Totally stumped between 2 sets

[schnipps]

I have had my Toshiba 46ZF replaced under warranty and because these are no longer made i have to choose something else for the same value. I have around £1500 to play with and i want a 52", its between the sammy A656series and the sony KDL52W4000U, both are around the same price but there seems to be a huge delay on getting the samsung as i have had it on order for nearly 3 weeks and still no date.

I am not sure wether to just wait or just go for the sony, both seems to be quite similar and its mainly for tv not gaming.

Any thoughts as im totally lost as to what to do.

Has to be from Empire D aswell as its an insurance replacement so cant have a refund.

[Demon]

Based on this review of the W4500 series Sony

Sony KDL40W4500 / KDL40W4500U Review

I'd be considering the 46W4500 (£1220).. actually scratch that.. I've just read that in detail, and it sounds like it's still flawed!

the A656 (Read the review on HDTV test), has the ultra shiny screen, and the DNIe pro has some question marks in that review that would sway me to the Sony.

Oddly, I too had a 46ZF355 which was replaced under insurance, and I was going to get a 46W4500, but decided to upgrade my projector in the end!

I know you may be not on best terms with Toshiba, but the new ZV range with resolution+ should be worth the wait..

[youngsyp]

Originally Posted by schnipps

I have had my Toshiba 46ZF replaced under warranty and because these are no longer made i have to choose something else for the same value. I have around £1500 to play with and i want a 52", its between the sammy A656series and the sony KDL52W4000U, both are around the same price but there seems to be a huge delay on getting the samsung as i have had it on order for nearly 3 weeks and still no date.

I am not sure wether to just wait or just go for the sony, both seems to be quite similar and its mainly for tv not gaming.

Any thoughts as im totally lost as to what to do.

Has to be from Empire D aswell as its an insurance replacement so cant have a refund.

I have the 52" A656 and can highly recommend it. If your into getting the best from it, it is much more adjustable than the Sony W4000, with all the picture settings you'd need, in the user menu.
I also have a Sony W2000 so, I'm not biased between the two.

I believe the Sony's still suffer quite badly from clouding though?!

The A656 also looks a lot nicer than the W4000, aesthetically.

I Haven't seen a W4000 in the flesh but, I have calibrated a mates 52W3000 and once again, the A656 does deliver a superior picture. It's not a massive difference but, the little things that you notice. Depth of picture and 3 dimensional qualities. I do remember there being a fair amount of picture noise on the W3000 also, even with Blu-Ray...

If you're seriously stuck between the two, go and audition both. It's the only way to be sure which one you like the most!

Paul

[BrianPK]

The best kick-ass panel around at reasonable money for jaw-dropping HD picture (and bloody good with a reasonable SD signal also) is the 52W4500.Forget all that nonsense about cloud, as it's totally exaggerated.I know' as I've got one and it's the best thing I've bought in years(and I've bought a lot).It wipes out my Pana.42PX60 plasma which was regarded as one of the best when I bought it.Go for the best

[ChrisGgr]

Originally Posted by youngsyp

I have the 52" A656 and can highly recommend it. If your into getting the best from it, it is much more adjustable than the Sony W4000, with all the picture settings you'd need, in the user menu.
I also have a Sony W2000 so, I'm not biased between the two.

I believe the Sony's still suffer quite badly from clouding though?!

The A656 also looks a lot nicer than the W4000, aesthetically.

I Haven't seen a W4000 in the flesh but, I have calibrated a mates 52W3000 and once again, the A656 does deliver a superior picture. It's not a massive difference but, the little things that you notice. Depth of picture and 3 dimensional qualities. I do remember there being a fair amount of picture noise on the W3000 also, even with Blu-Ray...

If you're seriously stuck between the two, go and audition both. It's the only way to be sure which one you like the most!

Paul

the W4000 is a huge step up from W3000 actually.as for the design its a personal taste,I personally wouldnt put a red tv in my lounge.as for the clouding it has been proved that altough an issue,its not sony's problem only

[youngsyp]

Originally Posted by CHRISGEO

the W4000 is a huge step up from W3000 actually.as for the design its a personal taste,I personally wouldnt put a red tv in my lounge.as for the clouding it has been proved that altough an issue,its not sony's problem only

I wouldn't put a red TV in my lounge either!

Clouding may not only be an issue with Sony panels but, they seem to be the ones who suffer from it most. Just reading through these forums will show that!

Could you quantify how the W4000 is better than the W3000? In terms of adjustability, it's a big step backwards...

Paul

[ChrisGgr]

which shows that sony's suffer most?the W4500 thread?its a joke,as the actual problematic cases are just 4-5.no bigger number than W4000,A656 and other lcd's although its logical that due to the sales differencies other models look less defective


as for W4000 even withought the extra adjustability of W3000 it clearly beats it at every aspect.scaling,blacks,colours everything.and even the extra options from W3000 are available through SM

[youngsyp]

Originally Posted by CHRISGEO

which shows that sony's suffer most?the W4500 thread?its a joke,as the actual problematic cases are just 4-5.no bigger number than W4000,A656 and other lcd's although its logical that due to the sales differencies other models look less defective

The W2000 thread, the W3000 thread, the W4000 etc, etc....

Originally Posted by CHRISGEO

as for W4000 even withought the extra adjustability of W3000 it clearly beats it at every aspect.scaling,blacks,colours everything.and even the extra options from W3000 are available through SM

As the W4000 and W4500 reviews were posted earlier, I thought I post up the review for the Samsung A656.

This will give the OP some more food for thought on which is objectively the best panel!

Samsung LE40A656 Review – 40” 1080p 100Hz LCD HD TV

Paul

[inf]

Well almost every review which i have seen for A656 or A686 does mention the huge input lag on the samsung panels.

Of course if you don't game or use it as pc monitor it doesn't matter, but just as a notice, these panels even how "superior" everyone seems to say they are, do have the input lag which is in some cases almost two times as big in comparision for Sonys W models for example

[youngsyp]

Originally Posted by inf

Well almost every review which i have seen for A656 or A686 does mention the huge input lag on the samsung panels.

Of course if you don't game or use it as pc monitor it doesn't matter, but just as a notice, these panels even how "superior" everyone seems to say they are, do have the input lag which is in some cases almost two times as big in comparision for Sonys W models for example

"Huge" is a massive over exaggeration and that review is a few months old. There have been several firmware updates since then to improve input lag...

I'll also add that I've never experienced input lag with my Xbox 360!

Paul

[Lt. Dang]

Originally Posted by youngsyp

"Huge" is a massive over exaggeration and that review is a few months old. There have been several firmware updates since then to improve input lag...

I'll also add that I've never experienced input lag with my Xbox 360!

Paul

Yes, it was firmware updates which turned me away from Samsungs this time last year.

When I looked at the threads with large number of posts from people trying to figure out which firmware version they had for their Samsung and whether the next update would fix their particular problem.

Samsung seem to issue an awful lot of firmware updates and it can sometimes be a problem getting hold of the right one.

When I looked at the various threads there seemed to be a lot of people reporting Samsung faults, humbars, buzzing, randomly switching on and off etc. Put me right off. Not so much for the Sonys though.

So bought a Sony 40V3000 for £899 with free 5 year warranty and a free PS3 thrown in. Immediately flogged the PS3 for £250 as I already had a PS3 60Gb anyway.

One year later the Sony has been flawless throughout. No clouding, no noticable input lag, no buzzing and no faults and I still have 4 years left on my warranty. So the Sony build quality has so far withstood the test of time - which is the real test.

PQ is superb from BluRay with crisp judder-free 1080/24p and SD from Sky+ is spot on. Never needed any kind of firmware update.

It might be an idea to check out the threads in this forum for both the Sony and the Samsung and get a feel for how many people are still reporting faults and asking about firmware updates etc. Then you will have a better idea of which TV is the safest bet for you hard earned cash.

Hope this is helpful.

Regards,

Lt. Dang