1080p TVs

[sparkymark75]

The threads relating to some of the 1080p TVs now on the market are huge and it's difficult to get to the heart of the pro's and con's of each. I'm trying to compare the main sets available and would appreciate it if people could post the pro's/con's of each set listed below and I'll update this post as it unfolds.

For other user benefits a much as mine.

Feel free to add any other TVs.

1. Sony W2000 Series
   Pro's
   • Best 1080p LCD for this budget range (?)
   Con's
   • Only officially supports 1080p via HDMI
   • Backlight bleed issues
2. Sony X Series
   Pro's
   • Best 1080p LCD
3. Sharp XD1E Range
   Con's
   • Only supports 1080p via HDMI
   • Severe banding issues
   • Reports of buzzing/whinning
4. Samsung F Series
   Pro's
   • Supports 1080p via Component, VGA and HDMI
   Con's
   • Overscan on HDMI input (user resolvable via firmware update)

Update: I've updated the list, some of these may be subjective, such as the Sony X Series being the best LCD, others may argue differently.

 

[sparkymark75]

Scrap that idea then

 

[kevantlin]

hang in there mate people with experience will hopefully post soon, i am in the same boat as you and will watch this thread

 

[Reiner]

The Sony X2000 series has a resolution of 1920x1080, too, but 1080p input is only supported via HDMI.

 

[ELGENERAL1994]

The best 1080p LCD Tv out there is the Sony X series. I wonder when the new model will be released here?

 

[nicp01]

There seem to be to me from reading all the forums 3 main user factions for lcd or plasma tvs:-
Tv only
Xbox & tv
PC & tv
each expects and has their own requirement of hd

there is no frontrunner its seems too close to call.. most of us with limited finance compromise on the best deal at time of purchase having weighed the pros and cons from all the forums.

I think its agreed 1080 is minimum true HD, mind you 1080 is temporary until 1440!!

I'm still looking

 

[scotw]

Good post, its almost impossible to trawl through the huge posts here. I'm looking for a 1080p set and I was ready to buy the W2000 until I read some of the posts here.

I'd like to see some reviews of the Sharp and the Samsung.

Thanks

 

[Rajveer]

Sony W2000 doesn't officially support 1080p via vga, but with an Xbox 360 or PowerStrip on a Windows PC you can use 1080p with vga. Works VERY well

 

[Kdot]

Sharp :
1080P over HDMI only - not VGA/Component (shared input via adapter).
Severe banding issues on 46" and 52" screens - rumours of them being discontinued as a result
37" and 42" generally excellent images
Reports of Buzzing/Whining on several (all?) models

 

[Yannis]

French site tom's hardware has a comparison of 1080i and 1080p TVs with the following models:
Toshiba 42WL67 , Sony KDL40X2000 , Thomson 42LB330B5, Samsung LE40F71 , Philips 42PF9731.

Results:
Toshiba 42WL67 -> 3/5
Sony KDL40X2000 -> 4/5
Thomson 42LB330B5 -> 3/5
Samsung LE40F71 -> 3/5
Philips 42PF9731 -> 4.5/5

Overall according to the testers , Sony 40X2000 has the most vivid colors and the second best PQ after 42PF9731 (which doesn't support 1080p).
Samsung has a very poor performance, especially the color reproduction.

Translated version of the article

 

[Audiman1]

Still waiting to jump in,

Sony £700 more expensive than the Sharp, not over keen on the bezel thingy, or having to pay £100+ for a different colour one either..
New model Sharp due to be anounced next week (hopefully fix the banding issue),
Samsung F series could be the new front runner (was the Sharp - now not sure, maybe see what the new model boasts).

Totally confused which to get !

 

[UnionJJackson]

To confuse you even more, I've just bought the Samsung F series and wasn't overly impressed with what I spent my big bucks on (Sound is poor, definately need an amp to help you out and I've had problems with quick switches from dark to light (issue raised in another thread)). Having tested the 360 on the Sony x series in 1080i (disappointed that x series didn't cater for 1080p) I decided to opt for the Samsung because it did 1080p over component, however I'm beginning to think whether I made the right move because the picture on the Sony in 1080i was very good!!!! (1080p v 1080i ??) So basically there's no advice here other than don't get to excited about your new tv....better off throwing it on the euro millions draw tonight!

 

[brain_stew]

The Goodmans GTVL42W15HD seems to be the most budget orientated 1080P TV available and "apparently" offers the resolution over VGA, component and HDMI. Not really looked into the set and don't own it but that's what I picked up from reading the first page of its thread here.

 

[bandit2007]

Guys I've bought a Sharp 46'' aquos which has banding on the screen. Any suggestions how to get rid off ? Get money back >

 

[Yannis]

To confuse you even more, I've just bought the Samsung F series and wasn't overly impressed with what I spent my big bucks on

From the reviews i have seen so far plus from what i have seen IRL i would say that Sony's X and W series are the best right now with Sharp's XD1 series a close second. Samsung is not even close, especially the color palete is poor.

 

[MartinCollinson]

The best 1080p LCD Tv out there is the Sony X series. I wonder when the new model will be released here?

I called Sony yesterday as I am in the market for either the 52X2000 or the new 52x2500. They told me that the 2500 will be out in the UK 'towards the end of Feb' and that it should start appearing in Sony stores in that time frame.

The guy I spoke to was very helpful and while they do not have firm pricing yet they expect it to be £300-£400 more expensive than the equivalent X2000 model.

He did also say that he expected X2000 prices to take a tumble when it comes out!

Finally he did say that from what he had seen of the set the major change seemed to be with more connection options and that he could see little difference in the viewing experience ...... I know it has the top of the range Bravia engine though which upscales all inputs to 1080p along with HDMI 1.3. If it is only say £400 more than the X2000 I think I will go X2500 just to future proof.

 

[Iamgud]

The great thing about the 1080p Screens is that 1:1 pixel mapping is standard, so no need for anyone to worry abut that, they all seem to work fine with DVI-> HDMI cables

The Sonys accept 1080p through the VGA + HDMI
Sharp just through the HDMI.
Goodmans has 1080p through everything but doesn't have RGB Scart (bug).
Samsung does it through component and HDMI.

IMO it is between the Sharp and the Sony W series. I am just debating weather it is worth £300 extra for the Sony when it is 2" smaller but it will do 1080p on my XBOX. Why oh why didn't MS make a HDMI cable.

I am not sure if HDMI1.3 will be inmportant for TVs. It s man advantage is FULLHD sound which your TV can't do anything with anyway. I will wait for it before purchasing an AV Revieiver though.

 

[rhg]

I'm with Scotw, Nicp01 and Mparter. This is a great idea. I've been browsing this forum for the past week and am now totally confused.

I'm just interested in the best LCD TV I can find ( 37" or 40" ) for watching SD TV and upscaled DVD's. However, I WANT a 1080P set because I figure that will be better quality than anything else ( not a totally scientific assumption, but one I'm happy with ). So all the stuff about Xbox cables and PS3's ( whilst interesting to many ) just distracts from what matters most to me, which is what is the set like for watching TV.

Originally I was dead set on the Sony 40W2000, now I'm leaning towards the Sharp 37XD1E. The size and general appearance of the bezel also matters to me, and as I'm looking at the MA Radius speakers in gloss black, the Sharp has added appeal.

Does anybody know of any shop that has a 37" XD1E on display that I can actually go and take a look at. I've found a couple of places with the 42" or 46", but from what I can gather the 37 has some differences. I'm in South Bucks, so somewhere reasonably local ( 50 miles or so ) would be great.

Also, does anyone have any good ideas on what to do with old widescreen CRT's, I'm stuggling to even give mine away right now.

Thanks

 

[gpa]

I'm just interested in the best LCD TV I can find ( 37" or 40" ) for watching SD TV and upscaled DVD's. However, I WANT a 1080P set because I figure that will be better quality than anything else ( not a totally scientific assumption, but one I'm happy with ). So all the stuff about Xbox cables and PS3's ( whilst interesting to many ) just distracts from what matters most to me, which is what is the set like for watching TV.

Thanks

Slight contradiction there more pixels does not make a better picture i'm afraid, far from it, Panel quality, processing and scaling make a good all round set, if just watching TV is your aim, open your eye to other forms of TV as well , get some demo's done and include plasma as well.

 

[sparkymark75]

Even though I've now made my choice and bought it (Samsung F series), I'm happy to keep updating the first post for others peoples benefit.

What are the pro's of the Sharp?

 

[Paddy328]

After reading this thread, i think i'll wait till the x2500 comes out before getting my 46x2000. The price is coming down all the time and if the prices do take a tumble when the x2500 comes out, even better.

I imagine the price of the 46x2500 to be just under the 4k mark, just like the x2000 was when that came out. If that is the case, i'll get the older model because you can get the 46x2000 for 2487 at the min. It will be even less come feb. Just have to make do with playing my ps3 on my 26" srt tv for a while.

 

[Yannis]

Slight contradiction there more pixels does not make a better picture i'm afraid, far from it, Panel quality, processing and scaling make a good all round set, if just watching TV is your aim, open your eye to other forms of TV as well , get some demo's done and include plasma as well.

That's true n same cases but Sharp XD1 series has one of the best picture processors available in any TV right now:

http://www.micronas.com/products/trud_HD/index.html
http://www.micronas.com/pressroom/press_releases/articles/0607/index.html

Nothing better than to be able to watch Blu Ray or HD-DVD at the optimum resolution (1080p). Plasma TVs are stuck at 1024x768 pixels for the moment which is half the detail.

 

[Tob]

Does the 46X2000 do 1080p through VGA? Thanks