Sony 40x3500 Vs Samsung Le40f86 Vs Philips 42pfl9732

[mannix72]

I'm currently in the process of buying a new 40 - 46"TV. Yesterday I went to a store, which luckily for me had the 3 TV's I'm most interested in arranged side by side to each other. The Philips 42pfl9732 , Sony 40X3500 and the Samsung 40F86.

The three where playing a Blu Ray ray signal (through a swithcer) with scenes from Spiderman 3, Casino Royale the PS3 game Motorstorm, and scenes from Destiny Childs live in concert. It was an excellent mix (lucky me again) of highlights from each with dark and bright scenes, action-fast motion and panning sequences. Although not perfect conditions eg.(store lights), it was great in giving someone a good indication of what each set is capable of.

I came to the conclusion after about an hour of observation of each sets strength's and weaknesses.


- Samsung F86: deepest blacks of the 3, vibrant eye catching colors but a tad oversaturated, great with motion and panning and the most 3D feeling of the 3, punchy picture

- Sony X3500: great blacks(almost equal to the Sammy, better shadow detail of the 3, excellent more natural colors, and fantastic with moving/panning scenes.

-Philips 9732: great design and quality, more noise/artifacts of the 3, ambilight is awesome, great color but let down with average blacks and shadow detail.

If anyone would like to comment or mention there impressions of the 3 sets...

[ChrisGgr]

So overally which set would you buy?

[Uma1r]

Im getting the Sony KDL40X3500

[Raitzi]

I ordered 40F86 two weeks ago but i haven't got it yet. Your observations show that i made a good choice.

[the porter]

well if thats the case why on earth is the sony £2500 and the samsung is £1370, there has to be some differences to justify that price tag ,but on your testing there is none, so its seams like a no brainer that the samsung is the way to go unless your filthy rich .

stop press pixmania are doing the 46 f86 for £1305 delivered and theres a £7 code knocking about somewhere only problem is i hate pixmania unless theyve changed and 3% as well going through quidco

[Fordyman]

Where are you buying your TVs from? The 40X3500 is around the £1600 mark.

[the porter]

sorry im refering to the 46 inch sony version

[mannix72]

Originally Posted by CHRISGEO

So overally which set would you buy?

Just returned from a second round at the store.....the Blu Ray demo they had is excellent testing material, replaying 3-4 minutes highlight previews of Spiderman 3, Casino Royal, Motorstorm and Destiny Childs live concert. I must have watched it 100 times......

This store had all the latest sets out at the moment on display, all running the same Blu ray signal (switcher) including latest models from Sharp, Toshiba, LG and lesser/older models from Sony and Samsung. To my eyes, they are all seem 1 generation behind, though cheaper, you can easily see where your extra money is going.


The Philips 9732 disapointed me a little with its black levels (compared always to the Sony & Samsung, it was 1 level below) and its slightly noiser picture(could be due the the switcher). I really wanted to like this set- its a looker with its elegant-sturdy design and slim dimensions, great features, awesome and involving ambilight system, vivid deep colors and shout-it-out screen brightness. But im a sucker for black levels, and I recall scenes of James Bond wearing his tuxido in the casino. It was black, but didn't seem as dense as the other 2. It seemed less 3D and textured. I recall saying to myself " its perfect, but only if it had better blacks". Blacks about equal to last years model that was also on display.

The Samsung F86 really impressed me. Their tv's have come along way from what I remember in the past. All passes by commented on the Sammy's stunning performance. Its a head turner. It's the cheaper of the 3, and you can see and feel that its plastics and not up to the standard of the Sony or Philips, being 1 click below them. But WOW, what blacks this set can produce. It really does make a difference to performance. Due this fact, the evil version of Spiderman in the demo looked awesome, giving a sense of increased texture to his suit and in other scenes. The glossy screen filter it wears does reflect light, a problem I'm sure for some, but boy does it do wonders. It really works well.

The Sony X3500 is a stunning telly. It's design, build and features are top notch. Probably the better of 3 in this respect. The black levels are comparable to the Samsung, but less glossy in a way. It had better shadow details and depth in some scenes. It produced stunning lifelike colors,eg(skintones in Casino Royal) more natural and not oversaturated compared to the Samsung. The Sony and Philips where both about equal to my eyes in brighter scenes compared to the Sammy. The sunrays could almost blind you on these 2 in Casino Royale. Both have and very slight edge in this department. The X3500 excelled in Motion and panning scenes.. whether adoring Spiderman whilst he was swinging, or the crane-chaseing scene in Royal, the Sony was more comfortable in this respect producing less noise and flicker-judder-trail compared to the Philips. The sammy was just about equal to the Sony.

Up until now, I was always a die-hard Plasma fan..... but these 3 TV's have convinced me that LCD technology has finally matured to a point that level of performance and impact these TV's produce is almost staggering. Enough so, that it warrants parting with more hard earned cash, that I'm now moving up a size - the 46" respective models of the Sammy + Sony & the 47" Philips


Honestly, I haven't made up my mind yet. (poor sales guy ) They are all excellent TV's, easily the top 3 models in this moment of time. I guess it all depends on every individuals wants and personal taste. I guess my prob is that I haven't completely decided on mine yet......hope 3rd time round (Monday) I will, cause winter is fast approaching and looking forward to those long winter movie nights in 46 - 47 inch TV land

[ChrisGgr]

Really thank you

[the porter]

thanks for that very informative review.so would you say the sony is worth nearly a grand more than the sammy?

[mannix72]

Originally Posted by the porter

thanks for that very informative review.so would you say the sony is worth nearly a grand more than the sammy?

Is the Sony worth in performance 1 grand more than the Sammy you ask.....in that perspective...definately no...



The purpose of me opening this thread, where to discuss my humble observations of these 3 great sets, regardless of price and with the hope that through this thread, people could, whether it be owners, or people who have had a look at these TV's can express there opinions..

hhhmm . I have been on the market for a new telly for over a year now. I have, through alot of google-ing been able to come up with great prices for these 3 beauties to a point that the price differences between the 3 is almost negligible (to my pockets anyway)....200 Euro or so separating the most expensive Sony, and the cheapest being the Sammy. The Philips obviously fitting snuggly in the middle...

[flygti]

mannix72 - thanks for the great comparison.... tell me - as an ex plasma fan - how do these sets compare to the pana p70z. Same 1080p spec, same true 24p playback, same price as the sammy f86. i havent been able to see them side by side yet.

[rpcruz28]

Originally Posted by mannix72

Is the Sony worth in performance 1 grand more than the Sammy you ask.....in that perspective...definately no...



The purpose of me opening this thread, where to discuss my humble observations of these 3 great sets, regardless of price and with the hope that through this thread, people could, whether it be owners, or people who have had a look at these TV's can express there opinions..

hhhmm . I have been on the market for a new telly for over a year now. I have, through alot of google-ing been able to come up with great prices for these 3 beauties to a point that the price differences between the 3 is almost negligible (to my pockets anyway)....200 Euro or so separating the most expensive Sony, and the cheapest being the Sammy. The Philips obviously fitting snuggly in the middle...

Man...this is the post i was expecting for. Thanks a lot.
Definitely i wouldn't buy a Sony for being so overpriced and ive been watching closely the f86 forum. My choice for the moment is the f86 46". No doubt.

[Bluestraw]

Were you able to adjust the settings to your personal preference on each set, or were they running with the 'defaults'? I imagine turning off a lot of 'enhancements' may make a substantial difference to some of them!

[mannix72]

Originally Posted by flygti

mannix72 - thanks for the great comparison.... tell me - as an ex plasma fan - how do these sets compare to the pana p70z. Same 1080p spec, same true 24p playback, same price as the sammy f86. i havent been able to see them side by side yet.

Firstly, I'm not an "ex plasma fan". I still think, or rather thought plasma technology does, did, some things better than LCD's do, but now, especially with these 3 latest generation models the gap in performance between the 2 technologies has now closed to point where they are now negligable to me. Of course some will argue with facts and figures, using all there high tech equipment to prove there point, which I'm sure are correct when comparing graph charts, but i know have a new respect for LCD's, considering them now at least equal to plasma.
Now, in regards to the panny, its an awesome TV. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it doesn't support 24p playback, (shame) but, you cant go wrong with any TV panny makes..especially its plasma's. In comparing the P70Z to the F86....um...well...the F86 would probably do better for gaming and everyday TV due to its brighter screen, but the panny may edge out the sammy when it's time for movies....