[mikekm25]

There a reasonable amount of info out there on the above sets but im looking to see if anyone can swing me one way or another.

My spec req are
40"
Must be able to accept USB plug and play
Web capability
200hz preferred but not essential.

Having had a read of all the reviews i notice the 7 gets a better review than the 8 on what hi fi. WHF slates the 8 for having weak sound Samsung UE40B8000 TV review - from the experts at whathifi.com
Samsung UE40B7020 TV review - from the experts at whathifi.com

The Sony takes a kicking for issues with the backlight but generally hi fives all round.
Sony KDL-40Z5500 TV review - from the experts at whathifi.com
Is it possible the KDL-40Z5800 improves on this?

I like the sound of the Samsungs as they appear to be more flexible with net applications and usb movie play back. Lack of kick in sound i can handle as i will play this through a Bose lifestyle.

Can the Sony cope with the same USB function?
Is the 7 better than the 8?
Is the sony better than the 7 abd/or the 8?

feedback appreciated

[bernard shakey]

I am also undecided between these to sets the sony or the 8 series samsung I would like to wall hang it so the sexy samsung is screaming at me but i have a gut feeling the sony is the better set my needs are sport some sd until i upgrade to hd.

[daveb975]

I have just bought the 7000 series Samsung over the Sony W5500. I did not demo the Z5500, but would hope it would be significantly better considering it is double the price.

The Samsung looked better than the Sony in the bright showroom conditions, but they had similar performance in darker rooms with HD. The Sony is supposed to have better SD handling, but the Samsung seems fine to me.

The online capabilities of the Samsung seemed slightly better, but I did not really test this on the Sony.

The only way that the Samsung justifies any extra cost against the Sony is when it is hanging on the wall. It looks fantastic, and makes other screens look quite old fashioned.

Of course, whether you can justify an extra 50% cost just for looks is up to you....

For those not wall hanging their screen, I would go for the Sony.

[mikekm25]

Just had a look at both TV`s set up in Blu Ray , SD & HD modes. Samsung looks crisper in all modes.
Also plays matroska files which is a major bonus. Needs a minor edit to get the screen size etc right but woorth it.

The TV from the front looks a lot better than the Sony.

[dazsmith69]

i have a very similar predicament

im looking at these models, and still not sure which one to go for after reading all the reviews!

does anyone else have the same opinion as mike? as SD and upscaling dvds is essential for me personally and if samsung is indeed better than the sony then that would be the one to go for

thanks

[bernard shakey]

I am also in the same boat am going to buy next weekend more or less same price cosco for the samsung amazon sony just cant make up my mind love the look of the sammy but would like to now can it realy match the sony for sd and sport

[mikekm25]

Originally Posted by bernard shakey

I am also in the same boat am going to buy next weekend more or less same price cosco for the samsung amazon sony just cant make up my mind love the look of the sammy but would like to now can it realy match the sony for sd and sport

I think if you are mad for sport then the 200hz sony is alleged to be better. Personally in the show rooms i could not see any major difference from 100 to 200 but that may just be me personally.
I do know when the sales engineer! tried to run usb or applicast movies on the sony he had difficulty. Not so with the samsung.
The upscaling of the Samsung in my opinion was superior and only marred by loss of sound. Lets face it, their trying to pack speaker into a 30mm make-up.

For me the Sam has more flexibility than the Sony overall.