If I understand correctly, the W800b is the same panel as the W840b - so all the praise I'm reading for the W800b would apply equally to both models?
I believe the 840B is the Canadian equivalent to the 850B, which is the min spec for a TV of that size...AKA yes, basically a larger version of the 800B panel. It's good. Maybe there are some minor spec differences with the bigger panel but everything I've read says its the same spec as the 790B/800B, just bigger and with the wedge shape. (But at that screen size...the wedge works)
Anyway, Sony's game mode on this years models is great so you can just flip that on and forget about input lag issues.
Glad you're loving it, because I remember the two of us buying Panasonic plasmas at about the same time a few years back. I'm leery about going LED, but I'm still rocking a 720p display; and now that most games are 1080p and 90% of the movies and TV shows I watch are on Netflix, it's time I upgraded.
Yeah, my Panasonic PX60U is on kijiji now. It's in perfect condition but it's just too big. At 42" it weighs a little bit more than double (!!) that of 55" Sony. And the bezel is just enormous. (If I owned a house I guess it would be a spare room TV, but no such luxury in an apartment)
I heard the 3D is not perfect but I don't have any 3D BRs nor the interest in really pushing that. It's like 3DS...I just turn that part off.
I'm zeroing in on the 70" W840b. Seems like the best set on the market at that size in terms of PQ: only negative I'm finding is 3D. I'd like decent 3D, but I'll trade it for 2D PQ and size. But should I be looking at anything else before I pull the trigger?
Sounds good to me. This new era of TVs is pretty interesting. The Sonys have a firmware update you can install over ethernet or WiFi (!!!) from the TV on first boot. They can access virtually the same SEN video/TV store as your PS4, and even have a default media player that does DLNA. I don't think it does any of them great - the PS3 has better file format compatibility, and the store speed is pretty slow compared to the PS4 - but just having those elements is awesome. Yes, Netflix is preinstalled too, though again runs with a bit more lag than PS3. Usable in a pinch but not great.
I understand that Samsung and LG have much better web features but if you're mostly using your PVR or game console then you really want a great TV first and Sony delivered. It remembers picture settings per-input so you can always have your PS4 on Game mode, your TV on whatever. There's 4 (!!) HDMI with any company's model in this spec range, which is a huge improvement from the old days.
That being said, most people just aren't that sensitive to input lag and will play 20ms vs. 40ms the same way. So if you feel like there's a great Samsung option out there it's probably a good deal too.