[Stunty]

Does anyone know which televisions, if any, have 'picture in picture' in their spec now?

The feature does seem to be out of favour, however I have always found it useful when keeping an eye on two programmes, especially if two sporting events are on at the same time. My current Panasonic can have three variations, with the picture either being in the bottom right hand of the screen, or the screen 50/50, or two different sizes side by side.


I have searched through the specs on many new models that include everything from internet tv and Apps to 3D glasses, but nothing as simple as PiP!

[nvingo]

PIP isn't all that simple. The TV has to have circuitry to deal with two inputs simultaneously.
My parents' 4 year old Samsung facilitates this by only allowing a combination of HD (via one of four HDMI inputs) and SD (Freeview/analogue tuner/scart/CV) as the two sources. It allows side-by-side (1/4 and stretched 1/2 size) and choice of four corners, but is relatively inconvenient to set up through the menu.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Stunty

Does anyone know which televisions, if any, have 'picture in picture' in their spec now?

The feature does seem to be out of favour, however I have always found it useful when keeping an eye on two programmes, especially if two sporting events are on at the same time. My current Panasonic can have three variations, with the picture either being in the bottom right hand of the screen, or the screen 50/50, or two different sizes side by side.


I have searched through the specs on many new models that include everything from internet tv and Apps to 3D glasses, but nothing as simple as PiP!

It's never been a popular feature, and there's nothing 'simple' about doing it. As almost nobody ever used it, then it makes sense for it to be dropped.

[tealady]

Older pvrs will do this eg humax 9300. Might be an option if you don't have one.

[Stunty]

Thanks for your replies.

Looks like I shall stick with my Panasonic then! The model I have was a market leader a few years ago and came top of the Which? report. I am now quite surprised to see that Panasonic don't feature at all in their 'Best Buys'. Panny's new state of the art looking LED's have damning reviews about the performance, but they do look great!!

As for PiP, it may not be simple then, but I do find I use it quite a bit. I never watch adverts, I swap channels, keep that channel in the tiny picture and can see when the programme is back on. Again if there are two sports on at the same time, I can see what is going on elsewhere, and for the Grand Prix I can have the tracker on one side of the screen and the race on the other. It caters for all inputs, DVB, all the 4 AV channels and the component/PC.

I have seen PiP on some of the Samsung specs, perhaps they are older models, and may not be the same as the Pannys'. I probably will only know if I buy another tv and find that they are not the same.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Stunty

Thanks for your replies.

Looks like I shall stick with my Panasonic then! The model I have was a market leader a few years ago and came top of the Which? report. I am now quite surprised to see that Panasonic don't feature at all in their 'Best Buys'. Panny's new state of the art looking LED's have damning reviews about the performance, but they do look great!!

I wouldn't be concerned about reviews, most are utter tosh - and usually based on advertising revenue. Which reviews in particular are generally laughable, go and look at the sets and make up your own mind.

[Stunty]

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

I wouldn't be concerned about reviews, most are utter tosh - and usually based on advertising revenue. Which reviews in particular are generally laughable, go and look at the sets and make up your own mind.

It was the Panasonic Viera TX-L47DT50. Thought it looked really good in the shop, I know the feed they have in the shops are all the same and they try to enhance the picture, but it did seem clearer than some of the others around it.

I had made my mind up to buy it until I saw the reviews, apparently the HD pictures are good but the SD poor. It was not only the Which I looked at but various other video reviews.

I wonder why Panasonic are not producing their usual fine quality and performance tv's anymore?

[Mr. Cool]

Usually these offer better and more accurate reviews.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Stunty

I wonder why Panasonic are not producing their usual fine quality and performance tv's anymore?

People on here have always complained about the fairly average quality scalers Panasonic use - personally I can't say I've ever really noticed it?.

If Panasonic are reducing quality, presumably it would be in an attempt to reduce their losses? - as (like Sony) they lose money on every TV they sell.

[spiney2]

pic in pic requires two separate tuner/ifstage/demodulator/cofdm decoder. so is going to be rare on tvs. but often found on twin tuner pvrs.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by spiney2

pic in pic requires two separate tuner/ifstage/demodulator/cofdm decoder. so is going to be rare on tvs. but often found on twin tuner pvrs.

My TV has only one tuner and has it. The tuner generates one image the other comes from one of the inputs. A common arrangement on TV's.

It's described as PAP because there are two pictures on the screen one larger than the other. One isn't overlaid on the other. The larger window has the audio.

[koantemplation]

My TV has PIP too, but you can only have the Freeview tuner as the 2nd picture.

I was hoping to be able to have the CCTV view in the smaller picture but I can't do it.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by spiney2

pic in pic requires two separate tuner/ifstage/demodulator/cofdm decoder. so is going to be rare on tvs. but often found on twin tuner pvrs.

As others have said, that's not how it works - it's normally just the tuner and an external input.

But as I said above, it's a VERY, VERY rarely used feature - I've been to thousands of sets, and perhaps only 2 or 3 have ever used it.

[Deacon1972]

Pretty sure I saw something the other day regarding two new LG TV's about to be released that will have PIP included, sorry don't know more than that. Might be worth a quick search.

[56up]

Originally Posted by Stunty

Does anyone know which televisions, if any, have 'picture in picture' in their spec now?

It is probably a feature not much used these days. I used to use it to check what was recorded in my VHS recorder. Very useful it was.

My new Samsung Smart tv has picture and picture (side by side), but cannot use it as the tv is fed from the Onkyo amp which does the HDMi switching, and thus has only one HDMi feed.

Thank you anyway, you have just reminded me of one reason I had for bypassing the Onkyo and going back to direct HDMi to the set.

My previous set, a Panasonic plasma also had it, but it did not work with 2 x HDMi inputs, only 2 x scart or 1 x HDMi and 1 scart. Even then you could not swap if HDMi was one of the inputs.

[koantemplation]

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

But as I said above, it's a VERY, VERY rarely used feature - I've been to thousands of sets, and perhaps only 2 or 3 have ever used it.

I keep forgetting I have it.

It is useful when you want to watch something like sport or a live event without the sound while you watch a normal programme on another channel.

[Legerdemain]

My current Sony (KDL40CX523) has a twin picture feature, which has PIP and P&P (Not post and packing!) The P&P feature is very good, but I don't really use it.

My previous TV (Samsung Series 5) also had PIP, but I didn't know till we moved it into another room.

[television2004]

My Sony TV has PIP and so does my Evesham PVR. So I can view 3 different programmes at once if I am mad enough!

[webbie]

I expect Nigel remembers the Sony sets like the 32fq75 that would cycle round 8 of the inputs/channels and put them all on the display at once! They would all be in freeze frame (apart from the large main centre image) as the tuner updated each one in turn. Don't know what use it was but it would look good in the showroom! It also had ordinary PIP and PAP if I remember correctly.

[markko]

Hi
I have just got my hands on Samsung PS51D8000 this has PIP.
(Costco £839.00)

[XxBlaKOuTZxX]

Samsung D6530 does PIP

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by webbie

I expect Nigel remembers the Sony sets like the 32fq75 that would cycle round 8 of the inputs/channels and put them all on the display at once! They would all be in freeze frame (apart from the large main centre image) as the tuner updated each one in turn. Don't know what use it was but it would look good in the showroom!

I always presumed it's sole purpose was for shop display

You are right of course that it did PIP, and the multi-image was a function of that - I always thought that perhaps the software writers found they had a lot of space left, so did something to fill it