What 42" TV?

[Shonver]

I'm not quite convinced that I should buy just yet, but the more I think about it, the more I want to...

So far, I think I'd want to go for a 42" plasma @ 720p. Which offerings, in your opinion are good candidates?

[GearSlave]

There's a lot of specials goin at Makro and Game at the moment.

Just as a matter of interest, I got a Samsung LA40B550 Full HD LCD and a BDP1600 BR Player for R11999 a few months back. I see the Sony V series going now for R10k. I know these are LCDs, but they are very good, especially for the price. Not sure why you want to go for 720p? I'm watching 720p content off the HD PVR on the Sammy LCD and the pictures are just plain A.W.E.S.O.M.E. not to mention BR content even.

But, SD content does look pretty crap.

[KenMasters]

If I were you I'd hold on to my money for just a little longer and see what Panasonic's 2010 line of Vieras have to offer. Rumours abound of Kuro levels of performance, then there's also the fact that they'll be introducing the first (true) 3D panels, if that floats your boat.

[Kevin99]

If I were you I'd hold on to my money for just a little longer and see what Panasonic's 2010 line of Vieras have to offer. Rumours abound of Kuro levels of performance, then there's also the fact that they'll be introducing the first (true) 3D panels, if that floats your boat.

All good, but at what price?

I would rather spend more money on a larger screen, than on better performance, seeing that most of the current full HD models available are all very good at doing the job when sitting a couple of meters away from the screen.

Good news is that 2 new HD channels are available on dstv.

[Shonver]

Hehe. When is it ever the best time to buy into an evolving technology...?? 

I'm not shooting for full-spec HD, as I adjudge lower res HD to be sufficient for my needs: I just want my TV to be as good as what I see on my PC- I'm referring to replay of HDTV movies (but don't hesitate to educate me if you think I'm misguided here). I chose plasma, as I think that the worst disappointment I can have is blurred images due to poor response time. I'm quite sensitive to that.

Edit:

All good, but at what price?

Yeah, unfortunately, price is a big factor... so it must be a bang-for-buck TC.

[KenMasters]

All good, but at what price?

I would rather spend more money on a larger screen, than on better performance, seeing that most of the current full HD models available are all very good at doing the job when sitting a couple of meters away from the screen.

I've always thought of Panasonic as very good value for money. It all depends on how you judge quality. From my point of view there are only a handful of flat panels that offer really good image quality, and even with those, they have their niggles.

Panasonic's panels don't have the same black level performance, colour accuracy or digital noise suppression as the Kuros but they do offer finer shadow detail, faster input response and far more palatable price tags. If they can marry these two panels in such a way as to combine the best features of both... well, lets just say I'm very excited by the proposition.

[hendrikvr]

Yip, if you want to buy now your "Bets bang for Buck" option is 720p plasma without a doubt.  If you can streatch your budget a bit go for Panasonic, either 720p or 1080p ... at 42" it really doesn't matter.

If you want to wait a bit, the 2010 Panasonics might have some KURO tech ... that will give you the best picture for any content (SD or HD) period.  I wouldn't be too concerned about 3D.

[GearSlave]

I chose plasma, as I think that the worst disappointment I can have is blurred images due to poor response time. I'm quite sensitive to that.

I don't have any issues with ghosting on my set. I did read this morning about ghosting issues on the Sony V series that I mentioned earlier and that the cheaper S series does not have that issue.

I've also found that asking the guys at Makro to demo two panels side by side is as much fun as having your teeth pulled out. And that lazy f...er still got his commission out of the sale. NNGNGNGNGGGngnggnngGng!! Out of frustration I ended up with the Sammy, although I did make up my mind that I was gonna take it over the Sony before I even went to Makro. This was purely based on the reviews on the Sammy. I guess I was lucky as I couldn't be happier with my choice. If I had a gripe with mine though, it would be the black levels that is not up to the LED levels. But, considering what I paid in the end, I've got nothing to complain about.

[Dolby]

I actually had the opposite to Gert :

I went into the shop with my heart set on a Sony Bravia 46 V550 and walked out with a Samsung 46 B650 after the demo's. Absolutley awesome TV that I can't fault.

[GearSlave]

Ja, but Grant, we all know you to be a very patient person. Me, I'm not at all. Never. Nooit! Went xmas shopping this morning and the wife had to drop me off at home halfway through to prevent divorce.

[Audiance]

The Panasonic TH-P42S10 is an awesome buy, picture quality superb, personaly I prefer Plasma so I would go with the Panasonic

[milesgopal]

hi
ive got the older viera plasma ....bought about 2 years ago....great for my needs...
i went into the new samsung store in canal walk today....
they had a 42" hd ready plasma for R7999.......seemed good to me
i think it was either series 4 or 5....

[stereo247]

I too own a sammy and am very pleased with its 42" 720p output. They have a really good engine in my opinion. When it comes to bigger than 42" I would almost blindly vouch for the Sammy's as they scoop awards every year and the bang for buck is best (i.e. its usually cheaper than rivals).

If you go LCD give some serious thought to LED technology, otherwise plasma in my book still rulz.

[Rudi]

I had the oppertunity to have both the samsung and the Sony at home to compare side by side.

at makro you will never be able to make a decent judgment seeing that they use a composite signal and it is all SD.
there is very little between the two sets. I did not find any ghosting on the V series as mentioned. the person could have had a bad signal
I ended up taking the sony. the picture were softer. the sammy was to sharp for my liking, very unnatural ( you can adjust this however) i just prefered the more natural outline of the sony. everything else were identical, not much between them. I am willing to bet that it is the same panel, seeing that sony does use sammy panels. but I like the bravia engine more and I did find that it was better on SD pictures. HD is was pretty much on par but as mentioned before without the extreme sharp edge. One should look around you and you will notice NOTHING is as sharp as it is on the panel. what i do not like about the sony is the chrome detail and the Sammy does look much better from a design perspective.

[Shonver]

Uuugghh!!!

Nobody thought to mention how frustrating this thing can be!!!!

I finally shot for the Panasonic 42" plasma. I'm really happy with the picture... at night !!

The problem is that our lounge is rather bright, and during the day the picture is very much diluted by the ambient light. I may be returning the Panasonic soon, and swap for a full HD LCD (Samsung, 40"). This is gonna cost either R11000~12000 (50Hz) or R16000 (100Hz). Come on, guys: which one will be more worth my while? (Noting that I do not normally have this kind of cash to throw around; I've got to make it good). I've seen the problem with displaying SD on a HD LCD: it sucks. But it also sucks that the plasma's daytime viewing performance is nowhere near the R9999 value it cost me... your thoughts?