40” LCD/LED £800

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Soldato
Joined
14 Feb 2004
Posts
14,315
Location
Peoples Republic of Histonia, Cambridge
Looking to get a new TV for my living room. It’s only going to be used for TV and movies (SD for the moment) as I don’t own a console.

Budget is up to £800 max. My main requirements are 40”, good picture quality, wall mountable, reasonably slim/lightweight and I would like DLNA/streaming video support.

I’ve been looking at the Samsung LED but there’s a huge variation in price and I can’t really see what you’re getting for the money with the more expensive models.

e.g

Samsung Series 5 LED UE40C5100 ~£680

Samsung Series 8 LED UE40C8000 ~£1,200

Are LED’s worth buying at the moment or should I stick with LCD?
 
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After much deliberation I'm coming round to the idea of buying plasma but I have one or two concerns.

Specifically I've been looking at the LG 50PK590 which I understand is a great TV for the money and fits most of my requirements. However my sofa is only about 8' from the wall where it will be mounted and I'm not sure if a 50" might be a bit large.

With that in mind I’ve been looking at smaller plasmas like the Panasonic TX-P42S20B/TX-P46S20B but I'm not sure it offers as good value for money. It's also much less aesthetically pleasing than the LG and I’ve heard the steaming video support isn’t great.

Any one with any better suggestions for plasmas in the 42/46” range or should I just go for the LG? I’m not really looking for the “home cinema” effect, I just want a good quality/size TV which is practical for day to day use.
 
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It's never too large. It will "shrink" over time as you get used to it anyway. I have a 50PK590 and I sit ~2-3meters from it and I am awe struck every time! Just my personal opinion of course :)

For £650 its a heck of a lot of TV for the price.
 
What a great looking tv on paper (the LG you guys are talking about), I am looking to replace my old 40" Samsung LCD (1080i sigh) and get something bigger and this looks awesome for the money!
 
What do people think about the two Panasonics (TX-P42S20B/TX-P46S20B)? What's the difference between S20 and the G20, apart from the price of course.

I'm leaning towards the LG but just want to weigh up the options. It's looking like either the Panasonic TX-P42G20B (because of DLNA over the S20) or the LG 50PK590.
 
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Just ordered the Pan g20 myself after hours of auditioning, along side the s20 and fore mentioned LG. Was just the clear winner for me
 
Yjani said:
Just ordered the Pan g20 myself after hours of auditioning, along side the s20 and fore mentioned LG. Was just the clear winner for me
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How are you finding the dreaded "buzzing" issue many have experienced? What made the G20 such a clear winner, just the better picture quality? How are you finding the DLNA on the G20, I’ve heard it can be picky about the file formats?
=VTA=MANFACE said:
Get the panny 50" Plasma....it's never too big :)
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The price of the panny 50" plasma is too big :)

Or do you mean the LG?
 
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ThorpedoUK said:
What a great looking tv on paper (the LG you guys are talking about), I am looking to replace my old 40" Samsung LCD (1080i sigh) and get something bigger and this looks awesome for the money!
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Honestly one of the best OSD's I have ever used too. I really do love this TV.
 
Ahh, I can't make up my mind :(

Anyone know of a good place to view the TVs in the flesh. Our local currys is closed for refurbishment at the moment, we have a Richer Sounds in Cambridge but it's small. Can't really think of any other large TV stores.
 
There was no buzz for me, so looks like i got away from that one. I use a PS3 mainly for networking streamed movies, so wont be using the DLNA capabilities, and as to why, it has to be the reason why you a tele...yes the picture quality. The blacks were just so lush, and colours so vibrant. Fed a 1080p signal its just glorious to watch. Other contenders I tried just didnt look as good. Dont get wrong, they werent bad at all, some were very good, but the G20 just had that little something extra special about it
 
On my g20 panasonic there is a slight buzzing noise, but this is only audible when you stick your head round the back and mute the tv.

Go in an view a plasma before you buy, as some people notice flicker (i'll occasionally notice it )

Besides that, the G20 is an amazing tv whether its xbox, sky sd or hd.
 
ubern00b said:
Honestly one of the best OSD's I have ever used too. I really do love this TV.
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Only thing I'm worried about with the LG is regarding image retention, just how bad is it? I would be using it for Bluray // DVD // SKY HD // Xbox 360 (<<<this may cause this issue more than others??)

What do you use yours for mate?

Cheers! :D
 
I have only had mine a week so have not had a whole lot of time to sit down and play with it but I have watched a few films and some telly. I plan to play 360 on it but cant comment on the IR until I have. There is a massive thread over on AVForums and the general consensus is, yes IR is there but it goes away. I would have a read of the thread if you really want to make your mind up. :)
 
I've used newspaper (with the same dimensions as the TV) to try and get an idea of how large the LG 50PK590 looks in my living room. It's not too bad so I’ll be going for it in the next couple of days hopefully.

One question. John Lewis has a price match policy but they don't stock the LG online. Is it possible they have stuff in store that they don't have on the website?

I'm interested because they offer a free 5 year warranty which if they include as part of the price match would be a really advantage.
 
IamMed said:
Richer Sounds have it for £747.94 including there 5 year warranty, if that helps?
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That's a £100 more than I've seen it advertise elsewhere but I guess it might be worth it, especially since I can collect.

Don't trust the couriers. I'll probably find a box of smashed glass in bin round the corner with a note saying "round the side".
 
Did the others have the warranty though?

I had same dilema recently, bought a PJ650 from RS for £462 with the 5 year warranty, was £420 without and other etailers had it from £380 but the warranty is important to me.

Annoyingly now I have bought it John Lewis have the TV for £450 with there 5 year warranty, it was £500 when I was after it a couple weeks back!

Saying that though RS warranty does seem pretty good as they will collect and return the TV at no cost to customer and leave a temporary TV to be used while it's away.

Not sure on the JL one.
 
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