the Sony.

Now comes another question in my mind; does anyone know exactly how good the Sony and the Toshiba functions when it comes to displaying the 24 fps signal ? Is it complete without any judder or is there still some judder left?

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

I haven't seen them doing 24fps in person but, in theory, with the systems that both they use you shouldn't see any judder on either one.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok...thx for the info!