Sony Kdl46x3100/sharp Lc46d83x/philips 47pfl9632d/79 - Which Would You Go For?

new2tech · May 20, 2008

Hi All,

I am in the market to purchase a 40"+ LCD TV that is Full HD and the works.. and have shortlisted these 3:-

i) Sony KDL46X3100

ii) Sharp LC46D83X

iii) Philips 47PFL9632D/79

I have some niggling doubts after doing some research.. From the reviews on the forums and other sites.. It appears that the Philips set was awesome but when I checked it out at the store it was a real disappointment as the image was really fuzzy, noted that the source was FTA - Channel 7. However, at the same time, Sony's 46X and Sharp's D83X was next to it and the images were much better.

Hence if some feedback is given that would help me in my decision making.

I have several questions for those who have recently purchased the above TVs.

1. Purchase Price (Perth's prices would be of better assistance);

2. Any problems after purchase. If yes, how was the after sales service? (I'm worried about Sharp's after sales coz their site looks a bit under maintain); and

3. Any positive/negative feedback on the product.

Cheers!

Edited May 20, 2008 by new2tech

mad89 · May 20, 2008

Personal preference i guess.

When we were looking for ours we compared the Sony 46X and the Philips 47" and preferred the Sony.

skipppy · May 20, 2008

both 100hz panels

phillips is 3ms sony is a 8ms

pretty simple i reckon

oh forgot to add

phillips 3 yr warranty

sony 1 yr warranty

simple again

Edited May 20, 2008 by skipppy

new2tech · May 20, 2008

both 100hz panels
phillips is 3ms sony is a 8ms

pretty simple i reckon

oh forgot to add

phillips 3 yr warranty

sony 1 yr warranty

simple again

Yup.. covered that in my research.. but what I really want to know is from owners of the various models as mentioned.. how is the PQ etc?

Is Philips PQ good? coz from my only experience.. at Myers Perth City.. the image was blurry.. and i was really disappointed.. coz I would really want to get the Philips.. noting like you said.. 3m/s and 3 yr warranty etc..

Summary - I would like to know the owner's perspective..

Thanks!

Sabor · May 20, 2008

both 100hz panels
phillips is 3ms sony is a 8ms

pretty simple i reckon

oh forgot to add

phillips 3 yr warranty

sony 1 yr warranty

simple again

If only it was that simple.

Comparing spec sheets is only a small part of the equation and hardly tell the full story. Ie even the no named brands look impressive on paper.

Re warranty, Sony's is pretty stingy but last time I checked the Philips model was more expensive so there's the $$$ for the extra warranty right there.

Someone commented that the off-axis picture quality of the Philips degrades much more rapidly than the Sony's.

Others hate the bright, vibrant colours of the Sony. Some love them (like myself personally).

Sharp leads LCD sales in Japan which says something. There's not as much info in these forums about Sharp but it doesn't necessarily mean they're inferior - only they're not as popular here. Re Sharp there are indeed less than favourable stories of sh!thouse service.

Basically to the OP I don't think you can go wrong with any of those panels. Do your research by all means but at the end of the day (and it's been said a million times before in this forum) let your eyes decide.

When you checked out the Philips with the fuzzy Ch7 FTA it may have been due to the HD tuner. Try all TVs with a variety of different sources, play with the settings and have some fun!

new2tech · May 20, 2008

If only it was that simple.
Comparing spec sheets is only a small part of the equation and hardly tell the full story. Ie even the no named brands look impressive on paper.

Re warranty, Sony's is pretty stingy but last time I checked the Philips model was more expensive so there's the $$$ for the extra warranty right there.

Someone commented that the off-axis picture quality of the Philips degrades much more rapidly than the Sony's.

Others hate the bright, vibrant colours of the Sony. Some love them (like myself personally).

Sharp leads LCD sales in Japan which says something. There's not as much info in these forums about Sharp but it doesn't necessarily mean they're inferior - only they're not as popular here. Re Sharp there are indeed less than favourable stories of sh!thouse service.

Basically to the OP I don't think you can go wrong with any of those panels. Do your research by all means but at the end of the day (and it's been said a million times before in this forum) let your eyes decide.

When you checked out the Philips with the fuzzy Ch7 FTA it may have been due to the HD tuner. Try all TVs with a variety of different sources, play with the settings and have some fun!

Thanks, Ponlesabor!

What about compatibility issues; ie. If I bought the Philips 47", would there be problems if I use a PS3 for blu ray.. coz in the other threads.. there seems to be issues..

From the way it looks.. even though Sony is kinda over-rated.. it's probably the safer bet in terms of after sales service..

Mr Frank · May 20, 2008

I have posted this reply elsewhere, but it may help.

The only thing that I would like to add, is that the signal source was "Shrek the Third".

The image on the Sony LCD looked very impressive, and I really thought it was a 1920 x 1080P source, but have since learned the Shrek movies were released exclusively on HD DVD and DVD. Most likely then, it was a standard DVD source, but it did not look like it ! Maybe the Sony is particularly good with animated movies.

I have just very briefly compared the Sony 46X3100 and Philips 47PFL9632D LCD panels side by side and came to almost the same conclusion.

The Sony image had much more depth, detail and vastly superior viewing angles than the Philips.

When viewing off axis, the Philips contrast and brightness levels plumetted like LCDs of previous generations, but the Sony's performance only marginally dropped off in these areas. I was quite surprised that the viewing angle for the Sony LCD was not that far off the slightly superior viewing angle for the Panasonic TH42PX8A plasma panel that was nearby.

Edited May 20, 2008 by Mr Frank

Sabor · May 20, 2008

What about compatibility issues; ie. If I bought the Philips 47", would there be problems if I use a PS3 for blu ray.. coz in the other threads.. there seems to be issues..
From the way it looks.. even though Sony is kinda over-rated.. it's probably the safer bet in terms of after sales service..

I don't know about the Philips.

My Bravia's been great at taking in pretty much any input I've tried (including a variety of PCs and laptops which sometimes gives synching issues depending on the card etc). HDMI, component, VGA, S-video, composite - no probs.

Funny you mentioned about the PS3 though because on occasion the TV won't detect the it (via HDMI) and I need to switch to a channel then back to the PS3 input. I don't know if this is happening to others. It was very infrequent and not enough to bother me.

Haven't tested out their after sales service as yet. Check out the owners thread for their experiences.

mad89 · May 20, 2008

Also have a read here. I was researching/comparing the Sony 46X and the Philips 42" (then the 47" later on). Might be of some help.

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=57688&hl=

robbyw · May 20, 2008

I have only had the Philips 47pfl9632d for less than 3 months and already have had problems with it. There was 1 green vertical line going all the way down the panel and a white horizontal line. It looks like they willl have to replace the panel, so I was pretty annoyed with that. Before that, I was very happy with the performance. However, obviously since then I have changed my mind. So from that, I will not recommend the Philips.

jon9111503562345 · May 20, 2008

I've Sold Philips TV's for a long time now, and in saying that, we haven't recieved all that many back at all. Where did you make your purchase from?

We've got all the TV's mentioned above and I personally love the Philips. We've got comparisons set up and what now, and the Philips just blows the other 2 away.

Anyway, send me a PM if your after any more info.

blackjacknz · May 21, 2008

Im Happy with the Sony X3100 that i brought about 2 weeks ago.....

best price i got was $2974 from Good Guys in Malaga........that was before cash back....needless to say i brought it...

new2tech · May 21, 2008

Im Happy with the Sony X3100 that i brought about 2 weeks ago.....
best price i got was $2974 from Good Guys in Malaga........that was before cash back....needless to say i brought it...

hey blackjack.. was it just the standard 1 yr warranty? any other extra stuff with the tv? free delivery, cables?

new2tech · May 21, 2008

I've Sold Philips TV's for a long time now, and in saying that, we haven't recieved all that many back at all. Where did you make your purchase from?
We've got all the TV's mentioned above and I personally love the Philips. We've got comparisons set up and what now, and the Philips just blows the other 2 away.

Anyway, send me a PM if your after any more info.

Hi Jon911,

Where are you based at? If you are in Perth.. I would be interested to check out the Philips..

Cheers.

Colonel Goeth · May 21, 2008

Sharp are definately the best LCD you can get... in Japan. But they don't sell the same ones here. At least not at the same time. I think that whatever we get here was perhaps selling in Japan about 2 years ago. Sony isn't as good in Japan but they bring their stuff out here a bit quicker than Sharp does so they are about on par with each other in the Australian market. Sharp sell their latest and best stuff in Japan, and, well, they've got to sell the dated panels somewhere.

jon9111503562345 · May 21, 2008

Hi Jon911,
Where are you based at? If you are in Perth.. I would be interested to check out the Philips..

Cheers.

hey buddy,