[Montasura]

OK, so I am buying a new LCD for the living room (our first LCD no less).

The living room is approx 20ft by 14. We will be mainly watching SD via Sky+ but I am planning to get a PS3 very shortly so will be gaming and watching some Blu Rays.

I have done a bit of research and have narrowed it down to 5 sets (I think!).....2 32in sets and 2 37in sets. Our budget is max£500 but would prefer cheaper. The choices are:

LG 37LG3000...gets some great reviews (£435)
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...7C10199310.htm

Samsung LE37A457C1D (£436)
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...7C10199310.htm

SONY KDL32V4000 (£342 - Argos or £490 for L4000)
http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/stor...m=12&sm=0&tm=1

PANASONIC TX-32LXD80 (£438 - Argos)
http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/stor...&category_oid=

Panasonic TX32LXD85 (£474)
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...7C10199316.htm

Would prefer the 37in screen but am really torn as the reviews for the Panny 32LXD85 are great.

Any help from experts or owners would be great.....thanks.

[will2348]

The standard of quality between LG and the rest of them is huge, so don't go LG.

Sony TVs have cinema sync, so do samsung - i think and panasonic.

Sony and Samsung are best for LCDs

Whereas Panasonic if you want to get a slightly bigger TV are better for plasma's

[Montasura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by will2348

The standard of quality between LG and the rest of them is huge, so don't go LG.

Sony TVs have cinema sync, so do samsung - i think and panasonic.

Sony and Samsung are best for LCDs

Whereas Panasonic if you want to get a slightly bigger TV are better for plasma's

I have to say that your comments kinda fly in the face of the so called "expert review" sites such as hdtvorg.co.uk.

The reviews for the LG would suggest that it clearly outperforms many of it's counterparts including Sony and Samsung at "entry level" and that it betters the performance of some of the top end of the market.

As for Sonys and Sammys being the best, every bit of information I can find would suggest that Panasonic beat all the competition hands down.

Nevertheless, it is these mixed opinions which have led me down the path of posting here to get the views of owners of some of these models or people who have been looking at the same models.

Do you own any of these models Will2348?

[the hamster]

Heres my view.

Im an aerial and sky installer, I see tvs every day.

I wanted a new tv last year so I started looking at what customers had and how well they performed.

I had a big chunky Sony CRT tv at the time and the picture was excellent so I wanted something as close to a CRT picture as possible not a "digitalized" picture like watching YouTube.

After a month or so I had narrowed it down and made this assessment.

I didnt like LCD as I was put off by the motion dragging on ball sports/fast moving objects. The LCD's did produce excellent colours and viewing angles on smaller sets (22-32"). I actually saw some terrific performance from Wharfdales and Hitachi's (bought my son a 26" Hitachi for xmas).

I saw many large Panasonics, Sonys and Philips that gave a very "digital" picture which nearly put me off all together.

In terms of performance, value for money and appearance I saw 2 manufacturers that produced consistent quality results, LG and Samsung.

I went to an ex-demo retailer with the intention of buying an LG as it was in my price range but when I saw the Samsung was a little extra I got it.

My tv is a PS42Q97HDX Samsing 42" plasma. You can now buy the newer model PS42A457 for under £500 and it has better contrast ratio and connections.

http://www.hdtvorg.co.uk/reviews/pla...ps42q97hdx.htm

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Reviews/Samsung_PS42A457__6902654

If LCD is a must for you I recommend viewing the set in Currys etc 1st. Get them to show you the normal tv picture, not some HD demo they have on all the tv's.

These people are a pleasure to deal with. I drove from Grantham to Sheffield to check them out when my friend wanted a 50" Samsung plasma 3 months ago. Its a tiny little shop in a quiet town that looks like its been there for years. Their internet sales took off in a big way so you can buy thru ebay or the website then can have it delivered or collect from the warehouse up the road. They were easy to deal with, informative and professional. They have the Samsung LCD you have listed with a 3 year complete warranty.

http://www.cramptonandmoore.co.uk/LE37A457-i606693.html

This is just my opinion based on experience. My auntie works for Sony so if I wanted one I could have got a good deal and my CRT 28" Sony tv was excellent but I just didnt see a Sony flat panel that I was impressed enough with to justify the cost. I went for all round value for money and chose the Samsung. I now have a PS3 and sky HD connected to it and my friends/family all say how good the picture is. I always recommend this set to customers who ask and 3 have bought it based on this.



Good luck with your purchase, hope this helps a little.

[Fatwaz]

have a look at the panasonic 37px80 plasma,you won't beat it's picture imho via sky or ps3 and is in the 500 budget

[Orbitalzone]

It's impossible to say what's best and everything you read online is still only someones opinion.

HDTV.org or Which, Kelkoo or other review sites still can't be taken as the ultimate font of all knowledge.... they give some good reviews and comments but they're not always right. You have to do some research yourself and mix in the comments online and make your own mind up.

I spent ages comparing various 32" LCD's a few months ago and it was very clear to me that the Panasonic and Sony models performed almost identically. None was better than the other, both had merits and both had their downsides (albeit small)

Don't go by what you see in the average superstore, you need to fiddle around with the TV on a proper source, ideally SD as well as HD and try and compare like for like at sensible viewing distances. This can be hard as Currys/Comet squeeze in loads of TV's with no room to sit back and view them.... plus they run low definition rubbish demos half the time, making everything look rubbish.

Go and see a smaller independant and they'll probably let you tinker about and leave you alone for 20 minutes to try them out, they might even have some half decent offers.....cheapest isn't always the best

I decided that the KDL32W4000 performed really well and compared very very closely to the Panasonic of a similar price (can't remember the model now) However do your research and see what takes your fancy.

There is no definitive answer as to what is best.

[nedmundo]

I've got the LG - it's very good.

Try
http://www.avforums.com/forums/av-ha...-bargains.html

[zestfulmass]

I've always sworn by samsung after getting a sony and having it fail on numerous occasions.
Cracking picture quality and never put a foot wrong, and I've always thought sony price their equipment a bit high compared to quality of other. Dads got a PZ81 too and this is also amazing on his Sky HD