Should I bother looking past the Panasonic P50V20B ?

[andy_vtec]

Hi guys, as per many a thread I am looking for advice on my next TV, (apologies for length of post), but I want to make the right decision.... to set the scene:

My trusty old Sony KV-32FQ75 just won't die after 11 years excellent service, but I've lost patience in it giving up the ghost to make the decision easy, so time to take the plunge and upgrade anyway.

What do I want/need.
A TV that will hopefully last for another 10 years and have the functionality/quality to keep me satisfied.

Questions from me:

1. I will be sitting 3 metres away – is 50” the right size?

2. I have no real preference for LCD/LED/PLASMA technology – should I – its the quality that counts – especially for movies/sports (Motorsport/Footie) – no blurring please.

3. I won’t be using it for my Xbox 360 and I only have a normal DVD at the moment.

4. I have a surround sound system (Sony STR-DB940 AMP) still going strong – what is the sound quality like on the new thin model TV’s - will this need to be in constant use, rather than occasional like today?

5. I see lots of TV’s come with Freeview & Freesat built in? (I have sky already), can I take a sat feed from my existing Sky decoder in to the TV for Freesat ?

6. What input is used for Freeview HD Would I bother using them at all if I have sky?

7. I don’t have Sky HD, but seeing as this will be my first HD TV it pains me to say I will probably chuck yet more cash at Murdoch.

8. What does “wifi ready” actually mean in reality – I’ve seen the ad for the Sony/Google TV and that kind of functionality is going to win – can I expect that functionality in time with TV’s being bought now with "wifi ready"?

9. Does it have a wifi card or a wired Ethernet port (I do hope not!)?

10. I have an iOmega DLNA network drive – can I stream my pics/movies/music straight to the TV ?

11. Should I bother looking past the Panasonic TX-P50V20B? (Or should that be P50G20B?) As per lots of comments on here?

12. Is the Panasonic TX-P50VT20B worth the extra ££ over the V20B (Not sure how much - £700??) Not sure I care about 3D if that is all it is buying me ?

13. What sort of money should I be paying for a G20B / V20B / VT20B ?

14. Should I wait a little longer if there is a better technology/functionality around the corner?

15. Should I look anywhere other that Digital Direct to buy ?

16. What other questions should I be asking ?... :-)

Thanks for your time in reading and replying!
Andy.

[andy_vtec]

Thanks for the feedback guys, after seeing a video of vieracast and tracking down the TV manual plus your comments I think the decision is made.

Any suggestions as best place to order from, or I'll just do a normal trawl of the net - plus how much value do you put on exended guarentees (1yr vs 5yr) ?

Nice one,
Andy.

Manual

http://tda.panasonic-europe-service.com/docs/2z4c5...

[andy_vtec]

bobthemonkey said:

Ordered a G20 on Wednesday; arrives next Thursday.

Couldn't justify the loveliness of the V20 unfortunately.

Would be interested to see anything anybody has on Vieracast and what services it supports or is likely to support.

This vieracast vid is more central european content, but should be tidy with UK content:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2UnW-1MJHc

The Skype VideoConf looks cool as well.

Search on youtube for vieracast there are few up there although some are a little old.

[andy_vtec]

I'm still sold on the V20 and hope to sort out an order in the next week (iplayer on viera cast will be another nice win!), but have I made a mistake in reading the V20 posts on AVforums.com ? There are pages and pages of picture quality issues being reported.

I'm hoping most of the guys on there are super keen and maybe see issues the average joe(me!) won't notice ???

Also, with the myriad of settings available should I look for / pay for some kind of calibration or will the out of the box settings get the most out of the picture quality ?

[andy_vtec]

Thanks for the reply RS - wise words.

I've had a good hunt around the net and I'll be off to my local Panasonic dealership on Saturday to get the deal done!

[andy_vtec]

Thanks for all the helpful info on this guys.

Just bought a P50V20B from my local "Lakes". Thanks to Ed & Tom for sorting me out with a very nice deal with 5year warranty.

Getting delivered on Monday.

Win!

[andy_vtec]

tdm34ds said:

BBC iPlayer is coming soon for Viera-cast and the V20 has the wireless dongle in the
box as standard

Oh! as Plotloss has mentioned the V20&VT20 Panasonics have the best picture available
today.

TDM are you sure iPlayer is coming to vieracast? I was told today in the local dealership that as iPlayer was already on Freesat it probably would not be going on vieracast.

If it isn't i'll run a 3rd sat cable down from the dish to the tv, but wouldn't bother otherwise.

cheers,