37/40" LCD options - advice?

I'm looking for either a 37" or 40" LCD - I'm bound by a max cabinet width of 100cm, which rules out anything bigger than 40". Pity, because it rules out the Sharp LC42XD1E, which in the demos I've seen had the best LCD picture (and comes highly recommended from two work colleagues). I've also seen some good demos of the Samsung R87s. But are there alternatives to the Samsung 37/40 that I should consider - eg the Sharp LC37XD1E, which from RS falls into my budget range (but haven't found one on display)? Any others worth a look?

Sources are Sky+ box and DVD (although I'll be changing this to an upscaling model at the same time). I'm in no particular hurry to rush out and buy the first thing I see, so grateful for any advice.

 

Panasonic will be bringing out a Full HD 1080p LCD screen very soon. You might want to wait to see what that is like before making a decision.

 

Yep you should wait.How much you give?

 

The Panasonic's over 100cm so there's no point waiting for that.

 

Thanks guys. Budget is around £800, maybe a little higher. I've looked at Samsung's M87 as well, but to be honest I didn't see much difference between that and the R87 models, hence I've tended to concentrate on the R87 series. RS, however, do the LC37XD1E at £699.

Practical issues such as room design/shape dictate the max size, unfortunately. It's not a case of shift furnite to make space available.

 

I dont think you can find any better than Sharp LC-37XD1!!!Also the Sony 40D3000 its a very good tv but no 1080p(it has 100Hz though)

 

Toshiba's forthcoming 37Z3030D looks as if it could be a cracker, ableit probably just out of your budget. Toshibas are often competitively priced though so you never know.

 

Does anyone know if you'll be able to turn off the 100hz setting and/or be able to adjust the backlight on the new 37" Panasonic's or Toshiba's yet, like the Sony D3000? I'm very tempted by these sets, I hope they're good.

 

I'm very happy with my Sharp LC37XD1E, would recommend it any day!

 

Well, I've continued to look at various models in a variety of stores (incl Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Philips). Sources are currently SD via Sky+ and dvd, no consoles. I have seen a side-by-side blu-ray demo against the 40W2000, and to be honest I didn't see any real difference once they let me see the D3000 on the same (HDMI) output.

JL Norwich have agreed today to pm with Empire Direct (Romford store) at 849. Very slightly above my budget, which seems like a good deal (I know it's not the cheapest ... until you factor in the warranty). So I guess my questions are

- do I really need 1080p?
- is the 40D3000 at this price worth the slight stretch, all things considered?

Cheers,
Nick