Best all round (PS3+SD+HDDVD) TV type, size & resolution

shredmaster777

Ok, I know it's a long shot and maybe there is no straight answer, only preferences, but maybe someone will share their ideas.

I have browsed through a lot of threads on this forum and I thought it would be a good idea to sort of sum them up in this thread and provide some help to folks in a situation similar to mine.

I'm looking to buy a TV that I could use for playing games on PS3, watching HD movies and SD TV with no preference for any of those - a TV that's best suited for all those things.

The smallest size I would consider is 32", the biggest is 40" (ideally 37") but feel free to mention other sizes, maybe someone else will find the info helpful.

So here are my dillemmas:
32" or 37" ?
LCD or plasma ?
HD ready or FullHD ?

Which combination of the above features is best for my needs?

Thanks a lot in advance.

shredmaster777

To start, I was thinking about Samsung 37" LCD LE37M86BD but 2 things worry me:

- FullHD LCDs not handling SD well, and
- very small difference between HD ready and Full HD on a 37" screen (unnecesary extra cost)

So I fell like I'm running in circles here, please help.

big_moe

shredmaster777 wrote: »

- FullHD LCDs not handling SD well, and
- very small difference between HD ready and Full HD on a 37" screen (unnecesary extra cost).

agree to both points here, that why i'd recommend the Panasonic TH37PV70 37" plasma. http://www.allianceelectric.ie/products/tv/plasmalcd/th37pv70.htm

best all rounder, i have the 42" version of it with a PS3 (for games & blu ray), a good upscaling DVD player & ntl digital. they all look great.

adam

ongarite

Going with big_moe choice too. I have the 42" PV70, fantastic TV for all uses. SDTV, PS3 gaming and Blu-Ray films.

trabpc

Have to agree with Moe. On advice i got from this site i bought the Pannasonic 42py70. From what i have seen in shop on SKY/Sky HD and DVD. and HD from a Pc it looks Fab. Id have it now except my Shop F****d up.
From what i know the py series is 1080p while the pv series is 720p

At 37" id say 720p is enough.

seems to me the 37pv70 would suit you down to the ground and id say below the €999 mark

edit> sorry just saw the price above slightly above €999

big_moe

watch out, theres another panasonic 37" plasma which isnt as good and is €999. its crap. its the TH37PV7

and a certain chain store is notorious for "mixing up" the model numbers in their leaflets, so don't be fooled and pay the more expensive price for a cheaper TV

adam

Kulgan

http://www.directvalue.ie/catalog/ItemDetails.dhtml?ts=1199918376886&iid=744

Thats the same TV as you linked to right moe? Is the EY significant?

trabpc

Yes ive seen the TH37PV7 in H***** it looks crap in comparison to the 37pv70 and I mean from a finish point of view. I Don't know what it like switched on?

big_moe

yeah same one. EY is the country code

the one i linked to is the EYA model (newer than EY)

big_moe

trabpc wrote: »

Yes ive seen the TH37PV7 in H***** it looks crap in comparison to the 37pv70 and I mean from a finish point of view. I Don't know what it like switched on?

not great, colours aren't too vibrant.. sharpness is a bit iffy... and then the lack of as many connections. for an extra €150 you'd be mad not to buy the PV70

shredmaster777

Ok thanks for all that.

I'm definately interested in this Panasonic. Which of those stores would you recommend:

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=333263&view=detailed#ProductTabs

http://www.directvalue.ie/catalog/ItemDetails.dhtml?ts=1199918376886&iid=744

http://www.allianceelectric.ie/products/tv/plasmalcd/th37pv70.htm


Also, one important question as I wasn't looking at plasmas before:
The resolution mentioned in the specs is only 1,024 x 720 Pixels!
How does it relate to LCD's 720p? (or 1080p for that matter)
Could games on PS3 look good in this resolution?

Thanks again.

philylit

Another link for the 37PV70 in Ireland here shredmaster, bit cheaper as well.

http://mitchelltv.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=81

Hope to get mine next weekend, if the overdraft allows:D

Have to pop down to Harvey Normans this week to see what sort of deal they'll do on it.

EHB

I thought Plasmas weren't suitable for consoles because of the screen burn issue is this not a problem as I had ruled out buying one because I have a PS3

big_moe

screen burn used to be an issue but rarely happens anymore.

i have a panasonic 42" plasma with a Wii & PS3 and its grand.. if i play the PS3 for an hour or two theres a bit of retention, but that goes away after a few mins.

adam

philylit

big_moe wrote: »

screen burn used to be an issue but rarely happens anymore.

i have a panasonic 42" plasma with a Wii & PS3 and its grand.. if i play the PS3 for an hour or two theres a bit of retention, but that goes away after a few mins.

adam

Hey moe, do you have the 42pv70? I ask because I'm set to buy the 37pv70 but am a bit worried as to how the wii will look on it? On my sony rp it looked poor with really bad jagged edges,tried everything, wii sports was sooo bad. Love the console just hope the image will be smoother on my next telly. Any feedback you can give would be great

big_moe

yeah i have the 42". its great on Wii, i bought the component cable for the Wii (~€29) and it improved the picture. the Wii isnt HD so its never going to look "stunning"

philylit

Thanks for that Moe, yeah deffo not looking for 'hd' graphics on the wii, its more about the gameplay isn't it, i'll be chuffed as long as long as i don't get swamped with 'the jaggies'. Have ya tried blu-ray yet, is it quality? I have a ps3 but no blu-ray collection so far. Got my ps3 at chrimbo haven't even played it yet:eek:, waiting to give it the screen it deserves:D

big_moe

yeah i got a PS3 a week ago and bought a few blu rays, picture clarity with them is stunning. the new harry potter film looks unreal! it's a great demo cos the picture is top notch and the audio is brilliant as well!

ongarite

I have the same TV as big_moe and PS3 also and its a cracking combo. Gaming and Blu-Ray are stunning and PS3 is also an excellent upscaling DVD player.

philylit

Great stuff, can't wait to get it all sorted now, got myself a new 4/5 shelf black glass and chrome stand to perch the panny on, just need the display now (roll on payday)!

Looking forward to sitting back, sticking in beowulf (the only ps3 game I have at the mo) and having a blast. Think I'll have to pick up transformers on dvd this week as well, don't think the blu-ray of it is out for a while yet, though the hd-dvd is?

big_moe

that film company is hd-dvd only at the moment... serious, harry potter & order of the phoenix on blu ray... best transfer for video & audio i've seen!!!

with Casino Royale in a close 2nd!!

philylit

ah well, plenty of flicks out there to choose from anyways, mr potter will be on my to-do list

Hate having to wait for the wages to go in, find myself googling tv's like there's no tomorrow! Always come back to the pv70 in the end tho.

Noticing that the euro is v.strong against the pound sterling at the mo, anyone know if there's any difference between px70 and pv70? Still would probably be better off getting local in case of fault etc I suppose

philylit

Did a bit of looking around so I now know px70 and pv70 are the same except 4 the tv tuner, think you actually posted re it previously moe, cheers again!

shredmaster777

Sorry to break this plasma appreciation thread

I have just realised that watching TV isn't going to be a big deal for me.
I have NTL digital but all I watch is evening news during the week and a movie or two during the weekend. At 37" I think I'll be better off with FullHD Samsung LE37M87DB with PS3 for games and dvds. I read that this TV is great for HD content and black levels on it are as good as on plasmas.
I'm gonna go for that one.

Thanks anyway.

ongarite

At 37" Full HD 1080p is completely wasted. You would have to sit closer than 4ft from the TV to notice the difference between 1080p and 720p.
Hell at 42", you need to sitting around 6ft away to notice the difference. Its just marketing speel to get you to think its better.
The only LCD I know with black levels anywhere near Plasma is the Sony X3500 series and they do that buy dimming, turning off the backlight.

shredmaster777

Well, it's not completely wasted. Definately not for games on PS3.
I get your point about FullHD at 37" but since I don't want to get a bigger screen I might as well get the best 37" for my purposes. 37" 1,024 x 720 plasma wouldn't be the best option for 1080p games and HD movies.
I also hear that digital NTL is not that bad on FullHD LCD.
And the difference in price of FullHD Samsung LE37M87DB and 1,024 x 720 Panasonic TH37PV70 is minimal.

That's how I see it

P.S. Here's the review:

http://www.hdtvorg.co.uk/reviews/lcd/samsung_le37m87bdx.htm

philylit

shredmaster777 wrote: »

Well, it's not completely wasted. Definately not for games on PS3.
I get your point about FullHD at 37" but since I don't want to get a bigger screen I might as well get the best 37" for my purposes. 37" 1,024 x 720 plasma wouldn't be the best option for 1080p games and HD movies.
I also hear that digital NTL is not that bad on FullHD LCD.
And the difference in price of FullHD Samsung LE37M87DB and 1,024 x 720 Panasonic TH37PV70 is minimal.

That's how I see it

P.S. Here's the review:

http://www.hdtvorg.co.uk/reviews/lcd/samsung_le37m87bdx.htm

Enjoy your new tv shredmaster, looks a good un, play.com have some good user reviews of it

Doodlebug

Hey Shred! Where did you end up buying this and what was the best price you found?

I'm leaning towards the Panasonic mentioned earlier...

BTW, Great thread - can get confusing reading through all the different models/specs, so this hits the nail on the head (for me anyway!)

philylit

What a day! spent almost 3 hours out at blanchardstown trying to get my TH-37PV70, got Harvey Norman down to €1099 and Curry's to €1130 but neither had stock , didn't get any joy out of pc world, try again tomorrow I guess.

Chin up