Beovision 7-40 vs modern/new TV other brand

As said in the subject-titel; how does the in many eyes still beautiful Beovision 7-40 (MK4 or newer) compare to a brand new TV from one of the big boys like Sony or LG?

Would it still be worth buying? Or has picture quality made such (too) big steps since then?

Of course, the added 'soundbar' ("avant la lettre") or beolab 7 series is a big plus, as is the design, but how about the actual HD picture?

I regard the 7-40 as one of the best/most beautiful B&O TV-designs ever, and prices are dropping... 

The Mk6 with a Bluray player, and a Beolab 7-2 speaker is still a fantastic set. And no silly software/smart gimmiks to go wrong. Add to that it was designed by David Lewis, what more can you want?

If I could find a BeoVision 7-40 MK6 in excellent condition for sale in my area, I'd buy it in an instant. So the answer is, absolutely go for it. The human eye can't detect the ever so slight picture improvements made over the last several years. The BV7-40 was ahead of its time, anyway.

I owned a Beovision 7-40MkIII for about 8 months and then sold it. I did love its style but, unless i was watching an HD signal (and there weren't many about at the time), its picture quality was not as good as the Beovision Avant 32RF that preceded it and which no-one would buy, so we went back to the Avant!

When it came time to finally replace this, I compared the then new flat screen Avant to a Samsung of similar size and specification. The picture differences were so small as to be barely indistinguishable but the Samsung was over £4000 cheaper. I bought the Samsung...

I certainly wouldn't rule out another B&O TV but, back in the daysof the original Avant, you were paying a lot more for a TV that was absolutely head and shoulders above anything else in picture and sound quality terms. Now you seem to be paying a lot more for something that is just as good, if maybe a tiny bit better than everything else. For me, currently, the sums no longer add up.