New Sony 40W2000 - 40" 1080p plasma beater - apparently...

Raider

Raider

Raider

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,576
Location
Leamington Spa / Oxford
Just picked up the new What-Hifi and they had a group test of 40-42" TVs.

The new Sony 40W2000 came out top, beating the Panasonic TH-42PX600, Philips 42PF9831D and Pioneer PDP-427XD. They said it's black levels and contrast were better than the Panny plasma (a first apparently).

With full 1080p (1920x1080 resolution), 2xHDMI, and an RRP of £1999 (so hopefully under £1800 online), this could be an absolute cracker of a TV.
Here's an exerpt from the review:

The off-air picture from the analogue tuner is the first to make a good impression: more solid and clear than most rivals, it presents a fine balance of stability and vivid colours. And the digital TV picture is even better.

Test with some DVDs and the true extent of the Sony's triumph becomes clear. We have, for the first time ever, had the experience of putting an LCD TV up against a 5* price-equivalent plasma, and found the contrast and black tones on the LCD to be superior. That is a huge step forward, and one you'd have been forgiven for believing might never happen.

Yes it's true. The Sony's line definition is truely spectacular, while backgrounds and out-of-focus areas are rendered with incredible clarity and the lack of on-screen noise. It takes "The Proposition" 's sweeping landscapes and sun-bleached colour palette and presents it with masterful richness and control, producing deep colours and never succumbing to smearing or a lack of realism.

With high-def material, the Sony's performance is mesmerising. The sense of depth and realism, the combination of noiseless, sharper-than-sharp edges and sumptuous colours: it all adds up to a performance that, we have to say, sets new standards at this level.
Click to expand...
 
AVforums have commented that What-Hfif have given a lot of ood reviews to Sony recently, including their amps, which are generally average for the price so I'm not sure what to make about the review.

Later in the issue they have a group test of HDMI cables and talk about the difference in colour hues and deeper blacks that you get from different cables, which undermines my confidence in their reviews a bit.

Not seen the screen, but it should be very good. I was holding out for the 40x but given the potential price difference I might just go for the 40w.
 
Last edited:
what hi-fi recommended a £500 plug

sorry but half of what they print can be utter tosh, sure i can understand the idea of using an aftermarket, and in theory better plug.

but how this can provide any gains to be worth any 3 figure sum is beyond me. let alone £500.

absolute stupidity if you ask me, and nowhere in their reviews did they question this ..
 
MrLOL said:
what hi-fi recommended a £500 plug

sorry but half of what they print can be utter tosh, sure i can understand the idea of using an aftermarket, and in theory better plug.

but how this can provide any gains to be worth any 3 figure sum is beyond me. let alone £500.

absolute stupidity if you ask me, and nowhere in their reviews did they question this ..
Click to expand...

They might be a bit dodgy sometimes, but I'm sure this TV is going to be pretty good. The 40" V2000 is known to be pretty much the best LCD you can buy behind the 40" X2000 (at double the price!). So there's every reason to believe this TV will indeed be excellent.

However i'm waiting till people get their hands on them before I spend my money!
 
Well the Pioneers are very very good. The previous 436XDE (6th generation) was a cracking TV and the new 427XD is also an amazing TV. I was going to get the Pioneer 5000 EX as that was the first 50" Plasma with 1080p capability (that also rocks) but this one from sony is well worth a look.

What Hi-Fi are generally a good magazine and if you cross reference the reviews with other magazines then they generally tally quite well.

The big problem with LCD and Plasma TV's in general is motion bluring and the like which needs to be looked into before you buy any flat panel. Pioneer had come the closest to solving the problem with AV forums had commented on it for the Panasonic range.
 
severance said:
The big problem with LCD and Plasma TV's in general is motion bluring and the like which needs to be looked into before you buy any flat panel. Pioneer had come the closest to solving the problem with AV forums had commented on it for the Panasonic range.
Click to expand...

Rumour has it that the Toshiba 68 series are going to set new bench marks for this.

I've going to have to compare the 40x, 40w and 37-68 closer to Xmas.
 
I guess the Pioneer money ran out so Sony took over ;)

I read a really indepth post on AVF a long time ago and it concluded that black levels could never be better on LCD than Plasma due to technology involved - mainly due to the backlight on lcd's.

I like to read the mag but never take any notice of the reviews, for a start they dont have the best plasma screens in the test ! I think it will be a great screen and some more independant reviews have said it is easily the best LCD around so its certinally a cracker :)
 
Hi MrM3, keeping well?

FORGET the £500 PLUG this is more interesting.....

Whats the big deal you say, well its a 1080p LCD which will throw out a 100" 1920x1080 screen from only approx 5 FT

It supports all formats including the 1080 24 Blu Ray may adopt on high end players.


IMGP4240.jpg


IMGP4241.jpg


1920x1080p
11,000:1 contrast ratio
14-bit gamma processing original LSI
Waveform monitor function
HD-optimized Dynamic Iris with new algorithm
HD-optimized Smooth Screen
Scene-adaptive MPEG noise reduction
2/3 pulldown (cinema progressive scan)
Lens-centered symetrical design
2x powered optical zoom and focus
H/V lens shift (+/- 40% horizontal, +/-100% vertical)
Learning remote control (huh?)
Two HDMI inputs
Built-in test pattern
Optional cable cover (ET-PCE1000)
Easy filter/lamp replacement

USA Link/Info

Approx £2000 Due November and should be money well spent i reckon, dont you?
 
Last edited:
Looks excellent, really liking the amount of inputs :), the only thing that puts me off about a projector is the need of darkened room
 
That sure looks like a kick-ass projector :eek:

If I had my own home cinema room then that's the sort of thing i'd aim for. But for my bedroom I think i'll have to stick with an LCD :p

I assume the 40W2000 will support 1080p 24. I see no point in buying a 1080p panel unless I can play HD-DVDs / Blu-Ray on it using the proper 24fps 1080p format.
 
Mr Latte said:
Upcoming Sharps...

Keep an eye on them, most people on AVF are for sure
Click to expand...

Lots of motion blur being reported :(

One thing i have seen on the 1080p pioneer is the black level is pretty bad, worse than a 720p pioneer, i wonder how the sharp will compare.

There is also a DLP rear projection tv getting good reports at the moment.
 
Yeah seen that post regards some guy in Japan about the ghosting.

You have to wonder though if it was caused by a poorly configured set and some form of so called benifical features turned on.

Just as the Huge thread on the X series showed evey owner turns off all the fancy digital trickery for best results. Id have no reason to believe that a 6ms panel from Sharp should suffer any worse than other brands.

Time will tell, though for some people the latest 720p and 1080p projectors from panasonic and Hitachi seem to be fantastic at the price.
 
Warbie said:
and it's an lcd ;)
Click to expand...

Right so you have no idea then the quality that LCD is now offering?
11000:1 I reckon it should be pretty decent still in a sunlight room, then again a CRT or Plasma just reflects all that sunlight off its screen, very appealing also :D
 
Warbie said:
Well, I have recently bought and returned the newest Samsung and Toshiba lcds, so have some idea.
Click to expand...


Neither of the Samsung or Toshiba range would rate highly in my rankings for their current HDTV models, but if you judge mid range priced alternatives your probably not going to be impressed.

For Tvs Sony V or X range are about the best at the moment but look out for the latest Sharp models, they seem to be getting a lot of hype and are due soon.

Sonys price is their main drawback
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom