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Best LCD HDTV's - Sony, Panasonic or Samsung?

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B

Black Republican

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looking to buy a 32" hdtv but i was wondering whats the best make for hd gaming and maybe a couple of blu ray movies. Budget maybe around $550?

thanks
 
At that budget I say go with Samsung. Best features and looks for under $500 IMO. New models have an insane contrast level. Bought a 32" for near $700 on sale 2-3 years ago and it still impresses the hell out of me with all the features and inputs it has and the models that replaced mine now debut at $400-600 with better features. Brother got a newer model last year and the quality has not changed.

Research but these are two of the latest.

60Hz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889102571

120Hz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889102534
 
Small tvs like that tend to use crappier panels. Back when i was testing out lcds i found the panasonic to be the best of the three although the power supply buzzed. The samsung i tried sucked for motion and you couldnt see shit in dark scenes. Sony was similar to the samsung but with awful back light bleeding. I ended up going with a 42" plasma.

Imo You'd be best off buying from some where like best buy to test the tv out so you can return it if it sucks.
 
I love my Sony TV. 1080p 40" 240hz 50k:1 contrast ratio

got it about two years ago. its been a great tv, and still is! i think you're pretty safe with any of the three.

but one warning. my old roommate had a samsung 120hz and shit was so choppy if you had it enabled. i'm sure that issue is probably fixed by now. but i'd still be worried about that.
 
My brother sells tvs, and he posts here. He really likes the Sony's but I can't tell you want he likes about them specifically.

And isn't input lag a side-effect of any (most?) LCD's?
 
Samsung makes great LCDs.

And the next Person who jabbers about "Input lag" and plays with a wireless controller will be LAUGHED AT by me personally.
 
rinse82 said:
For LCD, stick with the 's' brands - Sony, Samsung, Sharp

Go Panasonic if you're buying plasma
Click to expand...
Vizio is the most popular brand in the US. No reason to not have a look at them as well. They produce a damn good picture.
 
I've had issues with Vizio quality. After 18 months my 46" Vizio LCD started suffering from heat problems and warping of the electronics. It got to the point where it had to heat up for 20 minutes before one of the LCD inverters could make contact because some board had to warp enough for the inverter to connect. No help from Vizio customer service at all and local shops couldn't repair it, so I had to use my store warranty to get a prorated refund and I sunk it into a Samsung LED.

If you buy Vizio buy extra protection. That's all I'm saying.
 
rinse82 said:
For LCD, stick with the 's' brands - Sony, Samsung, Sharp

Go Panasonic if you're buying plasma
Click to expand...

I was going to say the same thing. The Plasma TVs often offer the best contrast ratio, "warm" colors, 600Hz... They are perfectly fitted for a true cinematic experience. But they (still) need a short calibration when you start using them, they warm up and they only exist in big sizes (>= 32 inches). If you have to choose a plasma, take a Panasonic one, without hesitation. They may not have the slickest design, but they really have the best picture.

LCD can be manufactured in smaller sizes, they're often cheaper but are slightly worse than plasma with contrast/colorimetry/latency... They're lighter too! ;)

You're planning to buy a 32", so I'd say to go with a LCD. My preferences go to the Sony Bravia EX500 series (I own a 40EX501) from the technical standpoint and since they boot quicker than the Samsung's ones, but I must admit that the Samsung's can be a little prettier.


So, I would take the Sony 32EX500 but only in a physical store, to maximize the probability to have a good LCD panel.
 
At that price range it doesn't really make a difference. Pick anything, they will all be about the same quality.

Personally I would go for something like Vizio as you will get more bang for your buck in terms of features vs a big name like Sony, Samsung or Panasonic.
 
OnkelC said:
Samsung makes great LCDs.

And the next Person who jabbers about "Input lag" and plays with a wireless controller will be LAUGHED AT by me personally.
Click to expand...

Fuck Samsung. They can go to hell. I got their super expensive top of the range TV and it was absolutely shit compared to Sony and Panasonic's top range offering. It had all kinds of inconsistencies which I wanted a refund for, Samsung said it was not a design flaw and I was not eligible for a refund. I sold it for less money than I bought it and got a Sony. A year or so later I heard that Samsung were offering free upgrades to anyone who bought the same TV as I did because it had a number of design flaws. D:
 
Melfice7 said:
hijacking this thread

http://www.lg.com/ca_en/tv-audio-video/tv/LG-led-tv-47LX9500.jsp

is this a GOOD tv or LG is still not very trustworthy?
Click to expand...

Not sure about TVs, but a year ago I bought a £250 LG DVD/HDD recorder. Worst move ever.

It locked up in the first week because it crashed during some auto update, the language used in the menus is laughable and other assorted shittiness. Checked on AVForums and all this seems to be a 'feature' :)

Promised myself I would never buy LG again. Just my 2 cents. I'm sure others have had a better experience.
 
I just bought a 32 inch Sony Bravia KDL32BX320 from Amazon for $358 with free shipping and no taxes. Fantastic picture and I have to say that for the price I couldn't be happier.

Like most TV's in this price range the audio is disappointing. The audio quality isnt that bad for built in speakers, but depending on what you are watching you might have to turn the audio close to all the way up because the speakers are rear facing. But in 2 weeks of owning the tv I've only run into 2 programs with a low enough audio for it to be a problem. I just dont like the idea of having to turn the speakers up to 90+
 
Dreams-Visions said:
Vizio is the most popular brand in the US. No reason to not have a look at them as well. They produce a damn good picture.
Click to expand...

They're popular because they're cheap and they're sold at Walmart not because of any actual relative quality. Certain models aren't abysmal but unless you REALLY need to save $100 there's no reason not to go with one of the more established (and typically higher quality) brands.
 
Fuck Samsung. I bought one some time ago and it broke down after only 3 years of use, right after the warranty expired. I googled it and found lots of people had the same experience as well.
 
dr3upmushroom said:
From what I hear, the Panasonics with the IPS displays are the ones to get if you're looking at a 32" display.
Click to expand...

Listen to this guy.


Popular opinion would say Sony and Samsung simply because they're the most popular brands.

But in terms of pure gaming performance, Panasonic is king. Low input lag, IPS panels that don't smear blacks. It's the way to go.


IMO this is the best gaming TV on the planet right now. Very low input lag, awesome design, IPS panel, fantastic 3D with a pair of glasses included, good sound, all the inputs you could need. They offer it in 32 and 37 inch sizes.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MME756/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
OnkelC said:
Samsung makes great LCDs.

And the next Person who jabbers about "Input lag" and plays with a wireless controller will be LAUGHED AT by me personally.
Click to expand...

Yes there's no reason to amplify the already bad lag with a bad TV...

So go with the Panasonic IPS models if you can find one. Forget the hype Samsung and Sony has gathered. Especially ignore people who always recommend the newest models without looking into the specs of the model.


The TX-L32S10 is legendary.

Panasonic-TX-L32S10-0.jpg
 
Sony -> Panasonic -> Samsung, in that order. Owned all three. My Samsung 40" is in my bedroom now and it's definitely the worst LCD I've owned, although, I knew that going into it: I was looking for a low priced LCD set just to replace my old 27" Panasonic. For what it's worth, my 27"... 6 year old Panasonic had one of the best pictures and brightest display. But, without a doubt, I like my 46" Sharp Aquos the most, not just for the picture, but because the form factor is my favorite of my TVs as well.

*Edit*

Also, sound sucks on all three. It's just a given with affordably priced LCDs. The Samsung has the worst sound of all of my TVs and the only one that I felt necessarily needed a sound system. I picked up a small Onkyo 2.1 and I love it.
 
I have the LCD version of this Sony Bravia - mine is model number KDL32EX503

KT6aD.jpg


I'm not sure if it's sold in the US, amazon.com isn't showing any results whereas .co.uk is, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it based on my experience of it so far, it's a fantastic TV.
 
OnkelC said:
Samsung makes great LCDs.

And the next Person who jabbers about "Input lag" and plays with a wireless controller will be LAUGHED AT by me personally.
Click to expand...

I don't want to be mean, but you have no idea what you're talking about.


The "input lag" on a wireless controller is so small it's not even worth talking about. The input lag on many of today's HDTVs is the exact opposite. So bad it should be talked about in any discussion that pertains to gaming.

It blows my mind when I think of how many dudes out there don't even realize their TV is making their videogames more difficult. Samsung's are usually among the worst in this area too. The panels they use also smear blacks like crazy, as do Sony's as the two companies usually share panels.
 
BruiserBear said:
It blows my mind when I think of how many dudes out there don't even realize their TV is making their videogames more difficult.
Click to expand...

Well the general situation with HDTV's is sad all together. Some people watch HD content with SD cables, with wrong aspect ratios and the image settings are straight outta the shop or bonkers in other ways. Then there are these bullshit image enhance modes and 120-600hz modes which just fuck up the image.

But that's why we have these threads, to educate people in :)
 
Panny.

That's all.

You're going to get nothing but bias here so go figure out what looks the best to you. We're years into the HDTV game so there is no proprietary mega secret one company has over the other to make things better. That's why I say who I say, because they use better boxes and guts as you can tell from the input lag conversation above.
 
OnkelC said:
Samsung makes great LCDs.

And the next Person who jabbers about "Input lag" and plays with a wireless controller will be LAUGHED AT by me personally.
Click to expand...
So the 200+ms lag I got on a Samsung is acceptable to you?


I recently bought a Samsung which looked great but games were Unplayable because of the input lag so I returned it and got a Sharp Quattron. The sharp had really low input lag but the colors were terrible even after spending hours trying to calibrate it(shadows were showing as neon blue) so I returned it for a Sony. I got the Sony 46EX500 and could not be happier with it. Great picture and low input lag. It doesn't have all the features the other TVs had but it was also the cheapest of the three.

I suggest avoiding LED backlit LCDs for now, they just haven't perfected them yet. You get flashlighting and uneven brightness on most of them.
 
H3xum said:
We're years into the HDTV game so there is no proprietary mega secret one company has over the other to make things better.
Click to expand...

Panasonic lets you tinker with every setting available. In some other manufacturers models, you can't turn off certain filters or modes.
 
H3xum said:
Panny.

That's all.

You're going to get nothing but bias here so go figure out what looks the best to you. We're years into the HDTV game so there is no proprietary mega secret one company has over the other to make things better. That's why I say who I say, because they use better boxes and guts as you can tell from the input lag conversation above.
Click to expand...

At the lower end this is true, but at the top end the differentiation is huge. The top of the range Sony beats the pants off the top of the range Samsung because Sony are using new type of panel tech that they have kept away from Samsung by partnering with AUO to produce rather than funnel through S-LCD where Samsung would get the innovation for free.
 
Small hijack here. Can anyone recommend a cheap decent looking antennae for OTA broadcasts. I only really watch tv for football and use Roku and DVD's for everything else.
 
beast786 said:
Got the HX929.

Loving it
Click to expand...

I'm looking at replacing my Panny Plasma next year, I wonder whether the successor to the HX929 will fix the off angle issues. I would buy it in a heartbeat if they did!
 
zomgbbqftw said:
At the lower end this is true, but at the top end the differentiation is huge. The top of the range Sony beats the pants off the top of the range Samsung because Sony are using new type of panel tech that they have kept away from Samsung by partnering with AUO to produce rather than funnel through S-LCD where Samsung would get the innovation for free.
Click to expand...

Yep, I agree, I was just sticking in the context of 550$ 32inch tvs. When you're higher end like that you're actually paying for something unique, that's not happening elsewhere.
 
OP, you should also take in consideration a glossy vs matte screen, especially if you intend to put your flat-screen in a bright living room.
 
Plasma is always Panasonic, you can't go wrong with a Panasonic Plasma.

Also, stay away from Vizio. They're the same shit as a Dynex, or an Insignia just in a nicer flashier case.

As for LCDs, Samsungs are great, so are LGs at that size. Definitely go for 1080p and the highest refresh rate available at your size.

Contrast ratio and brightness are kind of a non-issue at this point because there is no standard of measuring them Odd are that if you pick a 1080p set with a high refresh rate the contrast ratio and brightness will be to your liking.
 
zoukka said:
Yes there's no reason to amplify the already bad lag with a bad TV...

So go with the Panasonic IPS models if you can find one. Forget the hype Samsung and Sony has gathered. Especially ignore people who always recommend the newest models without looking into the specs of the model.


The TX-L32S10 is legendary.

Panasonic-TX-L32S10-0.jpg
Click to expand...

Is this like a European model? Can't seem to find it on Best Buy or Amazon.

Edit:

Found it sorry.
 
zomgbbqftw said:
I'm looking at replacing my Panny Plasma next year, I wonder whether the successor to the HX929 will fix the off angle issues. I would buy it in a heartbeat if they did!
Click to expand...

I hope that can be fix via a software update. If by angle issue you mean when wearing 3D glasses and you tilt and loose the 3D effect.

Otherwise the 3D angle range for viewing is amazing.
 
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