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Are there any 26" Freeview HD TVs out there and not just HD Ready?
ngc1967
Posts: 72 Forum Member
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Hi all,
My old Samsung 26" LCD keeps turning on and off every 20 seconds or so and unless someone can give me instructions on how to fix it (ie. possibly changing the capacitors etc. - I am able solder) I will need to get a new TV.
The problem I have is that I don't have space to fit a TV larger than 27" due to surrounding cabinets etc.
There are plenty of 26" TVs (and 27" Monitor/TVs) around but what I would like to get is one with Freeview HD and if possible internet/apps via Wifi or ethernet. Most of the TVs that size are HD ready but not Freeview HD which would mean that I would need yet another box to view BBC HD and ITV HD which I don't really want.
I got close to finding one (Sony Bravia KDL26EX553). It is a Smart TV with Freeview HD and Wifi internet but on looking closer it was only 720p resolution and not 1080p. (I know some people say that you don't notice the difference between 720 and 1080 on a TV that size but others say you can - Or can you??)
Another is the Samsung T27A750D which is actually a 27" 3D monitor with TV tuner but I can't find out if it is Freeview HD or just HD Ready (there are different descriptions on different websites)
Does anyone know if a Smart TV exists with 1080p resolution and Freeview HD (not just HD ready)?
My old Samsung 26" LCD keeps turning on and off every 20 seconds or so and unless someone can give me instructions on how to fix it (ie. possibly changing the capacitors etc. - I am able solder) I will need to get a new TV.
The problem I have is that I don't have space to fit a TV larger than 27" due to surrounding cabinets etc.
There are plenty of 26" TVs (and 27" Monitor/TVs) around but what I would like to get is one with Freeview HD and if possible internet/apps via Wifi or ethernet. Most of the TVs that size are HD ready but not Freeview HD which would mean that I would need yet another box to view BBC HD and ITV HD which I don't really want.
I got close to finding one (Sony Bravia KDL26EX553). It is a Smart TV with Freeview HD and Wifi internet but on looking closer it was only 720p resolution and not 1080p. (I know some people say that you don't notice the difference between 720 and 1080 on a TV that size but others say you can - Or can you??)
Another is the Samsung T27A750D which is actually a 27" 3D monitor with TV tuner but I can't find out if it is Freeview HD or just HD Ready (there are different descriptions on different websites)
Does anyone know if a Smart TV exists with 1080p resolution and Freeview HD (not just HD ready)?
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I don't think Sony have ever made a 720 resolution set?, very few manufacturers ever have.
Assuming you mean a 768 resolution HD Ready set?, then as you've already read there's little point in such a small set being 1080, so few manufacturers bother making them.
If you watch TV from 2 feet away or less, then you could probably tell the difference (assuming similar quality TV's) - but at any sensible distance you can't tell.
As always, go in the shops and compare pictures.
You'll probably find quite a few posters on DS who will tell you even a 32in set is too small for true HD (not so sure personally though) but 26in might be pushing it a bit. As Nigel says you would have to be sitting pretty close to see the difference.
Yes you're right, it is 768 resolution.
I sit about 8 feet away from my TV so would that mean that I probably wouldn't see the difference between a normal resolution #whatever that figure is# and a HD resolution #768# therefore meaning that I will be wasting my time looking for Freeview HD and I should just look for a set with Freeview.
Or
I probably wouldn't see the difference between a HD resolution of 768 and a HD resolution of 1080 meaning that I sholud still look for Freeview HD but not be bothered about it being 768 and not 1080.
#I'm a bit confused without seeing it for real and I don't know if many places would have a 26" set showing HD and normal resolutions for comparisson.)
Thanks for looking at the spec. I found the Samsung website quite hard to find out the details. I even rang them but I got a call centre who didn't really understand what I was talking about.
I looked at the Richer Sounds website and they said that the Samsung was Freeview HD (but that now sounds like it is a mistake)
If I were you, I would be thinking more about the "cabinets" you refer to and work out why these are preventing you from buying a TV that you can actually want.
Thanks for that.
We have a small property with only one 'living' room. We put in some fixed cabinets across the length of one wall years ago to get some hidden storage and functionality and unfortunately due to space, window and door positions we cannot re-arrange the room. We left space around our 24" CRT at the time and that's why we now have to go for 26" LED/LCD. We can't even use the wall behind as we have a mirror on it
That's interseting to hear because a 20" set at 5ft away may be equivalent or near to a 26" set at 8ft away, therefore I may be able to see a difference between SD and HD (at 768 resolution). If that were the case I would be swaying towards the Sony Bravia KDL26EX553. (which originally I was dismissing as it was 768 and not 1080)
But it's only a better SD picture, you're too far away to be able to see the HD resolution at that distance - still worthwhile of course, but completely pointless chasing 1080 resolution when too far away.
It's not really any different to feeding the TV via RGB SCART from an HD box.
I looked at the Sony you mentioned. Freeview HD, built-in Wi-Fi® and Sony Internet TV. It seems like a decent package at the prices I was seeing. (How can they be so cheap?)
I have got the bigger version of the 2012 Sony TV and I am really happy with it.
I like the interface, and because it is wireless, you can use the Online functions, like iPlayer and The Entertainment stuff, where you can stream films.
If you went for this TV you would not be disappointed. HD at 768 from a decent source is quite breath taking.
(Dont buy for things like facebook. The inteface uses the full internet version, rather than a mobile version and teh text gets lost and the naviagation is a shocker, although improved using the free iphone/ipad app.)
It had everything I wanted apart from it being 1080p and thanks to this forum I am clearer on the fact that I don't really need that resolution.
I haven't actually checked the batteries but I did hide the remote away from the TV and it was still turning on and off.
I Googled the problem since I posted my original thread and it seems to be a problem with the firmware (which I can't access) or a problem with the main board (which is available on ebay for about £40 secondhand but then I don't know if that would actually fix the problem). I was considering repairing it but as the old TV is just over 5 years old and since I have been asking about available Freeview HD TVs, I am setting my heart on upgrading to a more modern TV.
It looks just the same from 2ft (when I get of my bum from the sofa or sit at the PC desk). Where did chasing 1080 lines come from it's a 768 line Samsung. There's a Humax Freeview pvr feeding the same TV via RGB and it's not a patch on the Freeview-HD pictures from any viewing point. The study is only about 8ft long.
OK, getting a set with a built-in HD tuner is a far more reasonable goal than just 1080 - Freeview HD, even with it's small number of channels, is well worthwhile.