Another Telly Thread....

[Trem]

Right the time is near for me to buy my new TV.

It has to be 42" and obviously flat panel. I really am leaning towards plasma, really impressed with my Samsung 26" lcd but I am thinking if I go bigger I will get ghosting on sports etc. That seems to be the case when watching demos on TV's anyway.

I think it may be either a Panasonic or Pioneer.

Is this one any good - http://www.play.com/Electronics/Ele...eview-Plasma-TV/Product.html?searchtype=genre

Need some pointers on other TV's though please, budget is around a grand.

Cheers luvs.

 

[Deebs]

Hmm

I have a Samsung 40" LCD and have not seen this ghosting of which you speak.

Was it high-def? because if it was that can make a difference and many people prefer to watch sports at 720p instead of 1080i/1080p.

Plasma or LCD? The technologies don't really have a lot to seperate them now. Both look absolutely gorgeous when properly setup. If you are worried about running costs then don't buy a plasma, simple. Tho they can warm your whole house.

I spent 2-3 months deliberating over which technology to buy and I went with LCD. Never once questioned it.

 

[Trem]

Yeah it is getting on for about 3 months for me now.

Well I was watching the tellys in Comet so chances are they weren't set up right. Out of the 6 in a row (including Sony and Pioneer) the Panasonic looked the best.

My mate has a Pioneer and his is amazing, but only has 1 HDMI port and they are around £300 more than the Panasonics, unjustified imo.

I do love my Samsung in the bedroom (the 26") and I see no ghosting on that whatsoever, yet I have a smaller Samsung in the computer room and that is simply awful for, well, anything.

 

[dysfunction]

Why not get the one Doomy bought as shown in the previous telly thread...

SHARP LC42XD1E 42" High Definition 1080p Digital LCD TV. Cheap SHARP LCD TVs, Plasma TVs and HD Ready Flat Panel TVs at Dixons.co.uk

It looks very good to me....

 

[Ch3tan]

Yes but it does not support 1080p24, new models out soon will. Toshiba have some very nicely priced and specced sets on the market at the momet and have their "x" series model coming soon.

Trem, Plasma will give you a better colour reproduction and better blacks, but unless you have 5 or 6 grand to spend you will not get a plasma that can do 1080p.

Oh and get as many HDMI sockets as you can, two does not cut it.

And also go and look at the models you are interested in at a proper shop. I went to sevenoaks where they actually had the tv's I was looking at set-up with hi-def signals via HDMI, not a crappy analouge signal split between 10 tv's.

 

[Deebs]

Trem, Plasma will give you a better colour reproduction and better blacks, but unless you have 5 or 6 grand to spend you will not get a plasma that can do 1080p.

This is something I totally disagree with. This statement alone causes many arguments in a world where people live, eat and shit plasma's and LCDs.

LCD technology is of such a quality that it can easily match or surpass plasma in these areas and vice versa. This is a very subjective topic and as an example, I can see flicker on a CRT running at 70hz whereas most people cannot.

Chet did say one thing, go to a proper shop and choose wisely. Take your own content and ensure the lighting is as you would be wanting to watch it in your own house.

Btw, you can get plasma's that do 1080p far less than what chet says.

 

[Ch3tan]

Yes it's subjective, and things like lighting make a difference. I demoed your Samsung, my Sharp and a Panny plasma side by side. With lights on the lcd's compare fine with the plasma, but with the lights off or with dark movies ( I had Alien demoed) the plasma had more detail by far. Maybe that was just my eyes, however I still went the LCD route as I felt I was getting more for the money and picture although IMO not as good as the plasma, was still excellent.

 

[Trem]

The Panasonic I linked to in my first post is 1080p(not true 1080p as such but will I notice the difference?) and is less than a grand.

The biggest problem I have is there are no specialist shops like Sevenoaks round here, about the best I have is Richer Sounds and their tellys are set up worse than in Comet.

I was going to go for the Sharp set but I am starting to lean towards Plasma again.

The only advise I have been given is to get either a Pioneer or Panasonic one (guy in Comet).

The telly is going to be on my fire place with sofa's either side so a good viewing angle is also needed, something the Pioneer has, not so sure about the Panasonic though.

 

[dysfunction]

Yes but it does not support 1080p24, new models out soon will.

Yes but you end up chasing technologies just like with a PC.
The new models will be slightly more expensive etc etc etc.

Also I doubt you'll notice the difference either especially since you won't have another telly sat beside it.

You can strive for the best everytime but something better will be just around the corner.

I reckong a good medium-high range TV just like that Sharp is perfect for the regular TV watcher...

 

[Trem]

To explain a little better here is a pic of where its going, will be having the other stuff below it in the fireplace (DVD, amp etc) and the sofa's either side in the recesses, that won't be a problem regarding viewing angle until we have visitors, xmas etc -

 

[nath]

Dunno about the sharp but that Panasonic plasma you linked in the first post is NOT true hi def. It's HD-Ready, the new fucking shit catchall buzzword designed to confuse people who aren't total nurdlings. Shitbags the lot of them.

"Number of Pixels: 786,432 (1,024 x 768) pixels"

The lowest (proper) HiDef res is 720p, which is 1280x720. Anything below that is merely willing to accept high def inputs and display them on a lower res screen. This is very common, so be aware.

 

[Trem]

Ahhhh you see I am confused about that sort of thing Nathlington.

Is it maybe too much to ask for a link to a couple of true HD tellys?

Is the Sharp one true HD?

 

[dysfunction]

yes its true hidef. its displays at 1080p

Not sure how many HDMI sockets it has though

 

[Ch3tan]

Yes Dys, you can always chase new techs. But the addition of 1080p24 and 100hz will be about it for LCD's. And as for cost -well the new Tosh sets and the new Sharp model around the corner will probably be less than my Sharp was.

Trem get a set that is FullHD, that means it can accept and display a 1080p picture. Get at least 3 HDMI inputs unless you are also getting a HDMI A/V receiver. You will appreciate the inputs when you do not have to fiddle behind your TV to switch between them, you will appreciate 1080p if you get a blu-ray or hd-dvd player, or even just want to hook your PC up to it.

Tosh X series Toshiba 42X3030D - Regza X Series - Toshiba Home Entertainment UK

New Sharp Sharp Electronics (UK) - LC46XL1E 46-inch 100Hz Digital LCD TV (Freeview) - Buy online direct from Sharp UK

 

[dysfunction]

I would never say never. before you know it and LCD will be out with 1080p60 and your 1080p24 will look shite!!

Oh and he doesn't want to spend £2k on a tv!! He said his budget is 1/2 that!!

 

[Ch3tan]

That's RRP dys. Not actually store price. The 46" is expected to launch at around £1500, so you should be able to get it for around £1300. The Tosh should actually be about £1000, Tosh are very good with their lcd pricing.

And don't be a silly bugger and confuse Trem

 

[Trem]

After spending all day today looking around I have just ordered the Sharp LC42XD1E, found it for £969 on Amazon. I have also ordered something which totally blew my socks off, the Philips HTS8100 Soundbar. I have never been impressed with an all in one or even any surround sound piece of equipment as I was by this. Absolutely astonishing sound, fucked up my budget but hey I could be dead tomorrow...........which means I won't get to see it anyway...........but at least I have a boner today.

 

[Clown]

Dunno about the sharp but that Panasonic plasma you linked in the first post is NOT true hi def. It's HD-Ready, the new fucking shit catchall buzzword designed to confuse people who aren't total nurdlings. Shitbags the lot of them.

"Number of Pixels: 786,432 (1,024 x 768) pixels"

People were trying to justify this by saying how plasma pixels are rectangular, so you might lose a tiny bit of detail from 720p images, but overall the picture quality was better.

Dunno what to make of it all really. I might just stick with what I know and ignore plasmas.

 

[Ch3tan]

the Philips HTS8100 Soundbar. I have never been impressed with an all in one or even any surround sound piece of equipment as I was by this. Absolutely astonishing sound, fucked up my budget but hey I could be dead tomorrow...........which means I won't get to see it anyway...........but at least I have a boner today.

Noooooo, what have you done?? My cousin was recommended this and had one put in his room. No where near as good as even the shitty cheap 5.1 he had before. All in one surround systems are not worth it, espeically one that costs that much.

 

[Trem]

I listened to it in a huge shop and it was amazing. Honestly it gave me butterflies it was that good. It is also about the only way I can have surround.

Worry not I do have a Yamaha amp and 5.1 speakers if need be but that is so very messy and not do-able tbh.