26" LCD TV buying advice

[Rolly1988]

Hi there,

Im am currently looking at purchasing a TV for my bedroom and was looking for a bit of advice on which one to get. Its use will be for playing PS3, watching freeview (might look to get freesat HD in the future) and for my computer. The best size for me is going to be 26" due to distance from the screen.

I was looking at the Panny tx-26lxd80 as the lxd70 model was so good and this one seems to be an improvement on that, although i have yet to see it in action. I can pick this up for £387 inc P+P from Dixons. Now i see a lot of places offering a 5 year guarantee on this product but no mention of it from dixons, so is it a manufacturers warranty that will come with it from wherever else i buy or only certain places? If anyone has other recommendations on where to buy this product please let me know.

This TV is basically my benchmark at the moment and isnt necessarily the one i am going to get. Has anyone got any other recommendations on 26" TV's? There are quite a few Sony models and am confused as to which one would suit me so any help there would be much appreciated also.

I am not looking to buy in the next week or two so dont mind waiting a a couple of months if there is one soon to be released that looks promising. The few things i am looking for are:
- good contrast ratio
- good TV to play the ps3 on
- 24p would be nice for blu ray but no essential
- Price around £400, may go a bit higher if worth it

Many Thanks
Tom

 

[Aidan.]

many are going to say that the sony kdl-26v4000 is the best 26" in that price range - i can't comment, as i haven't seen it. would be interesting to see how it compares to the panasonic.

 

[ChrisGgr]

the 26V4000 is the ideal choice yes.the 26LXD80 has a poor panel

 

[nokiauk]

Having viewed many tv's just a few days ago, I decided on a Panasonic over the Sony.

The 26LXD80 should prove a good choice.

£387 inc del from Dixons seem a good price.

The 5 year warranty seems to apply to in-store purchases only therefore ruling out Dixons.

How much value do you place on the Warranty?

 

[Rolly1988]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

I have seen the sony kdl-26v400 for £399 with 5year warranty from empire direct. To me this seems like a pretty good deal, especially as the specs look good and apparently it is the 26" TV of choice for many, both of which seem pretty promising.

Why is the panel on the Panny awful by the way?

I would like to see these 2 in action but it seems that many places dont have many 26" TV's out on the shelfs to view so any opinions and views of owners are much appreciated thanks.

The warranty isnt essential i admit but its very nice to have that reassurance.

I few more questions have arisen

1. Is 100hz worth it (i like to watch sports and films)
2. Are there many differences between bravia engine and bravia engine 2
3. The Sony website claims the kdl26v4000 to be 'new', however the v4500 seems newer with it featuring bravia engine 2? Although it doesnt seem to be readily available in the UK? Just slightly confused about that?
4. Also, the sony has a dynamic contrast 30,000:1 compared to Panny's 8,000:1. Why is there such a big difference?

Thanks
Tom

 

[ChrisGgr]

1.there is a slight advantage
2.the BE2 is better and newer the old is still very good though.
3.both are new models,the V4500 is a sony centre exclusive
4.in blacks the sony is the clear winner

 

[meltonboy]

Just to ask about the 100hertz comment - are you saying that the panny isn't and the sony is ?

I'm looking at a 26incher and my lunchtime research on the forums is pointing me to the sony. The "70" panny model panel appears to have been well recieved but the "80" model has a lot of sceptics on these forums.

MB

 

[audiphile76]

4. Also, the sony has a dynamic contrast 30,000:1 compared to Panny's 8,000:1. Why is there such a big difference?

Tom: Do not compare CRs from different LCD manufacturers to decide on your buy. The difference in what Sony and Panasonic have quoted which are the dynamic CRs are not indicational of anything. Blacks are quite close to each other. If possible you should compare their native CRs. As a thumb rule for an LCD, anything above 2000:1 is good.

 

[ChrisGgr]

Just to ask about the 100hertz comment - are you saying that the panny isn't and the sony is ?

I'm looking at a 26incher and my lunchtime research on the forums is pointing me to the sony. The "70" panny model panel appears to have been well recieved but the "80" model has a lot of sceptics on these forums.

MB

yes the panny 70 is 100Hz

 

[meltonboy]

yes the panny 70 is 100Hz

What about the Sony though ? is it important anyway ?

MB

 

[ChrisGgr]

the sony is 50Hz,its not much important anyway

 

[meltonboy]

Bought the Sony 4000 on Saturday from Richer Sounds for £360 and have to say that i'm pretty happy with it. Good value for the money. Thanks to all who provided feedback and guidence on this and other threads

Slightly annoyed that i did a basic DVE calibration (using the very useful AVF Tutorial video clip), then took it up to the bedroom, switched it on and realised that i hadn't saved the settings. Doh.

MB