Looking at new LCD tv 40" or 42" (1 Viewer)

I am in the process of shopping for a new tv to replace my dieing Toshiba 42" RPTV. Unfortunately I can't go up in size due to I am going to use my current furniture, and that means the TV's maximum width can only be 41". I have been looking at the Toshiba REGZA 42HL167 42" or the Samsung LNT4065F 40" . From everything I have seen the Samsung is the better set. Though will I miss the extra 2 inches of screen size or will it barely be noticeable? Keep in mind i have been using a 42" rptv for about 5 years. Or are there other Tvs you recommend that are good as well?

At this point, I'd not buy the 42HL167 for the same reason I'd not buy the 42LX177 which is a superior model. I think the samsung is good, but last year almost all samsung LCD HDTV units had a connectivity problem with Sony PS3, and since I own a PS3, I'd like to know if it is safe to buy Samsung and what model. As I said in my post, I will not buy anything above the $1700 target price.

Btw, you should mention what your target price is so that people can give you suggestions. I hope that someone here can help us both.

I want to add that if you still wanna buy 42HL167, then try to find the 42LX177 which can be purchased for $1700 + tax, of course. Last weekend, my local dealer had it for $1600, but I am glad I did not buy it for the following reason (please read review a cnet):

Btw, this review is for the 52 inch model, but it is ok:

Toshiba 52LX177 Flat-panel TV reviews - CNET Reviews

Another note is that the dealer told me that in order to purchase this model LX177 I'd have to order it and wait one week before it can get delivered. The last Toshiba I bought was like that, and I had to go to a local TV consumer advocate and have him investigate the delay to have actually my set delivered. This happened about 5 years ago.

Since both of them have the same resolution, a 2-inch difference would not be noticeable. You can just adjust your viewing distance if you like.

Mike,

Since I just did a recent search for a set in this exact category (I had 40 inches max width to work with), I figured I'd share my list. The Toshiba model that you list might be a bit wider than 41 inches - you'll definitely want to double check.

I eventually came up with the following list of 40 inch diagonal LCD sets:

Samsung LNT4061F
Samsung LNT4066F
Samsung LNT4069F
Mitsubishi LT40134
Toshiba 40RF350U
Sony 40KDL-V3000
Sony 40KDL-W3000
Sony 40KDL-V2500

There was also a 42 inch JVC model (LT42X688) that came in right around 40-41 inches. 41 inches might also allow you to look at a few of the 42 inch plasmas such as from Panasonic.

After making a list of all tvs that would fit and are sold somewhere I can actually look at them, I narrowed it down by price and desired features (number/type of inputs, 1080p or 720p, etc.) and then did research into performance. I eventually settled on the 4061F and am pleased with it so far.

Samsung displays have gotten much better of the past couple of years.

sony as differentiated its model line to bring more of a variety of price options.

Not familiar with the Mits.

Avoid JVC.

Greg,

do you know how well the current crop of Samsungs - in particular my model line the 61F - respond to professional calibration? I know of the user menu level grayscale adjustments as well as gamma, backlight, etc. Are there more detailed color management options in the service menu?

The MyColor Control user level adjustments don't really do that much and Samsung doesn't really say what they are supposed to do - although using the Avia II test patterns I was able to determine that blue does indeed affect the saturation of blue - albeit minor. Green was similar but the change was almost imperceptible to my eye. Pink, I didn't touch and white seems to affect the entire range of the grayscale tinting it from red to blue depending which way you move the control. I left that alone as well.

Anyhow, I notice after calibrating color and hue with the blue bars and tweaking color with the color decoder/color checkerboard patterns - I have red, green at 0 percent with -5 percent blue. And blue seems to blend in really well i.e. no blinking boxes visible. Yet, if I go back and then look at the red bars pattern, hue is well off - same with green. And in addition, the saturation bars, while set correctly, don't blend in as well as blue.

Does this mean the sets secondary colors are off? Does it also mean the primary red and greens are off even if the saturation is correct? And can a pro calibration in the future do anything to solve these type of issues with the Samsung sets?

thanks much,


--tom