New TV.... no plasmas anymore?

[rich83]

Our TV has broken... Panny 42GT50.

We are due an exchange/refund, so started looking at new ones. Whats the latest in TV technology? Seems that no one is making plasmas anymore.

Any advice?

Thanks
Rich

[marcgti6]

Most manufacturers seem to be producing LCD/LED/OLED TV's only nowadays, as far as I'm aware.

If I remember rightly, there is still one Panasonic plasma in their current line up but I'm not sure of the model number.

I've just bought a Panasonic LED. There's some other information/recommendations in this thread - http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...

Cheers

[rich83]

OK... ended up getting the panny LED 740 model. Fingers crossed!

[h0b0]

Panasonic pulled out of the plasma market for the same reason Pioneer did It's not profitable to make the "best" "budget" screens.

[ASK1974]

For the 'performance' option OLED is replacing Plasma. These are very good but at £4k for a 55" sit at the higher end of the price range...

http://www.lg.com/uk/tvs/lg-55EA980W

[ClassicMercs]

Panasonic in Yorkshire still appear to have some 50 and 65 VT65's and 60 ZT65. Can't be many left now.

[MattyKo]

This is not a reply to the actual thread but more of a request for assistance.

I have a number of questions which I would like a reply to all concerning internet ready televisions

I have a Sony Bravia KDL32EX401 is this an internet ready wi fi ready tv, ie can I purchase a Sony dongle and once plugged in obtain smart tv or whatever the Sony BR1000UWB dongle that I have just seen on EBay is intended for ?

alternatively, should the sony tv not be internet or wi fi ready, as I have Phillips HD and recording box (this allows me to watch High Definition television on my HD Ready TV - despite the TV having an integrated freeview receiver, this does not allow for HD watching, this additional device was required. I therefore suspect that my tv shall not allow for the use of the Sony dongle).

Anyway that is me all questioned out for the moment and I look forward to anyone in the know giving me a reply. The listing on the EBay dongle mentioned that you should check their products compatibility prior to purchase.

Whilst I am here, I have a further question regarding computers. I have a wireless route from the telephone company that provides my broadband internet connection. I am using a Belkin 802.11g Wireless Network Adapter (54 Mbps) as the connection point for my new to me, but old desktop computer. However, I am finding the data transfer speed slow. The route operates at 300 Mbps, is the slow data transfer speed due to the 54mbps dongle.

[bradders]

ClassicMercs said:

Panasonic in Yorkshire still appear to have some 50 and 65 VT65's and 60 ZT65. Can't be many left now.

Panasonic in Yorkshire? Interested in a couple of new sets - can you give me a contact link?

Scratch that - found the link - will stop being lazy in future!!

[Cupramax]

ClassicMercs said:

Panasonic in Yorkshire still appear to have some 50 and 65 VT65's and 60 ZT65. Can't be many left now.

Thanks for posting this, just bagged the last 50VT65 they had

Looked at the latest LED's and even the top Panasonics are appalling compared to the Plasma.

[rich83]

To be fair I am loving the LED Panasonic. The picture is net sly as good as the plasma it's replacing, othe blacks are not quite as good though. 3D is better as it's passive. No screen burn issues. *thumbsup*

[ClassicMercs]

Cupramax said:

Thanks for posting this, just bagged the last 50VT65 they had

Looked at the latest LED's and even the top Panasonics are appalling compared to the Plasma.

Just checked your profile - I guess you are having delivery. The 55 just fitted in my estate car and the 60 mile drive home was very careful. Was surprised when the shop said it could be laid flat - and there was lots of cushioning underneath (dog bedding). The empty box if still filling our spare room. Then I had to load the old Pioneer 42 and take to my mum's - another 40 miles.

Whilst the 55 is nice I still love the picture on the Pioneer - my mum is one lucky bunny having me for a son. (Still need to do something with her old Samsung 32 CRT - a previous cast off).

Are they still doing the 18 month interest free ? Handy as I couldn't extract any further reductions on the deal.

[Cupramax]

Yeah they're couriering it as i'm on the south coast. Was a bit of a last minute thing, ive been hoping one would pop up for ages as I watch loads of sport and have a trusty old plasma g10 which has been great but is now relegated to the dining room

Cant see anything to compare until the OLED's drop in price and 4k starts migrating to normal TV. Didnt notice the finance to be honest..l

[varsas]

MattyKo said:

This is not a reply to the actual thread but more of a request for assistance.

I have a number of questions which I would like a reply to all concerning internet ready televisions

I have a Sony Bravia KDL32EX401 is this an internet ready wi fi ready tv, ie can I purchase a Sony dongle and once plugged in obtain smart tv or whatever the Sony BR1000UWB dongle that I have just seen on EBay is intended for ?

alternatively, should the sony tv not be internet or wi fi ready, as I have Phillips HD and recording box (this allows me to watch High Definition television on my HD Ready TV - despite the TV having an integrated freeview receiver, this does not allow for HD watching, this additional device was required. I therefore suspect that my tv shall not allow for the use of the Sony dongle).

Anyway that is me all questioned out for the moment and I look forward to anyone in the know giving me a reply. The listing on the EBay dongle mentioned that you should check their products compatibility prior to purchase.

Whilst I am here, I have a further question regarding computers. I have a wireless route from the telephone company that provides my broadband internet connection. I am using a Belkin 802.11g Wireless Network Adapter (54 Mbps) as the connection point for my new to me, but old desktop computer. However, I am finding the data transfer speed slow. The route operates at 300 Mbps, is the slow data transfer speed due to the 54mbps dongle.

Hi.

You've hi-jacked someone's thread, not the best way to get help, you are better off starting your own thread.
Keep issues to one thread-per-topic or post.

What are you trying to do with your Sony TV? You are suggesting a possible solution to a problem, and then asking if it'll work...but we don't know what the original issue is. What do you actually want to do? You use the phrase: "obtain smart tv or whatever" which suggests you don't really know... Having said that, my suggestion for adding smart capabilities to a TV is to buy a Samsung Blu-ray player, the F6500 or similar.

A TV not having a DVB-S2 tuner (the kind needed for freeview HD) and it not being smart are not linked, you can have one without the other. My TV at home does have DVB-S2 but does not have any smart feature, for example.

Yes, wireless can become a bottleneck for internet connections. It might not be what's causing the problem in your case, and there's no way for me to know given the information you have supplied but it can be tested fairly easily. You should try wiring your computer straight to the router and see if that helps things, if it does then it's the wireless at fault and you might want to consider running an ethernet cable between the router and your PC (the best option), moving the router closer to the PC or getting a different dongle.