Decisions, decisions...

Porta105

Standard Member
Joined
May 24, 2009
Messages
14
Reaction score
1
Points
3
Hi guys,

I've been avidly following the boards for a while now and having just had my job confirmed (I graduate uni in a month) I can eventually splash out on the TV I've been hankering after.

Now I'm looking for a 37"-42" lcd or plasma with a top budget of about £700. It'll be used for PS3 (online fps, sports games) which at times can be a marathon session, Dvd's, and Sky HD on average I'd say the split is 35:10:55.

I've narrowed it down to:
Samsung LE40B550 £670 @ play.com
Sony KDL37V5500 £675 @ richersounds

or are the following worth a punt?
Samsung PS42B451B £650 @ currys
Panasonic TXP42X10B £650 @ currys

Thanks in advance guys, any help is appreciated. :thumbsup:
 
Ok 4 views but no help, hmmmm :(

Just been looking around for any better prices etc and John Lewis are selling the Samsung LE40B550 for £900?! Any reason why they're charging £230 more than other places, they seem to be more expensive on nearly all their sets.
 
Ok 4 views but no help, hmmmm :(

Just been looking around for any better prices etc and John Lewis are selling the Samsung LE40B550 for £900?! Any reason why they're charging £230 more than other places, they seem to be more expensive on nearly all their sets.

John Lewis prices are normally RRP whereas almost all other places are below this. Surely you realise how John Lewis stores manage to be so large and well-fitted.....
 
Surely you realise how John Lewis stores manage to be so large and well-fitted.....

Lol yeah, but with prices so much more than other places how do they actually sell anything?

Any thoughts on the Lcd and Plasma suggestions?
 
Because people like to buy from a well-known retailer with stores nationwide with good customer service, staff who know what they are talking about and they get reliable free delivery at a time that suits and a 5 year warranty (most places charge lots for these, oh I'd say around £200 ;) ) ...oh, and the company will actually be around in 5 years to honour the warranty (see Empire Direct) ... a lot of online retailers won't be especially given the current climate ;)

Price isn't everything (but of course JL will price match genuine bricks and mortar stores), a lot of people (especially older folks) will pay a bit more for peace of mind! This is why JL sell a LOT of TVs :)

TV wise - I'd go for the Samsung LCD (probably best to avoid plasma if you are going to have long gaming sessions), buy it from wherever you fancy, depends whether you want the warranty...some cheaper online retailers here http://shopping.kelkoo.co.uk/ctl/do...0B550&fromform=true&priceMin=610&priceMax=640
 
Last edited:
Yes, they do , but only if Richer Sounds actually have the TV in stock and on display

Where do you live, you may find a decent local retailer too?
 
I'm in Newcastle, haven't spotted any smaller retailers around most of the city is dominated by starbucks and pret!
 
Same for most cities these days...

Hope you're not a football fan...:eek:
 
Haha not at all, which makes it all the more amusing, although my beloved rugby team nearly bit the dust this year.

I don't suppose you know if many people ever claim on a warranty past the usual 12 or 36 months?
 
So I've had a look in the shops and in hindsight anything above 37" is a bit too big so my choices are between:

Samsung LE37B550

Sony KDL37V5500

Panasonic TX-L37S10

What would people recommend? I understand that the panels on 37" sony's (and maybe samsungs?) are inferior to the 32" or 40" models but how noticeable is the difference?
 
Porta - did you get reply on this and what did you go for in the end, I am in a similar position to you...
 
Porta - did you get reply on this and what did you go for in the end, I am in a similar position to you...

I would take the Sony or the Panny personally, I'm not really a big fan of the Samsung sets ...both are coming towards end of line too (new sets will be out ~2 months after CEDIA, so Nov time) that said you can get both of these for really good prices at the min. I have a Sony 32V5500 which I use in the spare room for mainly gaming and a bit of HTPC use and a newer (but older model) 32E4000 in the bedroom for watching with the wife. Both these Sonys are good sets for gaming (there are better but arn't there always) but what stands out for me over the panasonics is the SD content such as freeview. Both my Sony sets are fantastic at scaling SD to 1080p resolutions with minimal jaggies, colour grading etc ....looks very well CRT ish. The same can't be said for the my friends S10 (42"), the panny does have the edge with motion thought and is reported to be a bit better with input lag for games but I have never noticed anything too bad with either of my sony sets.

Don't think you can go wrong with either of these sets, would have a look at some price comparisons to get the best deal possible like: 1080p televisions. It really depends on what you are primerily going for in your 1080p television, if its mainly for gaming the S10 at just under £600 is a good choice but if you are going to watch alot of SD TV then the Sony at just over £600 represents great value :thumbsup:. Both are very good sets for HD. Its a tough one for sure ;) Hope I helped,
Cheers,
Jiff
 
Last edited:

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom