That 42" conundrum!?

Ok, so heres the problem, I am looking to buy a spangly new tv... something truly great, that will last. For me its a big and longterm investment, so I want to make sure its the right one. The problem I have is that reviews all say that the tv's on my shortlist are all good, at least in the areas I am interested, i.e. picture quality - but I want the best one for me! A couple of them stood out in the shop (hence put on the list) but, with each displaying a different source, and not sat next to each other for direct comparison, it just adds to the confusion.

Standard TV viewing is a consideration, but I want the TV to be a real treat for DVD, Xbox360 and Blu-ray - and have no interest in web apps, file sharing or other irrelevant gadgets. They are all similarly priced (I am buying in switzerland, where pricing on certain models seems very favourable compared to the UK, particularly for Philips, the two below seeming much more expensive in the UK). So which one?

The shortlist:

1. Philips Essence 42pfl0001d - I love the elegant design, especially the thin bezel, making it less imposing for its size than other tv's. It's picture quality stood out to me in the shop where I saw it first. I like its natural yet vibrant colours, and sharp detailed picture. Its also comparatively very cheap here at 1090gbp.

2. Philips 42pfl9703d - Ive not seen this properly in the shops, but I have read several reviews that rave about its picture quality, some even saying it has the best picture for any LCD out there (though it is an older model now, so perhaps this is out of date?). The idea of ambilight is nice, but I honestly dont know whether its something that will improve my enjoyment. This would be 1025gbp. Also there is the 9603, for 875 gbp - is there much difference? Also, how will the Essence compare to it in picture waulity?

3. Samsung UE40B7000 LED - Good reviews, I like the thin design, though prefer the narrow bezel of the Essence. The picture looks good in the shop, but I havent been able to compare it to Philips properly. Though I will eventually be connecting up a surround sound system for movies, i am concerned that the sound may be poor for general use when not using the surround speakers (living in a block of flats means being careful about disturbing neighbours here). Though the glossy glass finish looks flashy in the shop, I am not convinced I like it for real use, where surely it will be troubled by lots more glare? Also 1090gbp.

4. Sony 40X4500 - which I think is also an LED tv, though I cant find any reviews. I was under-whelmed by the W5500 compared to the Philips and Samsung images, and thought the Z5500 was good but not exciting. I briefly saw the X4500 and was more impresed, but thats about it for thoughts... I have not really been able to judge it against anything yet. Like the samsung, it gives up 2 inches size, and also is the most pricey at 1180gbp.

Any comments or help is hugely appreciated,

Thanks!

We have reviewed the 46-inch version of the X4500 here, and all our other TV reviews can be found here

Thanks for the reply.

I have actually done some reasearch, and suprisingly, though Sony dont make it obvious - the 40" X4500 is not an LED like its 46" brother, but a standard LCD panel, so I am guessing the review for the 46" will be irrelevent to compare to the 40".... and also, with this in mind, as well as the less than perfect review for the larger, more advanced 46" model, I reckon it may cross the Sony off the list for me.

Otherwise, as my post above says, its not for a lack of reviews that this conundrum occurs, but the simple fact that they all say great things about the various tv's..... but truly which is the best for image quality? etc...

I'm also particularly curious to know how these tv's perform with games, such as the xbox360, as that seems the most over-looked aspect of tv's in every review I have read. Hardly any reviews even mention performance with games at all.

Are you only interested in LCD? Panasonic's Plasmas have excellent image quality......

Admittedly I haven't given as much thouhgt and research into plasmas as I have LCD's, however there are a couple of reasons I have generally gone for the LCD route.

Firstly, seeing the plasmas in the shop, I have been more drawn to the LCD's, perhaps just because the plasmas to me come across a bit muted compared to the LCDs displayed in the shop - or perhaps my eyes just prefer the LCd and thats what I am more used to. Yes the blacks are a bit better and the colours are natural (though I dont think they are far ahead of these LCDs I have listed, if at all), but I think they more suit the cinematic style documentary and film. I have a generally more diverse need, particularly for gaming, where I am convinced the LCD is superior to the plasma, as well as occasionally wanting to plug my pc in too - and theres always some small risk of plasma burn-in when doing this.

Yes, the image from plasmas does tend to be more natural....whether this is good or bad from a gaming perspective is obviously a matter of personal preference.

I use my 42" Pioneer plasma with both an XBox360 and a Wii and find it excellent. I tend to find LCDs are a bit too oversaturated though. I'm not sure screen burn is a particular issue anymore, it certainly isn't on my set.

I hope you find a set that you are happy with.

Glad to hear you are getting good quality of gaming through the plasma - so few reviews even mention it, yet it can be such an important use and reason for buying a tv - I will be sure to look a bit closer at the plasmas next time I visit the showroom. Yes you are right about the lcd saturation - but games these days are pretty much made for high colour saturation on screens. My parents bought a 40" sony lcd a couple of years ago, not sure which model, which they bought for liking its natural and not overstated colours - its good for gaming on, but really thumped by the sets that have brilliant bright and rich colours.

It's looking like the Philips Essence has become my favourite of the ones I listed now after seeing it again, thuogh I haven't seen the 9703 - I saw it in the shop sat next to a philips 8404 and 9664. And truly, I thought it was excellent, beautiful crisp pictures, and lovely natural colour, not quite so over-saturated as some of the others (including the 9664), with an astonishingly and noticeably even backlight. There was a (philips demo tape obviously) image of a formula 1 car racing about, and it was the skies that really got me - they looked so real compared to the other screens nexto it - for having not quite such an exaggerated yet still very bright colour set, incredibly even backlight ands super thin bezel. In that sense the name Essence suits it, in the sense it is a natural and beautiful image created, perhaps not quite as punchy as some, but with an appreciable subtlety. From a distance, it wa sthe one that drew me over to the philips stand, not the 9664. Perhaps it is nearer in a sense to some of the plasmas than most LCD screens.

Hahaha just realised as I finished writing the above paragraph how much I have rambled on about the Essence - I must have done what they said many will do in the review.... and fallen in love with it....

Really appreciate your replies "cb95amc", thank you.

Have ended up going for the Philips Essence plus a Sony S550 blu-ray player (on sale at a good price). I am now in anxious anticipation to wait for its arrival, and to test it with the Xbox360 - I wasnt able to test it with games, so I damn well hope it performs!!

The essence to me ended up the best-all-0rounder of the shortlist. Great pictures, great design. The shop assistant assured me it was the better Philips over the 9703, the sony is not the tv it ought to be, leaving a very difficult choice against a worthy samsung led.

In the end it was the promise of terrible sound, and the glossy finish of the samsung that swayed me toward the Philips (not to mention my earlier impassioned writing about it). I couldn't test them against each other, nor even with the same source (such is shopping for tv's where I am) but gathered that the Samsung was great for bright colours (i.e. games) partly due to its glossy finish, but that as an overall tv, the Philips would be the better. Especially in any room with windows!

I have been looking at the Sony blu ray players and wondered if there was much difference between the S550 and the less expensive models., found a list here:

http://www.blurayplayer.org.uk/sony-blu-ray-players/

If you get chance can you let us know how you rate the S550!!

Thanks