tx-p42G10 v 40W5500 v LE- 40B650 v other

[HayzeC]

I'm looking for a 40-42" TV to buy in the next couple weeks, budget approx £750 give or take a bit.

Considering:

Panasonic TX-P42G10
Sony 40W5500
Samsung LE-40B650

Mostly it'd be used for watching SD TV and Dvds however I'd like it to be futureproof so both good SD and HD performance is a must.

I have a lot of films on avi/divx/mp4 form on my computer so being able to play these on the TV, either by USB or network is a major plus point.

A wide viewing angle would be useful as the room it'll be in is relatively long and thin.

Does anyone have any opinions as to which suits my requirements better? Or any other TVs which would be more suitable?

Many thanks!

[E31Shrew]

Panasonic definitely. Also until the end of Aug 2009 with 5 years manufacturers warranty via independent dealers...and you get Freesat HD FOC...and an SD card reader!

[derestrictor]

Ditto Le Shrew.

[PJ S]

If you're benefiting from the Full HD resolution of the 42G10 (6' from the screen) then you might look at the G15 with its network gubbinry.
Handles DivX and has some other additional PQ features.
A shade over £900, but then those functions/features might be worth the extra outlay.

[bodhi]

I'd have the Sony. Too many people I know with Samsungs have spent their days watching telly wishing they'd spent the extra on a Bravia, and I personally have had too many issues with Panasonic kit to recommend it to anyone sadly.

I'd be tempted to look at some of the LG panels as well, as I've been hearing nothing but good things about them from friends and reviews. Oh yeah and I've got one and it's fairly uber. Really annoying motion blur on Sky Sports, but apart from that it's been spot on (out of interest will the motion blur go away if I upgrade to Sky HD?).

[Plotloss]

bodhi said:

Too many people I know with Samsungs have spent their days watching telly wishing they'd spent the extra

[E31Shrew]

Plotloss said:

bodhi said:

Too many people I know with Samsungs have spent their days watching telly wishing they'd spent the extra

He did say he wouldnt recommend Panasonic either Matt!!!!

[bodhi]

E31Shrew said:

Plotloss said:

bodhi said:

Too many people I know with Samsungs have spent their days watching telly wishing they'd spent the extra

He did say he wouldnt recommend Panasonic either Matt!!!!

That's my own experience though with lots of Panasonic stuff, not just tellies.

[tdm34ds]

bodhi said:

E31Shrew said:

Plotloss said:

bodhi said:

Too many people I know with Samsungs have spent their days watching telly wishing they'd spent the extra

He did say he wouldnt recommend Panasonic either Matt!!!!

That's my own experience though with lots of Panasonic stuff, not just tellies.

with a free 5 year guarantee I think Panasonic are pretty confident in the product....

But the Sony's the better of the 2 LCD sets but the G10 kills both of them easily

[derestrictor]

You could consider JVC's LT-42DV1.

A wee salvo of short, sharp claps and it switches off. Repeat to reverse.

Brilliant, yes but it also has one overriding, thoroughly redeeming characteristic for a larger LCD - it's actually bloody good - not ok but better than it has any right to be good.

[HayzeC]

Thanks for all the advice!

I'm still agonising over this one - unsuprising given the figures involved!

Elsewhere people have said that given I'm going to be sitting 2.5m from the TV I shouldn't look at anything less than 50" if I'm going to notice the benefits of HD.

Equally lots of people have said that the SD performance of large screens is really quite poor.

At first I expect the TV will be used mainly for SD with the occasional HD (from blu-ray/possibly freesat), as I can't yet afford Sky and my area isn't cabled.

But on the other hand I don't intend to replace the TV for 3 or 4 years - I'm paying for it with money from my 21st birthday and a sign-on bonus from starting work - neither of which will be seen again, so I'm unlikely to be able to afford to change it until I'm qualified (3 yrs) and recieve the resulting pay rise! But in te next 3-4 years I expect HD broadcasting will become normal - by that time analogue will have gone. So I don't want to sacrifice HD performance too much.

I'm prepared to push the budget to the £1000 mark for the right TV - but any thoughts on how to weigh up the big size for HD vs avoid big and full HD ready TV for SD watching?

Is the only option to go to an independent store and get them to show me TVs when they've been set up right?

Thanks again!

[E31Shrew]

At the end of the day its down to which model you feel gives the best picture, bearing in mind all the relevant factors...Distance, SD and HD image, cost etc etc. I think the advice that Derestrictor and others have given including myself, bearing in mind we all sell and install televisions. is pretty well spot on....Go for the 42G10 or 15.
When you go into the store make sure yo usee the image showing standard telly signals as well as HD or Blu Ray. If they cant or wont show you SD telly pictures then walk away!

[tenohfive]

Following advice from people on here about the Panny being the best for the money, I got that.

I'm very very happy with it. I just use it for normal TV and DVD's (though I discovered the SD slot yesterday - I now have a 42" photoframe that looks superb) and I really can't fault it.

I've not got the rivals so I can't comment on how good they are. What I will say is that I'm very happy with the Panny and if a meteor hit my house tomorrow, I'd buy another with the insurance money - I wouldn't bother considering alternatives.

[TonyHetherington]

I'll be buying the Pan 42G10 very soon - highly recommended by many.

[jamieboy]

TonyHetherington said:

I'll be buying the Pan 42G10 very soon - highly recommended by many.

Slight hijack, but how do the G10 / G15 / V10 all stack up?

[E31Shrew]

tenohfive said:

Following advice from people on here about the Panny being the best for the money, I got that.

I'm very very happy with it. I just use it for normal TV and DVD's (though I discovered the SD slot yesterday - I now have a 42" photoframe that looks superb) and I really can't fault it.

I've not got the rivals so I can't comment on how good they are. What I will say is that I'm very happy with the Panny and if a meteor hit my house tomorrow, I'd buy another with the insurance money - I wouldn't bother considering alternatives.

Not sure if the 5 year warranty covers meteors!

[PJ S]

jamieboy said:

TonyHetherington said:

I'll be buying the Pan 42G10 very soon - highly recommended by many.

Slight hijack, but how do the G10 / G15 / V10 all stack up?

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/287749/module/general/compare/products/displayResult.html?p=TX-P42V10&p=TX-P42G15&p=TX-P42G10

Spend a bit of time reading the extras the V10 and G15 have, and you'll then know whether the extra spend is worth it.

[jamieboy]

PJ S said:

jamieboy said:

Slight hijack, but how do the G10 / G15 / V10 all stack up?

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/287749/module/general/compare/products/displayResult.html?p=TX-P42V10&p=TX-P42G15&p=TX-P42G10

Spend a bit of time reading the extras the V10 and G15 have, and you'll then know whether the extra spend is worth it.

Thanks but having already looked at the specs, it was more an overall real-world impression that I was after - as a layman, it's hard for me to appreciate the difference between Natural Vision Filter and Natural Vision Filter (pro).

Something like "the G15 is probably worth £100 over the G10, the V10 isn't worth £100 on top of that".

[E31Shrew]

I would say then go for the G10. Also 5 year free warranty from indie dealers until the end of Aug 09

[PJ S]

jamieboy said:

PJ S said:

jamieboy said:

Slight hijack, but how do the G10 / G15 / V10 all stack up?

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/287749/module/general/compare/products/displayResult.html?p=TX-P42V10&p=TX-P42G15&p=TX-P42G10

Spend a bit of time reading the extras the V10 and G15 have, and you'll then know whether the extra spend is worth it.

Thanks but having already looked at the specs, it was more an overall real-world impression that I was after - as a layman, it's hard for me to appreciate the difference between Natural Vision Filter and Natural Vision Filter (pro).

Something like "the G15 is probably worth £100 over the G10, the V10 isn't worth £100 on top of that".

THX mode (V10) is very useful to have - unless (and perhaps even if) you draft in a pro to calibrate it for you.
Coupled with the lesser reflections and other nik naks, it's possibly money well spent in light of using for the next 3-5 years before thinking of changing to something else.