buying a new TV tonight, what shall i get!

[alagermound]

Right this is not quite as spontanious as its sounds, i have been looking to buy a new tv for about a year and a half now its always been a close tie between a 40" LCD and 42 plasma, but recently i have just saved enough to afford it.

ill be sitting about 8 foot away tops, preferably 1080p as ill be using with a EP35 HD DVD and BD30 blu ray, as well as a large SD DVD collection, i have the potential for free sat as there is an old dish on the house but no idea if it works, not really fussed about normal tv as long as its watchable and will not be getting sky HD any time soon, max budget £1100

based on the above i have considered and demoed,

the panasonic PZ plasma (mainly the pz81 with freesat)
and the samsung 7 series LCD.

now with the LCD being LED backlight blacks were absolute the plasma was also good but bear in mind i only viewed in brightly lit shops.

the plasmas have been knocked for being a bit soft on SD but cant say this bothered my as it felt more natural probablt cos im coming from a 28" widescreen CRT.

any opinions , advice, things to watch out for, ideally want to buy this tonight as i have been reading forums comparing prices and loitering around in TV shops for over a year now.

Cheers,

[Boon72]

i'd go with the Panny

[choddo2006]

Panny

[vickster]

Get the 42PX80 and spend the rest on a good sound system

I watched Blu-ray on my 37" PX last night and it was fab (Wall-E), from 8ft on a 42", you won't discern any difference with 1080p, and judging by lots of threads, the PX is far better for SD than the PZ (i.e. your DVDs)

Where do you live as there are lots of places with free 5 yr warranties on instore purchases

[mjcairney]

Originally Posted by vickster

Where do you live as there are lots of places with free 5 yr warranties on instore purchases

I don't know if you have access to Costco and whether or not they sell the above recommended model, but if answers to both are positive, bear in mind that they offer a 5 year guarantee and a 90 days return policy on all TV's.

Cheers,

Martin.

[un1eash]

shop@panasonic stores will do the 42PX80 for £650 with the 5 year warrenty. Just brought the parents one.

What about a 46/50" PZ80?

[rewerb]

Originally Posted by alagermound

the panasonic PZ plasma (mainly the pz81 with freesat)
and the samsung 7 series LCD.

now with the LCD being LED backlight blacks were absolute the plasma was also good but bear in mind i only viewed in brightly lit shops.

the plasmas have been knocked for being a bit soft on SD but cant say this bothered my as it felt more natural probablt cos im coming from a 28" widescreen CRT.

The LED LCDs are certainly black when they display a totally black image, but when you add a bit of light and colour to the panel they cant reproduce that level of black.

So when showing a normal picture they are not blacker the Panny and they dont have the natural look of a plasma. Get the PZ81.

[alagermound]

cheers for all the advise guys,

I have a Onkyo tx805 amp and morduant short speakers all round so not worried about saving a bit of cash and getting a cheaper model just want the best i can afford for my budget.

im in herts and most of the places round here seem to be offering a free 5 year warrenty

Im afraid 40/42 is about the biggest we can fit in the space we have have.

No access to costco im afraid.

im not massively keen on LCD but was just in comet and they head every thing on a shelf lcd and plasma all with the same source and its hard not be taken in by how bright and vibrent they are. though there were all set up poorly running SD crud, i fiddle with a few settings on the models i liked to give them a fairer chance.

[punkymunky]

Originally Posted by alagermound

cheers for all the advise guys,

I have a Onkyo tx805 amp and morduant short speakers all round so not worried about saving a bit of cash and getting a cheaper model just want the best i can afford for my budget.

im in herts and most of the places round here seem to be offering a free 5 year warrenty

Im afraid 40/42 is about the biggest we can fit in the space we have have.

No access to costco im afraid.

im not massively keen on LCD but was just in comet and they head every thing on a shelf lcd and plasma all with the same source and its hard not be taken in by how bright and vibrent they are. though there were all set up poorly running SD crud, i fiddle with a few settings on the models i liked to give them a fairer chance.

Bright and vibrant in a shop might attract you like a fly to horses back side but you'll soon be hacked off with it in a home environment. Even tho a panny may look incredibly dull next to it, it's still way, way bright enough in the home, unless of course you have 1000 watt fluorescent lights in your lounge.

[ro53ben]

Originally Posted by alagermound

No access to costco im afraid.

There was a Costco in Watford last time I looked, can't be a million miles away...

[vickster]

Is it not the case that you have to be trade to use Costco, i.e. not available to any member of the public?

[Boon72]

nope, they give them to anyone

[ro53ben]

Like he said, there are personal memberships as well as trade. Personal membership costs a little more and has slightly restricted shopping hours.

[mjcairney]

Originally Posted by Boon72

nope, they give them to anyone

I'm not sure that they give membership to anyone. I think there certain qualifications like e.g. Local Council Workers etc. We got one because my wife is a schoolteacher.

Cheers,

Martin.