Can anyone advise me on what they think the best current 40/42 inch LCD HD 1080

100Hz is on the market, it's driving me nuts looking!!

Pioneer plasmas are great I agree, but when you say it would stuff ANY LCD....not the beovsion 7-40 it wouldn`t.

I wish someone would answer the original question.

Also, I see that a small stream of screens (Er; about two) are appearing with hard drives built in. This is a real boon to those of us who are not box nuts and just want simple but good TV. Is it worth waiting for this to establish in the market or will one be waiting for ever, and the next new idea?

Pants! It's all down to personal preference.

I've just replaced my 20 month old Samsung 32" LCD with a Sony Bravia 40" LCD (£540 from bloomin Currys! Bargain). I prefer the look of LCD to that of Plasma. I don't feel the need for 1080p (my new and old LCD's are ONLY 1080i), having seen and experienced the difference.

Nigel - i'd recommend you have a look around the "normal" high street shops. Not only are they matching (or in my case, beating web prices (cheapest I saw the Sony online was just over £700)) but you also get to look at them in the flesh. The new Samsungs are nice but too shiny for my liking, Pannys and Pioneers are great, as are some of the new Tosh's. But - it's all down to A) what YOU think of them, B) if you can get a chance to fiddle with the picture settings a bit so you're eyes don't melt at the initial high contrast/brightness/colour they display them on in the shops, and C) of course - how much the bloomin thing costs!

As long as you stick with a brand you've heard of, you'll find it difficult to go wrong - obviously decide on how many HDMI connections you need 1st and so on

Pants! It's all down to personal preference.

Couldn't agree more - if your personal preference is grey blacks, motion smear and grainy standard def, you'll love LCD !

They do make great PC monitors though  

I'm very happy with the black levels on the Sony 40" LCD and my Panny PTAE100 LCD Projector on a 92" screen. Maybe my eyes are getting old, but they blacks look black to me!

As I say, it's all down to personal preference. I'm sure if LCD screens were as awful as you portray, they wouldn't be increasing in sales - let alone have the top manufacturers still making them.

I certainly prefer the look of the new Sony LCD over plasmas i've seen, when watching "grainy standard def" - or "normal tv" as most of us call it.

For Nigel.

You will not beat the new Samsung LE40M87 in the 40 inch range in my opinion.  I have just bought it from RGB £765 it was.   This model is 1080P has the new Clear Screen facility.   Black levels are brilliant, 3 HDMI sockets, a swivel base, Movie control (the jury is out on this one as it is good with some films and not others) so try it on and off to suit you if you get it.  For BluRay DVDs it is fantastic and superb for ordinary DVDs as well as TV it has a great built in Digi TV tuner much better than previous Samsungs, I would seriously consider this one although having had a Samsung previously I dont want to sound biased.  Email me if you want any more info or a picture of it. Cheers Alan

Nick

If you're happy, I'm happy. It's not for me to tell you what you prefer.

I wouldn't concur however that increasing LCD sales are anything to do with picture quality, more to do with costs and marketing. LCD screens are cheaper and easier to manufacture than Plasmas, with a much lower reject rate.

As far as quality is concerned, history shows that higher quality technology does not always prevail in the market place (Betamax, Video 2000, SACD, DVD A etc etc).The top manufacturers will always sell what makes them money - that's what they are in business for !

David, fair points, well made. We will agree with our own eyes / ears / wallet as to the ideal solution for individuals.

 Nigel, hope this thread hasn't confused you more than you were before!! Nothing like a healthy debate

I reckon the best guide on such questions is by pouring through one of the group tests run by what hifi magazine (sorry for advertising!); but these tend to compare like with like and deliver a verdict based on priceerformance.

This comparrison is virtually impossible for individuals to do on the shop floor given the range of products available, lighting, quality of singnals fed into TVs in-store (usually very poor) and all the tweakable settings.

I have never been disapointed when following a recomendation from this publication.

Even-so, it is recomended you see your candidate screen in real life just before taking the fiscal plunge.

Personally I'm was saving up for a Sony KDL40W2000; which appears to be discontinued now so I'm saving up still more for a KDL40W3000 !!!

Anyways has anyone had experience of the new "wonderdrug"  for LCD/Plasma TVs  THE ISOTEK MIRA.

Hey, now that looks interesting ! Better be careful though that the anti-cable pedants don't get wind of this thread or they will have a coronary.......