Please help! Sony vs. Panny widescreen choice (1 Viewer)

[DinoS]

Hey folks,

New to the forum and I'm looking for some advice. I have the opportunity to buy a new Sony KP46WT500 46" RPTV widescreen at a real nice price -- the only problem appears to be that I'll have to wait until after New Year's to get it.

Meanwhile, for $50 more, I can get the Panny 47wx52 47" RPTV widescreen from Costco and have that puppy home today, and get to watch it for the holidays (including my time off work, which stretches from Christmas to New Year's. I was looking forward to watching lots of DVDs in that time).

My question to everyone is: are there any appreciable reasons I should wait for the Sony, or are the brands comparable enough (or Panny even better) such that I should just go ahead and get the Panny TV today? It will be hard for me to wait two more weeks, but if the consensus is to hold out for the Sony, I will.

I've researched both TVs on the internet and seen them both in action in stores and there appears to be little diffence. Any enlightenment on specific and important differences would REALLY be appreciated. I plan to use the TV both for DirecTV signal and lots of DVDs. So, in short -- help me make this choice a little easier!

Thanks a ton!

-Dino

 

[Patrick Sun]

One of the good things about buying it from Costco is that Costco has an unbelievable return policy that extends to RPTVs as well. This means you could return it for a refund 6 months from now if you thought you'd be happier with something else.

And if you plan on getting it calibrated, most RPTVs can made to perform as well as any other brand. As long as either model gives you the features you want, for $50, it might be worth it to get the Panny and enjoy it during the holidays.

 

[Jan Strnad]

I'd get the Panny.
(Okay, honestly, I'd get the Toshiba from Costco, but it's a matter of personal preference and the Panny is a fine set and many people prefer it over the Tosh.)
Jan

 

[JayQuinty]

OK, new member here. I've been lurking but it's time to speak up. I recently bought the Sony KP46 because the wife and I really liked the tabletop idea, as opposed to going all the way to the floor. We're going to be building a media center with drawers below the TV area, so this type of TV appealed to us. We considered buying the KP-50XBR800 RP LCD, but couldn't come to grips with spending the $4000 on what is fairly new technology, even if it is a much brighter picture. Since we were seriously considering this TV, we designed the media unit with no space for a floor standing RPTV. However, after spending the last week reading this forum, I realized that I'd rather spend half as much on a nice RPTV, and seemed to gravitate towards the Sony because of the name, and the fact that we could put it up on the shelf area of the media center.

Anyway, the TV has not been delivered yet, but I'm curious as to what folks have to say about Sony in general, and on Sony RPTV's. Is this a good TV? I've read that many believe Sony to be overpriced, and that their quality has diminished over the years. If anyone currently has this TV and want's to post here, or e-mail me with any tips or advice, I'd appreciate it.

Since I'm new here, and to RPTV's in general, I don't have a clue as to how to "tune" this thing up right out of the box, but I know it needs to be done. I've read a lot about the importance of setting the convergence right away, but I also read that you can't do that on a Sony?? Correct me if I'm wrong. I ordered the Avia disc, but don't have a clue how to use it....yet. Any tips there would help too.

I know my first post is asking a lot, but I appreciate all your help in advance.

Thanks
Jay

 

[TimTurtino]

Oops-- that slipped in right under me.

Anyway, I have to echo many of those questions. Gosh, I wish I knew more about calibration.

I have had problems (in a retail store environment, without access to AVIA or VE, so take this all with a grain of salt) with getting that model Panny's convergence correct, especially out near the edges. In fact, I've had two of that model returned for that same problem.

Just make sure you calibrate early and that the screen looks good in your home. That's what it really comes down to, no?

Me

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

You calibrate early yourself ... and whenever else you want to do it since it is your tV.

Now if you want a professional to come in and calibrate the TV ... you have to wait a month or two to let the TV break in.

Regards

 

[JayQuinty]

Thanks Michael,

I expect to get the TV delivered today. Just curious as to about how much it costs to have a professional calibrate the TV? I ordered the Avia disc, so how accurate of a calibration can one expect to get with Avia? How much better is a professional calibration? And lastly, I thought I read somewhere that the Sony can not be adjusted manually like other RPTVs. Is that correct?

Thanks
Jay

 

[TimTurtino]

As mentioned in another thread (Jack Briggs and others, About my Wega ), professional calibration will fix the grayscale, which is impossible to fix with AVIA because it has color contamination on a needed test pattern (Video Essentials is not broken in this manner), and would be impossible to fix for the HD inputs unless you have an HD signal generator (hard to get around). Since the Sonys have a reputation for having way too much blue, it's important. The above paragraph represents my (probably inaccurate) summation of the thread linked to, and not my personal experience.
However, AVIA is better than nothing...
Me

 

[Gary Mui]

How about the S&V disc? It's about half the cost, so it's definitely for the mass market. But can I still trust it?