Panny TH42PX80B vs Toshiba 42XV555DB

smr · 15 Dec 2008 at 12:31

Hi all,

There are good deals for both these TVs at the moment and I have placed an order for the Panasonic but this Toshiba one has cropped up with a 5 year guarantee as opposed to the Panny's 3 year guarantee, it is also cheaper and boasts 1080p.

The obvious difference is that the Panny is plasma and the Toshiba is LCD.

I will be using the TV for PS3 Gaming, and because I've got a PS3 it would be nice to use the blueray function.

Which one would I be better going for please?

Specs for Toshiba:

* HD Ready 1080p
* Built-in digital TV tuner
* 25,000 : 1 dynamic contrast
* Active Vision LCD Image technology
* SRS WOW Sound technology
* 3 x HDMI connections
* 2 x SCART connections
* 1 x Component Video connection
* 1 x PC connection via HDMI
* Game Mode For Optimum gaming

Specs for Panasonic:

42" Widescreen
Plasma
TV
100hz
Picture Scanning
1024x768 Pixel
resolution
HD Ready
Integrated Digital Freeview
tuner
3x HDMI
Inputs, 2 SCART
Inputs, 1x Component
SD Card
Slot for JPEG
Picture Viewer
PC Input
20 Watts (RMS)

Thanks for any advice.

Clown · 25 Dec 2008 at 21:38

I just bought the 42PX80B for £450 quid

Chong Warrior · 25 Dec 2008 at 21:48

Clown said:
I just bought the 42PX80B for £450 quid

That exact model, brand new with the 5 year warranty?

Simon · 25 Dec 2008 at 21:52

Will be brand new, only 1 yr warrenty though (not that it really matters)

Clown · 25 Dec 2008 at 21:54

1 year warranty, but that will be good enough for me.

Chong Warrior · 25 Dec 2008 at 21:59

Is it that model aswell?

I've seen the lower spec 42PX8 for £450 but not that one.... great deal if it is as it's a superb set

Broken Hope · 25 Dec 2008 at 22:08

I've also gone for the 42PX80B for £450 too, seems silly not to at that price.

-Ad- · 25 Dec 2008 at 23:16

Seen that tosh in shops and the blacks are.... erm. ....... grey.

Not impressive, but the PX80 is at the opposite end of the scale..... absoutely stunning for the price. Best value flat panel tv out there by a country mile !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chong Warrior said:
Is it that model aswell?

I've seen the lower spec 42PX8 for £450 but not that one.... great deal if it is as it's a superb set

I think it's in the sale, then add on using an egg card, and various discount codes and I think you can get it that low. But still at £500 it is a must buy for anyone considering a 42 inch set.

Simon · 25 Dec 2008 at 23:28

£450 is purely due to a 10% discount code. Its down to about 430 once you add all the % back offers from Egg and suchlike

Bes · 25 Dec 2008 at 23:39

PX80 for 450... Silly cheap

-Ad- · 26 Dec 2008 at 00:39

Simon said:
£450 is purely due to a 10% discount code. Its down to about 430 once you add all the % back offers from Egg and suchlike

Agreed, that is just silly.

Going to be a lot happy consumers over the next week or so

James_N · 26 Dec 2008 at 12:12

I was looking at an LG 42LG7000. I presume this Panasonic is a better deal? Can anyone email me about details of the offer.

James_N · 26 Dec 2008 at 13:28

Well just took the plunge and ordered the panasonic too, albeit at £489! Still a good price i think.

Clown · 26 Dec 2008 at 13:35

Did you get the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' thing?

James_N · 26 Dec 2008 at 13:49

Clown said:
Did you get the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' thing?

Nah, thought i may as well just pay it all outright, get it out the way!

Scream · 26 Dec 2008 at 14:43

Over the past few days, a number of friends of mine have purchased LCD's from LG and Samsung and all them got 1080p sets. I am very tempted by the px offer but I am planning to get a PS3 and my mates keep telling me to get a 1080p set are I won't get the full quality out of the PS3.

Where do you guys stand on this in regards to a PS3 and 1080p. At such a low price the px is tastey.

Broken Hope · 26 Dec 2008 at 14:47

Most games on the PS3 are 720p and whilst yes Blu Ray is 1080p you have to be sitting close to the TV for you to notice a difference between 720p and 1080p

Simon · 26 Dec 2008 at 14:49

Do you notice 1024 x 768 vs 1920 x1080 on a 19" PC monitor?

I would guess yes, the effect on a 40" TV is even more noticeable.

Broken Hope · 26 Dec 2008 at 14:53

Simon said:
Do you notice 1024 x 768 vs 1920 x1080 on a 19" PC monitor?

I would guess yes, the effect on a 40" TV is even more noticeable.

I would think if you're going to be using it as a PC monitor a lot then 1080p is more important, but for everything else it doesn't matter so much.

Shimmyhill · 26 Dec 2008 at 14:59

Simon said:
Do you notice 1024 x 768 vs 1920 x1080 on a 19" PC monitor?

I would guess yes, the effect on a 40" TV is even more noticeable.

You are right and wrong. With a pc image every pixel will be being used and of course there will be a huge difference in the resolutions.

A TV screen does a different job and resolution is a very small part of how good the final image will be. The 37px80 i have wiped the floor with the 7 series 1080p samsung i had for a few days. The samsung i could not bare to watch on SD and anything with movement on HD looks vastly superior on the panny. On a static screen the Samsung could edge the image as long as it was bright and vibrant.

I had 3 screens in my house for a while, 2 were 720p and 1 was 1080p - the best was the 5 year old 720p plasma, px80 a close 2nd and the 1080p samsun was the worst screen by a country mile - so bad it went back and thank god it did !

It is the same reason my meagre 8mp 30D takes better pictures than the 12mp compact pile of carp i tried the other day - resolution is a marketing tool until you are really spending the money to justify it being so high.