I'm starting to get quite confused about my next tv. I've been looking in the 46"-50" range, and my requirements are that the tv has good picture and works well for games, hd movies and SD tv content. 3D is also a nice-to-have. I do like using it on the 3DS, and I always enjoy seeing a movie in 3D at the cinema. So, I'm a fan of it.
I've been looking at the Samsung 48H6400 (48"), as well as the Sony KDL 705B (50") and the Sony KDL 829B (50").
From reading up all I can on the tvs, it seems that Samsung has by far the best 3D quality of them. However, it does not appear to do gaming very well. The input lag is around 42ms in "game mode", and I've also discovered that "game mode" locks the picture and colour options to the default (read: excessively bright and garish, like a shop floor look) settings. That pisses me off. I have a 6 year old Samsung LCD, and the game mode is so ugly, that I don't bother using it. Instead, I end up dealing with probably 80-100ms of input lag on all titles as a result (which is not unplayable, tbh - but if I can do better, why not? I'm no hardcore gamer, though).
In terms of the two Sonys, the 705 is 2D-only, but apart from that seems to be pretty much the same for picture quality and input lag (read: 14ms in "game mode") as the 829. The only difference being the 829 has 3D. However, the 3D implementation for the 829 is apparently rubbish (especially compared to the Samsung), so that's that, I suppose.
Now, the Sony seemingly allows you to make colour and brightness adjustments while in "game mode", so that's a major plus as it means it can actually be used.
On the other hand, the two Sonys are edge-lit, and lots of reviews mention clouding and backlight bleed as possibilities. I've read of a 30%+ variation in the picture from centre-screen to the edge. That shit pisses me off too (though maybe they can be worn-in and the clouding will disappear).
I'm not 100% sure, but it seems the Samsung is direct-lit, which would be a major plus point as it would give much better uniformity to the picture quality. But, worryingly, I've also seen it described as edge-lit on a couple of sites. I can't seem to find an answer.
So the three choices are as follows:
(i) Samsung 48H6400 - great 3D, uniform picture (I hope), high input lag - 720
(ii) Sony KDL 705 - no 3D, possible clouding, very low input lag - 820
(iii) Sony KDL 829 - poor 3D, possible clouding, very low input lag - 930
Fuck, I didn't know it was gonna be this hard. Anyone have any thoughts to share with me on this? Or any other recommendations? I'd appreciate the input...