which wide screen tv to buy

[stotty]

i`m thinking of buying a panasonic tx32pb50 but can`t seem to find a review on it.can any one rate it???is there a better alternative??is dolby digital 5.1 worth the £1300 price tag of the set.any replies greatly appreciated-cheers!!

[davand]

Here's a link for a review of the set you're on about

http://www.home-entertainment.co.uk/...ArticleID=1848

I've just purchased a Toshiba 32ZP18 Picture Frame TV which has Dolby Pro Logic etc - all I will say is that it is a superb set which I highly recommend.

is dolby digital 5.1 worth the £1300 price tag of the set

This depends on whether you have a dvd player or sky+.....do you have an amp?

As bob says, unless you have a dvd player or another source which outputs DD5.1, having it would be pointless. Also, you should consider that the quality of it will not be as good as seperates. You may be able to pick up a ProLogic model and save some money which you could then put towards a proper sound system.

[Gerry]

My own opinion on going D.D.5.1 is if you are going down this road buy a separate D.D. amp and speakers. There are lots of benifits to reccommend this method.

1. Better(much) sound quality.

2. Allows you to select from a wider range of tv's as you are not limited to sets with D.D. 5.1.

3. The upgrade path is so much easier. When THX or PL2 or whatever standard is on the way become the norm you can upgrade your amp, much less hassel and expense than changing your tv.

4. The ability to hook up other components to your amp(CD,MD ect).

For me though No 1 is enough to go the amp route. I suspect there are other benefits but its up to you.

[stotty]

in answer to BOB,i do have a dvd player and also sky digital.i don`t have an amp but the set comes with one built in.having checked out the review provided by DAVAND i think i may well give the panasonic a miss and look at a set with-out DD 5.1 and perhaps go the route suggested by GERRY and DOUBLEDOOM and buy separates.all i need is a good,solid 32" widescreen tv and a home cinema kit eh!!!HEEEELLLPPP!!!!!!!!ANY SUGGESTIONS.thanx for all your help so far

Nice move stotty.......can't beat seperates.
You have made the easy choice (going for seperates)..........now comes the hard one, choosing the TV. I have the Sony 36FS70 and can't fault it, one of the lucky ones i think, the DRC on this set is magic.
There are so many sets out there it is impossible to choose an out right winner, have a look at Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic and Phillips, these seem to be the ones most favoured on here.
Jot down the make and models of the ones you most like the look of then do another post, the owners of those sets here will tell you if the set is any good or not, where to buy and best price etc.

Good Luck

[SILVERBACK]

im also in the market in a few months for a new television,an quite frankly after hearing sony panasonic an toshiba horror storys i decided on either the jvc wfr1.it has nothing but good reviews an alot of people who bought the set on this forum give it a big thumbs up.or maybe at a push a loewe xelos although i must admit i will need some convincing on stumping up a lot more for the loewe lol

[stotty]

ok,i`m down to two..........so far.can any-one rate the toshiba 32zd09b or the panasonic tx32pk20.thanks again for all your help.cheers!!!

Nothing much wrong with the Tosh that should concern you. It's not a spectacular set but it's a good all rounder. Sound is a bit weak but that probably won't be much of a concern in the long run, if you do intend to go down the receiver route. Toshiba sets do have excellent audio pass through (which is helpful when you have a receiver).

The Panasonic isn't too bad either although i don't know that much about your model. However, my next door neighbour went through 3 replacement panasonic sets (they were either PL10 or PK10, i cannot recall) and ended up with a sony, which itself is now being looked at under warrenty. The Panasonic suffered with moire patterning problems which appears from past messages to be a common fault on Panasonics (common fault rather than common occurance).

You wouldn't think it could be that hard to provide a tv that works.