Looking for 40-46" TV

[Mayfair2011]

Hello there,

I'm in the market for a new television and wish to spend up-to £500(Although if something is far superior and not much extra i may decide to spend a little extra), I'm looking for a 40-46".

I will be playing a lot of gaming on it (Xbox 360 via HDMI) I also play a lot of fast-paced games such as CoD and Fifa so this may or may not help the final decision.

I also need it to be able to play videos from my network via Ethernet (DLNA), It also must be able to play MKV files(So i guess Sony is out of the question??) and also the other common file types such as AVI etc.

Also regarding the DLNA, Would any DLNA server work or do you have to use the TV's own software. As i have a linux server box and as such most of the TV's own software don't support linux.

It will be connected to a Virgin Media V+ HD Box, So Free-view HD is not a must, I watch mostly HD channels so the HD picture quality needs to be quite good, But it would be nice if the SD picture quality wasn't too bad also.

I don't need the extra's like browsing Facebook / Twitter etc, It would be nice to browse YouTube and Google, But this is not a deal breaker.

I'm really not sure what to go for like LCD / LED or Plasma, as I'm not very clued up about TV's.

The room the TV will be going isn't VERY VERY bright, Although the TV is in-front of the window, But i don't really use the TV a lot during the day time anyway.

I've currently got a Samsung 32" LE32B450 which I've had for some time now.

I've been looking at the following products:

Samsung UE40D5520 -- LED (£528) (40")
Samsung UE40D5000 -- LED (£479) (40")
Samsung LE40D580 -- LCD (£399) (40")
Samsung LE40D550 -- LCD (£389) (40")
Panasonic TXP42S30B - Plasma (£499) (42")

Although I'm sure you will advise on any other make / model that fits my criteria.

I've been tempted by the Samsung UE40D5520, But I'm not sure and came here to hear some advise from people who know their stuff

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Many thanks,

 

[Curly99]

Thread moved to the Which TV should I buy? forum.

Curly

 

[Mayfair2011]

Many thanks Curly99,

Also i have been advised to look at the Panasonic Viera TX-P42ST30, What are your thoughts on this plasma for my needs?

Going by review the PQ and black level are very good for the price-point.

Although I'm a little concerned regarding 'image burn' as I've stated I play a lot of games, and CoD has a static HUD would this be an issue if I'm playing it for a long period of time? Would it cause 'image burn' ?

Also the Panasonic Viera TX-P42ST30 can be had for £549.95 with free 5 year warranty, Which I've heard is pretty cheap (It's from John Lewis)

I'm just a little concerned regarding the 'image burn' I've stated.

 

[Mayfair2011]

179 views and no reply?

 

[Mayfair2011]

Ordered the TX-P42ST30 in the end, Should be here Friday

 

[Scooby2000]

Good choice, if Id seen this thread Id have recommended it for your budget.

 

[Mayfair2011]

Hello there,

Just to update, Received the Panasonic TX-42ST30B yesterday and what can I say... It's so much bigger than i thought it would be! Makes my old 32" tiny!

The picture quality compared to my old 32" LCD Samsung is very noticeable, I'm very impressed with the HD picture quality, Looks fantastic!

I watched 15minutes or so of Football on Sky Sports HD and it looked awesome, I'm very pleased!

The only thing I'm concerned of is TV logos with image retention, I didn't watch the footie game tonight as i was worried of the score board logo (It was static and black..) Do you think I'm just being paranoid/anal (First 100 hours)

I would like to thank you for recommending this TV to me, I've very pleased with it.

Although it doesn't do the DLNA i required, It can play MKV via USB so for now I will just pop my videos/movies onto a 250GB external usb HDD and play them from that, Direct into the TV. Until i decide if I will buy a dedicated media player.

Also i phoned JL before i bought this TV and asked if it did do DLNA streaming, The lady i spoke to on the phone insisted it did do DLNA streaming and also confirmed it with 3 other staff members, Do you think if I email them they might give me some sort of discount? as it doesn't do DLNA streaming. (Worth a try right?)

Using the default settings at the moment, and it still looks fantastic.

Picture Mode: Normal
Contrast: Half way
Brightness: Half way
Color: Half way
Sharpness: Half way

 

[leedebs]

You may be better off using either Cinema or True Cinema on these sets, these are generally the best/better settings on the Panasonics
Normal looks okay in the daytime if you want a bit more punch though

 

[Scooby2000]

Yes use Cinema for the first 200 hours, if worried about IR avoid high contrast, if using normal mode, knock contrast dow a tad. As DLNA I did you not check the Panasonic site? Id have mentioned it but thought the ST had it. Glad you like the set though, PQ wise it was the right choice.

 

[Mayfair2011]

Oh i see, Maybe it's just me but i tried the other modes and thought 'normal' looked the best lol