37-42" TV - one I can fall asleep to?

[musomackem]

Hi,

recently I asked the very kind and honorable gentlemen (and ladies) of this board to recommend whether to go projector+tv or just tv.

I decided to go for 1 of each, and so I'm now in the market for a 37-42" TV.

My recent copy of a popular hifi magazine had their "awards" for this year's AV gear in it, and it says that for the 37"-42" range I should be looking at the Panasonic TH-37PX80B for £650 or the Sony KDL-40V4000 for £750.

This in itself surprised me somewhat, as I was expecting Pioneer to dominate the awards in all the TV categories.

Anyway, I would like to buy a TV tonight, as my replacement CRT (that I was using in the interim unti I could find a new TV to buy) just bit the bucket. Or something.

My problem is this... I often fall asleep in front of a DVD... most nights in fact (I set a makeshift "bed" up on the sofa, stick a DVD on and go to sleep to it).

My worry is that a lot of these DVDs I watch have some kind of menu - would these burn into the screen if I left a plasma or LCD TV on to fall asleep to?

I had just about decided that plasma was the way to go (because picture quality, deep blacks and good SD upscaling are more important to me than... well, anything else really).

I don't want to spend £700-£800 on a plasma if I'm going to find that it's knackered in a month because it has the main menus from my DVDs burned into the screen.

Is this still a problem with plasmas or has burn-in been eradicated? Should I be looking at a plasma or an LCD if I want to fall asleep with it switched on pretty much every night?

Which ones should I be looking at in the 37-42", £600-£800 range?

Thanks in advance,

Phil, Stafford.
Frustrated already from having no working TV set in the house for only 12 hours.

[boxrick]

i know some dvd players have screen savers on, possibly use one of those?

[Matt_C]

Only ever seen screen savers on DVD players work when the player has been left on with no disc in it.... The menu on a DVD is a "track" and just repeats and repeats....

Most TV's tho have a "sleep" function where you can set it to go to standby after x ammount of mins. So if you are putting on a 90minute DVD, set the sleep timer for 90mins - or even less if you always fall asleep during the film.

[musomackem]

Originally Posted by Matt_C

Only ever seen screen savers on DVD players work when the player has been left on with no disc in it.... The menu on a DVD is a "track" and just repeats and repeats....

Most TV's tho have a "sleep" function where you can set it to go to standby after x ammount of mins. So if you are putting on a 90minute DVD, set the sleep timer for 90mins - or even less if you always fall asleep during the film.

Is that right?

Technology nowadays... it's brilliant innit?

A TV that switches itself off! Whatever next?!

So basically, I just need to not worry about it and buy a plasma then?

I am better off with a plasma than an LCD, right?

So... do I want the Sony, the Panny or will I find a stonking Pioneer at around the same price?

[speedsurfer]

If you budget tops out at £800 I'd stick to Panasonic, you'd have a hard time finding a decent 2nd hand Pioneer for that sort of money and as you are in a rush that isn't really an option.

Couple of options:

Panasonic TH42PX80B Plasma 42" 16:9 Viera Hd Ready Inc Pedes | EmpireDirect.co.uk Electrical Appliances @ £705.09 including delivery with a FREE 5 Year Guarantee.

Panasonic TH42PZ80B Plasma 42" 16:9 Viera 1080p Inc Ped | EmpireDirect.co.uk Electrical Appliances @ £802.96 including delivery with a FREE 5 Year Guarantee.

Less if you can get the 10% voucher to work: EM5159. Having just tried it, it's still working.

The difference between them is the PZ is a newer 1080p screen where as the PX80 is 720p.

I would however suggest (if you can) getting yourself down to a good AV store and trying out a few different screens with both SD and HD material.

[musomackem]

Originally Posted by speedsurfer

If you budget tops out at £800 I'd stick to Panasonic, you'd have a hard time finding a decent 2nd hand Pioneer for that sort of money and as you are in a rush that isn't really an option.

Couple of options:

Panasonic TH42PX80B Plasma 42" 16:9 Viera Hd Ready Inc Pedes | EmpireDirect.co.uk Electrical Appliances @ £705.09 including delivery with a FREE 5 Year Guarantee.

Panasonic TH42PZ80B Plasma 42" 16:9 Viera 1080p Inc Ped | EmpireDirect.co.uk Electrical Appliances @ £802.96 including delivery with a FREE 5 Year Guarantee.

Less if you can get the 10% voucher to work: EM5159. Having just tried it, it's still working.

The difference between them is the PZ is a newer 1080p screen where as the PX80 is 720p.

I would however suggest (if you can) getting yourself down to a good AV store and trying out a few different screens with both SD and HD material.

Thanks for that. Superb!

"Getting out to see them in action" isn't really a possibility for me - I had a nervous breakdown a few months ago and I still barely leave the house - I get a taxi to my local shop (only about 800 yards away) and get them to wait outside while I get my groceries then take me home.

Also, I'm hoping to put my order in tonight.

I trust the AVF... I bought a Cambridge Audio Azur 640R purely on the basis of the advice I got from here, and I'm over the moon with it.

Are there any other differences between the PX and the PZ other than the PZ being 1080p?

What's the SD upscaling like on them?

Do I really need 1080p? I don't yet have a bluray player (though we do have an XBOX360 in the house, and I do intend to buy a bluray player or PS3 sometime soon).

Essentially, will I see a difference between the 2 sets that warrants the extra £100 for the PZ?

[musomackem]

Also what's the difference between the PZ8, PZ80, PZ81 and PZ85 models?

[speedsurfer]

Originally Posted by musomackem

Thanks for that. Superb!

"Getting out to see them in action" isn't really a possibility for me - I had a nervous breakdown a few months ago and I still barely leave the house - I get a taxi to my local shop (only about 800 yards away) and get them to wait outside while I get my groceries then take me home.

Also, I'm hoping to put my order in tonight.

I trust the AVF... I bought a Cambridge Audio Azur 640R purely on the basis of the advice I got from here, and I'm over the moon with it.

Are there any other differences between the PX and the PZ other than the PZ being 1080p?

What's the SD upscaling like on them?

Do I really need 1080p? I don't yet have a bluray player (though we do have an XBOX360 in the house, and I do intend to buy a bluray player or PS3 sometime soon).

Essentially, will I see a difference between the 2 sets that warrants the extra £100 for the PZ?

The PZ series is a more modern set, but you don't really gain anything other than 1080p.

You don't need 1080p no, and quite a lot of people say you can't see the difference between 720p and 1080p at normal viewing distances. If you do intend to get a PS3 it might pay to go with the PZ series, although SD viewing may suffer slightly. Or you could go with the PX series and put the money saved towards a good 5.1 all in one sound system, which would no doubt add more to the viewing experience than the move from 720p to 1080p. Unless of course you already have something like that.

Here's a few good reviews:

Panasonic TH-46PZ80 Plasma TV Review review at AVForums.com
Panasonic TH-42PZ81 42inch full HD Freesat plasma TV review review at AVForums.com
Panasonic TH42PZ80 / TH42PZ80B Review: 42" Viera Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TH42PX80 Review: 42” Viera 24p 100Hz Plasma

The PZ81 is the freesat version of the PZ80, the PZ85 has a few more features over the PZ80 but no freesat. Not sure on the PZ8. Specs can be found on the Panasonic site, which also has a compair feature: http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_G...sCategory.html

[musomackem]

Originally Posted by speedsurfer

The PZ series is a more modern set, but you don't really gain anything other than 1080p.

You don't need 1080p no, and quite a lot of people say you can't see the difference between 720p and 1080p at normal viewing distances. If you do intend to get a PS3 it might pay to go with the PZ series, although SD viewing may suffer slightly. Or you could go with the PX series and put the money saved towards a good 5.1 all in one sound system, which would no doubt add more to the viewing experience than the move from 720p to 1080p. Unless of course you already have something like that.

Here's a few good reviews:

Panasonic TH-46PZ80 Plasma TV Review review at AVForums.com
Panasonic TH-42PZ81 42inch full HD Freesat plasma TV review review at AVForums.com
Panasonic TH42PZ80 / TH42PZ80B Review: 42" Viera Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TH42PX80 Review: 42” Viera 24p 100Hz Plasma

The PZ81 is the freesat version of the PZ80, the PZ85 has a few more features over the PZ80 but no freesat. Not sure on the PZ8. Specs can be found on the Panasonic site, which also has a compair feature: http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_G...sCategory.html

I'm sorted on the sound side... at the moment I've got KEF Q3 floorstander fronts, Q95C centre, and Mordaunt-Short MS30i rears, but I'm going to buy a pair of B&W 683 to use as fronts and relegate the KEFs to either the rear or the middle of a 7.1 setup.

So, the PX80 is actually a better TV for watching SD on than the PZ80? I have hundreds of DVDs that I'm not (currently) planning on re-buying on BluRay, so it'd be nice if I could watch them on it and not be "irritated" by the quality, but as I said, I do intend to buy a BluRay player of some description at some point soon, so I'll be buying BluRay movies instead of DVDs from that point onward, but I'll still have hundreds of DVDs that I will want to watch again and again. Just when I thought I needed 1080p, now I'm not so sure! Argh! Maybe I should just buy all my movies again on BluRay.

I will be viewing from quite close though... 6-to-9 feet away. Does that make a difference?

What about the IFC stuff? Does it make much difference being able to do a full calibration?

[speedsurfer]

Originally Posted by musomackem

I'm sorted on the sound side... at the moment I've got KEF Q3 floorstander fronts, Q95C centre, and Mordaunt-Short MS30i rears, but I'm going to buy a pair of B&W 683 to use as fronts and relegate the KEFs to either the rear or the middle of a 7.1 setup.

So, the PX80 is actually a better TV for watching SD on than the PZ80? I have hundreds of DVDs that I'm not (currently) planning on re-buying on BluRay, so it'd be nice if I could watch them on it and not be "irritated" by the quality, but as I said, I do intend to buy a BluRay player of some description at some point soon, so I'll be buying BluRay movies instead of DVDs from that point onward, but I'll still have hundreds of DVDs that I will want to watch again and again. Just when I thought I needed 1080p, now I'm not so sure! Argh! Maybe I should just buy all my movies again on BluRay.

I will be viewing from quite close though... 6-to-9 feet away. Does that make a difference?

What about the IFC stuff? Does it make much difference being able to do a full calibration?

Well that's what people say, some disagree, see my threads for more on that: Panasonic PZ80 and PX80 Owners with Sky HD Boxes, Which 42" Panasonic Plasma?

You could always get a good upscaling DVD player, they are never as good as watching Blu-Ray discs, but would save repurchasing everything you have. You could then just cherry pick the ones you want on Blu-Ray.

6-9" viewing distance should be find on a 42", although would likely be better at the longer end of those two distances as 6" would be quite close.

People say professional calibration does make a difference, just could never justify the cost myself, maybe if I got myself a good Pioneer in the future I may treat myself (that'll be the day!).

[musomackem]

Originally Posted by speedsurfer

Well that's what people say, some disagree, see my threads for more on that: Panasonic PZ80 and PX80 Owners with Sky HD Boxes, Which 42" Panasonic Plasma?

You could always get a good upscaling DVD player, they are never as good as watching Blu-Ray discs, but would save repurchasing everything you have. You could then just cherry pick the ones you want on Blu-Ray.

6-9" viewing distance should be find on a 42", although would likely be better at the longer end of those two distances as 6" would be quite close.

People say professional calibration does make a difference, just could never justify the cost myself, maybe if I got myself a good Pioneer in the future I may treat myself (that'll be the day!).

Thanks so much everyone for your help! I really appreciate it!

After 2 and a half hours of reading thread after thread, review after review, I think I'm getting close to a decision.

Basically, the way I think I'm starting to understand it...

PX80 - "Actually quite good" at SD, no 1080p
PZ80 - painfully rubbish at SD but does 1080p, therefore better at HD?

If I want "instant good quality" for my DVD collection, then the PX80 is the way to go, however, if I buy a DVD player with a good upscaler and am planning on going for a PS3/BluRay player, then the PZ80 could be better for me.

BUT, from 6-9 feet away, I might not even be able to tell the difference between the 2 sets when watching HD-source anyway, so buying the PX for the better SD PQ could actually be the wiser move?

[speedsurfer]

Originally Posted by musomackem

Thanks so much everyone for your help! I really appreciate it!

After 2 and a half hours of reading thread after thread, review after review, I think I'm getting close to a decision.

Basically, the way I think I'm starting to understand it...

PX80 - "Actually quite good" at SD, no 1080p
PZ80 - painfully rubbish at SD but does 1080p, therefore better at HD?

If I want "instant good quality" for my DVD collection, then the PX80 is the way to go, however, if I buy a DVD player with a good upscaler and am planning on going for a PS3/BluRay player, then the PZ80 could be better for me.

BUT, from 6-9 feet away, I might not even be able to tell the difference between the 2 sets when watching HD-source anyway, so buying the PX for the better SD PQ could actually be the wiser move?

I actually think many people who say the PZ80 is rubbish with SD either have seen a poorly setup panel in a store somewhere or haven't seen one at all. But as I've not seen one with SD either, I can't comment. There are however many people out there who are satified with the SD picture on the PZ series, it's just not quite as good as the PX80 because of the increased resolution a 1080p screen has. It also depends heavily on how good the source is, a cheap freeview box will never produce as good of a picture as a Sky+ box for example.

The closer you are to the screen, the more likely you are to see differences between the HD picture. But what you say here is pretty spot on:

"If I want "instant good quality" for my DVD collection, then the PX80 is the way to go, however, if I buy a DVD player with a good upscaler and am planning on going for a PS3/BluRay player, then the PZ80 could be better for me."

You could always purchase the PZ80 from Empire direct with the 10% off and if you are not happy with it, you could always send it back under the distance selling act within 7 days. Although I'd check with Empire Direct that they can offer a collection service, which you may have to pay for. Or you could sell it on eBay, I'm sure as you are purchasing at a very good price you will get nearly all of your money back. Just a thought anyways.

[musomackem]

Originally Posted by speedsurfer

I actually think many people who say the PZ80 is rubbish with SD either have seen a poorly setup panel in a store somewhere or haven't seen one at all. But as I've not seen one with SD either, I can't comment. There are however many people out there who are satified with the SD picture on the PZ series, it's just not quite as good as the PX80 because of the increased resolution a 1080p screen has. It also depends heavily on how good the source is, a cheap freeview box will never produce as good of a picture as a Sky+ box for example.

The closer you are to the screen, the more likely you are to see differences between the HD picture. But what you say here is pretty spot on:

"If I want "instant good quality" for my DVD collection, then the PX80 is the way to go, however, if I buy a DVD player with a good upscaler and am planning on going for a PS3/BluRay player, then the PZ80 could be better for me."

You could always purchase the PZ80 from Empire direct with the 10% off and if you are not happy with it, you could always send it back under the distance selling act within 7 days. Although I'd check with Empire Direct that they can offer a collection service, which you may have to pay for. Or you could sell it on eBay, I'm sure as you are purchasing at a very good price you will get nearly all of your money back. Just a thought anyways.

Are Empire Direct particularly good / cheap?

I've seen them mentioned a few times.

Where can I get it the cheapest with the longest warranty and the quickest delivery?

[speedsurfer]

Well with the FREE 5 Year Guarantee and the 10% off you'd be hard pressed to find it cheaper. Although a search on google shopping and the various other price searches might find something.

From what I've read Empire Direct's service is pretty good. Best to phone them to see how quick delivery is, what with it being close to Christmas.

[musomackem]

Originally Posted by speedsurfer

Well with the FREE 5 Year Guarantee and the 10% off you'd be hard pressed to find it cheaper. Although a search on google shopping and the various other price searches might find something.

From what I've read Empire Direct's service is pretty good. Best to phone them to see how quick delivery is, what with it being close to Christmas.

Cool, thanks for everything, mate!