Panasonic 42" refresh time

cyber69 · 12 Jul 2013 at 09:34

I've had a Panasonic plasma 42" now for about 6 years (it was bought from the now defunct Empire Direct store). TV still works fine but the built in black cabinet style stand is begining to show it's age with scratches etc.

I'm going to get another Panasonic 42" to replace it and mount it on a cantilever style TV stand (Origin S4).

My choices from my local store (non Currys) are :=

TXL42ET60B - LED

TXL42FT60B - LED

or another Plasma

TXP42ST60B

Max spend is £1k with at least a 5 yr warranty

I'm not into 3D or anything so I would assume that it is not enabled by default?

Jase · 12 Jul 2013 at 11:58

If you're going to keep to Panasonic then get a Plasma as their LED/LCD's aren't as good.

Psycho Sonny · 12 Jul 2013 at 12:06

with a budget of 1K you can get a lot bigger than 42"

you can get a top of the range 42" plasma which is the TX-P42GT60B for around £1K

with your budget i would be looking at a 50" ST60 which is slightly worse than the GT60 (not noticeably worse) but much bigger and cheaper.

cyber69 · 12 Jul 2013 at 12:35

The stand i'm looking at will hold a 50" ok i'm just concerned about a 50" TV dominating the lounge area as we are used to the 42" size.

Psycho Sonny · 12 Jul 2013 at 12:50

cyber69 said:
The stand i'm looking at will hold a 50" ok i'm just concerned about a 50" TV dominating the lounge area as we are used to the 42" size.

a load of baloney if you ask me.

i have a 50" in my bedroom and it's fine. when you go to the cinema do you ever think, omg the screen is too big, i wish they had made it smaller?

the bigger the better, and you adjust so quickly, next time you upgrade you will be wanting a 60".

look at the history of tv's they have been slowly getting bigger year on year for the same price point.

people who say a big tv is dominating are either ignorant or cant afford a big tv so jealous imo.

we have a 51" in the living room, and imo it's far too small, but the money for 60" + tv's is too much right now for decent PQ. within 10 years though we should have a 60" or bigger in there though for sure.

covenantuk · 12 Jul 2013 at 13:23

Actually, I totally get not wanting a front room looking like a dedicated cinema room.

I can afford a 60", but my next upgrade is likely to be 42 or 46 maximum.

Then again I go out a lot and when I have guests at home I talk to them, not watch TV with them

I suppose if I really had cash to burn I'd go for a projector and a screen that can roll up away when not in use, but for the amount of HD content available and the amount I actually watch a BluRay it's not really worth it.

If someone who spends every night in front of the TV then fine, your call.

insane200 · 12 Jul 2013 at 19:35

Psycho Sonny said:
a load of baloney if you ask me.

i have a 50" in my bedroom and it's fine. when you go to the cinema do you ever think, omg the screen is too big, i wish they had made it smaller?

the bigger the better, and you adjust so quickly, next time you upgrade you will be wanting a 60".

look at the history of tv's they have been slowly getting bigger year on year for the same price point.

people who say a big tv is dominating are either ignorant or cant afford a big tv so jealous imo.

we have a 51" in the living room, and imo it's far too small, but the money for 60" + tv's is too much right now for decent PQ. within 10 years though we should have a 60" or bigger in there though for sure.

you don't half talk some tripe, People who say they don't want a TV to dominate mean just that, its not the center of attention in the room.

I have lots of customers with plenty of money who will only buy small TV's simply because they hate a big black screen sat in the room when not in use.

Just because you like big TV's doesnt mean everyone has to be the same :rolleyes:

As for the Op's first question.

The ET60 is a 600hz refresh

The FT60 is 1600hz refesh, both of these use a combo of backlight blinking and intelligent frame creation.

The ST60 is 2500hz from memory, if being used for gaming, i wouldnt bother, input lag is worse than last years range.

If your buying for smart features i would also look else where, Samsung being the best, LG pretty close.

Psycho Sonny · 12 Jul 2013 at 20:18

hate a big black screen sitting there when not in use?

that is one of the worst things i have ever heard, in fact a lot of people choose their tv's by the style of them these days, because they prefer the slimness and the stand of certain types / brands and the way they look comes into the purchase decision, i dont care about the style i choose the tv on size, PQ and price.

do they also hate having a big car sitting outside in the driveway when not in use?

or hate having a big dining table in the dining room when not in use?

or hate having a big home where half the room's do not get used?

or hate having a huge garden when it's not being used?

Jase · 12 Jul 2013 at 21:47

I think the Big TV Dominating the room remark may have been understandable years ago but not now. I remember having a 55" TV and it wasn't the screen size that was the problem it was just BIG. It had a big frame around the screen and was probably 3 feet deep.

Now even if you change from a TV that's 5 year old, like for like it will look smaller. You don't have to have it in in the corner of the room you can hang it on the wall or whatever.

I'd always say get the biggest you can afford, you'll soon get used to it.

Raymond Lin · 12 Jul 2013 at 21:59

Psycho Sonny said:
hate a big black screen sitting there when not in use?

that is one of the worst things i have ever heard, in fact a lot of people choose their tv's by the style of them these days, because they prefer the slimness and the stand of certain types / brands and the way they look comes into the purchase decision, i dont care about the style i choose the tv on size, PQ and price.

do they also hate having a big car sitting outside in the driveway when not in use?

Some people don't like or want big car full stop, whether it is in use or not. Who wants to park a limo everywhere anyway. Who has the space to park a 50 tonne lorry. Not everyone wants to drive around a car that does 5mpg with a big engine. Just because it is not in use doesn't mean it disappears off the face the earth. You may not have to look at the car when it is parked, but the TV is in the living room so it is right there in your face even when it is off. As stated, if it is a TV room, fine, go nuts, but this is a living room. Hell, I know people who has nothing but a bed in their bedroom, no TV, no radio, nothing. They think a bedroom is just that. Not everyone are into TV like you do, or want a 60" TV in every room.

or hate having a big dining table in the dining room when not in use?

That's fine if you have a dinning table in the dinning room. I doubt you have your dinning table in your bedroom. The space that you have the dinning table for is a space measured and allocated for it, for that size of the dining table. You don't put a dinning table for 20 people in a space that can only fit 10 leaving the rest of the room so small you can't even pull the chairs out. You can't really apply the Cinema screen argument here, as I said earlier, it's a cinema, when the movie ends you walk out. At home when the movie ends the TV do not disappear. Unless it is in a separate room where you can walk out and close the door behind.

or hate having a big home where half the room's do not get used?

Sure, I want to live in a place the size of Buckingham palace by myself too. Or do I want to afford to run such a place with heating, council tax and people to take care of it. Or do I want somewhere that is right size for me and my family.

or hate having a huge garden when it's not being used?

Have it the size of a safari park if you like, if you don't want to maintain it and leave to grow like a jungle.

There is something to be said being content.

Where is that photo of someone here having a 70" TV in his living room in the corner, in a decor that looks very Georgian. Antiques everywhere and then this giant 70" LCD in the corner, it was actually quite comical. (can you also imagine that space wasted behind the TV for having it in the corner?)

His point when something that big, it dominates the room. it's black, its huge, you can't design the TV so it looks antique so it blends into the room. If you other half buys furniture and fixtures that is a bit traditional, have a fire place on one end, the door on the other end and open plan space on the other side of the room. Leaving not much choice to position the TV, do you want it to block out the window totally, or do you want to use the TV as a partition to the kitchen?

Your dinning room table is there because it is a dinning room. It can be big because it is in the dinning room as opposed to your bedroom. If the TV is in the TV room then have it as big as you like.

The garden is big because you want it to be big. The TV don't want to be big so you don't buy a big one.

I get what he is saying, why can't you? Some people here are married, and the other half simply do not have a giant black piece of glass sitting in the middle of the room that everything is directed at. Believe it or not, some people don't spend their lives watching the TV...and their sofa do not necessarily point to the TV but instead, like a fire place and the TV is just an appliance in the corner, used when needed and they would do more than just watch TV in the living room.

Personally speaking, I like my movies so I like a big screen but honestly, most friends i know don't even have a home cinema like I do, I spent more on cables wiring up my system than the amount they paid for their TV. Some people just don't care, as well as don't want a big TV.

'Harry · 12 Jul 2013 at 23:50

Huge telly in front room is awful.

It's easy to tell the tv addicts from the social people. One has a crt, one has a gigantic price of plastic with every piece of furniture aimed at it...

insane200 · 14 Jul 2013 at 02:48

Psycho Sonny said:
hate a big black screen sitting there when not in use?

that is one of the worst things i have ever heard, in fact a lot of people choose their tv's by the style of them these days, because they prefer the slimness and the stand of certain types / brands and the way they look comes into the purchase decision, i dont care about the style i choose the tv on size, PQ and price.

do they also hate having a big car sitting outside in the driveway when not in use?

or hate having a big dining table in the dining room when not in use?

or hate having a big home where half the room's do not get used?

or hate having a huge garden when it's not being used?

You really do talk ****

churchhawk · 15 Jul 2013 at 11:07

I bought the 42" panasonic ET60 at the weekend.

Awesome TV, picture quality is spot on and it just looks awesome with a nice thin bezel, no problems at all and the PS3 looks stunning on it.

I would only ever buy Samsung or Panasonic.