Which of these options should I go for?

[admin_exported]

I'm finally about to take the plunge and buy an HDTV. After lots of research, I've narrowed my choices down to the following :

Samsung Plasma - PS42Q97HDX

Panasonic Plasma - TH42PX70(PED)

Sony LCD - KDL40W2000

Sharp LCD - LC-42XDIE

I sit about 3 metres from the screen in a fairly bright room, and will be using the tv mainly for DVD's, PS2 gaming and the occassional bit of TV (but not sports).

Can anyone recommend which of these would be best for me?

Thanks, Phill.

 

[D.J.KRIME]

If it were my money I would go for either of the plasma sets over the lcd's any day as they handle motion far better and will get a much deeper and more natural balck when watching your dvds,

 

[Clare Newsome]

I'd buy the Panasonic plasma. Full review in issue out Thursday....

 

[Anonymous]

I can't wait to see the super test..

I will be using this review to produce a shortlist that I can audition in person. I thought I would go for a Pioneer 428xd for sure, but if the new Panasonics have a picture as good, I might be swayed. Roll on Thursday.

I must admit that I started reading WHiFiSAV about a year ago, but haven't bought an issue for about 3 months. Throughout the months of reading it, I would have said there was a bias towards LCD, and I thought I a was all set to buy the Sony 40W. Certainly in the last few months, (the last issue I bought crowned the 37" pioneer as the group test winner) Plasma seems to be nosing ahead again. After seeing all the sets in the flesh (but only the 7G pioneer), I can see why!

 

[Anonymous]

I think that was a 37 inch Panasonic. Pioneer don't make a 37 inch.

 

[Anonymous]

You are correct, well spotted. It was the Panasonic 37" that I meant

Too many mainstream manufacturer's begining with P's and S's 🙂

 

[D.J.KRIME]

And long may PLASMA reign supreme over those jumped up LCD gloryfied pc monitors!!! All hail the King!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I had the same question about whether or not to go for the Samsung and the Panasonic you mention above. Clare has kindly given her opinion in favour of the Panasonic which I again auditioned yesterday.Without doubt a lovely TV in most respects. My only real niggle is that when I compared it the Samsung model the Samsung just seemed to produce a deeper richer black than the Panasonic. Another concern is over which of these two would actually give me a better standard definition picture via normal SKY. I also saw a Pirates of the Carribean normal DVD being played through a Samsung HD870 on the Samsung model you mention above and I was taken aback by how much more 3 dimensional the picture was over the Panasonic.

Some reviews have said that the Pansaonic isn't very good at scaling SD whilst WHAT hifi S& V's sister Mag What Home Cinema give it the thumbs up in this respect. Another 'trusted' review said that the Samsung was much better than the Panasonic when it came to SD saying that never has a plasma come so close to a CRT in this respect...........so at the end of the day what do you do? In my view either one or the other is good with SD or insn't but the problem is that they're so many conflicts of view over these two models that you have to beg the question and ask which is really the true and false.

 

[D.J.KRIME]

I personally on the 50"" models also found that the image on the Panasonic was a little soft compared to the Samsung hence I got the samsung.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks to you all for your help (especially D J Krime), have ordered the Panasonic 42'' plasma and a Denon 1940 - both are being delivered at the weekend!