Decisions... Samsung LA40F71BX or Sony Bravia KDL40X2000

P

PARANOiA

Veteran
It's these kind of "tough" decisions which make life great.

While my el cheapo Palsonic 1080i CRT is on its last legs, I thought it's about time I upgrade to a sexier looking and better quality 1080p set. I'm looking for a "future proof" set - at least one that'll last four to five years or so. My CRT was cheap-ish at about AUD$2000, but has only lasted a little over two years. I'm leaning towards LCD tech since they're aesthetically sexier, plus geometry on an HD CRT is awful. Star Wars makes it seem like there's curved light sabres. :cry:

I'm honestly leaning towards the Samsung. Reasons being:
  • I can get it for nearly AUD$1000 or so cheaper (ie, the cost of a 60gb PS3 or so, for "global currency")
  • I *think* the Samsung takes 1080p over component and VGA, whereas I *think* the Bravia only takes it over HDMI. I have no HDMI devices today.
  • I saw the Samsug on display in a store next to the Bravia, and it looked better. Bad bad comparison, though, since Sammy was on Blu-Ray, while Bravia was on free-to-air TV :p
Reasons I'd lean towards the Bravia:
  • Everyone raves about the Bravia series as being super sexy
  • Non-1080 sources sound like they'll look better on a Bravia (can't confirm or deny personally)
I mainly use my TV for Xbox360 gaming, DVDs, HTPC Divx/Xvid for shows and whatnot. My DVD player "upscales" to 576p, so it's not really 1080i/p quality.

So, who has an opinion to share?

Cheers
 
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The Bravia should take 1080p over VGA as well. At least if the X2000 is the same as the XBR2 here (which it looks like).
 
The Bravia's are noticeably better than the Samsungs... but those Samsungs are quite good in their own right. Depends on if the extra price is worth it for you -- I wouldn't be disappointed with either... sure a Bravia is sexy, but you'll likely not really think to yourself "boy, this samsung doesn't look that great" when you get it home -- it may not look the best when directly compared (when doing a proper comparison -- none of this BR vs OTA stuff -- =p), but it certainly can hold its own.

I think the Aquos are a little better than the Samsung though, from what I've seen (maybe others can comment on that), although I'm not sure how they are on pricing (can't remember -- they might be around Samsung price). Might want to take a look at the line of Aquos (if you guys get them there). The top three are definitely Bravia, Aquos, and the high end Samsungs... And I'd say anyone disappointed with having either of those three is likely a bit nutty.

Buy the samsung and get something else with the extra money (PS3, start an HT audio setup/upgrade existing, buy games/movies, or - heaven forbid - save it, etc.)... or buy a Bravia and be happy to know your LCD experience couldn't really get any better and probably will be top of the line (or near top) for years to come. Flip a coin maybe!
 
Hrmm... I will check out the Bravia on the weekend. If I'm super-duper impressed... maybe. Do both support 1080p 1:1 pixel mapping?
 
PARANOiA said:
Hrmm... I will check out the Bravia on the weekend. If I'm super-duper impressed... maybe. Do both support 1080p 1:1 pixel mapping?
Click to expand...

Not sure. I'm not sure I understand the question even. Wouldn't 1080p have to be 1:1 mapped, because that's the fixed res of the panel to begin with? I don't know what the options for 720p/480p mapping are either.
 
Might also want to check out the JVC HD-ILAs....

Also, I'd probably just set my dvd player to 480i (err...576i in your case) and let my TV do the conversion.
 
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Bobbler said:
Not sure. I'm not sure I understand the question even. Wouldn't 1080p have to be 1:1 mapped, because that's the fixed res of the panel to begin with? I don't know what the options for 720p/480p mapping are either.
Click to expand...

I would have thought so too! Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be the case though. From what I've been reading, it seems overscan takes effect on all sources. Some devices allow you to turn it off through 1:1 pixel mapping options.

The Bravia does through a menu option, but the Sammy does not from the looks of things. Link: http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=403913&highlight=samsung+f71
 
I cracked and bought the Bravia. Now I've got a few weeks of convincing my other half it was a "wise decision" heh heh. For all you Aussies, I picked it up for AUD$4500 at JB Hifi (4.5 PS3 60gb's basically). I also grabbed a five year warranty under the guise of being "$1k per year". Logic rocks :cool:
 
http://imageshack.us

GOW. It's hard to get a great show of a game in action, but the 360 is easily the best looking thing I've got hooked up to the thing. Viva Pinata looks dreamy.

I'll post more impressions later - there's lots of good, some bad - namely, no 1080p over anything other than the HDMI ports... so the 360 is still in 1080i mode. No real huge deal, but it would be nice.
 
PARANOiA said:
I'll post more impressions later - there's lots of good, some bad - namely, no 1080p over anything other than the HDMI ports... so the 360 is still in 1080i mode. No real huge deal, but it would be nice.
Click to expand...

damn! There goes my plans. :(

What tv's accept 1080p over vga?
 
The US and Japanese models of the XBR2 do support 1080p over VGA. And people have reported it works fine with their xbox360's since the firmware update.

I don't know what model they sell in AU. I'm going to guess it's the EU model.
 
Hi PARANOia, just wondering if you are happy with your decision on the Sony. Am new to this forum and was doing some research into the same 2 panels as you, the Sony and Samsung. I also have concerns about the Sony in that it only accepts 1080p via HDMI whereas the Samsung does component as well as HDMI. Like you, I think I can live with this. I have an XBox 360 but will no doubt get the PS3 when it finally emerges. At the moment I'm more interested in seeing how the Bravia displays "non HD" TV, eg Foxtel. The review I read gave it a panning. What's your experience been like with it? Did you read the "Good Gear" test?
Thanks
PS - I can get the 40X2000 Sony for $3,890 - best price, from Hardly Normal in Sydney
 
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