Should I buy this TV please??

[A4000_Mad]

Hi Guys,

This time last I bought my first HDTV but knew nothing about the technical jargon and was talked into buying an Orion 32" which is 1080i at 50HZ. Grrrrr!


Anyway, I've just seen a Curry's advert for a TV and the offer ends on 9th December.

It's for a Panasonic 42" plasma 1080p with 400Hz for £449 which is half the usual price of £999.


Should I go for it or can you suggest something better please??

Thanks,

:drink:

[the_leander]

Panasonic are a very stable brand - it's rare they put out a pug. Their Plasmas are amongst the best on the market.

For that money, I'd go for it. Just make sure you dial it in right for your room and you won't regret it.

[Franko]

I can't find an online advert for the TV you mention at Currys, the only one at that price by Panasonic at Currys online is a 100Hz version. Panasonic, Samsung & Sony make some of the best Plasma TVs (and most them actually contain Samsung manufactured screens)...

Panasonic items are generally of an excellent quality & build of both cases and components used so if the TV suits you it should be a good buy at that price. Although Plasma TV's don't suffer to the same extent as LCDs when it come to motion blur it's best if possible to view it first before you buy...

Simplest way to check for motion blur is when in the shop get them to switch it to something like Sky News and watch the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen. If you spot any motion blur there then you can guarantee that when it comes to watching something like sport or a fast moving action movie the motion blur will be pretty bad...

Advice on Plasma TVs

[A4000_Mad]

Thank you very much the_leander & Franko

The advert was not online but was actually on TV last night. Hmmmm... After reading the advice on plasma TV's, prehaps an LED would be the way to go? I may also go bigger than 42" if it isn't too much more as my frontroom is huge. The 32" inch I bought last year looked big at the time, but they appear to get smaller the longer you have them it would seem.

So, without being greedy, I basically I want something HUGE and amazing at a reasonable price

EDIT

@ Franko

Your link revealed This which looked a bargain for a 50" TV, but it appears to be only 720p. Sigh!

[Franko]

@ A4000_Mad

Glad it worked, wasn't sure if it would show up in the PM, keep looking around I've seen some pretty good bargains for 50" and 60" Plasmas on the net in recent times...

[A4000_Mad]

@ A4000_Mad

Glad it worked

Me too thanks Franko :drink:  It was easier on the old site where you just entered the link, clicked on 'OK', then another box appeared for you to just type a name of your choice for the link

[Hattig]

That TV does sound good.

One thing you might want to consider is Freeview HD support, because it will suck to have to get a separate decoder box if you decide you want that service. Not an issue if you get Sky or Virgin HD already.

But for the price I don't think you can go wrong. I have an older 720p Panasonic 42" TV and it's still great despite not being 1080p.

Also: buy now, don't pay 20% VAT in January!

[the_leander]

Thank you very much the_leander & Franko

The advert was not online but was actually on TV last night. Hmmmm... After reading the advice on plasma TV's, prehaps an LED would be the way to go?

As far as looking after a plasma goes: If you can look after an oldskool tube telly you can look after a plasma. LEDs... In theory you can get a larger colour gamete (range of colours from the brightest whites to the inkiest blacks) than plasma, however, you're going to pay heavily if you don't want fast moving scenes looking like arse. Certainly you won't get anywhere near the price performance ratio of the panasonic.

So, without being greedy, I basically I want something HUGE and amazing at a reasonable price

You have it in that link. If I had the cash and the space, I'd buy it.

[Karlos]

I think you mean "colour gamut", a gamete is a cell that fuses with another in reproduction (ie, sperm or egg)...

[A4000_Mad]

Thanks again guys,

I'm not in a location that receives freeview, so it's a satellite dish I've got on the wall outside provided by Sky for my TV channels.

I've had a measure up of my unit and it's 50 inches wide, so I would definately like a 50" TV for a good price to sit on it nicely if possible


@ the_leander

Can you just confirm which link you meant mine or Franko's please? For the 50" LG in my link it says "Resolution (horizontal x vertical - in pixels) 1365 x 768 pixels (720p)". But I want 1080p don't I? Hmmmmm.... So what I really want is something like a 50" Panasonic instead of the 42" one described in my original post right?

EDIT

Prehaps this one but from a bit cheaper supplier if possible?

[KThunder]

Thank you very much the_leander & Franko

...So, without being greedy, I basically I want something HUGE and amazing at a reasonable price

...

I think when buying an hdtv is a good time to be greedy. Get the best tv you can possibly get, as you will have it a while; especially if you choose well.

doing your home work is a good thing, but you really need to compare as many tv's personally, take notes, watch stuff from different sources. Some people don't really notice the difference between 720p and 1080p and some tvs use the same screen resolution for both. My hdtv has a resolution of 1080x910 and looks beautiful with a 1080p signal (and quite noticably not as good in 1080i).

Personally I haven't seen an lcd I like, or a plasma, crt, or dlp I didn't like. ymmv

[ChaosLord]

So, without being greedy, I basically I want something HUGE and amazing at a reasonable price

You need a 61" (or larger) 1080P DLP TV/Monitor like I have.
I only got the tiny 61" because the 65" was sold out.

Anything less than 61" is tiny

[the_leander]

Can you just confirm which link you meant mine or Franko's please? For the 50" LG in my link it says "Resolution (horizontal x vertical - in pixels) 1365 x 768 pixels (720p)". But I want 1080p don't I? Hmmmmm.... So what I really want is something like a 50" Panasonic instead of the 42" one described in my original post right?

Your first one, the Panasonic. LG are beyond crap. When I worked for a well known high street electronics retailer, LG sets were amongst the worst for build quality. In 10 months time, you'll be taking it back to the shop.

And yes, beyond 36 inches, unless you have really shit eyesight or a truly gargantuan sized living room with terrible lighting conditions, you want 1080p.

@ Karlos, after having come straight off of a 12 hour shift, I reserve the right to mix up similar sounding words :p

[A4000_Mad]

Thanks very much again guys

I was thinking of going for this 50" Samsung

But I think I would regret not paying another £170 for this 50" Panasonic

Would you agree?

[the_leander]

Thanks very much again guys

I was thinking of going for this 50" Samsung

But I think I would regret not paying another £170 for this 50" Panasonic

Would you agree?

The Samsungs look prettier generally, but build quality is imho very patchy - some models will last yonks, others will fall apart 10 minutes after the equivalent LG, but of course YMMV.

If it were me, I'd pay the extra in the knowledge that you're getting the best picture quality on the market and of sound construction, even if it meant I had to wait a little longer to get it.

At least we all know now whose house to go to once footy season starts again