Ok, I've tried, but need some help in deciding which TV? Please

brent

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Hi all,

First of all apologies for adding to the seemingly endless threads from noob's more than likely asking the same old questions.

I have done a load of research, read many posts & spoke to a fair few shop sales-whores.

This is my scenario:

Viewing environment - set to be approx 9-10ft directly facing the sofa. I although the room is bright as a large full height window / balcony door perpendicular to the screen, It will never have direct sunlight at it.

Budget - £500 - £800 ideally.

Plug ins - Sky HD, Xbox 360 & maybe a blu-ray player at some point.

Freeview HD or Freesat preference / requirement - Freeview HD would be nice as unfortunately its an apartment complex with only x1 sky feed & we sometimes revert to freeview if recording & viewing something else. (Freesat i believe requires additional installation so a defo no no).

Plasma or LED-LCD - So far I'm leaning towards plasma (this could be wrong tho ?!?!) My preference is purely about getting the best experience when watching the set. I'm not overly fussed about power consumption & or gimmicks. I have found any experience of LED's to be too bright for my liking & thought they don't look as good as the darks plasma's can achieve (again could be well out in left field here?).

Use the tv for - Normal tv, sky, xbox 360 & occasional films. (very little sport - if any motorsport.

Additional Surround Sound - Initially unless it comes with a package I'll have to rely on the built in speakers, however its definitely something i'll look to add overtime.

Size - After a few calculators & trying not to suppress my "cribs" requirement I've concluded that 50" could be the way to go in terms of distance versus size & cost. Again this could be way wrong & open to suggestions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

So in light of all that - PLEASE HELP ME !?!?!

I'm happy to buy now or wait until after xmas, in shop or online.

The only set I've come to the conclusion that I like the sound of so far is the Panansonic TX-P50GT30B.

Thanks for taking the time to read this & I hope you can help me.

Cheers

Brent
 
The 50GT30 is a very good TV, but it's £1300+ Not going to come down to £800 . The 42" is around £900 still

Got the 46ST30 at £750 from John Lewis I think or the 50ST30 at around £800 but only a 1 year warranty (and from Dixons :rolleyes: )

Samsung 51D550 not as good but may fit the bill at £600 or the 51D6900 is around £900

there are reviews of all of these in the review section ^^^
 
Hi Vickster,

I've found a website selling the TX-P50GT30B for £610 ???

Sorry give me a minute & I'll reply to your other comments
 
Errr, sounds well DODGY

Link?

The cheapest on Pricerunner is £1179
 
Someone else asked about them earlier - I would stay seriously well clear! They have obviously just appeared on the net. Half the price of any other company, yeah right. If it looks too good to be true...

Read the first post here http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-...sung-uexxd8000-owners-thread-part-6-a-22.html

this looks copied straight from some American site

Why are our Prices so low?

Read http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=46968761

Seems like you have to pay by wire transfer...got to be joking eh!!!

Read this too Computers: Too good to be true? bargain-universe.com - boards.ie

especially this bit... Found this on Amazon, posted by a similar named supplier

About Seller
Recently we found there is a FAKE website use our company name Their contact number is 0161 941 2211 Please DO NOT buy from them, we already report to police If you already bought from them, please cancel your bank card as soon as possible and report to police as well thanks We are a newly established online retailer/wholesaler, located in the Great Manchester with a 5,000 ft ² warehouse to make sure our stock level is well maintained to meet our customers demand. We are a group of hard working people with 100% customer satisfaction in mind and we will try our very best to make sure we deliver not only the best quality item, but also the pleasure of purchasing. Fast delivery, good communication and reasonable price are our policy and we are very happy to receive any constructive feedback from our valued customers and act on it to improve continuously. Thank you very visiting our listing and store and hope to see...read more


Need I go on (to Monty Pyton Spam song)...scam...scam...scam ... :rolleyes:
 
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Wow - its good people like yourself that are the reason forums are so good.

I always try to do some research on the sites before I buy anyway (phone the number provided & do some google searches) however yes that's definitely dodgy.

Thank you - I will stay well clear.

I'm just about to read your other comments about the other tv's 1 sec
 
Vickster - Ok so i've read up a bit more on the other Panasonic tv's -

Best TV 2011: how to choose the best TV to buy | News | TechRadar

& unless I'm showing my noob'ness unless I want "DLNA, recordings to a SD Card or USB hard disk and playback of 2D and 3D photos or camcorder footage. These screens also feature a 'one sheet' glass design. - Which I have no idea what DLNA is or the benefits of 1 sheet glass are? (I thought 1 sheet was more of a kitchen towel anyways) - Plus i'll never record to SD & I'll use my computer to look at photos.

There isn't much difference?

Also that is assuming for my needs from my initial start post these Panasonics are the right way anyway?
 
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Um well tbh I hadn't really given it much thought until now & not sure whether its going to be another mini disc or not?

A mate of mine had passive 3D & although initially a nice novelty, nothing that really blew me away or something (unless times change) I would really use?

However having said that tho, from what I understand Panasonic are the pioneers of the Active 3D which is much better - again just depends on how that takes off & develops further etc or becomes redundant?

What would be your opinion?

The link is great thank you - hadn't come across that site before? Is there a list of the best sites / comparison / search sites anywhere?

Thank you
 
I personally have less than zero interest in 3D so I wouldn't pay extra for it myself, but best go demo and get the best TV you can for the budget. I would also seek out a 5 year warranty wherever possible too

TPS are an advertiser and poster on here, plenty of happy customers
 
Vickster - Thank you for all your help & comments.

I agree the 3D is something I need to make a decision about outside of this forum, but your help & reassurance that the route i'm going down with the Panasonic Plasma's is the right decision is good to hear.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm hoping to keep this thread going, get some more views as to what tv would suit me the best & i'll keep updating it with my thoughts - fingers crossed i'll get the right one ;-)

Thanks Brent
 
Viewing environment - set to be approx 9-10ft directly facing the sofa. I although the room is bright as a large full height window / balcony door perpendicular to the screen, It will never have direct sunlight at it.

I have only just found this topic, or would have played devils advocate earlier... :)

We have a similar situation, a large window adjacent to the TV, light coloured furniture, and a coffee table that my Wife insists must have a lace tablecloth. We suffer reflections from the furniture in the CRT TV screen we presently use, particularly during the daytime, so for that reason I decided the new TV must have a matte screen.

If you are definitely sold on a plasma with glass (reflective) screen, then I would suggest you purchase from a company such as John Lewis, who are willing to change the set for another during the 28 day period, if you found it neccesary.

Alan.
 
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Hi Alan,

The more I've been reading up on the drawbacks of Plasma's the more I've begun to worry about that exact problem.

Is there any way I can (which I doubt there is) of working out whether it'd be an issue before I commit?
 
I hate to put you off plasmas, as I believe that the Panasonic models are awesome, and I definitely would have considered a plasma if I had been able to find a 37" and had not been troubled by the reflectivity of the glass screen.

What are you watching at the moment ... CRT or LCD ? it is not direct sunlight onto the screen that we suffer from, rather the reflection of furniture in the screen, when the light falls on that... if you presently have a CRT TV, and do not have problems with reflectivity, then the plasma will be fine for you. A test I tried, which I mentioned in another topic, was that I took a sheet of white paper and a torch with me, and shone the torch onto the side of the paper facing the TV screen, to check reflectivity.

Incidentaly, some LCD/LED TVs, particularly the Samsungs, have a high gloss LCD screen.

Alan.
 
I don't think I'm put off getting a plasma as all the reviews for the new panasonic range so far seem great - apart from a few which I've read where it mentions a green spot appearing that apparently is a common fault?

But on the other hand agreed I don't to want to shell out on my new tele only to find all I can see in it is my ugly mug haha.

At the moment I've got a CRT & to be honest I haven't previously had an issues with reflection - but then again I've never really thought about it either.

I think its time to move the existing tele around over the weekend when I'm home & we have sunlight to see try it in the worst case of reflections.

Thank you for the suggestion of the paper & if I have to I'll resort to that yeah, I'm going to do some digging first though to see if its been a problem for anyone else.

Actually do you know if the pana plasma are particularly good or bad for reflection?

& also you mention that some LED/LCD are high gloss, so which aren't & what's the best IYO? (might as well do some comparisons)

Cheers - Keep the comments coming - All good learning
 
...And I'm stuck between the Samsung UE40D7000 and the Panasonic TX-P42GT30B.

Similar setup to above... and am looking to watch mostly Std Def telly / HD movies / BluRay and SkyHD. Only sport will be F1 (HD!!).... but keep finding downsides with both options...

Samsung, just wasn't keen on the picture. Too much judder on some images, and seemed over-bright to me in the shop. But loved the SmartPortal.

Panny, really liked the picture, but was a little too dull ... esp in comparison to Samsung.

Think I may need another afternoon in John Lewis!

....but any suggestions are more than welcome!
 
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At the moment I've got a CRT & to be honest I haven't previously had an issues with reflection - but then again I've never really thought about it either.

Then it sounds as if you do not have a serious reflectivity problem, you would certainly notice it if you had, on a CRT in daylight/sunny conditions, so a plasma should not give you any problems in that respect... sorry to muddy the waters with that issue... :)

The LCD/LED set I decided on is rather small for your needs, only going up to 42" screen size, the Panasonic E30B series.

Alan.
 
ralexm - haha welcome to my world !?!?! I think we're looking at different size sets, but yes it is confusing.

Alan - Well at the moment I don't then again like I said its not something I've given any thought into, still worth checking out though before I commit.

& not to worry you haven't muddied (not sure that's even a word) the waters, the reason I started this thread was to get feedback & to point out things that I hadn't considered.

Like I said I'll do some digging on tinterweb about peoples experiences & also do some trials at home.

As much as my wallet disagrees I think a 42" would be too small & like said before 50" seems a suitable size for the viewing distance etc.

-----------------------------

Again thanks & please keep all comments coming

Ta

Brent
 
thanks....back to the shops we go !

Believe me I'd like a 50+.... but had one of those "aint-gonna happen" moments when we did a demo @ JL.. :( booo!
 
...And I'm stuck between the Samsung UE40D4000 and the Panasonic TX-P42GT30B.

Similar setup to above... and am looking to watch mostly Std Def telly / HD movies / BluRay and SkyHD. Only sport will be F1 (HD!!).... but keep finding downsides with both options...

Samsung, just wasn't keen on the picture. Too much judder on some images, and seemed over-bright to me in the shop. But loved the SmartPortal.

Panny, really liked the picture, but was a little too dull ... esp in comparison to Samsung.

Think I may need another afternoon in John Lewis!

....but any suggestions are more than welcome!

Do you really mean the D4000? Entry level HD ready 720p versus a top end 3D Panasonic full HD 1080p plasma (or do you mean the D7000?) :confused:

A plasma will always look dull in a brightly lit showroom versus an LCD no doubt set up in dynamic shop mode

Read the two reviews in the review section for pro reviews of calibrated sets
 

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