Help me choose a new TV
supersleuth
Posts: 470 Forum Member
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Help.
Can anyone give me some advice on a good TV that can do the following. I am a TV novice
1. 37-42inch
2. LED (assume this is the best format?)
3. 3d compatible (optional)
4. USB port or ability to play external media such as DivX
5. Possibly part of a package to include DVD player and Glasses
I'm looking at £500-£800 (but this is not restricted, just a guess on what I could expect to pay)
Can anyone help me (or open my eyes to the realities....)
Thank you so much...
Can anyone give me some advice on a good TV that can do the following. I am a TV novice
1. 37-42inch
2. LED (assume this is the best format?)
3. 3d compatible (optional)
4. USB port or ability to play external media such as DivX
5. Possibly part of a package to include DVD player and Glasses
I'm looking at £500-£800 (but this is not restricted, just a guess on what I could expect to pay)
Can anyone help me (or open my eyes to the realities....)
Thank you so much...
0
Comments
1) The Panasonic TX-P42G20 plasma - Amazon have it for £650, (John Lewis have it at £680 with a 5 year warranty but list it as out of stock but you buy a 5 year warranty from Pansonic for around £90.)
2) The Sony 40EX503 - John Lewis have it at £700 (with a 5 year warranty)
That should leave you plenty to get the Sony BDP-S370 blu-ray - which can be had for £100 (Play,Tesco, Comet) - to make the most of your new HD panel.
The G20 has a (slightly) better picture quality and FreesatHD; the E503 is a better with regard to online services such as the BBC iPlayer. I'd go for the G20 (but I have both anyway
The only things I would add which are specific to your request...
1) 37"-42" - 42" is your best proposition. It's the most competitive market segment: biggest choice & best value.
2) LED - really bit of a fashion statement rather than being the 'best' technology. You pay extra for the thinness, sometimes at the expense of evenness of illumination.
3 & 4) media player & 3D ability - these kind of go hand in hand. You'll probably find that 3D capable sets are closer in spec to the top-of-the range models so include media player features as standard.
5) packaged with 3D Blu-ray & glasses - 3D TVs are going to come with a couple of pairs of glasses anyway, otherwise the 3D feature would be unusable and pointless . Extra glasses aren't cheap - approx £100 per pair - so if you have a family of four then 3D can get very expensive. As for packages with a 3D Blu-ray player, just use Google to see what's available and draw up a short list.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003J36FQI/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=12QNWDXQ4N6SRQW74R9R&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
If you're willing to drop the need for 3D or you're open to the possibility of LCD or plasma you'll find lots more choice in the £500-£800 range.
The five year warranty from Panasonic, this will be a referral to an insurance Company, add £200 to the £90, or take a chance on the Amazon cheap warranty they are selling,with restrictions. I checked the Amazon deal out & was not impressed.
Nice set, but Philips? Id stick to Pany or Sony far more reliable.
Actually no - I suspect you're thinking of the D&G route.
If you ring the Panasonic warranty number - 01344 706723 - you can buy the extra 4 years for around £90.
Seems to be a few issues with Philips 3D TV's ,see http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?tmplt=ePlatform%20-%20Philips&scy=GB&slg=ENG&sct=LCD_TV_SU&cat=TV_CA&grp=SOUND_AND_VISION_GR&ctn=40PFL8605H/12&mid=Link_FAQs&session=20101229151808_92.17.22.192&hlt=Link_FAQs many problems. Look at the last three questions in the 3D section :eek:
As for 37-42 being best, no i'd say it is becoming low end.
it has Divx , USB recording, ethernet, freesat for BBC i player, USB sticks for Divx films, media player through wireless network or wired
The media options I find are just a bonus, the standards and implimentation are too in the flux at the moment to use them as a decision maker.
Yes I was thinking that way,however I was not aware of this in house Panasonic warranty,it must be a closely guarded secret.
I have bought 2 pany tvs in the past two months and not a dicky bird anywhere about it, except free 5 yr from dealers only until tomorrow,if bought from them.
Can you guide me to the info on this please.
It seems to be a fairly open secret now
Hope that helps.
£715 from Richer Sounds with a five year warranty.
Are you ahppy with it?
It seems a rare thing these days for people to be buying Plasmas?
Spent a lot of time researching what to buy and this model came out on top in every one of my 'needs' categories.
Very.:D
Picture quality is superb when watching HD, comes into a world of its own compared to my previous 32" LCD Samsung.
????????????????
loads of plasmas being sold
my 50 " G20 rocks
there is very little difference now between LCD / PLASMA
I to am looking at getting either a http://www.richersounds.com/product/plasma-tv/panasonic/viera-txp42g20/pana-txp42g20a
or a http://www.richersounds.com/product/plasma-tv/panasonic/viera-txp42s20/pana-txp42s20 (dependent on finances)
How is the picture for sd viewing? as i will be viewing through sky+ box not hd and watching blu-ray, no gaming
though.
I'm still tweaking the settings, only got the TV myself a couple of days ago. I'm viewing through my V+ box and SD channels look superb, plenty of settings to adjust to your own personal preference.
The best thing for me is the lack of any hint of motion blur, which was a big issue with my Samsung.