New 32" CRT decision....Panasonic or Sony?

T

toastedsandwich

Guest
Hello there, my first post in these here parts. I've been a long time lurker but thought I'd come out from the shadows and prod you all knowing types for a little information. :) Hope you don't mind.

I'm on the brink of purchasing a 32" CRT telly and have narrowed it down to two units that I like the look and spec of. Now there are a number of posts regarding these sets and I've trawled the forums looking at the experiences you guys have had. I havn't really found a good comparison thread though so thought I'd use it as an excuse to post.

The two sets I'm in a quandry over are...
Panasonic TX32DTX11
SONY KD32DX51

Both are at and around the 600 quid mark from RGBDirect, from what I hear they are reasonably reputable.
I'm quite particular about the black surround for the screen, apart from prefering the boarder of a screen to be black, most of my other equipment is black so want to keep some sort of style link, sad but true :suicide: lol

Usage wise it will be mostly CableTV with an average dvd player, plus the odd computer game...
I'm not going for any extended warranty as I'm of the camp that reckons if it survives a year it's going to be fine and both Panasonic and Sony should have reasonable warranties.

Well, I'm very interested to hear your thoughts/comparisons on these two units. Open to comments on all aspects, thanks muchly in advance.
:thumbsup:
 
Both are good sets but since they are of the digital inbuilt tuner variety I'd go with the Sony as this is an extremely good tuner and has extremely user friendly and good bullet proof software. Also if you need to do any set adjustments (most need some for optimum performance) via the service menu the Sony offers a pleathora of settings.

Without actually knowing either set to well I would stab a guess that the Sony will also have better support for scart switching since the Sony I have seems to be fully automated in this respect.
 
Thanks for your comments PSF, nice to know they are at least both good sets. I must say the Sony did seem slightly more intuitive when I played with it in the shops. But I have to say the design of the Panasonic still nudges it ahead....I'm afraid I'm a slave to good looks....doh.

Stuart, I do appreciate that the Tosh gives a great picture and I remember looking at them before (32zp46) but these units I'm looking at now are newer spec and the design floats my boat.
 
The Sony's a very good tv, but this incarnation (it's last as no more Sony CRTs) looks a bit bulky.

I mean looking down on it from above there's acres of black plastic.

If I were you I'd look for a KD32DX200. Much prettier and many more features.

Not many left, but if you look you'll find one.

Try Sony Centres.
 
No thats a good lookin telly. I totally agree with you about the acres of black plastic and thats why I was veering towards the DTX11 which has the nice black front but a silver back... The KD32DX200 has a similar colour design which is cool, theres a SONY centre in town so I'll pop in and see if they have anything in so I can have a look at it.

Great Stuff Sean, thanks
 
I saw that straight after your suggestion, it is used though so your 1 year warranty is most likely already used up. I don't mind not having an extended warranty but no warranty at all is not the best. I would only buy something like this second hand if I knew the person selling. But thanks for the effort mate.. :thumbsup:
 
gbmitie said:
look at a phillips, better picture quality

gbmitie

Blimy :D someone has got a good word for Philips TVs.

Ive got 2 Philips sets the 32PW6408 & the 24PW6518,
both have good picture quality, also the sound is fine,
The best is on the 6518, but the 6408 is pretty good,
but it is lacking a bass or treble control which you get
on the 6518. :thumbsup:
 
toastedsandwich said:
I saw that straight after your suggestion, it is used though so your 1 year warranty is most likely already used up. I don't mind not having an extended warranty but no warranty at all is not the best. I would only buy something like this second hand if I knew the person selling. But thanks for the effort mate.. :thumbsup:

That's why I gave you that link, rather than just a private seller.

I have no association with them, by the way, but it says that you do get a full warranty. See at the bottom:

'A' Grade products are new product that have gone faulty and have been repaired by the manufacturer or one of their appointed service centres. 'A' Grade products will still carry a full UK 12 months warranty and may not come in their original box or packaging.
 
gario said:
Blimy :D someone has got a good word for Philips TVs.

Ive got 2 Philips sets the 32PW6408 & the 24PW6518,
both have good picture quality, also the sound is fine,
The best is on the 6518, but the 6408 is pretty good,
but it is lacking a bass or treble control which you get
on the 6518. :thumbsup:

Very sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Just do a Google search of "faulty" and "Philips".

I think you'll be shocked.
 
Another vote for Sony
 
I've lost count of how many threads I've posted this advice on but it's worth saying again : Always view a TV for yourself before you buy. Picture quality is probably the most important quality of something you're going to stare at for hours on end and it's a very subjective thing. Some people love 100Hz pictures for example, other people just hate them. And don't trust magazine reviews 100% either - they're written by human beings so don't think for a minute that an 'expert' opinion is any better than your own when it comes to judging what is right for you. I nearly died of shock when I saw how bad the picture quality was of a TV that a certain magazine described as "the best TV ever"...
 
sean5302 said:
Very sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Just do a Google search of "faulty" and "Philips".

I think you'll be shocked.


:hiya: As advised I have just done a "Google search" (UK)

Here are the results

Faulty Philips: 74,400
Faulty Sony: 192,000
Faulty Panasonic: 78,600
Faulty Toshiba: 52,200

Just a bit of fun :)
 
Go Toshiba!!!


I'm gonna check a Toshiba 32ZP48 in a couple of days hopefully...

Anybody know any good shops in Lincoln?

By the way, if Toshy ain't your bag I'd go Sony.
 
thats a bit like the reliable car guide. We need to know how many phillips were sold etc etc.

I have panasonics for years and years and had only, I can't believe this, one fault, i think it was a power thingy. I went for phillips because of the pic quality, I think its a 6518. If I could lift I would have gone for a 36" as the 32" is really a 30" pic. I like 50hz as well.

gb--
 
TV Headache said:
I've lost count of how many threads I've posted this advice on but it's worth saying again : Always view a TV for yourself before you buy. Picture quality is probably the most important quality of something you're going to stare at for hours on end and it's a very subjective thing. Some people love 100Hz pictures for example, other people just hate them. And don't trust magazine reviews 100% either - they're written by human beings so don't think for a minute that an 'expert' opinion is any better than your own when it comes to judging what is right for you. I nearly died of shock when I saw how bad the picture quality was of a TV that a certain magazine described as "the best TV ever"...

Agreed - I have seen the best TV ever and it was dreadful
 
gario said:
Faulty Philips: 74,400
Faulty Sony: 192,000
Faulty Panasonic: 78,600
Faulty Toshiba: 52,200
That's pretty much in line with the UK market positions - Sony No.1, Pana No.2, Philips No.3. From memory the last volume stats I saw put Sony ahead of Pana by about 15-20%, and Pana leading Philips by a much smaller margin.

Of course the Google results aren't representative of real faults. It's just that more people are complaining more loudly about Sony than any other brand. Still not great for them, but better than a 2:1 failure rate that the figures might suggest against their nearest competitor :)

The good news from the CRT buyers perspective is that there has never been a better time to buy a big glass set than now. Strong competition is keeping the entry level sets down in price, whilst the top-of-the-range products are at the pinnacle of the development curve.

IMO Sony Pana Philips all have strong 100Hz sets. Personally I prefer the Philips. I think their Pixel Plus II is about the sharpest and most natural of all the digital chassis sets. If you can still get hold of it then the 32PW9570C is a real bargain. Dixons were doing them for £500. It's a £1000 TV for half price :D

Regards
 
The problem with TVs is that you really need to live with them to be able to make a valid judgment, and who gets the opportunity to live with more than one top model? If you have some mates with different models that's the best you can do. You need to watch them under a digital signal (forget analog for comparison purposes).

I too studied this forum for a few months before deciding on a Toshiba 32ZP46. Why? Because I liked the PictureFrame look. Because it was cheaper but identical to the 32ZP48 apart from having no Dolby Surroundsound, which I wouldn't use anyway. It's horses for courses. I've now got my Tosh and my Toppy and together they fulfill my every need (and then some), but you will have different needs.

You really should be able to go to Comet, Currys or Dixons and be able to study the image quality there, but for as long as I can remember these outlets have seemed to go out of their way to show the absolute worst reception and picture quality they can. I could accuse them of total and utter incompetence, but I suspect it's some type of subtle marketing strategy — no retailer can be THAT stupid! :suicide:

Today Comet announced large losses and I suspect the others are in the same boat. If they go under you'll be able to hear my cackles from the moon!

...and don't even get me started on these company's repair services!!! :censored:
 

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