Looking for a decent 37 - 42 in TV for watching sports, have a shortlist

[Limekitten]

Hi, I'm looking for a 37 - 42 in TV for everyday use but it's got to be right for sports as well. 40 in would be the ideal size as I don't have a spacious looking living room, and I think if Panasonic did a TV in that size, I'd have made my decision ... so I'm a little stuck now.

It would be nice to have a 3D option although I am not sure I would use it very often; in any case, the higher specced models for 2D now seem to have 3D anyway so I am thinking I may as well have it. Would prefer integrated Freeview HD tuner simply because I think this would be more attractive to potential buyers if I decided to upgrade in a few years.
Contrast should not drop off when the viewing angle is increased.
 
The models I have are:
37 in - Panasonic L37DT30, potentially Philips
40 in - Sony HX723, possibly some Philips models
42 in - Panasonic GT30 (plasma) and LG W550 or 650

I was not a big fan of Samsung purely because the colours looked too bright but I am willing to consider a 40 in if they can be made much more realistic and if the 3D/picture quality is great. My other thoughts are:
- you need to be careful which Sony model you choose because the colours can look very washed out. The X-reality processing seems to potentially add too much graininess to faces. It sounds like you have to sit perfectly still when watching its 3D. Having said all that, I am probably leaning towards it.
- Philips seem to have great and natural looking pictures, but they are expensive and don't seem to have a model with built-in Freeview HD and 3D transmitter?? I have also heard the remote is a nightmare to use.
- Panasonic seem to have realistic colours and should be good for 3D. However, I think 37 in might be a little small for 3D and I might find the 42 in plasma a bit big when I get it home.
- LG seem to be getting good reviews and I shouldn't eliminate them especially as they have passive 3D which fits well with when I'd want to watch it i.e. sporting events with friends over.

Part of me thinks that now is the wrong time to buy - 3 years ago, you'd get a great plasma and that would be it, and 3 years from now, it'll be affordable glasses-free 3D, Web browsable Smart TVs and OLEDs for great picture quality!!?? I'm also slightly annoyed that with all of today's technology, one still has to worry about soap opera effects and motion artefacts etc, shouldn't it all just work?

So maybe I should just buy an old model for now??

I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts and advice. I have read lots of reviews (most TVs seem to get good reviews) and seen a few demos now also (tho not usually 3D, and usually the store's loop Blu-ray disc).

Thanks!

[tele1962]

Hello Limekitten and thanks for posting on here.

My choice out of all of them would have to be the GT30, which is excellent for Sport and all types of viewing.
It also has Freeview HD & Freesat HD on board so it covers all the bases and also the added bonus of 3D. PQ is superb from almost every angle and you soon get used to the size and i promise in a few years you will be thinking about going even bigger.

Hope this helps,

Barry.

[David Mackenzie]

The models I have are:
37 in - Panasonic L37DT30, potentially Philips
40 in - Sony HX723, possibly some Philips models
42 in - Panasonic GT30 (plasma) and LG W550 or 650

The GT30 is definitely the best, and the best value, out of all those - are the 2 inches really that big a deal?

I was not a big fan of Samsung purely because the colours looked too bright

Don't judge them based on what you see in stores - they won't be set up correctly.

Part of me thinks that now is the wrong time to buy - 3 years ago, you'd get a great plasma and that would be it, and 3 years from now, it'll be affordable glasses-free 3D, Web browsable Smart TVs and OLEDs for great picture quality!!??

Well, things are improving all the time. Buy whenever's good for you, safe in the knowledge that 5 years ago, a comparable quality TV would have cost megabucks, and that 5 years in the future, whatever you have will be out of date but will hopefully still give you enjoyment