Noob needing buying advice Toshiba 32zp48 vs Samsung WS32Z308P

[HuwOS]

Ok , Im in a dither here
Confusion and uncertainty knows no bounds.

As far as I can tell, without having lived with it or seen it anywhere
outside of a showroom (where picture wasn't great but its probably
something to do with how it was set up or tuned in or whatever in the showroom), I am very probably in love with the 32zp48.
The set itself looks gorgeous and has a nice range of inputs.
I've wanted it for a couple of years now and as it can be had for 650
its not a bad deal.

Then theres the WS32Z308P
It's that cool new crt type so about 2/3's the depth of the toshiba.
Fewer connections, lacking front av but with hdtv input although not hdmi
It can be had for 500

I am a little tight for space so the slightly lesser depth could be good,

Anyone know which one actually has the better picture though,
seems a little bit of a key factor and I'm clueless.

Consider the budget to be between 500 and 700 which would you suggest?
Would you suggest another tv?
I shouldnt muddy the waters like that but I will
what about the LOEWE AVENTOS 3981ZW which Im seeing for about £670

Assume your judgement is better than mine (shouldnt be hard)
basically the trouble I'm having is the more thought I put into it the
wilder I become and I end up looking at plasma / lcd screens
I cannot afford and projectors which while I would like them don't see
them as being a replacement for a tv but as a special use item,
for less common use I mean

Any advice gratefully received

 

[Kalos Geros]

If you don't mind the lack of component inputs and thus progressive scan, the Aventos should give a wonderful picture...else go for Toshiba then Samsung (for features and slim design) but for the latter two you should really get a progressive scan DVD player to get the most out of them...

 

[skap7309]

i spent months searching for 'the best' replacement for my panasonic 4:3 and after trawling through several options, (panasonic, sony, samsung, sharp etc) i decided on the 32zp48 just last saturday after finding more positive comments than any other crt. i payed £549 from a company called MKA television and i am very happy so far with it, picture is great, good connections and sound and it looks stunning !

 

[per-Sony-fied]

Picture is a very personal thing and recommending a specific TV may be not to your liking. You basically need to view them yourself.

However to help decide there are a few things that can easily swing it.

The Toshiba has excellent sound for a TV, tho' not the best and the zp48 has a 5.1 digital decoder fitted which comes complete with a pair of external speakers. Using the Tv speakers too a surround sound is created.

The picture has very very good black level and as such produces a rather polished liquid type display, if you get my meaning. Unfortunately the picture is also rather rosy producing rather rich colours to some scenes making a natural look almost impossible. For me skin tones look over blown much darker than should be and same for things like the sky I put this down to a brownish hue/tint that interferes with the whole colour range. Whether this is to do with the type of CRT, phosphors or similiar I don't know but spoils the viewing for me.

The Tosh also exhibits some poor build quality using some rather cheap plastic in parts but nonetheless still looks great.

The Samsung has a great sharp picture but has some woefull geometry errors due in part to it's slim design. Theres a big thread on the Forums about the Samsung worth a read. To produce it's slimmer rear end the CRT has some different design techniques to a standard CRT. The pixels at the outer edges are stretched to provide a linear gun scan therefore the extreme edges will not look as sharp or detailed. Probably best avoided.

While the unit is slimmer and takes up less rear space you'll still have to put your equipment underneath it and as such you'll probably only end up saving a couple of inches of space.

 

[HuwOS]

Thanks to all for your replies

You've definitely helped clarify.
Extra thanks to per-sony-fied for the
very detailed post
I think I've firmed up on the 32zp48
so a special thanks to skap7309 for pointing
me in the direction of saving another 50 quid on it.

 

[HuwOS]

Ok well I got my 32zp48 from mka tv
although price had gone up when I got it.
Some confusion as well as I bought it from them through ebay with the tvs
put on ebay the day after they told me they didn't have any weren't sure when
they would get anymore and they already had 10/11 ppl interested in one and
they didn't know how many they would get in if and when they did get any in.
And none of that is to the point.

The thing here is about the stand.

I just couldn't put it together.
It was missing holes in the metal base for the wooden back to be
connected to.
MKA weren't a lot of help just suggesting I wasn't putting it together right
and when pushed advising me to call toshiba.
I didn't bother however and drilled a couple of holes and the whole thing
goes together fine.
What is a little irritating is the stand has the code number
mv32zp46
ok so it isnt the number itself that is irritating.
What is annoying is that the base of it is not that nice semi circle shape
that the glass shelves are and that I see the base is in all those lovely
pictures of my telly.
A check on google shows me the mv32zp46 is the stand with the semi circular base
but the diagram of the stand I have clearly shows the angled base that I actually got.

Anyone know why this should be?


Love the tv btw so the whole stand thing is really minor.

 

[Brimstone]

The stock issue is because the range is discontinued and it getting scarse - well done for getting that price thought, i had to pay £730 from EmpireDirect.

Stand - the model number is ok as the '46 is just the non 5.1/speakers version (just nicam).

Models:-
(32/36ZP...):
38 - old model, PictureFrame 2 (black surround)
48 - new model, PictureFrame 3 (silver)
46 - PF3 no 5.1 or speakers (just nicam)
48 - PF3 built in 5.1 inc x4 ext speakers

As for the shape im not entirely sure from the description what is wrong with the parts - can you show us a picture to make it easier to see the problem?

I received my damaged stand on Sat and it is a half circle shape similiar to the shape of the tv - there shouldn't be any variations as far as a know. The only other stand was the old Picture Frame 2 model's stand, but the shelves and general shape are different on that.
Its starting to sound like there's a wrong part in there?
But the base fitted onto the rest of the stand okay without any problems?

I've got pics at home of the base (took pics of all damaged parts).
I'll try and post a pic tonight for comparison.

Cheers, Brim.

 

[Brimstone]

Just want to check what do you mean by base?

I had assumed you meant the base the TV sits at the top of the stand - these both look the same size and shape on the PF2 & PF3.
If you mean the bottom of the stand, then here the PF2 and PF3 are very different and i can see where the angled vs semicircle descriptions would match up.

Have a look at the following 2 pics - does your stand look like the older PF2 (ZP38) version of this TV?

If so, and your TV is definately a Picture Frame 3 (ZP48) with the silver rather than black front surround, there is a mistake with the stand they have supplied and they should replace it (if it bothers you enough to chase after). I agree that the newer stand looks better IMHO (and you can take out the bottom shelf if you need more space for a large hot running AV amp). Although, why then does it have a ZP46 sticker on it?

ZP38 (PF2) stand:
http://photos.fotango.com/p/eba00543624f00000001.jpg

ZP48 (PF3) stand:
http://photos.fotango.com/p/eba00543624f00000002.jpg

Is the stand different again form both of these pictures? If so, i've no idea what you've got...

Cheers, Brim.

 

[Brimstone]

errrrr..... just thought of something.

I took pictures of all the damaged parts of my stand when it arrived on Sat - the first thing i noticed was the chips and scratches in the large metal bracket - a large ANGLED metal bracket which doesn't match either the PF2 or PF3 stand. Horlicks.

Looks like there could be a design change here and i may have the same problem as you HuwOS.
I'll look at the stand parts and instructions when i get home, then will post pics.

Then i'll be phoning EmpireDirect to speak to them about it.
And maybe Toshiba for any official info (better chance of knowing i suppose)... great something else to chase after

Anyone else buy a Tosh ZP recently? Did it have an angled bracket unlike the PF3 picture?

Cheers, Brim.

 

[HuwOS]

... first thing i noticed was the chips and scratches in the large metal bracket - a large ANGLED metal bracket which doesn't match either the PF2 or PF3 stand. Horlicks.

Looks like there could be a design change here and i may have the same problem as you HuwOS.
I'll look at the stand parts and instructions when i get home, then will post pics.
... .

Mine had a few bangs and chips too. But towards the back rather than right in your
face when in use.

When you check yours see if there are 2 holes for the wooden backplate
to fit too in it as well. Might be missing on yours as well as mine.

 

[Brimstone]

Yup, mines the same as yours i think.
Must have changed the design - does it look okay compared to the rounded one?

Here's the pics (is it the same?):-

Angled metal bracket/base:
http://photos.fotango.com/p/eba00543624f00000003.jpg

Holes for wooden back:
http://photos.fotango.com/p/eba00543624f00000005.jpg

Instructions:
http://photos.fotango.com/p/eba00543624f00000004.jpg

Cheers, Brim.

 

[HuwOS]

Yes its the same as mine except yours has the holes at the
back. I had to drill mine.

I think I would definitely have preferred the semicircular base
to the angled one. After all its in keeping with the rest of
the stand and the angles really aren't.

Then again the base of the stand isn't really on display
so its not a big thing.

 

[Brimstone]

Yes its the same as mine except yours has the holes at the
back. I had to drill mine.

Now its DIY TV stands - just drill yer own holes, find some screws and then bend metal brackets rounded with a hammer until it looks better...

I think I would definitely have preferred the semicircular base
to the angled one. After all its in keeping with the rest of
the stand and the angles really aren't.

Yeah, i get the impression from the picture in the instructions thats it's not going to look quite as good as the original design - oh well, it'll have big black ugly speakers next to it to distract the eye anyway

Then again the base of the stand isn't really on display
so its not a big thing.

No, i guess its not a big thing - i'm just getting wound up because this a further problem (although small) that i'm finding out about while trying to get my TV and stand replaced.

Glad yours came together okay in the end. I'll see how i get on.

Cheers, Mark.