phoenix_sinistre

Long time forum reader (for my own general tech inquiries... i hope that doesn't make me a lurker...), but first time poster, looking for some purchasing advice/suggestions. Any and all insight would be greatly appreciated so I can make an informed buying decision with the help of my peers.

Here's my current setup:

HDTV: Sharp Aquos LC32D43U 32" (1080i/720p capable)
Receiver: Sony STRDG510 (5.1)
Blu-ray Player: PS3
DVD Player: Samsung DVD-1080P8 (Upconverting)

I'm looking to replace my current HDTV with one of the aforementioned models in the title of this thread:

Sony KDL42V4100
Sony KDL40S4100
Samsung LN40A530

My main goal was to replace my current set with something that is a bit bigger in screen size, capable of full 1920 x 1080 HD natively and to not break the bank while doing it. (All of these displays are priced between $999-1199 CDN).

Does anyone have any insight on any of these models? I've read positive reviews about these models online @ various tech sites, but would love some real world-use insight that might assist me in a purchasing decision.

Thank you, regardless of your contribution to this thread!

Mike

phoenix_sinistre

I've since narrowed it down to 2 out of those 3 choices, now that the 40 S-Series Bravia and 42" V-Series Bravia only have a very small dollar amount separating the two sets.

Sony Bravia 42" 1080p V-Series LCD HDTV (KDL42V4100)
Samsung 40" 1080p LCD HDTV (LN40A530)

I'm also looking to upgrade my receiver to a 7.1 system as well. I would love some insight into some units that are a good value for your dollar (don't get me wrong, I don't want to be cheap about things, but I'm not about to bet the farm on something extremely high end that really isn't worth the extra $$$). Replacement speakers would probably be a byproduct of that as well... I'm all ears for any suggestions on those as well.

HDTV Reviews

Hello!If you want to replace your current HDTV with other HDTV within your Price limit then main features of the

Sony Bravia 42" 1080p V-Series LCD HDTV (KDL42V4100)
----------------------------------------------
Attributes & pointers:
* Exterior design is very attractive. I like the piano black frame and front part of the stand. Very classy. The gray sound bar on the front and the gray on the back part of the stand are nice accents but don't detract from the main color.
* Setup was very easy. I pulled the TV out of the box (we bought ours from a Big Box Store) and put the stand on the TV cabinet. My wife and I picked up the TV and set it into the neck of the stand. 4 phillips screws attach the TV to the stand. Just have your electric screwdriver charged and ready for duty.
* The flat, no-gloss LCD screen is the way to go. I looked at some TV's that had a very pretty glossy screens but it doesn't take much additional light to grab reflections.
* Sony's TV menu system is really good. I find it very easy to navigate to the feature I want to change. If you're use to the Sony PS3 or PSP, it's the same thing. Also, Sony gives you a free connection to an interactive TV Guide station. Very nice to navigate and read but it's only available if you watch the TV through cable without the company's cable box attached.
* Really good remote. It's long and slim and feels very good in your hand. Nice button distinctions. I'm sad that I don't use it more because my cable company has it's own huge, gray monster that I must use in order to navigate their cable box.
* The various external connections are plentiful and easy to reach. With 4 HDMI connections, you won't be needing more anytime soon. I've got a cable box, VCR player, DVD player, Stereo receiver, and a game system plugged into the TV and still, I've got many more connections.
* HDTV cable programs in 1080i looks great on this set (BTW, you can't get 1080p through the cable company). I haven't fiddled with the custom color settings because the standard one is perfect for viewing TV. A press on the remote "picture" button offers you "cinema" and "Vivid" (great for game machines) settings as well as a custom setting option. The standard 480i picture is acceptable on this TV. I have the TV set to wide-zoom any 480i picture which fills the 16:9 screen but cuts off a little on the top and bottom of the picture. You can set the TV to put it into the 4:3 shape if you must but my wife said "we paid for 42 inches and I want to see everything in 42 inches." Wife wins.
* The sound is very good on this TV. It was one of the top (3) reasons we bought this TV. We don't have any fancy Dolby 5.1 or 7.1 setup. And we watch plenty of "regular" TV that really doesn't need the additional speakers. The sound is crisp and clear coming from the small front facing speakers. Other TV's (won't mention brands) have back mounted speakers that either fire backwards or downwards. You can't get quality sound that way no matter what the manufacturer tells you.

main features of the
Samsung 40" 1080p LCD HDTV (LN40A530)
-------------------------------

The picture quality is fantastic and one advantage of this TV over the LN40A550 ,the sound is WAY better on this TV and adjusting the back-lighting to accommodate YOUR rooms lighting. you can use Warm 1 setting for blu-ray/DVD movies and normal/standard(with low dynamic contrast on) setting for regular HDTV viewing. PS3 games look great too(game mode) .