[satdude10]

Hello Guys,

I am a novice in the world of Televisions, and I desperately need some guidance on purchasing a new TV set.

I have some requirements:

1. Between 37 and 50 Inches
2.HAS to be a HD TV
3. Build in Freeview
4. LCD Display - 1080i or 720p
5. Budget of £500

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

[AlanO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by satdude10

Hello Guys,

I am a novice in the world of Televisions, and I desperately need some guidance on purchasing a new TV set.

I have some requirements:

1. Between 37 and 50 Inches
2.HAS to be a HD TV
3. Build in Freeview
4. LCD Display - 1080i or 720p
5. Budget of £500

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

Depending on your expectations, your budget may cause you a bit of a problem.

If you were hoping to get a Panasonic / Samsung / Sony, then I think you'll be pushing your luck. Richer Sounds have got a 37" Sony within your budget, but they are down to last few / ex display.

Argos have got a 37" LG LCD in budget
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...7C12108996.htm

If you want >37", do you really want LCD? Most larger LCDs are well outside your budget, though you may find some plasmas.

The only way you'll get everything you want for your budget is going to be one of the unbranded / own brand sets.

Does this help ?

[Willie Wontie]

Toshiba 37" LCD - £460. Full HD though (1080p) not 1080i.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-37XV...9965911&sr=1-1

LG 37" LCD - HD Ready. £436 (plus postage).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-37LG3000-...965911&sr=1-10

Hitachi 37" LCD - £470. Full HD again.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitachi-L37V...966110&sr=1-23

Samsung 37" LCD - HD Ready; just under £500.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SAMSUNG-37-L...966227&sr=1-25

If you'd accept a plasma instead of LCD, Richer Sounds have a couple of 42" HD Ready plasmas for under £500 - a Samsung and an LG.

http://www.richersounds.com/showprod...=SAMS-PS42A457

http://www.richersounds.com/showprod...42PG30STARSTAR

I've got the Samsung, and I have to say it is gorgeous. I got it from John Lewis, price-matched to Richer Sounds, but with a five year warranty thrown in for free.

[Golden Brown]

I was lucky to get one of the last of these Sony TVs from M&S for £488. The quality is mindblowing and the sound is fantastic (I had a 32" non HD JVC before which was not bad at all). I cannot believe the huge improvement - and of course I can watch HD on my V+ box. If you can find any remaining stock of this model, I would highly recommend it!

[satdude10]

Thanks for the really helpful replies.

I wanted an LCD tv as i thought it had a better picture quality compared to Plasma tv's. Or am i mistaken? What are the differences between the two?


Thank you

[Willie Wontie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by satdude10

I wanted an LCD tv as i thought it had a better picture quality compared to Plasma tv's. Or am i mistaken? What are the differences between the two?

You'll find plasma owners will tell you that plasma produces a better picture than LCD. You'll find LCD owners will tell you that LCD produces a better picture than plasma. I'm in the fortunate position of owning both.

In my opinion - LCD produces a sharper picture than plasma, and therefore is better at presenting high definition pictures. But it is distinctly worse at presenting standard definition pictures. And lets face it, you own more DVDs than Blu-Rays, and there are more standard definition digital TV stations on every platform (Sky, Freesat, Virgin, BT Vision, Freeview) than there are high definition stations.

This isn't to say that LCD is poor with standard def, or that plasma is poor with high def. Both are very good with both - but LCD just has the edge with high def stuff, plasma just has the edge with standard def stuff.

Plasma is better if you watch a lot of sport or fast moving images, as LCD can suffer from a trailer effect where the image takes longer to refresh so appears to smear (imagine having a cursor on your PC which leaves a trail to show where it has come from) and is better at showing blacks on screen. A black image on plasma looks black, on LCD it looks to be a very dark grey. This is because plasma actually colours black pixels black, whereas LCD just emits less (or no) light when showing dark pixels. In terms of colour as a whole, plasmas offer a far wider range of colour representation than LCD. Plasmas generally offer better viewing angles than LCD, meaning that you don't need to be sat directly in front of a plasma to appreciate the full picture, with LCDs as you move more to the side the picture deteriorates quite rapidly.

LCD is greener (uses less electricity than plasma) and consequently is cheaper to run, doesn't suffer from screen burn (although it is rare for plasmas to suffer from it anymore) and lasts longer than plasma (though we are talking about the difference between 20 years and 40 years; let's face it, you'll replace either TV long before the screen needs replacing). LCD's are lighter and thinner than plasmas, making them easier to transport and wall-mount.

Up to 37", people normally opt for LCD. Over 37", people normally opt for plasma. You are in the fortunate position of being right on the cusp - your best bet is to visit a home cinema showroom (Richer Sounds ideally, Currys or Comet if you have to) and compare both. Once you've found a version and a model you are happy with, see how cheap you can get that TV for by searching on Amazon and Google.