Trying to decide which TV to buy ? Help !!

alxmorgan

Ok folks I got a 2 grand budget.
Min size is 42".

I found a 42" Philiips LCD in Harvey Norman for just under 2000.

But read somewhere that over 37" you'd be better off with Plasma.

Then I spotted this http://www.sony.ie/view/ShowProduct.action?product=KDF-50E2010&site=odw_en_IE&pageType=Overview&category=TVP+Rear+Projection+TV

Also comes in 42".
Retailing at 1500 for a 50".
Anybody got any info on this and why I shouldn't go for it ?

Any help would be great.

Thanks.

big_moe

its a rear projection, which means the viewing angle is ****e. if you are sitting at eye level and dead straight in front of the screen, those rear projections are a bargain. for 2k, i think you cant do any better than the panasonic 42" TH-42pv60. just look around for reviews of it. best tv going at the moment for 2k. in UK reviews its called a th-42px60, cos of the different tuner. lcd is great at very good signals (hi-def, pc's, consoles etc...) but give it an analogue ntl signal and then see what you think! i am on my 3rd panasonic plasma now and i think they are much better all-round performers than the LCD's, and i actually do know what im talking about.

moe

karltimber

big_moe wrote:

lcd is great at very good signals (hi-def, pc's, consoles etc...) but give it an analogue ntl signal and then see what you think!

so MOE - I will be looking at getting a 37" lcd shortly. I have a standard good signal from an analogue chorus cable connection.
I will have a media centre hooked up to watch all dvd's, recorded TV and legally downloaded movies/avi's. NO Xbox/P3's yet :rolleyes:

Are you saying it's not worth getting an LCD for this ??
Please elaborate !!

THx

slave1

there are a good few purchasers of that Sony 50" on the boards, myself included, and if it was poor then I would freely say so, previous comment of shi#'e viewing angle is simply not true, this is the best value tv around for its money and knowing a good few folk that have purchased all are very happy.

What previous poster is eluding to is, is it worthwhile you buying a 37"/50" tv with a connection such as your ( Chorus ) analog, you'll end up with a savage tv but will be feeding it a poor signal so run the risk of relatively poor picture quality.
Why would you buy a HDTV without feeding it a HD source os some sort?
Bigger the screen the better the quality of feed you need.
I do not have Chorus analogue so cannot comment on how that looks feeding the Sony 50".
I watch my Divx downloads on a Sony upscaler and they are perfect quality

alxmorgan

slave1,

Any things about the 50" that you don't like ?
I am going to have a Sky signal coming into tv...how will that suit ?

Have you played games on it ?

Can you connect direct to PC for playing downloaded (legally of course) content ?

Sorry for all the questions but I really want to get this purchase right !!

Thanks.

big_moe

@ karltimber: im just saying that plasma can handle a worse signal better. lcd looks fantastic on dvds etc.. but on chorus analogue... the lcds show up everything a signal has to offer, which is not always a good thing. if its a good strong analogue signal, then it will be grand. but you really do need a digital signal of some description to feed these screens.

before any confusion settles in, the sony 50" (or any other rear projection) are FANTASTIC value, the best you will get around. but i knw from personal experience, the way my room was set up with couches etc.. at certain angles the picture was not so good. go into a shop and visualise where u will be sitting and see how it looks. maybe your room angles could be fine for it. and yes, sky digital will look great on it.

connecting a pc, you have 2 options, the PC vga connection, or if u get a pc with a dvi out, buy a dvi-hdmi connection for superior picture quality.

just look at the tv before you buy. people see tv's differently. but as i said i had the panasonic th42pv60, fantastic set! the sound quality is brilliant for a tv, and the picture.... i was using a free to air sat i got in lidl and it looked stunning

moe

Jip

What's the model alxmorgan ?
I got a 42inch one there a couple of weeks ago for the same price and am quite happy with it.
Some LCDs do have a crap picture from a regular source but I have to say the Philips and whatever the technology is uses gives a great pic from a standard Sky box. Granted, some of the stations on Sky are a poor quality and you do notice a bit of blockiness but for the majority you don't unless you sit a foot infront of the T.V.
DVDs look brilliant and the xBox is great too.

alxmorgan

Not 100% sure of the model number as it was a few months ago that I saw it but just checking the Sony site it could be :

KDF-50E2010

Did you buy the KDF-E42A11E and where did you get it ?

Has it got a VGA connection ?

Jip

Sorry, I thought you were still talking about the Philips one you mentioned in your first post.

alxmorgan

Oh right....my fault.
Well at least you're happy with the 42" LCD which gives me food for thought.
Not sure about the model number...I had a leaflet with the details but managed to lose it.

What is your model number so I'll know when I go back to shop ?

Thanks.

Jip

It's a 42PF5321. From reading AV Forums it was awarded Best Buy by some Audio Visual Mag and shortlist for some end of year awards. Must do a search over there again so see what mag it was.

alxmorgan

Found this one http://www.technikdirekt.de/main/en/lcd-plasma-tv/lcd-tv-ab46/897706/-/Article.html?fillspace=1

Its not the same as your but close I think Philips 42 PF 5421

Does the spec look the same ? (hope yout German is good )

Jip

Actually, I was wrong first time round, my one is the 42 PF 5421/10, it's all black unlike the one in the link.

alxmorgan

So the price looks pretty good then right ?

80 euro delivery charge to Ireland as far as I know.

Has anyone had any experience of dealing with these ?

Did you get a guarantee with yours ?

Thanks.

slave1

slave1,

Any things about the 50" that you don't like ?
Not to date, takes bout 30seconds to warm up, has a fan which you get used to very quickly

I am going to have a Sky signal coming into tv...how will that suit ?
I have SkyHD fed through the HDMI and fantastic quality, I did hook up my original nonhd sky box and it was marginally less quality bit still great

Have you played games on it ?
No but mate - was there I saw it first - has the xbox360 and jaw dropping, was playing some car type game and no issues whatsoever

Can you connect direct to PC for playing downloaded (legally of course) content ?
Yes has PC input, again mate had hooked up and quality of divx was as good as through divx player, I do hook up my own pc from time to time but my graphics card has RGBScart so I use that

Sorry for all the questions but I really want to get this purchase right !!
No probs, the newer version - got mine for SkyHD launch and world cup - has 2 hdmi connections which is a great bonus as mine only had the one and I had to buy a switcher
I think the new one has like, 2Xhdmi, 2/3times Scart, PC, composite, s-video, component inputs so you will not be stuck for a while
The factory settings suck and you will have to adjust them
the stand is cool and very well designed

You could spend more on a better tv but your euro for euro marginal benefits are not worth it IMHO
I usually keep a tv for about two years so if you want to wait a while I'll do you a good deal;)

Thanks.

delly

I have the Philips 42PF5421 and ladies and gentlemen this TV simply kicks ass. As well as having a great picture, the black surround looks sexy. Coupled with my 700w 5.1 system, DVD's never looked or sounded so good.

alxmorgan

Ok saw the SONY KDF-E50A11E today...1299 including stand.

Dvd playing through it looked good...shop was too bright and dvd playing was quite dark so didn't look as good as it could I reckon.

Put on Man U v Chelsea and it looked ok but he said it was cable with Chorus and Sky Digital would be better, which slave has pretty much confirmed on here.

I'm a little bit worried about the viewing angle...when I went to the side of the tv it wasn't fantastic but I had gone quite a bit to the side.

I'm confused....not 100% but it does sound like a great deal.

big_moe

as i said before, the viewing angles didnt work in my room. visualise where u would be watching it from. maybe if u go the side yeah, it doesnt look fantastic, but will u ever be at that angle??

gamer

Could you tell me the graphics card model no slave 1.I want to get a graphics card with scart to watch dvds on my tv.Is there any shop that sells agp cards with scart in dublin.Plasma is much better if you want to watch sd tv,ntl cable tv than any lcd tv.OR go for a 40inch hdready hd crt for the very best image color quality and level of detail in fast moving scenes.Get TV with hdmi,dvi and vga ,2av and audio out 37inch at least.It doesnt matter if card has 64meg ram,its just for dvds.AN UPscaler increases the resolution of any dvd played ,doubles the no of pixels from a standard dvd,some tvs have them built in.

JP Mulvano

slave1 wrote:

I watch my Divx downloads on a Sony upscaler and they are perfect quality

Any chance you could elaborate on this? Or what it is?