Sony W Series 32" vs Sony S Series 37" vs Samsung 5 Series 40"

GeoTracks

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Any views / comments on, Sony W Series 32" vs Sony S Series 37" vs Samsung 5 Series 40", LCDs.

The SONY 32" W series looks really nice with the HD signal in the showrooms and is Rs. 52K. Get a Full HD LCD with it. The Sony S series 37" also looks nice with a bigger screen, but is HD Ready with a price approx. Rs. 59K. The Samsung 5 Series Full HD also looks nice (price around Rs. 60K??, not sure, need to check). In the showroom all these LCDs look very nice since they have a HD DVD playing.

LCD will be for my living room for regular TV watching and weekend DVD movie watching. Not into gaming, neither do I want the LCD to be used as computer screen. Just plain regular TV & DVD watching.

Looking for views, if the Full HD 32" W series a good buy just because it is a SONY brand and kind of mid range SONY line? Then again, wondering why not go for a bigger screen with a SONY S series 37" which is HD Ready or with a Samsung Full HD 5 series 40".

Choices are mid range Full HD SONY with a smaller screen size or S series HD ready SONY with bigger sreen size or mid range Full HD Samsung brand. My preference is SONY but looks like Samsung is giving more for the lesser amount.
 
How big is your viewing area and how far will you sit from the TV? This will determine the size and sometimes the type of TV monitor.

I will digress a bit and say that you need to check out the new LED based DLP TVs that offer phenomenol viewing pleasure as well as bang for the buck. I was very surprised some months ago when I watched a 61 inch and a 58 inch Samsung (61 widescreen LED DLP HDTV HL61A750 - DLP - TV | SAMSUNG). The pic was stunning against many video types (sports, movies, cartoons, live concert, ...)


Any views / comments on, Sony W Series 32" vs Sony S Series 37" vs Samsung 5 Series 40", LCDs.

The SONY 32" W series looks really nice with the HD signal in the showrooms and is Rs. 52K. Get a Full HD LCD with it. The Sony S series 37" also looks nice with a bigger screen, but is HD Ready with a price approx. Rs. 59K. The Samsung 5 Series Full HD also looks nice (price around Rs. 60K??, not sure, need to check). In the showroom all these LCDs look very nice since they have a HD DVD playing.

LCD will be for my living room for regular TV watching and weekend DVD movie watching. Not into gaming, neither do I want the LCD to be used as computer screen. Just plain regular TV & DVD watching.

Looking for views, if the Full HD 32" W series a good buy just because it is a SONY brand and kind of mid range SONY line? Then again, wondering why not go for a bigger screen with a SONY S series 37" which is HD Ready or with a Samsung Full HD 5 series 40".

Choices are mid range Full HD SONY with a smaller screen size or S series HD ready SONY with bigger sreen size or mid range Full HD Samsung brand. My preference is SONY but looks like Samsung is giving more for the lesser amount.
 
Sony has good reviews with W & V series.
Sam 5 & 6 series are almost same.Series 5 has natural colours than 6.
6 panal is very clean & looks like plasma,but the picture has reddish tint.

Other option is Panasonic LCD which has very good performance too.

Offer @ croma- Philips 32LCD(dont know model) + HT pack(mrp8000) for 36k.

Just checked link,it has only 1080i input,no p.
I had checked on Indian web 7 cost around 1 lak.
 
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from the tvs u have mentioned sony 37inch S series will do fine since u are only going to watch SD content and DVD.alternately u can go for a plasma ,depending on ur viewing distance.

well if u are going to watch some HD/FHD content u can go for a samsung series 5,while the sony W series 32inch no doubt is good and produces the best contrast its just a bit expensive imo.
 
Hi,

As Marsilians mentioned it in his post, the viewing distance should determine the size of your TV. There are a few nice sites on this if you google-search. If I remember correctly, the general rule is that upto about 8 feet, a 32" is fine. More than that the bigger the better with increasing viewing distance.

Our viewing distance at home is about 10 feet. Accordingly we bought the Sony Bravia 37".

BTW, the Sony W series is full HD and very good. However, for a 32", you do NOT need full HD. In this size you will not be able to distinguish between the resolutions of a HD ready and full HD. Actually this is true even for 37". I have read and learned these from searching on the net and then verified them in the showrooms. From 42" and above you need a full HD, so they say. So the 40" size is sort of the threshold region, you have to see for yourself and verify.

If you are buying 32", you can consider the Panasonic LX800 TV also. It is however only HD ready, but as I said, for 32" that's enough. It probably has the best panel among all LCDs and in addition it has 100 Hz technology which is good for fast moving scenes.

In 37", there are not too many options and the Sony Bravia we have is perhaps the best choice when you consider also SD sources like cable/DTH and DVD sources. However, this is only a personal opinion. You have to go to showrooms and see for yourself with all kinds of sources.

In 40", there are many options. My suggestion is not to go anything below the Samsung 5 series there. After detailed viewing in stores for a number of days in several weekends, we found that the Samsung 4 series was visibly significantly poorer than the 5 series. I would really prefer the Samsung 6 series, because they use high quality panels in the 6 series.
 
Hi,

BTW, the Sony W series is full HD and very good. However, for a 32", you do NOT need full HD. In this size you will not be able to distinguish between the resolutions of a HD ready and full HD. Actually this is true even for 37". I have read and learned these from searching on the net and then verified them in the showrooms. From 42" and above you need a full HD, so they say. So the 40" size is sort of the threshold region, you have to see for yourself and verify.
well again it depends on what application u use and the viewing distance.

If you are buying 32", you can consider the Panasonic LX800 TV also. It is however only HD ready, but as I said, for 32" that's enough. It probably has the best panel among all LCDs and in addition it has 100 Hz technology which is good for fast moving scenes

well the panasonic lacks the contrast of sony and samsung panels ,these tv easily have more then 100% ANSI contrast advantage compared to panasonic.when u see videos that have a dark scene u can clearly see the panasonic is a little shy in showing the fine details in scenes that have a low light or shadow.
 
About the prices, sony w32 is 60k and samsung 32 series5 is 41-42k.

Try the W series with dvds and cable...HD looks good but I found inferior quality with cable and DVDs.Finally went in for samsung 32 series5.Great for the price.
 
from the tvs u have mentioned sony 37inch S series will do fine since u are only going to watch SD content and DVD.alternately u can go for a plasma ,depending on ur viewing distance.

well if u are going to watch some HD/FHD content u can go for a samsung series 5,while the sony W series 32inch no doubt is good and produces the best contrast its just a bit expensive imo.

Too many products, too many choices. Hence have to shortlisted to a LCD. So as to not confuse more, currently not looking at Plasma TVs. One reason is, while moving, they say Plasma TVs are more fragile than LCDs. Since we are not in our hometown currently, we may be moving sometime and hence want to go with a LCD for now, even though Plasma TVs are nice and less expensive.
Questions now are what size and if Full HD or HD Ready.
 
In 37", there are not too many options and the Sony Bravia we have is perhaps the best choice when you consider also SD sources like cable/DTH and DVD sources. However, this is only a personal opinion. You have to go to showrooms and see for yourself with all kinds of sources.

Can you give a bit more detailed description about your experience with S Series SONY as a choice to go with.
 
Can you give a bit more detailed description about your experience with S Series SONY as a choice to go with.

Hi GeoTracks,
Most of the experience of buying and then initial viewing is given in my posts in the this thread: http://www.hifivision.com/television/2929-urgent-help-choosing-40-lcd.html

Well, to summarize, I have to say that we paid a lot of attention to the software responsible for upscaling a SD signal to the native resolution of the particular TV in question. We spent many hours in many stores comparing TVs side by side from all kinds of SD sources. The reason is that now and in the forseeable future we are not going to have too much of HD stuff (in any case even for a HD ready TV as in our case, it can happily take a HD signal and the result is eye-catching as you normally find in showrooms).

As I have described in some other thread (and perhaps also in the same thread as mentioned above), the picture improves over a period of couple of months. LCD Tvs also do have a break-in period, and the black levels improve and the contrast improves. Initially the picture is like a glossy finish on photographs, with time the screen becomes like in a matte finish and more realistic and with more contrast.

We also subscribed to BigTV DTH service as we ordered our TV. So far the combination has worked really well (although I hear a lot of complaints about BigTV in this forum, mostly about service and software. In our case service so far is good, however the software is slow, but never has given us any serious problem. The picture quality through a Profigold component cable connection from the STB to the TV is the best I have so far seen in India. Only compalint I have is that like other DTH services, BigTv is also not giving picture in 16:9 aspect ratio).

We have a Sony 708 DVDP. We also like the DVDP and the TV combination. We are not movie buffs, so this DVDP may not satify other people, but for us it is very good.

We paid Rs 58K for the TV, bought it from the Sony Shop in City Centre Mall in Salt lake, Kolkata.
 
Asit,
Thanks for the description. Did you consider SONY S Series 40" Full HD while short listing?

Well, at 40" onwards, Sony has only full HD in all its series X, W,V and S. As far as I understand, the V and S at every size (upto 40", because the S series does not exist above 40") are basically identical in all its features except the presence or absence of a DM (digital Media) port which is useless.

At the time of our consideration, 40" Sony's were substantially above 70K which was a bit above our budget and also we had to arrange for a major relocation of stuff in our viewing room at home. The place where we put up our TV can accomodate at the most a 37". So we did not really consider any 40", but we did watch it with some seriousness at the stores.
 
Well, at 40" onwards, Sony has only full HD in all its series X, W,V and S. As far as I understand, the V and S at every size (upto 40", because the S series does not exist above 40") are basically identical in all its features except the presence or absence of a DM (digital Media) port which is useless.

At the time of our consideration, 40" Sony's were substantially above 70K which was a bit above our budget and also we had to arrange for a major relocation of stuff in our viewing room at home. The place where we put up our TV can accomodate at the most a 37". So we did not really consider any 40", but we did watch it with some seriousness at the stores.

Nice.
We too have the same question about positioning the LCD in our living room. Actually in parallel we are also looking at TV units with a free size. Intent is to have TV unit that can fit any size LCD so that if we upgrade to a larger screen size later, it should not be an issue.
Viewing distance is 10+ feet. Hence really inclined towards a 40" Full HD AND a SONY (based on the inputs in this thread) . But then budget is the constraint. 40", 5 Series Full HD SAMSUNG seems more realistic in terms of budget. But there is something about the SONY brand that is still giving me second thoughts.
Have read in forums that the LCD panels for SONY come from the same manufacturer as SAMSUNG. But the SONY specs are different.
Hence wondering if aside from the panels, is the SONY components and frame build quality (QA / QC) a lot better than its competitors or is it the brand value that demands the premium.
 
Hi,

I was waiting for others to comment, because I would not like to make subjective statements applicable to products I do not own or have not auditioned or viewed with the same degree of intensity and seriousness.

You have asked a very difficult question. What we found was that at 37" size, we quite liked the Sony Bravia 37 S400 to be the best with our requirement of mostly SD souce etc and four-five months down the line we are very happy with our purchase.

I would not like to extend that to another size and recommend something. Well, what I can say is that do as much homework as possible including actual side by side comparative viewing as many times as possible with as many different sources as possible and at as many stores as possible. We did just that, and came to a conclusion. At times you may get a bit confused. That's why it is better if somebody else accompanies you for your test viewing sessions. Determine first what are your requirements, and then during viewing try to see how are they getting fulfilled with a particular set in comparison to others.

Doing this is much easier than auditioning audio equipments, because Sony, Samsung -- these are available almost anywhere and takes much less time.

However, is there a lot of difference in actual size between a 37" and a 40"?
I don't know!
 
Was reading a few more articles / forum posts today and looks like many are indicating that the SAMSUNG 5 series (irrespective of size) as best value LCD.

SONYs are also very good LCDs have have excellent reviews but, they seem to be giving less features for the amount. e.g. For a Full HD one HAS TO upgrade to W Series 32" and shell out approximately Rs. 52K.

While, the SAMSUNG [5 Series] & LG [32LG80FR] are giving the option of Full HD at 32" with a price tag of about Rs. 42K (maybe lesser in case of LG).

A friend of mine recently bought the 32" LG Jazz [32LG80FR]. Additionally to the Full HD mentioned above, this particular LG model is also throwing in a USB port at that price [Rs. 42K or lesser??] with a 500W PMPO output along with a super woofer and 50000:1 Dynamic Contrast ratio, which is highest in the 32" class LCDs. I actually heard the sound of this LCD at a local Reliance Digital store and yes, it was a lot more deeper, richer and better sounding than other LCDs.

The USB drive only comes in SONY X series which is way way out of budget for most of us. Not sure if SAMSUNG 32" 5 Series has a USB port, but higher SAMSUNG 5 series certainly have it.

While everything is classy about the SONY W series and it is indeed a sweet looking LCD, looking at the best bang for the buck puts it in a challenging position. What I mean is that, even if I convince myself to shell out additional 10K for the same size 32" TV just because it is a "SONY", I still feel they don't give ANY ONE of the features mentioned above.

So the question is, the Rs. 10K additional only for the brand?? One possible reason could be is that SONYs units are totally imported from Malaysia. While the SAMSUNG & LG are manufactured in India. So I guess the Rs. 10K additional for SONY would include the brand name and also the import duty charges.
 
A friend of mine recently bought the 32" LG Jazz [32LG80FR]. Additionally to the Full HD mentioned above, this particular LG model is also throwing in a USB port at that price [Rs. 42K or lesser??] with a 500W PMPO output along with a super woofer and 50000:1 Dynamic Contrast ratio, which is highest in the 32" class LCDs. I actually heard the sound of this LCD at a local Reliance Digital store and yes, it was a lot more deeper, richer and better sounding than other LCDs.


While everything is classy about the SONY W series and it is indeed a sweet looking LCD, looking at the best bang for the buck puts it in a challenging position. What I mean is that, even if I convince myself to shell out additional 10K for the same size 32" TV just because it is a "SONY", I still feel they don't give ANY ONE of the features mentioned above.

So the question is, the Rs. 10K additional only for the brand?? One possible reason could be is that SONYs units are totally imported from Malaysia. While the SAMSUNG & LG are manufactured in India. So I guess the Rs. 10K additional for SONY would include the brand name and also the import duty charges.

well first of all dont fall for the LG claims of 50000:1 dynamic contrast,the real ANSI contrast is at a max 1000:1 or less,while the sony W series has the highest contrast in a 32inch at 2500:1 ANSI contrast ,samsung series 5 and series 6 are around 20% less then the sony W series.

secondly samsung LCDs are directly imported as well,even LG lcds are imported but are assembeled in india(i.e just connecting the wires and screws,backlight).sony lcds available in india are manufacture in 3 countries thailand,malayasia and japan(only X series,but latest news is that sony is shutting down japans plant).

well sony is a premium brand but at the same time usualy is best lcd out there,so that why u pay a premium,even though they use a samsung designed lcd panel they use their own custom backlight and image processing tech,90% of the time in reviews sony is crowned the best lcd in pretty much evey size ,the only negative that sony usualy get is the price or words such as this "sound although good is not as good as its class leading picture quality" meaning their some tv that sound a bit better but then again u buy a tv for watching video and u can always buy better speakers or HT.
 
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