[ray_01]

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to buy a non Smart 55-60inch TV with no 3d but with 3 HDMI connections?
I have a Sony Blu ray player with Netflix so I don't need it to be "Smart".
Ray.

[skinj]

Unlikely unless it's a very low end supermarket brand. Most TVs now have Smart & 3D built-in as it's not cost effective to make a model without to sell along side. You're not really paying for these feature as such any more, it's a bit like buying a TV in the mid 90's, they all came with teletext even if you did not want to use it.

[ray_01]

Many thanks skinj.

With 3D being such a flop perhaps it's only a matter of time.

Hopefully without the extra technology needed for 3D it might be reflected in the price.

[ray_01]

Put it another way.

Would I get a non 3D TV with the same or better picture quality as a 3D TV?

[skinj]

No, that's my point. It's not cost effective to make 2 models (one with Smart & 3D, one without) as it would push the price up on both.
A top end TV with top end picture quality will come with all the bells and whistles. An entry level TV with lower quality picture will not have the bells and whistles nor the general performance.
It's like asking for the latest Ferrari but only if it comes with a 1.0l ecotech engine or visiting a lay-by caravan fast food place & expecting Michelin starred quality food.

[ray_01]

Thanks again.

At least I can start looking now.

[Chasing Shadows]

Was looking in Currys over the weekend - they had 55inch 3D and non-3D equivalents from the usual players (Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, LG etc). The non-3D equivalents might have been maybe a hundred quid cheaper than the same model from the same manufacturer with 3D. They all had smart TV features though.

[skinj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chasing Shadows

Was looking in Currys over the weekend - they had 55inch 3D and non-3D equivalents from the usual players (Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, LG etc). The non-3D equivalents might have been maybe a hundred quid cheaper than the same model from the same manufacturer with 3D. They all had smart TV features though.

Panasonic do not make equivalents in the same size. The might have the same size screen but they are not the same TV otherwise. For example the have models in 50" called AS600's & AS650's. one is 3D the other is not. The 3D one also has a far higher quality screen & much better picture processing for fast motion. It also has a nicer pedestal & general design. These are the things you pay extra for, not really the 3D part of it.

[evil c]

OP, you might still be able to buy last year's models at cheap prices that'll probably be just as good (if not better in some cases) as this year's models. The new models came in just a couple of months ago but you need to be quick before all the old ones get snapped up. The latest models will have improved Smart interfaces but this is irrelevant to you.

[ray_01]

Quote:

Originally Posted by evil c

OP, you might still be able to buy last year's models at cheap prices that'll probably be just as good (if not better in some cases) as this year's models. The new models came in just a couple of months ago but you need to be quick before all the old ones get snapped up. The latest models will have improved Smart interfaces but this is irrelevant to you.

Many thanks.
Ray.

[evil c]

More help for you. If you have a Richer Sound near you, you can 'phone the store and reserve the TV but then you have to collect and pay instore only, their weekly updated Clearance offers, Brand New, Ex-Service and Open Box TVs with a full 5 year guarantee for free. You can see online what your local store or any store has in stock, and search by product category and manufacturer. Choose the store first and when the page is displayed it gives you the options to narrow down your choice.

You can save a lot of money if they have what you want: http://www.richersounds.com/clearance/

[scottie55]

OK, so it's "only" 50 inch but I'm considering one of these

http://www.tesco.com/direct/panasoni...Fcux2wodwS0AxA

No 3D and no smarts and < £500

[rjb101]

It's a quid cheaper at Argos

[The Exiled Dub]

I bought a LG 50 inch plasma, no 3D no smart apps, for 400 late last year from Amazon. Cracking telly, the picture is phenomenal.

[barbeler]

Just watch out for cut-price LCD televisions, which look really poor compared to the LED ones.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbeler

Just watch out for cut-price LCD televisions, which look really poor compared to the LED ones.

Sorry, but that's utter nonsense - LED are LCD anyway, and it would be pretty rare now to even find a CCFL backlit set for sale (and CCFL sets could well be a better picture anyway, certainly LED don't particularly offer a better picture).

[Fran Blakes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottie55

OK, so it's "only" 50 inch but I'm considering one of these

http://www.tesco.com/direct/panasoni...Fcux2wodwS0AxA

No 3D and no smarts and < £500

According to website: Resolution: 1280x1024 can you trust the specs?!
That's going to look horrible at 50"

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fran Blakes

According to website: Resolution: 1280x1024 can you trust the specs?!
That's going to look horrible at 50"

Why would the screen size make any difference? - it's completely relative to viewing distance.

However, an HD Ready plasma looks perfectly fine on SD, but loses out greatly to LCD sets on HD - but the set in question is clearly labelled as Full HD on the page linked to, in multiple places - presumably the bizarre 'resolution' is a typo.

[treefr0g]

imo, when it's set up correctly, 3D can be astounding.

I'd love to see 'Gravity' in 3D on a 60" TV.

[d'@ve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Why would the screen size make any difference? - it's completely relative to viewing distance.

However, an HD Ready plasma looks perfectly fine on SD, but loses out greatly to LCD sets on HD - but the set in question is clearly labelled as Full HD on the page linked to, in multiple places - presumably the bizarre 'resolution' is a typo.

If you sit about 10 feet away like most people, it doesn't lose out at all in resolution terms.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d'@ve

If you sit about 10 feet away like most people, it doesn't lose out at all in resolution terms.

But sitting so far away you can't see HD rather voids the purpose of having HD?

[d'@ve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

But sitting so far away you can't see HD rather voids the purpose of having HD?

Well 10 feet isn't exactly far away and the improvement over SD of HD Ready resolution, clarity and the absence of artifacts is plain to see even with my old eyes.

There is no point for most people in further increasing the spatial resolution beyond even 1024 x 768 though at that distance and I'm not going to be sitting on the floor at 6 feet away to gain the additional benefits of full HD over HD Ready, that's for sure. Eagle-eyed youngsters may do that and be able to appreciate the difference though but that's not for me or, I suspect, most people.

[davor]

Well, you don't have to use the smart features and 3D if you don't want to. These technologies are now widely available and they don't affect the price. In other words, 3D tv sets with smart features are not more expensive than the non-3D/smart tv's, because almost all tv's today have some sort of smart features and vast majority offer 3D as well, at no extra cost.

[d'@ve]

You can still get 50 inch plasma HD Ready non-3D non-smart TVs for less than £400 so if you like the more-CRT-like plasma screens with no cheapo-LCD motion smear, they are a steal. Some have inferior anti-reflection coatings and maybe only two HDMI sockets though, so as always, if that kind of thing bothers you, care is needed.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d'@ve

Well 10 feet isn't exactly far away and the improvement over SD of HD Ready resolution, clarity and the absence of artifacts is plain to see even with my old eyes.

It's well beyond the minimum distance to see HD detail (which is what HD is), sure you get a better quality 'SD' picture (due to the higher bandwidth used for HD), but you could get that by giving a little more bandwidth to the SD broadcasts and not bother wasting money on HD cameras, HD recorders, HD broadcasts, HD TV's, better quality sets, and better quality makeup

Certainly an HD Ready Plasma is perfectly fine for watching HD programming at too far away to see HD, but if yoiu rtry and actually watch HD on it it's VERY disappointing