A good 32" LCD HDTV for £600?

bona-v · 12-02-2009, 09:17

Hiya,

I have been searching these forums for my purchase of a 32" LCD HDTV which I intend to purchase tomorrow. I have £600 to spend on it.

I am more confused now. So can someone please recommend one which is reliable.

I do not have any other HD equipment yet so will mainly want a set which gives a great picture on standard broadcasts. However I do have BT Vision and Sky+ so need one that upscales their pictures decently.

The sound from the set is also needed to be good as I don't intend to get a surround system (at the moment).

Thanks in advance.

Nigel Goodwin · 12-02-2009, 09:53

Sony sets are amongst the best, both for performance and reliability. The KDL32V4000 has sold huge numbers at very reasonable prices, well under your £600 budget.

We've now had 500 of them, never had a faulty one yet.

bona-v · 12-02-2009, 10:17

Thanks for that Nigel.

I must admit I would prefer Sony or Panasonic, and the Sony KDL 32V4000 is well within my budget and certainly gets great reviews.

However, when I was looking at Currys, they are selling a 32" Sharp LC32D65E with the Sharp BHHP21H BluRay player for £499.99, which seems tempting, as I will get a BluRay player and the TV is 1080p. But I do admit, that quality of product is more important to me than what bundle I get as I do not intend to upgrade my TV in the forseeable future.

Any comments on the Sharp LC32D65E please?

HaraHeeHum · 12-02-2009, 13:50

I also set out with similar plan... but instead ended up getting a 32'' PLASMA!

The LG PG326000 can be had for around £400 and I can thoroughly recommend it. Great for SD, and probably good for HD as well for this size of TV. Not sure about that because I don't have any HD at the moment...

Nigel Goodwin · 12-02-2009, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by bona-v

Thanks for that Nigel.

I must admit I would prefer Sony or Panasonic, and the Sony KDL 32V4000 is well within my budget and certainly gets great reviews.

However, when I was looking at Currys, they are selling a 32" Sharp LC32D65E with the Sharp BHHP21H BluRay player for £499.99, which seems tempting, as I will get a BluRay player and the TV is 1080p. But I do admit, that quality of product is more important to me than what bundle I get as I do not intend to upgrade my TV in the forseeable future.

Any comments on the Sharp LC32D65E please?

Sharp aren't as good as Sony, and LG are considerably poorer than either

bona-v · 12-02-2009, 15:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Sharp aren't as good as Sony, and LG are considerably poorer than either

Cheers! I have been over to Currys and Tesco and the Sharp was not very sharp at all. In fact it was the worst of all on display.

I had a very helpful lad in Currys, who was patient and honest with me. On the sets I was interested in seeing, he even let me view them with SD and HD inputs. He advised against Sharp, Toshiba and LG.

I was all for your Sony model recommendation. But, after an hour in Currys, I have decided on the 37" Samsung LE37A556P at £580. Although I am busy researching on the net about it too, and will decide for sure by the time I go to buy it at 6pm tomorrow.

Chocdoc · 12-02-2009, 22:01

Search AV Forums to see lots of people who've had problems with certain batches of that Sony.

You know you could get a 42" Plasma for that money yeah?

Without going into the LCD vs Plasma debate, the Panny 42" PX80 can be found for £550 and is within your budget. It's end of line though so you'll have to hurry. It's replacement is £800 or so.

Ok, I'm biased as I have one but SD and HD are both amazing as is Blue-Ray on this TV. I was especially impressed with SD as I was considerably better than on my Samsung LCD and on my older CRT. There's quite a few people over on one of the Digital Spy forums that say they haven't bothered to get Sky HD as the picture from this TV is so good on SD.

Still, even with the problems associated with a large batch (not all!) of the Sonys, my choice would be:

1) Panasonic
2) Sony
3) Samsung

Some info on the Panny

HaraHeeHum · 13-02-2009, 00:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by bona-v

I had a very helpful lad in Currys, who was patient and honest with me. On the sets I was interested in seeing, he even let me view them with SD and HD inputs. He advised against Sharp, Toshiba and LG.

Traditionally everyone goes for Panasonic and Sony, but the LCD TVs I saw looked utter cr@p in the shops I went to see them in, so I investigated a bit more and found out about the LG. I don't know about LG LCD TVs, but their 32'' plasma is fantastic.... but now you've decided to go for a 37''...oh.

bona-v · 13-02-2009, 09:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaraHeeHum

Traditionally everyone goes for Panasonic and Sony, but the LCD TVs I saw looked utter cr@p in the shops I went to see them in, so I investigated a bit more and found out about the LG. I don't know about LG LCD TVs, but their 32'' plasma is fantastic.... but now you've decided to go for a 37''...oh.

Cheers for the info. I still have not fully made my mind up, and will look at the plasma tv's when I go back today. I hadn't even thought about a plasma, but will have a good look.

Personally, looking at the LCD sets, the LG's and the Samsungs both looked better cosmetically and picture wise in my humble opinion.

In the past I had a Toshiba widescreen CRT TV which had a fantastic picture and build quality, with great sound from the built in speakers. Lovely set. I only changed it to the Panasonic I now have when I switched to a flat screen. The sound on the Panasonic is far inferior to my old Toshiba. But, on the LCD's I checked out yesterday, Toshiba seem to have gone wayward.

Also, thanks to Chocdoc for your info. But 42" will be far too big for my living room, I even think the 37" is pushing it a little. The only reason I'm getting a new TV is because my mother lives in the livingroom in one of those electric hospital beds (she's paralysed after suffering a stroke a couple of years ago) and we need more room to move the bed and furniture around. So, it will be wall mounted. It's incredible how much room is taken up by the "old style" TV's.

Getting info from you guys over the years has really helped make better buying choices and save a few quid also. So thanks again, and sorry if I don't end up getting something you recommended, but the info as ever is first class.

banbury_oddball · 13-02-2009, 11:16

I disagree with your Toshiba bashing.

I've had three of them and each one gets bigger. I had the 32" flat screen a few years back, then had the 32" 32WL66 model which I was really happy with, now I have the 37XV505 model offering full 1080p HD. I paid £550 roughly for this and the picture is stunning and the sound is reasonable, but not fantastic. To be fair to Toshiba though, most LCD manufacturers do not put great sound systems into the sets as a lot of true enthusiasts will wire them up to an amp like I've done.

My brother has the larger 42" version and I know many others that are more than happy with their sets.

There is an online shop if you look around selling the later model of mine which is a 32XV555DB for £409 which is an absolute bargain. With your £200 left over, you could buy either a Blu-Ray dvd player, or buy Sky HD for £49 and a basic subscription with HD !

HaraHeeHum · 13-02-2009, 11:24

Check out AV forums as well... lots of info on the LG 32PG6000 plasma.

If you have a Richer Sounds near you, they are doing it for £400 (+ £40 for 5 year guarantee). I believe Tesco sell it as well.

I won't be offended if you go for something else though!

Sport1 · 13-02-2009, 11:39

I got the Sony 32v4000 last week, a lovely bit of kit for the money. Really impressed.

bona-v · 13-02-2009, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by banbury_oddball

I disagree with your Toshiba bashing.

Hiya,

Sorry. I wasn't Toshiba bashing. I have found in the past that Toshiba were brilliant. My observation yesterday was that seeing them side by side the LG's and Samsung LCD TV's in SD and HD they were not as clear, picture wise.

I was getting excited about the Panasonic PX80, but after reading up and ringing Richer Sounds I have to pass on any plasma. My mother watches Challenge nearly all day and the on screen logo would cause problems.

Nigel Goodwin · 13-02-2009, 13:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by bona-v

I was getting excited about the Panasonic PX80, but after reading up and ringing Richer Sounds I have to pass on any plasma. My mother watches Challenge nearly all day and the on screen logo would cause problems.

Aren't all the DOG's now fairly low brightness to avoid any such problems?. Screen burn is really of very little concern these days, just keep contrast/brightness down a little for the first few months till it's 'run in'.

Fatwaz · 13-02-2009, 14:04

1. toshiba are very nice tv's especially for the money.i would have no hesitation in recommending the 37xv555 or the cv505 which is the same but not 1080p(and at the price probably a better bet)

2.i have a panasonic 37px80 and my little girl watches ceebeebies all day and it has a dog in the corner and we have had no problems with it.as nigel says as long as you dont have brightness and contrast up full then there will be no problems

3.if it will be for just sd viewing i would really say get a plasma as they will give you the closest picture to a crt imho with the px80 if you can find it a very good set with superb sd pics.i would also say the lg 32 inch plasma has a fantastic sd picture too but does suffer from poor image retention(not burn!)but this is very much a personal issue and if like some it doesn't bother you it is a very good set.

bona-v · 13-02-2009, 21:04

Thanks for everyones input.

Went to Currys for the Samsung and asked for the lad who helped me yesterday, as I promised I was coming back for the TV tonight.

I waited patiently as he dealt with a customer. Only to find that they didn't have any stock. He said I could pay him and then collect it from another store (Approx 15 mile round trip). That's when I said, no thanks and left.

Straight to the nearby Tesco Extra and after considering views expressed here, I got the Sony KDL37V400 for £599. It took 5 mins to set up, even scanning for the Freeview channels was done in a fraction of the time it took my Panasonic, and wow, the sound quality is better than I expected. No tinny noise from this bad boy.
I could have got it a little cheaper if I ordered online, but, Tesco is nearby if I have any problems. And, I will not be using my local Currys in the near future.

Fatwaz · 13-02-2009, 21:21

if you'd said you were considering the 37v4000 i would have told you to stay clear lol.its probably the worst sony out there at the moment due to the poor panel which is not the same as used in their 32v4000 or 40v4000 sets.

stud u like · 13-02-2009, 21:29

I recommend my LG.

Flyer 10 · 13-02-2009, 22:10

Be aware theres a problem with the Samsung, it takes one second to cycle through each input so it can take 10 seconds just to get it to the right AV input. It doesnt skip unused inputs like my Sony or goes 4 inputs with 4 quick presses.

Its press AV, wait a sec, press AV wait a sec etc. My friend wanted to sell his £800 Samsung after 1 month.

bona-v · 14-02-2009, 09:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatwaz

if you'd said you were considering the 37v4000 i would have told you to stay clear lol.its probably the worst sony out there at the moment due to the poor panel which is not the same as used in their 32v4000 or 40v4000 sets.

Thanks Fatwaz.

The truth is, that I wasn't considering the 37" Sony. But, when I saw it in Tesco (Currys didn't have the Sony V4000 models at all) and had my list from people here, I went for it as it had a very good picture.

I was going for the Panasonic PX80 as you recommended earlier, but in my area, only Comet had 1 left in stock and it was their display model, and I didn't want an ex-display one. And, the fact it will be on Challenge all day with their DOG (although I had been reasurred here that it shouldn't be a problem) was a deciding factor.

I have to say that the sound from the internal speakers is fantastic. PQ from Freeview and Sky SD are very good, and suprisingly, BT Vision via the scart connection is fantastic.

Getting an HDMI cable today as BT Vision now has programmes aswell as films in HD, and my upgrade to Sky+HD will be available within 3 months.

macc_ladd · 14-02-2009, 17:39

I've been searching around today and the guy in Richer Sounds was certainly recommending the £400 LG Plasma over the LCDs. I agree the SD picture looked more natural, but didn't like the screen reflections.

Must admit before going out I hadn't appreciated the difference that 100hz makes on the refresh rate. I was dead impressed with a Phillips LCD that had this feature.

I also went to John Lewis, but all the pictures were crap since they were piping a poor freeview signal around loads of TVs. 100hz or not, and the rugby was very poor to watch.

I just installed my own dish and bought a Humax Foxsat HDR last weekend, so I'm trying to find a tv to go with it. With the shops I've been to, it's impossible to judge what level of features I should go for that would make a significant difference.

The picture quality on the panasonic CRT I have at the moment is excellent, it's just that I can't get the HD to display. I don't really want to take a backward step in going to a LCD... decisions, decisions.

bona-v · 15-02-2009, 09:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by macc_ladd

I've been searching around today and the guy in Richer Sounds was certainly recommending the £400 LG Plasma over the LCDs. I agree the SD picture looked more natural, but didn't like the screen reflections.

Must admit before going out I hadn't appreciated the difference that 100hz makes on the refresh rate. I was dead impressed with a Phillips LCD that had this feature.

I also went to John Lewis, but all the pictures were crap since they were piping a poor freeview signal around loads of TVs. 100hz or not, and the rugby was very poor to watch.

I just installed my own dish and bought a Humax Foxsat HDR last weekend, so I'm trying to find a tv to go with it. With the shops I've been to, it's impossible to judge what level of features I should go for that would make a significant difference.

The picture quality on the panasonic CRT I have at the moment is excellent, it's just that I can't get the HD to display. I don't really want to take a backward step in going to a LCD... decisions, decisions.

Sometimes too much information is as bad as too little. I was happy to have the recommendations from people here, and ultimately went for one they suggested. Have to say that I am more than impressed with the Sony KDL374000. It's not 1080p HD but the HD from BT Vision is fantastic, even the SD via the HDMI connection from BT Vision is excellent. The contrast is 22000:1 and the sound is more than expected from the internal speaker system.

One thing I noticed with the Samsung LE37556 in Currys, was that on the cartoon they were showing in store (a recent one, but cannot remember the name), a character was carrying a load of drinks glasses and when they were moving the rims of the glasses were fuzzy then looked clear when they were still. However, on the Sony even in SD via a DVD I recorded from ITV, Ice Age was crystal clear with no blurring or "fuzzy" bits, even on fast moving sequences.

My Panasonic TX-28DTX1 used to take ages to display digital text services (and sometimes gave up), used to take about 5-6 seconds to display channels when changing. The Sony is almost instant in displaying digital text and changing channels, and the Freeview PQ is fantastic, as is Sky+ via the scart and my DVD player via the scart. And all this on a 60Hz set.

My verdict on the Sony. Fantastic.

12-02-2009, 09:17	#1
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	A good 32" LCD HDTV for £600? Hiya, I have been searching these forums for my purchase of a 32" LCD HDTV which I intend to purchase tomorrow. I have £600 to spend on it. I am more confused now. So can someone please recommend one which is reliable. I do not have any other HD equipment yet so will mainly want a set which gives a great picture on standard broadcasts. However I do have BT Vision and Sky+ so need one that upscales their pictures decently. The sound from the set is also needed to be good as I don't intend to get a surround system (at the moment). Thanks in advance.

12-02-2009, 09:53	#2
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Sony sets are amongst the best, both for performance and reliability. The KDL32V4000 has sold huge numbers at very reasonable prices, well under your £600 budget. We've now had 500 of them, never had a faulty one yet.

12-02-2009, 10:17	#3
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	Thanks for that Nigel. I must admit I would prefer Sony or Panasonic, and the Sony KDL 32V4000 is well within my budget and certainly gets great reviews. However, when I was looking at Currys, they are selling a 32" Sharp LC32D65E with the Sharp BHHP21H BluRay player for £499.99, which seems tempting, as I will get a BluRay player and the TV is 1080p. But I do admit, that quality of product is more important to me than what bundle I get as I do not intend to upgrade my TV in the forseeable future. Any comments on the Sharp LC32D65E please?

12-02-2009, 13:50	#4
HaraHeeHum Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 612	I also set out with similar plan... but instead ended up getting a 32'' PLASMA! The LG PG326000 can be had for around £400 and I can thoroughly recommend it. Great for SD, and probably good for HD as well for this size of TV. Not sure about that because I don't have any HD at the moment...

12-02-2009, 15:02	#5
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by bona-v Thanks for that Nigel. I must admit I would prefer Sony or Panasonic, and the Sony KDL 32V4000 is well within my budget and certainly gets great reviews. However, when I was looking at Currys, they are selling a 32" Sharp LC32D65E with the Sharp BHHP21H BluRay player for £499.99, which seems tempting, as I will get a BluRay player and the TV is 1080p. But I do admit, that quality of product is more important to me than what bundle I get as I do not intend to upgrade my TV in the forseeable future. Any comments on the Sharp LC32D65E please? Sharp aren't as good as Sony, and LG are considerably poorer than either

12-02-2009, 15:26	#6
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Sharp aren't as good as Sony, and LG are considerably poorer than either Cheers! I have been over to Currys and Tesco and the Sharp was not very sharp at all. In fact it was the worst of all on display. I had a very helpful lad in Currys, who was patient and honest with me. On the sets I was interested in seeing, he even let me view them with SD and HD inputs. He advised against Sharp, Toshiba and LG. I was all for your Sony model recommendation. But, after an hour in Currys, I have decided on the 37" Samsung LE37A556P at £580. Although I am busy researching on the net about it too, and will decide for sure by the time I go to buy it at 6pm tomorrow.

12-02-2009, 22:01	#7
Chocdoc Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 3,480	Search AV Forums to see lots of people who've had problems with certain batches of that Sony. You know you could get a 42" Plasma for that money yeah? Without going into the LCD vs Plasma debate, the Panny 42" PX80 can be found for £550 and is within your budget. It's end of line though so you'll have to hurry. It's replacement is £800 or so. Ok, I'm biased as I have one but SD and HD are both amazing as is Blue-Ray on this TV. I was especially impressed with SD as I was considerably better than on my Samsung LCD and on my older CRT. There's quite a few people over on one of the Digital Spy forums that say they haven't bothered to get Sky HD as the picture from this TV is so good on SD. Still, even with the problems associated with a large batch (not all!) of the Sonys, my choice would be: 1) Panasonic 2) Sony 3) Samsung Some info on the Panny

13-02-2009, 00:42	#8
HaraHeeHum Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 612	Quote: Originally Posted by bona-v I had a very helpful lad in Currys, who was patient and honest with me. On the sets I was interested in seeing, he even let me view them with SD and HD inputs. He advised against Sharp, Toshiba and LG. Traditionally everyone goes for Panasonic and Sony, but the LCD TVs I saw looked utter cr@p in the shops I went to see them in, so I investigated a bit more and found out about the LG. I don't know about LG LCD TVs, but their 32'' plasma is fantastic.... but now you've decided to go for a 37''...oh.

13-02-2009, 09:46	#9
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	Quote: Originally Posted by HaraHeeHum Traditionally everyone goes for Panasonic and Sony, but the LCD TVs I saw looked utter cr@p in the shops I went to see them in, so I investigated a bit more and found out about the LG. I don't know about LG LCD TVs, but their 32'' plasma is fantastic.... but now you've decided to go for a 37''...oh. Cheers for the info. I still have not fully made my mind up, and will look at the plasma tv's when I go back today. I hadn't even thought about a plasma, but will have a good look. Personally, looking at the LCD sets, the LG's and the Samsungs both looked better cosmetically and picture wise in my humble opinion. In the past I had a Toshiba widescreen CRT TV which had a fantastic picture and build quality, with great sound from the built in speakers. Lovely set. I only changed it to the Panasonic I now have when I switched to a flat screen. The sound on the Panasonic is far inferior to my old Toshiba. But, on the LCD's I checked out yesterday, Toshiba seem to have gone wayward. Also, thanks to Chocdoc for your info. But 42" will be far too big for my living room, I even think the 37" is pushing it a little. The only reason I'm getting a new TV is because my mother lives in the livingroom in one of those electric hospital beds (she's paralysed after suffering a stroke a couple of years ago) and we need more room to move the bed and furniture around. So, it will be wall mounted. It's incredible how much room is taken up by the "old style" TV's. Getting info from you guys over the years has really helped make better buying choices and save a few quid also. So thanks again, and sorry if I don't end up getting something you recommended, but the info as ever is first class.

13-02-2009, 11:16	#10
banbury_oddball Forum Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Banbury Posts: 1,299	I disagree with your Toshiba bashing. I've had three of them and each one gets bigger. I had the 32" flat screen a few years back, then had the 32" 32WL66 model which I was really happy with, now I have the 37XV505 model offering full 1080p HD. I paid £550 roughly for this and the picture is stunning and the sound is reasonable, but not fantastic. To be fair to Toshiba though, most LCD manufacturers do not put great sound systems into the sets as a lot of true enthusiasts will wire them up to an amp like I've done. My brother has the larger 42" version and I know many others that are more than happy with their sets. There is an online shop if you look around selling the later model of mine which is a 32XV555DB for £409 which is an absolute bargain. With your £200 left over, you could buy either a Blu-Ray dvd player, or buy Sky HD for £49 and a basic subscription with HD !

13-02-2009, 11:24	#11
HaraHeeHum Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 612	Check out AV forums as well... lots of info on the LG 32PG6000 plasma. If you have a Richer Sounds near you, they are doing it for £400 (+ £40 for 5 year guarantee). I believe Tesco sell it as well. I won't be offended if you go for something else though!

13-02-2009, 11:39	#12
Sport1 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,067	I got the Sony 32v4000 last week, a lovely bit of kit for the money. Really impressed.

13-02-2009, 12:28	#13
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	Quote: Originally Posted by banbury_oddball I disagree with your Toshiba bashing. Hiya, Sorry. I wasn't Toshiba bashing. I have found in the past that Toshiba were brilliant. My observation yesterday was that seeing them side by side the LG's and Samsung LCD TV's in SD and HD they were not as clear, picture wise. I was getting excited about the Panasonic PX80, but after reading up and ringing Richer Sounds I have to pass on any plasma. My mother watches Challenge nearly all day and the on screen logo would cause problems.

13-02-2009, 13:11	#14
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by bona-v I was getting excited about the Panasonic PX80, but after reading up and ringing Richer Sounds I have to pass on any plasma. My mother watches Challenge nearly all day and the on screen logo would cause problems. Aren't all the DOG's now fairly low brightness to avoid any such problems?. Screen burn is really of very little concern these days, just keep contrast/brightness down a little for the first few months till it's 'run in'.

13-02-2009, 14:04	#15
Fatwaz Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 1,992	1. toshiba are very nice tv's especially for the money.i would have no hesitation in recommending the 37xv555 or the cv505 which is the same but not 1080p(and at the price probably a better bet) 2.i have a panasonic 37px80 and my little girl watches ceebeebies all day and it has a dog in the corner and we have had no problems with it.as nigel says as long as you dont have brightness and contrast up full then there will be no problems 3.if it will be for just sd viewing i would really say get a plasma as they will give you the closest picture to a crt imho with the px80 if you can find it a very good set with superb sd pics.i would also say the lg 32 inch plasma has a fantastic sd picture too but does suffer from poor image retention(not burn!)but this is very much a personal issue and if like some it doesn't bother you it is a very good set.

13-02-2009, 21:04	#16
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	Thanks for everyones input. Went to Currys for the Samsung and asked for the lad who helped me yesterday, as I promised I was coming back for the TV tonight. I waited patiently as he dealt with a customer. Only to find that they didn't have any stock. He said I could pay him and then collect it from another store (Approx 15 mile round trip). That's when I said, no thanks and left. Straight to the nearby Tesco Extra and after considering views expressed here, I got the Sony KDL37V400 for £599. It took 5 mins to set up, even scanning for the Freeview channels was done in a fraction of the time it took my Panasonic, and wow, the sound quality is better than I expected. No tinny noise from this bad boy. I could have got it a little cheaper if I ordered online, but, Tesco is nearby if I have any problems. And, I will not be using my local Currys in the near future.

13-02-2009, 21:21	#17
Fatwaz Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 1,992	if you'd said you were considering the 37v4000 i would have told you to stay clear lol.its probably the worst sony out there at the moment due to the poor panel which is not the same as used in their 32v4000 or 40v4000 sets.

13-02-2009, 21:29	#18
stud u like Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street Posts: 40,105	I recommend my LG.

13-02-2009, 22:10	#19
Flyer 10 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 4,556	Be aware theres a problem with the Samsung, it takes one second to cycle through each input so it can take 10 seconds just to get it to the right AV input. It doesnt skip unused inputs like my Sony or goes 4 inputs with 4 quick presses. Its press AV, wait a sec, press AV wait a sec etc. My friend wanted to sell his £800 Samsung after 1 month.

14-02-2009, 09:07	#20
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	Quote: Originally Posted by Fatwaz if you'd said you were considering the 37v4000 i would have told you to stay clear lol.its probably the worst sony out there at the moment due to the poor panel which is not the same as used in their 32v4000 or 40v4000 sets. Thanks Fatwaz. The truth is, that I wasn't considering the 37" Sony. But, when I saw it in Tesco (Currys didn't have the Sony V4000 models at all) and had my list from people here, I went for it as it had a very good picture. I was going for the Panasonic PX80 as you recommended earlier, but in my area, only Comet had 1 left in stock and it was their display model, and I didn't want an ex-display one. And, the fact it will be on Challenge all day with their DOG (although I had been reasurred here that it shouldn't be a problem) was a deciding factor. I have to say that the sound from the internal speakers is fantastic. PQ from Freeview and Sky SD are very good, and suprisingly, BT Vision via the scart connection is fantastic. Getting an HDMI cable today as BT Vision now has programmes aswell as films in HD, and my upgrade to Sky+HD will be available within 3 months.

14-02-2009, 17:39	#21
macc_ladd Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Rainow, Cheshire Posts: 50	I've been searching around today and the guy in Richer Sounds was certainly recommending the £400 LG Plasma over the LCDs. I agree the SD picture looked more natural, but didn't like the screen reflections. Must admit before going out I hadn't appreciated the difference that 100hz makes on the refresh rate. I was dead impressed with a Phillips LCD that had this feature. I also went to John Lewis, but all the pictures were crap since they were piping a poor freeview signal around loads of TVs. 100hz or not, and the rugby was very poor to watch. I just installed my own dish and bought a Humax Foxsat HDR last weekend, so I'm trying to find a tv to go with it. With the shops I've been to, it's impossible to judge what level of features I should go for that would make a significant difference. The picture quality on the panasonic CRT I have at the moment is excellent, it's just that I can't get the HD to display. I don't really want to take a backward step in going to a LCD... decisions, decisions.

DS Forums

A good 32" LCD HDTV for £600?

15-02-2009, 09:42	#22
bona-v Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 1,195	Quote: Originally Posted by macc_ladd I've been searching around today and the guy in Richer Sounds was certainly recommending the £400 LG Plasma over the LCDs. I agree the SD picture looked more natural, but didn't like the screen reflections. Must admit before going out I hadn't appreciated the difference that 100hz makes on the refresh rate. I was dead impressed with a Phillips LCD that had this feature. I also went to John Lewis, but all the pictures were crap since they were piping a poor freeview signal around loads of TVs. 100hz or not, and the rugby was very poor to watch. I just installed my own dish and bought a Humax Foxsat HDR last weekend, so I'm trying to find a tv to go with it. With the shops I've been to, it's impossible to judge what level of features I should go for that would make a significant difference. The picture quality on the panasonic CRT I have at the moment is excellent, it's just that I can't get the HD to display. I don't really want to take a backward step in going to a LCD... decisions, decisions. Sometimes too much information is as bad as too little. I was happy to have the recommendations from people here, and ultimately went for one they suggested. Have to say that I am more than impressed with the Sony KDL374000. It's not 1080p HD but the HD from BT Vision is fantastic, even the SD via the HDMI connection from BT Vision is excellent. The contrast is 22000:1 and the sound is more than expected from the internal speaker system. One thing I noticed with the Samsung LE37556 in Currys, was that on the cartoon they were showing in store (a recent one, but cannot remember the name), a character was carrying a load of drinks glasses and when they were moving the rims of the glasses were fuzzy then looked clear when they were still. However, on the Sony even in SD via a DVD I recorded from ITV, Ice Age was crystal clear with no blurring or "fuzzy" bits, even on fast moving sequences. My Panasonic TX-28DTX1 used to take ages to display digital text services (and sometimes gave up), used to take about 5-6 seconds to display channels when changing. The Sony is almost instant in displaying digital text and changing channels, and the Freeview PQ is fantastic, as is Sky+ via the scart and my DVD player via the scart. And all this on a 60Hz set. My verdict on the Sony. Fantastic.