Which TV for me from three??

[FarleyUK]

hi all,

I'm getting a bit fed up of the horrible ghosting and tearing etc. on my Samsung LE32R41BD TV, and am looking at getting a new one. Now, I have a few requirements for this new TV, as if I'm going to upgrade, I might as well UPGRADE, if you know what I mean....! It should have:

- 1080p (i.e. accepts full 1080p sighnal from Xbox and PS3)
- 100hz (to eliminate ghosting and smearing)
- 24fps (for playback of next gen films etc.)

No, I've found three TVs that look quite good and are under a grand, but which would you chaps suggest?

Sony KDL-32D3000 (no 1080p)
Philips 32PFL9632D (no 1080p)
Toshiba 37Z3030D

I'm leaning towards the 37Z3030D, as it has all the features I want - but can't find any reviews of it.... has anyone got it? The other 2 are not 1080p, but had good reviews regardless....

Please help!

[Dirty Sanchez]

None of them.

For under a grand the Sony v3000 fits the bill, as does the Samsung M87. Both 40", both avail for about £800 with a 5yr warranty from robert whyte in Glasgow.

[FarleyUK]

OK, will have a look at a review for the Sony. TBH, don't fancy another Sammy....

Does that Robert Whyte chap deliver to deepest, darkest England though?

EDIT: That Sony doesn't have 100hz; and from a review I read, it doesn't fare too well for games and fast moving images etc...

[reektan]

I can't recommend the Samsung M86/87 enough.

[FarleyUK]

Cheers, but there's no 24fps option on that Sammy, and the reviews are saying there is stgill a lot of ghosting and smearing...

[EvilBoris]

I wouldn't worry about them having 24FPS input as none of the panels run at a refresh rate to display them properly anyway.
I own the 720p version of the Toshiba (WLT68) and it has always performed really well, loads of people here bought it and would be able to reccomend it, so if that is anything to go by, the Z series Regza should serve you well.

The scaling is particuarly good in my experience also (uses a faroudja chip) so even SD stuff will fair very well on it.

It has a just scan option for no overscanning on 1080p formats and the 100hz system that that it has works very well, it doesn't make everything look like a BBC news show.

http://avreviews.avforums.com/index.php?reviewid=14&pageid=4

This is a review of the model down from it (no 24FPS support and no Active m100)

[Lyris]

Sony KDL-32D3000 (no 1080p)
Philips 32PFL9632D (no 1080p)
Toshiba 37Z3030D

Out of those three I'd get the Sony because it has the Samsung/Sony Super PVA panel. I've always had the opinion that these panels offer the best overall LCD picture in terms of black level, contrast, viewing angle etc., and am yet to change my mind.

I'd also suggest you check the Sony V3000 out - I own the precursor to it (Sony W2000) and am happy with it.

[Atticus]

Our Bravia 32" V-series recently went tits up and, automatically, I decided to replace it with the new 32D3000 and got one resereved over the phone with my retailer (a no brainer as we've always bought Sony).

When I went to the store to get the insurance paperwork sorted I clocked the Panasonic TX32LXD32700 and the picture quality was just too good to ignore, noticabley better than anything else (in both in STD and HD). I changed my mind immediately. Doing my homework it's won a fair few awards, is generally considered the best 32" LCD on the market, and is definitely worth a look.

Whatever you go for, try and get to see them running (in the same environment if poss) before you make your decision.

[Rick]

- 1080p (i.e. accepts full 1080p sighnal from Xbox and PS3)

You wouldn't be able to even see the difference on a 32inch screen between 720p and 1080p imo.

Choosing a TV from just paper specs is the wrong thing to do. The correct way would be to see them in action and see which Picture you prefer. After all, you spend your time watching it, not reading the spec sheet

[Lyris]

Personally regarding the Panasonic TX32LXD700 (sorry to rag on a purchase you're happy with, Atticus, just sharing an opinion), I was atonished at the awards the likes of Home Hi-Fi Choice style magazines gave it. It's not without its charms (great viewing angle from the IPS Alpha panel) but the amount of assumptions it makes about the user meant that I wasn't kind to it. For example, you can't adjust the Screen Brightness (backlight) manually and for me, the killer was the fact that the Motion Interpolation system is forced on at all times (so films end up having the sped-up video look and in animation, characters seem to "swim" from pose to pose).

Worth a look perhaps but personally not one for me. I demand control

Agree with what Rick says, go and see a lot of TVs, pester the salespeople, it's their job - mess around with the settings and see which one you like the most. It can take time but it's usually worth it. Don't even trust reviews unless they explain how they come to their conclusions.

[Atticus]

I demand control

Fair point Lyris. I was a big fan of the 'power save' feature on the Bravia ... knocked the picture back just nice. Must say though, we're really happy with the default settings on the LXD700.