Fellow Tech's the time has come to replace my aging Sony KDL46X2000 which

at the time was Sony's flagship model and was ground breaking 1080p LCD.

 

I have narrowed down my list to these possible candidates:

 

Samsung - UE55F8000 = £1800

 

Sony - KDL55W905 = £1500

 

Panasonic TX-L55ET60 = £1100

 

I am leaning towards the Sony based on irrational brand loyalty and snobbery but also my relatively good

Tech background of using Sony products and never having any fail. However I am willing to be

persuaded on jumping ship if the tech makes sense. I am wary of anything LG Having seen some really

poor sets historically and although I know Plasma's are still the king at this size in terms of Black Depth

and neutrality I don't really care about SD Television as this is primarily for 1080p Hi DEF inputs.

I can't wait for 4K to become standard and in my price range so please help me decide or inform me of

a comparable product I have overlooked.

 

Needs to have multiple cores, have high motion processing, low input lag and stunning picture. Sound and 3D are irrelevant or secondary consideration.

 

No idea about the tellies but don't forget to check the voucher/deal websites like ukhotdeals.com and quidco/topcashback.

When you're talking those sorts of figures getting 5-10% back is well worth looking out for.

No idea about the tellies but don't forget to check the voucher/deal websites like ukhotdeals.com and quidco/topcashback.

When you're talking those sorts of figures getting 5-10% back is well worth looking out for.

 

Already use HUKD and Quidco thanks.

Just found out the Panasonic has high input lag 63ms which is bad for gaming. Does anyone know what this feels like in realterms. The Sony for example has an input lag of just 20ms and for gaming its recommended to be below 33ms. However without any sort of real life comparison these are just arbitrary figures.

Wish I had space for a 55" :(, I've only ever used Samsung so I can only rate them themselves. My last TV was LCD and it lasted a while until LED came out which I then sold on to buy this one. I've had my LED one for over a year now and it's still going strong, no faults as of yet.

Edit: just to add I'm also a gamer, play all the latest games and my TV has never gave me trouble.

Wish I had space for a 55" :(, I've only ever used Samsung so I can only rate them themselves. My last TV was LCD and it lasted a while until LED came out which I then sold on to buy this one. I've had my LED one for over a year now and it's still going strong, no faults as of yet.

Edit: just to add I'm also a gamer, play all the latest games and my TV has never gave me trouble.

 

P.S. your tv is still LCD panel its just the way they light the pixels is done by using Edge lit LED's instead of cathode ray both have reasons for and against. My current Sony was on of the first LCD's so incorporates cathode ray this has deeper blacks than the Edge lit LED LCD panels but you can get clouding effects at high contrast and brightness. All in All LED is newer and the way forward but will be eclipsed by the new 4K panels I just can't wait long enough for it to become defacto standard and sets to come down below £2k. Although that said Netflix plan to roll out 4K sources this summer. I think realistically it will  be 2 years before I would get a 4K set.

I've got the 47" version of the Panasonic and love it. Picture looks fantastic once calibrated. I used the settings on this link http://www.avforums.com/review/panasonic-tx-l55et60b-3d-led-television-review.478. They measured input lag at 48ms, I can't say I've had any issues whilst playing GTA 5.

 

I don't expect the smart features to be as good as the Samsung but there is a decent android app for controlling the TV and sharing media to it has been straight forward enough. Will also play MKV files straight off a USB stick. 

 

I think if I had more money to spend I'd have gone for the Sony W9 (I think it may have micro dimming) but certainly don't regret going for the Panasonic. 

Just bought a Sony KDL47W805  and soundbar,stuck with Sony for much the same reasons,they have lasted well and never had problems with them.check out RGB direct for prices as I found them cheaper than anywhere else plus a 5 year Sony warranty,but you do have to pick it up from store.

Annoys the hell out of me that the sound from modern LCD/Plasma TV's is so pants people need to buy soundbars.

 

I have a 42" Hitachi Plasma that must be 5 years old, with the right inputs and settings it gives a great picture (obviously behind some of today's very best but still better than many)

 

What sets it apart though is really quality sound from the stock speakers, most seem to be an afterthough on recent TV's, LCD tv's particularly.

Wish I had space for a 55" :(

You'd be amazed that today's 55" screens fit in places that previously had 29"(ish) fatback TV's so it pays to check the physical dimensions and not just the headline size.

 

Back OT.

I previously went for a Samsung as it seemed to tick a lot of boxes and also played more (film) file formats (via USB) than most, together with a fantastic array of Smart Services. However it let itself down by not being able to show Freeview without 'stuttering'! Back it went and a Sony replaced it with no problems whatsoever.

Scribbler I know that but LED was new in so I wanted one .

John999boy it's not that it won't fit it because it will, it's just the size of the room would make it look rediculous :(

Annoys the hell out of me that the sound from modern LCD/Plasma TV's is so pants people need to buy soundbars.

 

I have a 42" Hitachi Plasma that must be 5 years old, with the right inputs and settings it gives a great picture (obviously behind some of today's very best but still better than many)

 

What sets it apart though is really quality sound from the stock speakers, most seem to be an afterthough on recent TV's, LCD tv's particularly.

 

I often hear this comment but for me if your after the cinema experience which lets face it is why you buy a big high end TV then you already have or are considering a DTS master audio / Dolby true HD possibly THX certified sound system. If I read a review and it starts waffling on about how good the standard speakers are then I instantly discount it for two reasons it means the reviewer was not sufficiently staggered by the majesty of the picture that he started to look at other features and secondly the engineers designing the set spent at least a proportion of the budget / time designing a sound system that's palatable by the masses but something that I am instantly going to disable in preference of my high end audio system.

Just bought a Sony KDL47W805  and soundbar,stuck with Sony for much the same reasons,they have lasted well and never had problems with them.check out RGB direct for prices as I found them cheaper than anywhere else plus a 5 year Sony warranty,but you do have to pick it up from store.

 

I was looking at a Sony KDL55W807 Which is basically the bigger brother of your set and don't get me wrong there is a lot to like, it punches well above its weight and also I can pick one up for £800 so its a lot cheaper. However I have the nagging feeling that I should hold out for the W9 series. The panel in the W8 series is the same LG IPS panel that's in the Panasonic I mention at the beginning and although doesn't have great blacks its highly commended. However it suffers from the same input lag I think and also the Panasonic has higher Motion possessing and better interface according to the experts. My love of sony would probably make up for this minor short coming but I would feel a bit cheated that I didn't pay extra and get the flagship model that has an amazing panel that's won countless awards and has Micro local area dimming.

I've got the 47" version of the Panasonic and love it. Picture looks fantastic once calibrated. I used the settings on this link http://www.avforums.com/review/panasonic-tx-l55et60b-3d-led-television-review.478. They measured input lag at 48ms, I can't say I've had any issues whilst playing GTA 5.

 

I don't expect the smart features to be as good as the Samsung but there is a decent android app for controlling the TV and sharing media to it has been straight forward enough. Will also play MKV files straight off a USB stick. 

 

I think if I had more money to spend I'd have gone for the Sony W9 (I think it may have micro dimming) but certainly don't regret going for the Panasonic. 

 

This is good news but I think the bigger the panel and the more correction of input then the bigger the input lag which is probably why the 55" is 63ms and the 47" is only 48ms. The fact that you can't tell any discernible lag is a good sign though. Have you played anything aim critical such as Battlefield or COD? do you frequently feel like you shot someone before they shot you yet you end up dying? MKV native playback is good though I guess the bigger set also does this does it do subs aswell. That's got me thinking about cinavia. I wonder if the Sony has Cinavia enabled that would be a bumer!

The 48ms was measured on the 55" set. I don't really play any FPS type games so can't comment I'm afraid.

Thanks for all the opinions / advise in the end i decided to stick with what i know and got the Sony kdl55w905a. Was a cracking deal from richer sounds £ 1390 4 pairs of active 3d glasses, free QED 3m 1.4b 3D spec hdmi cable.

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