Sub £700 47-50" TV Choices and Concerns

Minkster

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I currently have a 37" LCD LG TV in the living room (its a 37LG5020 model) which I bought back in 2009 for not-much-money, to replace an older 720p LG 37" model where the power supply had blown. Fixed the power supply issue so have the old TV in the bedroom, and the newer one downstairs.

But I'm finding myself primarily watching either movies or sport (football and some US sports like baseball) a lot and occasional casual Xbox gaming, and hankering after a bigger screen. I have a voucher redeemable for about £250 at various stores like John Lewis, Currys, Argos etc, so figured I could budget up to £450 for a TV in the 46" to 50" range for the living room (so circa £700 in total).

I immediately looked at the current crop of LG 47" LED TV's as the default choice, a bonus being the passive 3D system (not critical though), the magic mousey-remote and a decent looking feature set.

THEN....I read the forums. Lots and lots of talk of dirty screen marks, panel uniformity issues, motion blur and so on. More that this, the common view seemed to be that such issues are a by product of the edge LED backlighting and the newer thin form of these TVs. Now, as I said I watch quite a bit of sport and whilst the size of my current TV could do with being bigger, I've never knowingly seen any problems with motion blur, panel uniformity or anything. Perhaps I'm just lucky. Perhaps they don't show as much on a 37" panel. I dunno. But it made me nervous.

Then, a common view seems to be that Plasmas - despite about to become obsolete - offer a better PQ for movie and sport viewing. My living room isn't mega bright, and the smallish windows have curtains, so reflection probably won't be an issue. But then I'm struggling to find stockists (especially John Lewis, who I like) who have any in stock, and I guess theres no guarantee they ever will.

So I'm in a quandary. I don't want to buy a bigger, newer screen only to find that I'm taking a step back in PQ, so I thought I would post on here in case anyone has any suggestion.

I'm not married to LG by any means (in fact I have a Samsung sound bar), but I'm finding the choices way too confusing. Are ALL new sub £1k LED panels just, well, a bit poor?

Sorry if the requirements are very vague!
 
I currently have a 37" LCD LG TV in the living room (its a 37LG5020 model) which I bought back in 2009 for not-much-money, to replace an older 720p LG 37" model where the power supply had blown. Fixed the power supply issue so have the old TV in the bedroom, and the newer one downstairs.

But I'm finding myself primarily watching either movies or sport (football and some US sports like baseball) a lot and occasional casual Xbox gaming, and hankering after a bigger screen. I have a voucher redeemable for about £250 at various stores like John Lewis, Currys, Argos etc, so figured I could budget up to £450 for a TV in the 46" to 50" range for the living room (so circa £700 in total).

I immediately looked at the current crop of LG 47" LED TV's as the default choice, a bonus being the passive 3D system (not critical though), the magic mousey-remote and a decent looking feature set.

THEN....I read the forums. Lots and lots of talk of dirty screen marks, panel uniformity issues, motion blur and so on. More that this, the common view seemed to be that such issues are a by product of the edge LED backlighting and the newer thin form of these TVs. Now, as I said I watch quite a bit of sport and whilst the size of my current TV could do with being bigger, I've never knowingly seen any problems with motion blur, panel uniformity or anything. Perhaps I'm just lucky. Perhaps they don't show as much on a 37" panel. I dunno. But it made me nervous.

Then, a common view seems to be that Plasmas - despite about to become obsolete - offer a better PQ for movie and sport viewing. My living room isn't mega bright, and the smallish windows have curtains, so reflection probably won't be an issue. But then I'm struggling to find stockists (especially John Lewis, who I like) who have any in stock, and I guess theres no guarantee they ever will.

So I'm in a quandary. I don't want to buy a bigger, newer screen only to find that I'm taking a step back in PQ, so I thought I would post on here in case anyone has any suggestion.

I'm not married to LG by any means (in fact I have a Samsung sound bar), but I'm finding the choices way too confusing. Are ALL new sub £1k LED panels just, well, a bit poor?

Sorry if the requirements are very vague!

Try the Panasonic ST60 it's a plasma and gets recommended lists on here I believe richer sounds stock it if you have a store local you could always see if you can get a demo . Un
 
I don't think he can use his voucher at RS?

JL do sell the LG 50PH660, it's not as good on blacks etc as a Panasonic but it's a much more budget model (the 50ST60 at £799 is a deal but not at available at JL)

Buy LG 50PH660V Plasma Full HD 1080p 3D Smart TV, 50" with Freeview HD online at John Lewis

You could also wait and see if the excellent value 51F5500 from Samsung reappears, it won't be in JL but another retailer may get it

The Panasonic 47ET60/61 gets good reviews, yes there is a risk of bleed and the 47" passive panels don't have such good blacks

Or you could pick up the bargain that is the Samsung 46F5000 which is under £500 (even £400 at Applances Direct) and use your vouchers for something else
 
go for the Panny ST - it's not the best panny plasma (GT or VT for next step up) - but it will suit your needs and budget.....
 
The 50" is £800 still so a touch over budget but worth the stretch
 
I would only use your vouchers at JL, good after sales service & you get 5 year guarantee included.
Curry's generally don't give free 5 year guarantees to my knowledge.
Best thing to do is go demo a few sets, to see which you like.
Also worth noting JL will price match too.
 
I don't think he can use his voucher at RS?

JL do sell the LG 50PH660, it's not as good on blacks etc as a Panasonic but it's a much more budget model (the 50ST60 at £799 is a deal but not at available at JL)

Buy LG 50PH660V Plasma Full HD 1080p 3D Smart TV, 50" with Freeview HD online at John Lewis

You could also wait and see if the excellent value 51F5500 from Samsung reappears, it won't be in JL but another retailer may get it

The Panasonic 47ET60/61 gets good reviews, yes there is a risk of bleed and the 47" passive panels don't have such good blacks

Or you could pick up the bargain that is the Samsung 46F5000 which is under £500 (even £400 at Applances Direct) and use your vouchers for something else


:oops: missed that bit
 
Thanks for the replies.

Still deciding, but I am astonished by the reviews I am seeing for the Panny ST60. Is the TV *really* as good as it is being touted as?

At the moment, I am leaning towards getting an ST60. I can't get one from John Lewis unfortunately, however I could utilise the vouchers at Currys for a new stand, 3D blu-ray player etc, and push the money from my account I'd normally spend on that stuff over to my credit card to offset the price a little.

It's still a massive leap as I've never spent more than £300 on a TV previously, but from what I'm reading it sounds incredible value.

Bit concerned about the lag for video-gaming though....I am not a hardcore gamer and only dabble in online FPS, but tend to play stuff like racing games and things like Bioshock. Is it something I need to be wary of with this TV? (I suspect not, but best to ask all the same!)
 
There's a long owners thread in the plasma forum for the ST60
 
Thanks for all your helpful replies

I ended up popping out today and picking up a 50" Panny ST60 at Richer Sounds for £799

It's costing me a bit more due to the voucher thing not being valid at RS (which I will use elsewhere and 'repay' the credit card to offset the TV purchase anyway), but so far - after a few hours of viewership, it looks like an excellent choice. The picture truly is superb
 
how have you found reflections?
 
Almost zero although I caveat by saying I haven't used it on a ridiculously bright day. But this afternoon (curtains open), and this evening with light on in the room, I didn't say any more reflections than my old LCD.

Incidently, they must give different accessories for different sizes, as I was expecting it to come with 2x3D glasses, but it only came with one but DID include an 'electronic pen' which you can use for doodling on the screen, it seems.

Bought an extra pair of Samsung active glasses today and they work just as well, in fact I think the Samsung glasses are more comfortable than the Panny ones.
 

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