What TV should replace my stolen Sony 40D3000??

[PadRock]

My flat was burgled a week and a half ago, and, amongst things, had my 4 month old Sony KDL-40D3000 & 3 week old PS3 nicked! So I'm looking all over again at TVs, and seeking guidance ...

So there is some consolation, I am looking at getting a higher spec TV - either a 40" or 42" (think 46 would be too big). The Pioneer PDP4280XD seems to get universally good write ups, although is a bit more than I am looking at spending. I'm very tempted by the Sony 40W3000, partly as I was so pleased with the 'D' version and also as it is a 1080p panel. The other temptation is the Pana TH42PZ70B, although read that there was some 24p judder on this, which would irritate!

While the SD picture is obviously important, I am reckoning on ever greater HD sources from Blu-Ray/downloads and gaming.

Any opinions? Are there other sets that I should be considering?

 

[Andy Clough]

The Pioneer won our Nov 07 Supertest against the Sony and Panasonic, but admittedly it's a bit pricey.

The interesting thing that came out of that test was the disparity between the black levels and contrast delivered by the LCD and plasma sets.

Even the best LCD screen - the Sony - didn't come close to matching the black performance of the Panasonic, let alone the Pioneer set. However, in terms of a vibrant viewing experience, the Sony is up there with the best.

Personally, if you can't run to the Pioneer, I'd go for the Panasonic, especially if you want to make the most of HD sources.

 

[Zubkabera]

I would strongly recommend Samsung LE40F86 as the big brother of this model 46in version knocked down the high-end model of Sony 46x3500 in supertest and have better value for money.

 

[Alsone]

I don't still have a copy of the 42" test from November (shame on me but I did buy my screen after all ), but I seem to remember the Samsung came out poorly compared to the others. 3 stars I believe from memory (could have been 4) whilst the Sony 40W3000, Panasonic PX and PZ 70, and Pioneer 428 offerings all got 5 stars.

Perhaps someone from What HiFI S&V could give you a more accurate statement as to their findings.

However, as a rule its not safe to decided that a tv is great in one size based on another because often there are panel / electronic differences between the 2 sizes despite them seemingly being the same model which often results in differences in picture quality between the sizes.

I'd be looking at Pioneer / Panasonic / Sony in that order.

However, I currently have a screen problem with a Pioneer that their service department has so far failed to acknowledge as a fault (their view of what is acceptable is different to mine). On this basis I couldn't recommend you get a Pioneer at the moment as you could be spending a lot of money only to risk getting a potentially disappointing panel and level of service that might be less than you were expecting.

 

[PadRock]

Hi Andy ... thanks for your response. Am thinking maybe the Pioneer might be worth stretching to, but I suppose my concern (price aside) is that is a lot of money for a non-1080p panel. I have heard that this only makes a big difference on 50" panels and above, but surely there must be a difference? As I will be using it for Blu-Ray a fair bit, it would be annoying to know that I'm not getting the most out of the source material!