Urgent 40-42 inch TV

[Anonymous]

If you read our review, no - it's only black levels the Panasonic G20
can claim to lead its size/price class at. We found colours - and , yes,
motion - better on rival sets.

hi clare , the above statement is not relevant to the op in this case , he/she wants to know which tv , the g20 or the sony ex503 has ..

the best black levels .. g20..

the more natural picture.. g20..

and the best motion .. g20..

thats the general concensus , and yes , because of their respective tech , which is very relevant imo ..

as far as motion goes , any review/techsites i read (whfi apart) , simply take for granted lcd tvs natural disadvantage in this area , its a question of how lcd tvs perform , in spite of their inherant motion issues ..

..

black levels , shadow detail , so long one of the key ingredients of a great tv , take your past kuro reviews for example ? now , the g20 beats any other tv in its class , any other lcd tv full stop , in this hugely important area .. has whfis appreciation of this very important characteristic now been surpassed by their appreciation of how a given tv will perform , near a picture window ?

as regards the more natural picture aspect , its always been another area that lcd tvs have had an inherant disadvantage compared to plasma , this is very well documented ?..

a given tvs respective technology may be becoming a little less obvious in comparism to one another clare , but there are still traits of plasma tech that give them an advantage in some areas , just as there are traits of lcd tech that plasmas cant match , thats the way it is for me , and i personally value the key areas that plasmas , because they are plasmas , score well in ..

just my views clare , and quite possibly the views of many others ?

 

[Clare Newsome]

maxflinn:
If you read our review, no - it's only black levels the Panasonic G20
can claim to lead its size/price class at. We found colours - and , yes,
motion - better on rival sets.

hi clare , the above statement is not relevant to the op in this case , he/she wants to know which tv , the g20 or the sony ex503 has ..

the best black levels .. g20..

the more natural picture.. g20..

and the best motion .. g20..

thats the general concensus , and yes , because of their respective tech , which is very relevant imo ..

as far as motion goes , any review/techsites i read (whfi apart) , simply take for granted lcd tvs natural disadvantage in this area , its a question of how lcd tvs perform , in spite of their inherant motion issues ..

..

black levels , shadow detail , so long one of the key ingredients of a great tv , take your past kuro reviews for example ? now , the g20 beats any other tv in its class , any other lcd tv full stop , in this hugely important area .. has whfis appreciation of this very important characteristic now been surpassed by their appreciation of how a given tv will perform , near a picture window ?

as regards the more natural picture aspect , its always been another area that lcd tvs have had an inherant disadvantage compared to plasma , this is very well documented ?..

a given tvs respective technology may be becoming a little less obvious in comparism to one another clare , but there are still traits of plasma tech that give them an advantage in some areas , just as there are traits of lcd tech that plasmas cant match , thats the way it is for me , and i personally value the key areas that plasmas , because they are plasmas , score well in ..

just my views clare , and quite possibly the views of many others ?



We certainly appreciate a good black level, but that's not the be-all and end-all of TV performance. The best LED-backlit LCD TVs are fast approaching plasma's ability with blacks and contrast, while adding detail levels that - to date - we simply haven't seen from the current crop of plasmas. And i've seen poor plasmas with WORSE blacks than LCDs - a bad set is a bad set; the technology is a moot point.

And i'd argue that the best motion-handling on LCDs is on a par with plasma - better in some cases. Yes, really.

And the 'natural' picture debate rages on - again, we've seen some LCDs that are better than plasmas, some plasmas that are better than LCDs: each individual model has to be considered on its own merits, not by dint of its technology.

We've given five-stars (and Awards) to plasmas since flatscreens emerged, and continue to do so. But because we feel they're the best TVs at their size/price, not because they're plasmas.

 

[Anonymous]

ah , we,ll agree to disagree clare

...

 

[strapped for cash]

And, of course, personal preference is a hugely important factor, which is why the OP is best advised to compile a shortlist and go see the respective models in action.

I know when I was auditioning sets last year I tried to put aside any preconceptions about the traits of different technologies and concentrate purely on which picture I liked best. When it finally came down to a choice between the Pana G10 plasma and the Philips 42" 7404 LCD, I could see different strengths and weaknesses with either set.

The LCD dragged up more detail, but couldn't match the picture stability and natural colours of the plasma (though I'm only making this observation about comparisons between these two sets). The G10 suited me better, but I wouldn't have balked at anybody who said they found the 7404 a more enjoyable watch.

I remain happy with my choice, which is not to say it would have been right for everybody. The only way you will get a better idea of what suits you best is to arrange a thorough audition where you'll likely annoy the sales rep as you spend an inordinate amount of time agonising over your decision. However, if they want the sale...

 

[Clare Newsome]

maxflinn:ah , we,ll agree to disagree clare

...

I guess we will, but it would be really helpful in future, Max, if - when you're singing the praises of the new Panasonic plasma range (which i'm sure you'll continue to do so - heck, you started before they'd even been released!) - that you clarify your comments with phrases such as 'from what I read in reviews' etc.

We truly appreciate your enthusiasm and desire to be helpful to others, but people deserve to know your comments are based on your laudable research, not hands-on experience. Sure they'll appreciate your input!

 

[Clare Newsome]

strapped for cash:
And, of course, personal preference is a hugely important factor, which is why the OP is best advised to compile a shortlist and go see the respective models in action.

I know when I was auditioning sets last year I tried to put aside any preconceptions about the traits of different technologies and concentrate purely on which picture I liked best. When it finally came down to a choice between the Pana G10 plasma and the Philips 42" 7404 LCD, I could see different strengths and weaknesses with either set.

The LCD dragged up more detail, but couldn't match the picture stability and natural colours of the plasma (though I'm only making this observation about comparisons between these two sets). The G10 suited me better, but I wouldn't have balked at anybody who said they found the 7404 a more enjoyable watch.

I remain happy with my choice, which is not to say it would have been right for everybody. The only way you will get a better idea of what suits you best is to arrange a thorough audition where you'll likely annoy the sales rep as you spend an inordinate amount of time agonising over your decision. However, if they want the sale...

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:
maxflinn:ah , we,ll agree to disagree clare

...

I guess we will, but it would be really helpful in future, Max, if - when you're singing the praises of the new Panasonic plasma range (which i'm sure you'll continue to do so - heck, you started before they'd even been released!) - that you clarify your comments with phrases such as 'from what I read in reviews' etc.

We truly appreciate your enthusiasm and desire to be helpful to others, but people deserve to know your comments are based on your laudable research, not hands-on experience. Sure they'll appreciate your input!

well , ive had my 46g10 for 7 months now clare , i also had a samsung 46b650 for a week last year , and a philips 37pfl5604 for 3 weeks just before that , also , my friend has a sony 40w5500 , incidentally , i advised him to buy that

, and another friend has a sony 46v4000 , i often watch movies on both . so , i do feel ive got some decent real world experience to add to my findings on the net

..

im also going to buy a panny 50vt20 soon , hopefully before the end of the summer

, so ill be well equipped for future debates

but i appreciate your request , in future , if im commenting on a tv that i have not seen first hand , ill make that clear

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Nice one Max on buying a new tv

i look forward to hearing how you get on with your new tv, do you think you will buy a 3D blu ray player? and if yes which one?

Cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks gel , ill be getting a panasonic 3d bluray player , they have two hdmi outs , so i wont need to change my av receiver

hopefully i can get it as part of a bundle , when buying the tv , im like you , always looking for a good deal

 

[Deleted member 2457]

So it does work now 3D on a blu ray player with two hdmi out's? and you don't need a new amp to get all the benefit's?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

gel:
So it does work now 3D on a blu ray player with two hdmi out's? and you don't need a new amp to get all the benefit's?

Thanks

yes , with a panasonic 3d blu-ray player , any hdmi compatible av receiver will work ..

if one were to buy any other make of 3d player , they would need to buy a new 3d compatible av receiver too ,

 

[Deleted member 2457]

maxflinn:gel:

So it does work now 3D on a blu ray player with two hdmi out's? and you don't need a new amp to get all the benefit's?

Thanks

yes , with a panasonic 3d blu-ray player , any hdmi compatible av receiver will work ..

if one were to buy any other make of 3d player , they would need to buy a new 3d compatible av receiver too ,

I heard that pioneer are going to stick two hdmi's on there new 3D blu ray player's so they have now found a loop hole so everything is fine again, clever

 

[Anonymous]

gel:maxflinn:gel:

So it does work now 3D on a blu ray player with two hdmi out's? and you don't need a new amp to get all the benefit's?

Thanks

yes , with a panasonic 3d blu-ray player , any hdmi compatible av receiver will work ..

if one were to buy any other make of 3d player , they would need to buy a new 3d compatible av receiver too ,

I heard that pioneer are going to stick two hdmi's on there new 3D blu ray player's so they have now found a loop hole so everything is fine again, clever

ah , i hadnt heard that gel , thats a nice bonus for pioneer fans wanting to go down the 3d road

 

[Clare Newsome]

gel:

I heard that pioneer are going to stick two hdmi's on there new 3D blu ray player's so they have now found a loop hole so everything is fine again, clever

Not that Pioneer has released any details - let alone specs - of any forthcoming 3D BD players.... It's all speculation at this stage.

 

[TKratz]

Clare Newsome:

We certainly appreciate a good black level, but that's not the be-all and end-all of TV performance. The best LED-backlit LCD TVs are fast approaching plasma's ability with blacks and contrast, while adding detail levels that - to date - we simply haven't seen from the current crop of plasmas. And i've seen poor plasmas with WORSE blacks than LCDs - a bad set is a bad set; the technology is a moot point.

In general I think there is way too much focus on black levels. Yes, it is an important factor for picture quality, but only one of many. I agree, that new LED-backlit LCD actually provides black levels on par if not better than the plasma screen. It should be fairly simple really, just turn out the light, and the screen will turn black. This technique however normally leads to new disadvantages. Halo's around light objects on dark backgrounds and poor shadow details. So when you say details levels exceeding any plasma screen seen to date I hope you mean something else than the shadow details. I am still to see a LED set that can compete with the best plasmas on shadow details. LG LE8500 being the one coming closest at the moment.

Clare Newsome:

And i'd argue that the best motion-handling on LCDs is on a par with plasma - better in some cases. Yes, really.

Then I think we first need to agree on how to define the 'best motion-handling'. We can hopefully agree, that a plasma has far better response rate than a LCD screen? Even though you do not want to go into the tech, this really is down to differences in how plasma and LCD screens are built. Plasma screens only depends on the responsivenes of each single plasma cell, whereas LCD has the limitation of the LCD crystal filter being hundreds of times slower. Therefore, the only way to compete is basically 'cheating'. There are various ways to boost the response time, but they come at an expense. So there you go, the motion-handling might have been improved, but on expense of the natural picture some of us would argue.

And this is often the background for the 'natural picture' discussion I believe.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Yes indeed. And that's before you get onto a discussion about how some people are more sensitive to processing than others - eg one person sees smooth motion whereas the other feels seasick!

Again, it's why auditioning the current options is key.

Fortunately, the majority of high-end TVs this year - Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Samsung and LG included - are all targeted at retailers with the ability to demo them. Please all make use of this opportunity, and don't be afraid to fiddle with settings and get stuck into the real details of the set in question.