TV advice please - Philips 37PFL7603D or Sony KDL37W5500 ?

[mickeycomms]

Hi,

I am looking for a TV up to about £750 to connect Sky hd to. Ideal screen size is between 32"-42". No preference re lcd, plasma or led. I dont have a surround system and the kids will occasionally use it for gaming. I am disappointed with the lack of longevity of my current 32" Panasonic lcd so am going to try a different make.

I have also seen a Samsung UE32B6000 LED tv well within budget at £635 but have no knowledge about led tvs.

Before I walk in the shop as the salesman's dream customer who knows ****** all, I would appreciate any advice about these TV's or anything else within budget which I should consider ?

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

phillips make some great tvs , but they are expensive , the model you are looking at is one of their cheaper ones , id say the sony would be better than it , its great value , and you can even get the 40 inch one for £800 , the samsung led tv you mentioned is also very good , although im not sure how much of a benefit led would be at 32 inch , the samsung 32b650 is cheaper and also very good , plasmas are out for you if you dont want a panasonic ...

 

[strapped for cash]

I'd suggest you check out the Panasonic TXP42G10 (plasma, available for £779 at richer sounds), the Sony you're thinking about, the Philips 42PFL7404H (£804 at Amazon) and the LG 42LH5000 which was re-reviewed as part of the 40-41" supertest in the current issue of What Hi Fi (£750 online from Curry's with a discount voucher). All great TVs currently available for around your budget. Been checking out options for a while myself and these, in my humble opinion, represent the deals out there at the moment.

 

[Oldboy]

Hi,

Just another thought as i've been looking for a TV at the £800 mark for a while, have a look at the Samsung LE40B650 it's currently on sale from about £750 and is what i think i'm buying very soon. I've looked at the Sony set in both 37 and 40" scrren size but wasn't prepared to take the risk with backlight issues on the current range although i've yet to see one myself with any such issues....if it wasn't for the backlight issues i would have bought a Sony myself. I looked at the Samsung LED this weekend and it is VERY thin, i wouldn't like to comment on the picture as it was in a large chain store and therefore a poor source showing and bright lighting however the detail was very impressive but i can't help thinking it's more of a design statement than anything else....?

 

[strapped for cash]

Well, I can't comment on the Samsung; but you really should check out the Pana set. Still listed in What Hi Fi (with a five star review, I hasten to add) with a retail price of £1200. The fact that you can get this for £779 represents superb value. It's also the only plasma at this price level that is a full HD (1080p) set. I really don't think you can do better than this. Only downside to this model is that it's not the best looking TV you can find, but does, unlike most TVs around at the moment, have an intergrated freesat tuner. At the very least you should give it an audition. Going in tomorrow to buy this set, unless the Philips 7404 lcd really blows me away...

 

[Anonymous]

the 42g10 plasma at £779 is unbelievable value , freesat , deep blacks , lovely motion , more natural picture than lcd , skin tones dont look waxy , great sd , if i was spending £800 id bite richer sounds hand off ...

 

[strapped for cash]

Which is exaclty what I intend to do -- rest assured, hands will be bitten. If anybody knows of a better deal out there at the moment, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Oldboy]

That's such a deal i've changed my mind on the Samsung!! Going to Richer Sounds today, hope they have one left...fingers crossed.

 

[mickeycomms]

Hi and thanks for all the advice.....

I have an engineer coming to check my tv tomorrow morning and if he condems it (I think he might when he sees the multicoloured horizonal and vertical lines over half the screen) Im going shopping. First stop will be Richer Sounds - I will have a look at the TXP42G10 and if I can overcome my 'pana phobia' (my current panasonic lcd has only lasted 2 years) I may well look no further.

I have also read the review in this months WHF and like the look of the LG42LH5000.

Might as well use the opportunity to sneak in a 42" without anybody at home noticing!

Thanks again.

 

[Oldboy]

Happy hunting! Just to let you know i've not been able to pick up a Pana TXP42G10 at my (nowhere near) local RS store, unfortunately they were out of stock and at that price i'm not surprised...now i also am looking at the LG again or the Samsung set i liked.

 

[mickeycomms]

Hi Oldboy,

the Panasonic is available for £789 at Dixons online with free delivery . . Have been for a look today and whilst its not the sleekest looker, the picture was head and shoulders above anything else that size/price. Unfortunately for the two high street stores I visited they both want 899 for it. . . .. .

Regards,

Mickeycomms.

 

[strapped for cash]

Hi Oldboy.

I'm sure Richer will be able to get more stock/transfer between stores. The advantage with buying from there is the remarkably cheap warranty they offer (just 10% of the tv price). It's worth hanging on if they can do this, in my opinion, as you pay substantially more for the equivalent warranty from Dixons. And the G10 has gone down in price again at Richer Sounds (albeit by a tenner, for what that's worth).

 

[Oldboy]

Hi all,

Many thanks for the tips! Unfortunately it's a 120mile round trip to my (lol) local richer sounds so i checked the usual high street suspects...£899 seems to be their price so i've gone for the Samsung LE40B650, it arrives tomorrow so will post comments once up and running be it good or bad! Best of luck to all trying to get the Pana but if you live nearer to a Richer Sounds you should have more luck...i'm just too far away. Once again many thanks for all the advice

 

[Anonymous]

strapped for cash:

Hi Oldboy.

I'm sure Richer will be able to get more stock/transfer between stores. The advantage with buying from there is the remarkably cheap warranty they offer (just 10% of the tv price). It's worth hanging on if they can do this, in my opinion, as you pay substantially more for the equivalent warranty from Dixons. And the G10 has gone down in price again at Richer Sounds (albeit by a tenner, for what that's worth).

 

[mickeycomms]

Hi,

with the warranty, it seems you get what you pay for...my impending tv purchase has come about from a failed warranty claim with Richer Sounds. Their sub contracted engineer stated that he thinks something has struck the screen to cause it to fail. There is no mark on the outside of the screen and only the word of two over 40 yr old adults in the house to go on......so claim refused - filed as accidental damage.

To add insult to injury, they offer to return your broken set for £25 ! (Thats if you dont want to pay yourself for an£874 repair to a £549 TV!)

I am in the process of taking this up with Richer Sounds. . . .

All that glitters...

 

[Richer Sounds]

Hi MickeyComms,

I was sorry to read of the issues you have had with your warranty claim and I am obviously concerned to read of the problems.

So that I may liaise with our service director to resolve this for you, would you please contact me via the below email address with the details?

john.p.clayton@richersounds.com

Many Thanks

John Clayton

Operations Director

Richer Sounds

 

[mickeycomms]

Thank You for your intervention John - I have forwarded a copy of the letter I posted on Thursday to your email address.

Regards,

Mickeycomms.