LG 65C8 or Panasonic 65 FZ802

KrispE

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OK I have read various reviews/posts on this forum and seen the tv's in Currys but not the best place to help me see any real difference between the 2. I can get either the C8 or FZ802 for basically the same price and ideally need to order one asap. My viewing is 60% Netflix/NowTv/Prime and BBC Iplayer, 30% Gaming, 10% movies usually on a usb stick. I used to have a 37" Panny plasma many years ago which I loved, then replaced it with 50" LG plasma which I also thought was great, so like both brands. Based on my viewing preferences which TV would suit me best? This will be the most I have ever spent on a TV so want to be happy with my purchase and not wish I had kept my LG plasma! I will be connecting an xbox one X and my sound will be from my Marantz amp/Monitor Audio 5.1 speakers. (I never use the internal speakers on my current TV).
 
OK I have read various reviews/posts on this forum and seen the tv's in Currys but not the best place to help me see any real difference between the 2. I can get either the C8 or FZ802 for basically the same price and ideally need to order one asap. My viewing is 60% Netflix/NowTv/Prime and BBC Iplayer, 30% Gaming, 10% movies usually on a usb stick. I used to have a 37" Panny plasma many years ago which I loved, then replaced it with 50" LG plasma which I also thought was great, so like both brands. Based on my viewing preferences which TV would suit me best? This will be the most I have ever spent on a TV so want to be happy with my purchase and not wish I had kept my LG plasma! I will be connecting an xbox one X and my sound will be from my Marantz amp/Monitor Audio 5.1 speakers. (I never use the internal speakers on my current TV).

There really is no measure of bettering the tv world, One tv is not better than the other - it’s your personal preference and judgement

If what you want is the best outright picture, by that I mean most accurate, most lifelike, best colour? Panasonic, we all tend to agree. If I was buying a tv for a movie room, this is probably what I’d buy,

However for many people, the TV needs to do more than just look good.... the LG arguably has a slicker OS, better smart functionality with Google and Alexa, better HDR performance, futureproofing, DV and DA (not important to you now but future proofing helps), better gaming performance, full bandwidth HDMIs (4 on the LG, Pana has 2), noise reduction and 120fps HFR support, the LG is undeniably the better choice. Picture wise, the LG does sometimes pip the Panasonic, better noise reduction, less artefacting, brighter HDR.

This is reflected in shootout and reviews. Generally, the LG will not top a shootout. What the Philips shootout last year showed is that there’s barely any difference though. Reviewers however all tend to favour the LG as the best all around tv. Whathifi, which, rtings, trusted reviews, Techradar, stuff, home cinema, digital trends, forbes.

The truth of the matter is whichever one you buy, you’ll be blown away by.
 
I just bought the 65in Panasonic, (delivery tomorrow) from RS on a price match from TPS for £1875 and since TPS also throw in a wall mount RS matched that with a Sanus VLL5 which I was not expecting. Might not be the best ever price, but i'm happy, so far.

Not sure if prices are going to drop anymore as no one really dropped there price over the easter.
 
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The LG has its upsides, such as far more built-in apps, four full-bandwidth HDMI ports and Dolby Vision support, but the Panasonic produces a far more natural and, to me at least, pleasing image. Especially out of the box, where Panasonic smoke every other manufacturer in terms of the accuracy of their best preset. They really don't even need professional calibration unless you're a real stickler, whereas the LG benefits hugely from being professionally calibrated. Even after that, the Panasonic still has slightly better colour accuracy.

Ultimately, it depends on what you value most. The LG is certainly more "futureproof" in terms of the hardware and formats it supports, but the Panasonic produces a notably better image in most situations. I'd say you'd almost certainly prefer the way the Panasonic looks out of the box if you're coming from plasma, but you also have the option of coughing up for calibrating the LG if you're displeased with it, whereas the Panasonic will never support Dolby Vision or have four full-fat HDMI ports.

This year's Panasonic models will really shake things up though. Dolby Vision support added and extremely aggressive pricing right from the off.
 
If I had the choice, I would go for FZ802. If you look at C8 thread you would find there are lot of issues with C8 and LG have issued lots of firmware and the last one is avoided by owners, even Vincent mentioned in his Tweeter not to update, what a cock-up by LG.
 
Just ordered the 65 FZ802 from R-Sounds for £1999. Having only had plasma for the last 15 years I'm hopping it is my best choice. Arrives tomorrow :) Thanks again for the advice above everyone.
 
Just ordered the 65 FZ802 from R-Sounds for £1999. Having only had plasma for the last 15 years I'm hopping it is my best choice. Arrives tomorrow :) Thanks again for the advice above everyone.
Did you not see my post further up. 65FZ802B for £1875 + wall bracket from Richer Sounds?You should still get a price match
 
Just ordered the 65 FZ802 from R-Sounds for £1999. Having only had plasma for the last 15 years I'm hopping it is my best choice. Arrives tomorrow :) Thanks again for the advice above everyone.
You will be pleasantly surprised.:smashin:

Make room for the box. It's huge.
 
Had the TV now for a few days. Picture is stunning and exceeds my expectations. Hd and even SD upscaled looks better than my plasma did. Overall very happy. :)
 
quick question though. What is the best way to connect my devices? I have an Xbox one X and a Marantz NR1605 amp. Am I better connecting the Xbox to the amp and then HDMI from amp to tv, or connect the Xbox direct to the TV and use HDMI arc back to the amp?
 
so
Did you not see my post further up. 65FZ802B for £1875 + wall bracket from Richer Sounds?You should still get a price match

Somehow missed that !!! Anyway still love the TV even if it cost me £100 more!. For £1895 it seems like the bargain of the century, the picture is amazing!!!!!!!!!
 
so


Somehow missed that !!! Anyway still love the TV even if it cost me £100 more!. For £1895 it seems like the bargain of the century, the picture is amazing!!!!!!!!!
I Would still ask as you have a period of time after purchase. TPS still advertising £1895.

Got mine set up at weekend with my new denon avr x2500 amp all I can say is "mint". Didn't think it would be better than my 11 year old panny plasma but it is
 
Just thought I would update this. The picture quality of the Panasonic is nothing short of amazing, using Professional 1 setting (but warm1 rather than the default warm2). Upscaling of NowTV from my Xbox One X is excellent (GoT looks amazing even though it's still only 720p streamed on NowTv!). Obviously HDR/4K just brilliant. Really happy with the Panasonic and a step up in picture quality over my previous plasmas. In the end I connected my xbox one X directly to HDMI 1 on the TV as this enabled the Xbox to output HDR, (if I connect the xbox to my Marantz amp first, the pass through HDMI only supports 4K, not HDR). I then use the optical out on the xbox direct into my amp for surround sound. TV is connected through ARC on HDMI 2 to my amp so when watching Netflix app direct from the TV it sends DTS surround sound to the amp.
 
I've just gone from the LG B8 (granted it's not the C8) to the Panasonic FZ952, and the leap in visual quality was pretty huge. I would absolutely recommend Panasonic over LG, any day of the week. I've said before, my local retailer won't even stock LG, as they don't believe the products have very good quality control, and the after sales service from LG support is well known for being dreadful.
 
I've just gone from the LG B8 (granted it's not the C8) to the Panasonic FZ952, and the leap in visual quality was pretty huge. I would absolutely recommend Panasonic over LG, any day of the week. I've said before, my local retailer won't even stock LG, as they don't believe the products have very good quality control, and the after sales service from LG support is well known for being dreadful.

How is the upscaling of SD/HD content? This is a critical area for me so any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
How is the upscaling of SD/HD content? This is a critical area for me so any thoughts would be appreciated.
SD is surprisingly not too bad. However I do tend to avoid SD channels like the plague. 1080i/1080p to 4K is superb.
 
Just watched "The Last Ship" (1080p Blu Ray). Looked absolutely incredible. I tried some older SD content like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it still looked decent (as decent as old DVD can...!). HD content looks better on this than any other OLED (from all the reviews i've read). If you are a massive sports fan, maybe go with a Sony due to their superior motion handling. For movies / TV shows, the Panasonic is the best imo.
 
Hi all any reason why FZ802 is been chosen over the FZ902? They look to be the same price is one better?
 
It was quite a bit cheaper, but now the difference is only about £100, and soundbar on the 952 is superb. Plus the remote is more premium

They are the exact same panel though, so picture is the same
 
Hi all any reason why FZ802 is been chosen over the FZ902? They look to be the same price is one better?
Many with a full surround system pick the 802 over the 952 when there was a fair difference in price because they simply do not need the soundbar, myself included.
 
Just watched "The Last Ship" (1080p Blu Ray). Looked absolutely incredible. I tried some older SD content like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it still looked decent (as decent as old DVD can...!). HD content looks better on this than any other OLED (from all the reviews i've read). If you are a massive sports fan, maybe go with a Sony due to their superior motion handling. For movies / TV shows, the Panasonic is the best imo.
If you have it I'd recommend The Descent on Blu-ray, my jaw was on the floor throughout most of the film.
 
Hi guys looking to choose between one these. I was going to opt for the c8 because LG offer better file support via USB but reading the user forums the panny users seem much more impressed. Also it seems that the panny also offers excellent upscaling which is important because Netflix aside all of my viewing will be 1080. I think im right in saying the panny offers better motion as well?
 

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