Buying a new TV from John Lewis, recommendations?

nigel_williams · 18-10-2008, 6:10 PM

Hi all,
I've just been told by John Lewis that they are going to replace my old TV under warranty and have basically given me £1,250 to spend. I'm a bit out of the loop on what's new so was looking for some suggestions to get me started on a short list. My main source is Sky HD, no consoles or BluRay.

I managed to pop into Comet today and had a look at the Sony 4500 LCD and while it was good on BluRay, Freeview was pretty poor. So I now think plasma will be best for me as I mostly watch Sky HD.

Comet had a Panasonic TH-46PZ82 which looked pretty good. But what's the difference between the Panasonic PZ80, PZ82 & PZ85 models? I presume they are just newer revisions, but is there a discernible difference?

John Lewis seem to stock only the PZ80, so would this be inferior to the other models?

YellowSphere · 18-10-2008, 6:46 PM

If I remember correctly, PZ82 and 80 only have cosmetic differences.

The PZ provides a slightly soft SD performance, so decent broadcasts won't look as good as they should. Poorer broadcasts however, will be more watchable. W, by comparison, is overly sharp, so it'll look better on the good stuff, but much much worse on the poorer broadcasts, which is most of digital TV, to be frank.

nigel_williams · 19-10-2008, 12:19 AM

Perhaps I should call John Lewis and see what they have in stock. Sounds like this panel will be a good choice to smooth out the picture on lower bit rate channels.

Just found this on the Panasonic website, spot the difference!
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_G...B&p=TH-46PZ81B

Visor · 19-10-2008, 3:52 AM

The PZ range are all full 1080p, with the PZ80 being the entry level model.

The PZ81 is similar to the PZ85, but its main feature is the built-in Freesat. Both these models have IFC (Intelligent Frame Creation) which is supposed to smooth out motion even more - the PZ80 lacks this.

Read the reviews on this site for more info.

Panasonic TH50PZ81B / TH50PZ81 Review
Panasonic TH42PZ80 / TH42PZ80B Review: 42" Viera Plasma HDTV

John Lewis website only show the 46PZ80 and 46PZ81. Also, might be worth asking them if they'd be willing to pricematch other retailers, as both of the 46 inchers are cheaper elsewhere.

I have the 50PZ80 which I'm very happy with.

nigel_williams · 19-10-2008, 1:16 PM

I have found the PZ80 for about £1,079 or £1,099 from stores like Ask and Empire Direct, so there shouldn't be a problem getting a match.

I'm wondering if it's worth getting the one with Freesat so I could use it in the future. Anyone know if it's possible to share it with Sky HD? or will it only work with a Sky dish if you are no longer using it.

The only problem I can see with Freesat is the lack of PVR (for HD), and having a receiver built into the TV means you can only really use it for watching live broadcasts.

rewerb · 19-10-2008, 1:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nigel_williams

I'm wondering if it's worth getting the one with Freesat so I could use it in the future. Anyone know if it's possible to share it with Sky HD? or will it only work with a Sky dish if you are no longer using it.

Yes it will work with SKY, run an extra cable from the dish to the TV (your dish probably has a quadruple LNB with two spare connections)