[Alexander MacLean]

Okay, so I'm in the market for a 40" LCD, and its been narrowed down to these two models:

Sony KDL-40S2400

Samsung LN-S4095D

The Samsung is cheaper, and has a higher resolution, but Sony is a brand I trust. Which would you get? Recommendations?

[TETENAL]

Japan > Korea > Taiwan > mainland China

[residentEvil]

just a note on sony (which i have bought before):

S in model name = good/cheaper
V in model name = better
XBR in model name = best/most expensive

i wouldn't look at anything from sony with the S in the model name

[Railroader]

Samsung. I think Sony is often over rated. The Samsung model has a better feature list.

I own neither, I am only going by the specs on the pages you linked to.

[Sub]

^ I agree, Samsung all the way.

[Mastrap]

Samsung, without a doubt. They produce some of the very best flat screen TVs on the market. We have the predecessor to the model you're thinking of buying and could not be happier with it.

[imitchellg5]

I got a Samsung 730B for Christmas last year. It's good monitor. I would buy another Samsung for sure. Sonys are nice, but I think they are over-rated.

[zro]

Watching that same Samsung right now. Well, the S4096D, actually. Great picture and a decent number of connections. Only missing digital audio input. Customizable picture and audio settings (even the pre-sets) are a plus. The built in OTA digital tuner is excellent if you can't or don't want to add local digital to your cable/satellite. The menu is annoyingly slow, but that's not something you use much. Don't count on quality audio from the built in speakers, but it does have an optical out.

My main gripe is I haven't found a way to disable the main coaxial input. With no need for it I have to skip over it when cycling though source input. They, cable and OTA, are listed as "TV" and are always there. Just seems silly to me to tie a TV built for component and digital sources to the coax inputs. The PIP is only capable of showing the coaxial inputs, too.

A minor gripe I have is the source labels aren't customizable. Well, they are, but only by using one from a list of pre-sets. So now the Mac mini we have plugged into the VGA port is listed as "PC."


The Sony... I don't know about it.

[Weezer]

we have the LN-4051D and its a beautiful set

[exca1ibur]

I have the Sansumg 4095D. It's great.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by zro 

Watching that same Samsung right now. Well, the S4096D, actually. Great picture and a decent number of connections. Only missing digital audio input. ...

Why do you want digital audio input? Certainly, the internal speakers aren't high enough quality to warrant it. And does anyone buy a TV like this and actually use the internal speakers?

[zro]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Why do you want digital audio input? Certainly, the internal speakers aren't high enough quality to warrant it. And does anyone buy a TV like this and actually use the internal speakers?

Thru-put of multiple sources to a single output. HDMI should (goddamn you Dish Network!) take care of itself. That leaves component out in the cold. Why can't you see the value of that?

[Aron Peterson]

Sony TVs have always been good for me. O' to have been one of those lucky new PS3 owners who got a free 36 inch HDTV and run Yellow Dog on it as well as play some Blu-ray movies.

[pdxdude]

Originally Posted by Alexander MacLean 

... but Sony is a brand I trust.

You apparently haven't noticed Sony's shift to the Dark Side over the last 10 years. Sony was the brand for the 80's: great walkmans, great cd players, great gadgets. In the last 10 years, though, they became evil. Their product quality went down the toilet and they started treating customers like the enemy. Remember the Sony rootkit? How about the copy-protected "audio" cds that don't play in many older cd players or some computers? I could go on and on.

I used to be a Sony fanboy. But they've changed, and so have I. They are at the bottom of the list these days.
{/RANT}

Samsung gets better and better. I've liked theirs stuff a lot these last couple of years.

[Alexander MacLean]

Originally Posted by pdxdude 

You apparently haven't noticed Sony's shift to the Dark Side over the last 10 years. Sony was the brand for the 80's: great walkmans, great cd players, great gadgets. In the last 10 years, though, they became evil. Their product quality went down the toilet and they started treating customers like the enemy. Remember the Sony rootkit? How about the copy-protected "audio" cds that don't play in many older cd players or some computers? I could go on and on.

I used to be a Sony fanboy. But they've changed, and so have I. They are at the bottom of the list these days.
{/RANT}

Samsung gets better and better. I've liked theirs stuff a lot these last couple of years.

I think you forgot the MiniDisc debacle and those weird MP3 walkmans a year or two ago...

So, the Samsung does look tepting - hearing positive feedback from about this TV from NNers is always a good sign. I've seen both in person, but with the lower resolution, the Sony looks over priced compared. Time to whip out the Visa...

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Why do you want digital audio input? Certainly, the internal speakers aren't high enough quality to warrant it. And does anyone buy a TV like this and actually use the internal speakers?

They are fairly good on most sets now for news, vocal stuff, etc. Movies are lacking though.

[iRye]

I have a Samsung LN-R3228W.

It's awesome. Very sharp picture. Very very bright.

[Salty]

Samsung

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by Alexander MacLean 

...but Sony is a brand I trust.

...Why?

[Nodnarb]

Samsung...got a 56", it's great

[Teronzhul]

I don't have a Samsung LCD but I do have a Samsung DLP, and based on my experience with it I've ordered a Samsung 226bw 22" lcd monitor. It'll be here Tuesday. Sony can bite me.

edit: Wow, I'm incapable of typing a coherent sentence.

[Joost]

Originally Posted by Alexander MacLean 

Okay, so I'm in the market for a 40" LCD, and its been narrowed down to these two models:

Sony KDL-40S2400

Samsung LN-S4095D

The Samsung is cheaper, and has a higher resolution, but Sony is a brand I trust. Which would you get? Recommendations?

I'd go Samsung.

Sony was very late to the LCD party. As the market took off, Sony was left with nowhere near enough capacity and ended up entering a patent share and business deal with Samsung. While officially it's a joint venture, as far as I know it's Samsung doing the manufacturing and Sony getting priority allocation of the output.

So, Samsung now supplies a good chunk of the panels used in Sony LCD sets.

A a lot of the time the differences between the two are limited to software (interface, tuner, picture enhancement gizmos) and case design.

[goMac]

I've got the LN-S4096. Go for the Samsung.

[Kenneth]

On paper, Samsung looks better. In general, I would pick the SONY.

[Paco500]

I went from being a Sony loyalist to pretty much avoiding Sony. I had a Sony 32" LCD, Sony HDMI upconverting DVD player and a Sony Mini DV camcorder. The camcorder died, and I had to replace the TV and DVD player when I moved to the UK. I have ended up with Samsung TV and DVD player and a JVC camcorder. All offered better features, better or equal quality and much lower price. I think Sony has lost me as a customer unless the radically change their ways.

I don't mind paying more if there is quality/feature/styling justification, but it's just not there anymore.

[cheruman]

Samsung ftw - My 40" HDTV is superb.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Kenneth 

In reality, Samsung looks better.

Fixed that for you .

The Samsung, IMO, is simply the better TV. Sony lost their edge sometimes in the early 90s as far as I am concerned. And I used to be a hardcore Sony fanboi.

[Y3a]

Sony will make a horrid product (like my 55" Wega I bought in '05. ) The bulb and Power supply went in march '06. NON-Warranty repair. NOW the light box is defective and they WILL NOT REPLACE IT even though thousands of units have the problem. Skru Sony!

[Big Mac]

I have been very happy with the Samsung electronics I have purchased, including a flat CRT TV.

[voodoo]

In this case I'd go for the Samsung. It has to be said that Sony has become worse and worse with the years. Samsung is a soulless evil company that has its collective head up Microsoft's collective anal cavity though. Neither would be my first choice.

V

[Big Mac]

How is Samsung evil and soulless? I guess I didn't get the memo.

[TETENAL]

Samsung is capable to produce technologically advanced components, but they can not compile those into a great product for the consumer. It's just stuff stuck together. That's why the numbers look good on it.

Sony can create great, innovative products that are more than just the sum of its components. And because they are Japanese they are high quality and last long.

[hayesk]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Samsung. I think Sony is often over rated. The Samsung model has a better feature list.

I own neither, I am only going by the specs on the pages you linked to.

Someone in a Mac forum is recommending on the bases of specs?

Go look at both in a store with various sources that you may play (standard def DVDs, video games, high def videos, whatever). See which looks better on both.

I'm looking at TVs right now too. The Sharp Aquos looks better than both the Sony and Samsung.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

How is Samsung evil and soulless? I guess I didn't get the memo.

I guess not...

V

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by hayesk 

Someone in a Mac forum is recommending on the bases of specs?

Didn't you hear that Macs have for some time beaten PCs in the spec wars?

[highstakes]

I'd go with Samsung as well. Also, with new TV's, I would definitely get atleast a two-three year extended warranty...it may be extra $200, but it just may help you sleep better at night after your one year warranty is up.

[ghporter]

I've spent a lot of time, trouble and of course MONEY building a primarily Sony entertainment center, including my receiver/amp, DVD player, even my DirecTV receiver. The result? Every new device I get has an incompatible remote, they don't all talk to each other properly (with the same "grade" of product, you'd expect to have similar ins and outs and compatibility between the products, right?), and more heat than I like. On the other hand, I have had Samsung products that were great, and I am not averse to supporting a decent Korean company like Samsung. My last addition to my system was a DVD burner from LG that supports all disc formats.

And considering that Samsung seems to be one of a handful of actual LCD panel manufacturers and Sony does NOT seem to be in that group, I'd seriously consider the Samsung screen unless the Sony had really incredibly better performance.

[Paco500]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

Samsung is capable to produce technologically advanced components, but they can not compile those into a great product for the consumer. It's just stuff stuck together. That's why the numbers look good on it.

Sony can create great, innovative products that are more than just the sum of its components. And because they are Japanese they are high quality and last long.

I would have agreed with you a few years ago. But Sony seems to be coasting on it's name for a while now. It's a not like Apple in the dark days of the 90's- selling what amounts to mediocre products, filling them with proprietary non-sense, and charging more for them. The only thing that kept Apple going during this period were the loyalists, and those who were locked in to the tech- I kept buyings Mac partly because I couldn't use my software and peripherals on anything else. Sony can't get away with this- I can play my DVDs, watch broadcast TV, use my old MiniDV tape, etc on anybody's kit. Was never in to Memory Stick- about the only thing to lock me in.

On the flip side of that, Samsung seems to keep turning out better and better product. My new TV was a direct replacement of a Sony- both 32" LCDs- the Sony was current spec- I just couldn't use it in the UK so I left it in America. When I started shopping in the UK, I quickly saw how much more I got for my money, both in quality and features, with Samsung over Sony. And I think it looks better to boot- clearly subjective, but Sony no longer has a clear lead on style.

And as for Camcorders, Sony it completely out of the game at the low-mid range in my opinion. They seem to spend time looking for useful features to drop from the low end.

The DVD player? I mainly chose a Samsung because it was on sale. I might have gone Sony again as I liked the remotes and menu, but hacking a Sony to be region free is a huge hassle, where the rest of the market is a few clicks with a remote.

It the quality better with Sony? It's not readily apparent if it is. Time will tell.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

Samsung is capable to produce technologically advanced components, but they can not compile those into a great product for the consumer. It's just stuff stuck together. That's why the numbers look good on it.

Sony can create great, innovative products that are more than just the sum of its components. And because they are Japanese they are high quality and last long.

All the people here who are happy with their Samsung products would disagree with you. Me included. You're making a sweeping statement, with no factual back-up whatsoever.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

My experience with my Samsung DLP was appealing so after less then a year I replaced it with a Sony LCD-RP and it has been flawless and so much better overall.

Also notice how in this round of game system wars the PS3 had next to ZERO quality problems and the Xbox and wii had their share of problems, especially the darn 360.

All the other stupid political problems with sony aside they do have pretty good quality.

[zro]

If I was gonna go DLP I'd definitely consider Mitsubishi first. The picture on their larger sets is incredible.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Originally Posted by zro 

If I was gonna go DLP I'd definitely consider Mitsubishi first. The picture on their larger sets is incredible.

DSL isn't as hot as it used to be as LCD has pretty much caught up and beat it in many ways.

In a few years it will pretty much gone except for front projectors.

[Paco500]

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES 

My experience with my Samsung DLP was appealing so after less then a year I replaced it with a Sony LCD-RP and it has been flawless and so much better overall.

To be fair, most people I know with DLP based home entertainment systems are pretty dissatisfied. Great for power point, not so great for home theater.

That being said, the Sony stuff I've had has been well made and reliable. My miniDV system lasted almost 7 years before it died.

[Oversoul]

I'm a Sony loyalist. I love Sony's styling, and their products have always been reliable for me. I recently purchased a 40" Sony Bravia KDL-V2500 and couldn't be happier with the picture and color.

That all said, between the Sony S2400 and the Samsung S4095D, go with the Samsung. The higher 1080p resolution will really shine if/when you decide to adopt a high definition video format (either HD DVD or Blu-ray). Sony's panels are supplied by Samsung anyway, so you're getting comparable quality screens. If price is a consideration, the specs for the price are too obvious to ignore. You're getting a better spec'ed display for less in the Samsung.

You might also want to check B&H Photo in addition to Amazon, because they also have no tax (outside of New York state) and white glove delivery.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by hayesk 

Someone in a Mac forum is recommending on the bases of specs?

Which is why I qualified my statement to include that my judgement was based off of the spec list. And going by the spec listing, I can almost be certain that the Samsung will be a better TV. What does "Someone a Mac forum" have to do with anything? It's not an OS. It's a thing that produces a picture.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

They are fairly good on most sets now for news, vocal stuff, etc. Movies are lacking though.

And the sky is blue and clouds are sometimes blocking the sun.

Its a good thing he'll be using an digital connection for those lower quality speakers. Please try to keep things in context.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

Samsung — Sony's quality has eroded and their judgement on fundamental practices makes me question their entire company. I'd trust Samsung right now because they have a big hand in the LCD parts in industry.

[Big Mac]

I just got on the phone with Samsung because my trusty Samsung DVD recorder was acting funky. (The timing is strange - I went through major stress with a refurb Samsung VCR-DVD recorder combo from TigerDirect just a couple weeks ago.) Tech support is nice (if you can find the number - they make it a 15 minute easter egg hunt process on their site), but the guy couldn't tell me how to properly reset the unit. I unplugged it and now it's working fine.

[cybergoober]

Originally Posted by Oversoul 

I recently purchased a 40" Sony Bravia KDL-V2500 and couldn't be happier with the picture and color.

I picked up the same set on Black Friday for just under $2,000 and have been very pleased with it.

[zro]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

And the sky is blue and clouds are sometimes blocking the sun.

Its a good thing he'll be using an digital connection for those lower quality speakers. Please try to keep things in context.

There is no digital connection, remember?