Elliot Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 I've seen the following two TV's selling for £499 new, so was thinking of buying one for my new house when I move in. Is there anyone in the know, who knows what to look out for? Which is the better TV, which has a better picture, which would last longer etc etc Also, is there any better TV's around for similar money!? They are Sony 40" Freeview HD Ready LCD TV KDL40U3000U Up to 7000:1 dynamic contrast ratio 1366 x 768 resolution Dolby virtual HDMI x 2 Twin Cart Sockets Optional Extended Warranty (3 years from purchase) £79.99 AND Philips 42" Freeview HD Ready Plasma TV 42PFP5532D 1500 CD/M, 15000:1 contrast ratio 1024 x 768 WXGA resolution Pixel Plus HD 3ms response time Twin HDMI Optional Extended Warranty (3 years from purchase) £199.99 Thanks for your help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooze Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 What are you planning to use it for? TV? HD Sky or SD Recorded Media? VHS / DVD / HD-DVD / Blu-Ray Consoles? XBox/PS2 or 360/PS3 PC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 The Sony's got scart so I'd say "I want that one" for that reason alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 At that price range mate (which is still mid-low end), I'd be tempted to stick with the Plasma. LCD picture quality has come on massively recently but on that model I'd be wary of how good the blacks are in terms of their 'depth' and also its ability to cope with fast moving objects on screen. Do you know if it is 100Mhz processing? Check out the pros and cons of each over on the AV forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl0s Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 The Sony's got scart so I'd say "I want that one" for that reason alone. I promise you the Philips will have scart sockets too... No TV wouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaw Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 plus with only £80 for an extended warranty, its better value for money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaw Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Do plasma's still have the issue with 'burning' images on the screen when they're still for too long, or was that rear projection screens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl0s Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Do plasma's still have the issue with 'burning' images on the screen when they're still for too long, or was that rear projection screens? Plasma. Wikipedia has a good example of an airport display plasma with major screen burn on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_display Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted October 10, 2007 Author Share Posted October 10, 2007 Thanks for the quick replies guys. What are you planning to use it for? TV? HD Sky or SD Recorded Media? VHS / DVD / HD-DVD / Blu-Ray Consoles? XBox/PS2 or 360/PS3 PC? I'd be using it for standard TV, DVD & a Nintendo Wii, so nothing too fancy. Possibly for a PC/PS3/360 in the future. At that price range mate (which is still mid-low end), I'd be tempted to stick with the Plasma. LCD picture quality has come on massively recently but on that model I'd be wary of how good the blacks are in terms of their 'depth' and also its ability to cope with fast moving objects on screen. Do you know if it is 100Mhz processing? Check out the pros and cons of each over on the AV forums. I don't know if it's 100Mhz processing or not yet. Is that the minimum you'd need? Do you have a link to the AV forums please? plus with only £80 for an extended warranty, its better value for money I suppose £80 for 3 years warranty isn't too bad, but you get a years warranty normally anyway don't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmx1lew Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 if you have the room i highly recomend a projector, i paid £450 for a HD projector (infocus) not full HD but nor are most HD Tv's unless 42" however still plays 1080 also has all the connections and £130 for a screen, and the quality is fantastic i cannot fault it, I get to watch movies in my room on a 6ft image when playing games (half life 2) i get a adrenaline, surround sound + projector is the best thing i have ever bought i love it!!! if you want any pic's for a example i will take some, bulb should last 2 to 3 years, new bulb is £80 i cant wait to get a xbox360 PGR4 on it will be so good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam bell Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 good 40" plus 499 these dont normally go together,you get what you pay for 40" sony u series are very basic with poor colour reproduction reds in particular look pink. no decent picture enhancements either this set is normally sold through the sheds ( multiples ) and not independants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted October 10, 2007 Author Share Posted October 10, 2007 if you have the room i highly recomend a projector, i paid £450 for a HD projector (infocus) not full HD but nor are most HD Tv's unless 42" however still plays 1080 also has all the connections and £130 for a screen, and the quality is fantastic i cannot fault it, I get to watch movies in my room on a 6ft image when playing games (half life 2) i get a adrenaline, surround sound + projector is the best thing i have ever bought i love it!!! if you want any pic's for a example i will take some, bulb should last 2 to 3 years, new bulb is £80 i cant wait to get a xbox360 PGR4 on it will be so good Sounds very interesting, although the front room isn't particualrly large so not sure it would work out. What distance would it need to be from the screen / wall to get a 6ft image? That would be quality! Although it would be no good for the Wii, as you'd be standing in front of the projector. Some pics would definitely be appreciated. Is it simply a case of plugging your freeview/cable box into the projector then? good 40" plus 499 these dont normally go together,you get what you pay for 40" sony u series are very basic with poor colour reproduction reds in particular look pink. no decent picture enhancements either this set is normally sold through the sheds ( multiples ) and not independants. Hmm, that's what I feared. I thought it wouldn't be too bad though, being a Sony Bravia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozz Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Hmm, that's what I feared. I thought it wouldn't be too bad though, being a Sony Bravia I *think* that bravia has been discontinued and the brand handed over to BEKO for production, that would make it very low end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmx1lew Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Sounds very interesting, although the front room isn't particualrly large so not sure it would work out. What distance would it need to be from the screen / wall to get a 6ft image? That would be quality! Although it would be no good for the Wii, as you'd be standing in front of the projector. Some pics would definitely be appreciated. Is it simply a case of plugging your freeview/cable box into the projector then? not far maybe 7 foot away, i will take pic's off it and my room to give you a idea, it's in my bed room ( still living at home) but it will give you a good idea of the size ect, i have it up a hight on a stand so if you have it on a stand or hang it from the celin it's fine for the wii, i run my pc through it so i have my tv and movies on there but you can get a tunner box where you plug everything into there, when plasma screens first came out you had to have a seperate tuner box, its the same thing, but if you have sky you can plug straight into it, which i will be doing this week as having sky fitted I would recomend going into some shops and having a look you can pay between £300 and £30,000 on a projector i personaly have sat and watched Toy story on £12,000 set up and difference between my budget set up (£450 projector, £130 screen £200 surround sound £780) is not a great deal, yes the colour was more stronger and brighter but honest truth i watch movies on my and i feel like im in a cinema and the quality is jaw dropping espesially for what i paid, i watched the latest 007 in HD and it's so clear, when the camera pans across Bonds face you can see every eyelash, i honestly cant see why any one would need to spend more then £1000 on one?? good thing about mine aswell is that it has a darkness chip so it can handle dark scenes. i highly recomend one, you can buy fancy tv's but a proper home cinema is a whole differnt ball game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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