scoobyis2cool
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| posted on 7/5/08 at 10:39 PM |
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Suggestions for a good TV?
Hi all,
Having just got a new job I'm looking at buying myself a flashy new TV, with a budget of around 450-500 including a stand.
Current favourites are
this telly and
this stand.
They both look pretty decent but does anyone have any other suggestions? I haven't bought a TV in donkey's years so I don't really
know what I'm looking for!
Cheers,
Pete
It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care...
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RK
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| posted on 7/5/08 at 10:48 PM |
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I like Toshiba or Samsung better than Sony. I've never been impressed with Sony's stuff, whether it be car stereo systems or anything
else.
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blakep82
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| posted on 7/5/08 at 11:05 PM |
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hmm, i don't know, when we were looking for one, no matter what shop you went into, sony's always stood out the best i though. now tv
shops always have really crap quality, but it was always the sony that made the best impression. having said that, i really like LG
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robertst
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 12:44 AM |
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samsung is pretty good... panasonic is the leader in plasma, amazing screens..
sony is simply not sony anymore.... used to be the only true brand in analog stuff... but its useless in this digital age. they still make good video
cameras though... rest is crap
Tom
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The Great Fandango
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 01:42 AM |
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Stop the press! Do not buy an LCD or Plasma television without first looking
here LCD Price Checker
or
here Plasma Price Checker
(the LCD link above saved me £380 off the RRP of my new television. The pices change from day to day - I was gutted to see I could have saved an
further £90 the day after I ordered it)
I agree about the Sony thing. They used to be great but now they're no better than other makes out there, and you simply pay for the badge.
Stick with
- Samsung
- LG
- Panasonic
- Pioneer
(they're virtually all built using the same components anyway)
When buying a television follow these simple steps...
1. Choose LCD or Plasma
2. Choose the size required
3. Get to as many shops as possible and actually watch / touch / play with the televsions.
4. Fall in love with up to three different sets and stay focused on them. Do not deviate!
5. Get on the internet and find the best delivered price.
Also take into account what and how many sources you're going to hook up to the TV. You'll need as many SCART or HDMI inputs as you have
respective sources (I presume you're going down the HDMI route?).
To cut a long story short look for the '1080p' logo. This is presently the highest resolution of any HD signal (eg. HD DVD player, Blu-Ray
player, Playstation 3 etc.)
A television which has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels (1080p) will not have to re-jig the picture so you'll get a crisp 1:1 pixel
picture.
Presently, HD broadcast, Sky HD and other hi def content still only have a 720p or 1080i signal so the 1080p is overkill. I still wouldn't buy a
large tv (40inch plus) without 1080p. They've nearly all got it anyway!
NB: Some TVs are now coming with built in hard drive recorders so you can record the digital channels just like Sky+. This seems to be a bloody superb
idea if you ask me.
[Edited on 8/5/08 by The Great Fandango]
He Who Dies With The Most Toys Dies The Happiest
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RK
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 02:13 AM |
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Well, I'm confused now. Don't know about you.
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Dave J
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 07:28 AM |
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I've recently tried samsung 32" Lcd (borrowed from a friend who works for curries) and I have to say I was impressed with the quality of
the picture. The menu's are comprehensive, so you can set it up to however you want and the digital tuner was very sensitive and pulled in all
the usual freeview channels on a bog standard aerial. Really good value at an affordable price.
If you can afford panasonic, go for them. The quality of the picture is top notch although the menu's are not quite as nice to use as Samsung,
but all the tweaks you could ever want are there.
Plasma is by far the best option if you can afford it. The 37" panasonic plasma is simply awesome. The picture quality is as close to crt as you
are going to get.
Ok long story short:
Panasonic or Samsung LCD's (Samsung more affordable)
or Panasonic Plasma ....better than any of the above in all areas, but around another £200.
looked at Sony but wasn't impressed with the picture compared with the Samsung.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Dave
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thunderace
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 08:53 AM |
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there is true 1080 and 1080i stay away from 1080i also there is a budget range of sony tellys you can tell by the model number .
see this site to get the best deal in the uk on a tv.
http://www.hotukdeals.com/
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BenB
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 09:19 AM |
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Personally if I was ditching my rather chunky CRT I'd go plasma. Although LCDs are okay they tend to have a white glare on them and the viewing
angle (even on some of the newer TVs ) is still a bit annoying... I know they're rapidly catching up on plasma but until they're as
good......
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Phil.J
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 09:23 AM |
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I'll also be in the market for a new TV in the near future and am completely out of touch with new technology.
If I get one delivered do I just plug in and go or is there a load of setting up and tuning required like the last time I bought a main telly? ie Is
it worth getting one delivered and installed?
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Dave J
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 09:49 AM |
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Phil,
The new TV's are a doddle to set up. Basically you just plug em in and they set themselves up. Provided you have a half decent aerial the tv
will tune itself into all the available channels including freeview.
My aerial is just a bog standard thats been up since the year dot and works fine.
If you are in a poor signal area , then you might need to invest in a up to date aerial.
Once the tv has set itself up, you can then fiddle about tweaking the picture and sound setings to suit yourself .
I certainly wouldn't waste money having it setup for you.
Cheers
Dave
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Marcus
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 11:57 AM |
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I bought a Samsung 6 months ago for 425 from Dixons online - really impressed especially HD from PS3 
BTW Samsung make the lcds for a lot of companies including Sony!!
Marcus
Because kits are for girls!!
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MikeLR
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 02:44 PM |
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Just purchased the very same model from Richer Sound at £399.( Seem to have limited stock)
Mike.
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saigonij
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 05:56 PM |
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I have a Samsung LE32R88BD and its an amazing TV. quite cheap ( #400 ish ).
it has 3 hdmi inputs , composit, pc input, scart etc...
great tv. cant recommend it enough.
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paulf
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 10:13 PM |
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Try and go to a shop where they have LCD and plasma next to each other to allow a proper comparison and view a proper programme rather than the HD
demos.
I bought a Panasonic plasma recently, i was going to get lcd but after seeing them alongside each other i spent extra to get a plasma and have been
very pleased with it, although the power consumption is a bit heavy and it gets quite hot.
Paul.
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scoobyis2cool
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| posted on 8/5/08 at 10:13 PM |
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Wow, thanks for all the help, lots to take in!
The reason I was looking at Sony was that I'd heard Sony and Samsung make the best LCDs. Normally I'd go with Samsung because
they're a bit cheaper but this deal is around 50 quid cheaper than most of the similar Samsungs.
I know what you mean about Sony not being what it used to be, I did have that concern myself but the reviews seem to be pretty positive.
I tried the LCD and Plasma Price Checkers but both websites seem to be down at the moment, I'll try again tomorrow.
As for 1080p, I'm only really looking for something around 32" and it's still pretty rare at that size, plus it costs a hell of a
lot more so that's out the window really.
My parents have got a Samsung and it's a good TV, although it takes an eternity to turn on and change between channels which can get tedious.
The program guide is pretty good and the signal is fine though.
As for the LCD/Plasma debate, I think I'm going to plump for LCD because I think it's best at this size. Any bigger and I'd be
tempted to go plasma instead. I've heard that LCD has less glare and a better viewing angle than Plasma.
It looks like there's a fair bit of choice in this price range so I think I'm going to pop into a shop over the weekend and check them out
in the flesh, then try to find a good price on the internet. I agree though that it can be pretty hard to judge because the picture quality in shops
is always terrible, but at least I can play with the menus and settings etc.
If and when I buy one I'll let you know which one I went for. In the meantime feel free to keep the suggestions coming!
Cheers,
Pete
It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care...
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