Smaller HDTVs?

Dancc · 25-09-2006, 22:30

How come there are so few smaller, lower budget HDTV models available?

I'm looking for a 19 inch widescreen HDTV for my bedroom, so I can improve the quality of play on my Xbox 360.

I've seen 1 so far, but it's not even out until October and a bit out of my budget. How come there is such a lack of them? Will they become more widely available in the future?

Gormond · 26-09-2006, 17:27

The reason is the lack of miniaturisation, HDTVs must run at a min res of 1280×720p60 and that's easier to do on a 26" TV than it is on a 19" TV.

If you look at the price difference on Sonys HDTVs you will see they are only slight:

20" - £449.99*
26" - £599.99*
32" - £819.99*

*Prices from play.com

Most people tend to go for the bigger set, also for games consoles like the xbox you are far cheaper to get a 19" LCD monitor for about £120

Praxidike · 26-09-2006, 17:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dancc

I've seen 1 so far, but it's not even out until October and a bit out of my budget. How come there is such a lack of them? Will they become more widely available in the future?

Was it a Samsung for £300 from play.com?

I saw that, I'm thinking of getting either that one or a Samsung 940MW for £300 from Argos, not sure yet which one to get though, the one from play.com hardly has any information about it...

Gormond · 26-09-2006, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praxidike

Was it a Samsung for £300 from play.com?

I saw that, I'm thinking of getting either that one or a Samsung 940MW for £300 from Argos, not sure yet which one to get though, the one from play.com hardly has any information about it...

Pretty sure Samsung don't have any 19" LCD HDTVs out yet, there lowest is 23".

They do sell 19" LCD TVs but there not HD Ready

Praxidike · 26-09-2006, 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gormond

Pretty sure Samsung don't have any 19" LCD HDTVs out yet, there lowest is 23".

They do sell 19" LCD TVs but there not HD Ready

The 940MW is HD ready. The only reason some places aren't advertising it as HD ready is because its resolution is 1440x900, which isn't a true widescreen resolution (it's 16:10 instead of 16:9), so they can't officially advertise it as HD ready.

But it'll handle HD inputs OK, it has component and the DVI input is HDMI ready, with an adapter apparently.

So going by the 'HD Ready logo' rules, it's not HD ready, but technically it is, as it'll receive and display HD inputs.

It's the only 19" sort-of-HD-ready TV I've come across too, which is annoying.

Last edited by Praxidike : 26-09-2006 at 20:57.

Gormond · 26-09-2006, 21:02

Hmm not bad but it does lack imputs.

Southak · 27-09-2006, 12:31

17" LCD PC screens are (technically) HR and have been available for years so I dont see that the issue is a technical one.

My understanding is that the difference between Hi-Res and Normal-Res on screens lower than 26" is so small as to be barely visible at normal viewing distances, and this is the reason why there are so few HD-Ready 'TV' sets at these sizes.

Praxidike · 27-09-2006, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gormond

Hmm not bad but it does lack imputs.

Which one? The 940MW? It's got plenty of inputs...

Only HDMI isn't there that I can see, but the DVI input can accept it with an adapter...

Praxidike · 27-09-2006, 13:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southak

17" LCD PC screens are (technically) HR and have been available for years so I dont see that the issue is a technical one.

My understanding is that the difference between Hi-Res and Normal-Res on screens lower than 26" is so small as to be barely visible at normal viewing distances, and this is the reason why there are so few HD-Ready 'TV' sets at these sizes.

On CRT, it's not noticable, but on LCD it really is. Mostly because if it's a PC monitor and a TV all in one, it needs to have at least 1024x768 resolution for it to be useful as a PC monitor, which then means the TV input has to be upscaled to fit, which can look horrible....

But with a HD input, it won't have to upscale at all (depending on the resolution), so on an LCD TV/PC, there's a big difference there.

Farscape888 · 29-09-2006, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gormond

Pretty sure Samsung don't have any 19" LCD HDTVs out yet, there lowest is 23".

They do sell 19" LCD TVs but there not HD Ready

They are bringing one out

Gormond · 01-10-2006, 10:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farscape888

They are bringing one out

Where did you get that information?

marshmallows · 03-10-2006, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praxidike

On CRT, it's not noticable, but on LCD it really is. Mostly because if it's a PC monitor and a TV all in one, it needs to have at least 1024x768 resolution for it to be useful as a PC monitor, which then means the TV input has to be upscaled to fit, which can look horrible....

Does it look horrible though if you're sitting on a sofa a couple of yards away?

Praxidike · 03-10-2006, 15:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshmallows

Does it look horrible though if you're sitting on a sofa a couple of yards away?

Not usually, but it depends on each TV, some do it better than others. It'd be helpful if you could see the TV in action before you buy it.

Dancc · 23-10-2006, 21:03

Just seen this product at Argos. Never seen a 15" HD on the market before, bit smaller than I was looking for but great price. Will this be fine for the Xbox 360?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...elevisions.htm

ntlhellworld · 23-10-2006, 21:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dancc

Just seen this product at Argos. Never seen a 15" HD on the market before, bit smaller than I was looking for but great price. Will this be fine for the Xbox 360?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...elevisions.htm

Thats not a true "HD ready" TV - argos have mislabled the item (its not even widescreen which makes the 360 shine). For the price of that one though you could get a Widescreen acer 19" (1440 x 900) or a square dell 19" (1280 x 1024) monitor - both perfect for playing 360 (although as already mentioned "1440 x 900 widescreen" isnt true widescreen).

-Chris

Cylinder · 26-10-2006, 16:14

I'm looking for a small widescreen HD LCD TV too.

Does anyone know if, and where, you can buy this TV in the UK?

It's a Thomson 20LW052B5:

http://tv.thomson-europe.com/en/Prod...52B5#tabAnchor

http://img.clubic.com/photo/00295323.jpg

I've had a quick look on kelkoo and google but cannot find a UK supplier.

Cylinder · 26-10-2006, 16:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praxidike

I saw that, I'm thinking of getting either that one or a Samsung 940MW for £300 from Argos......

Yeah, I was looking at that Samsung as well.

But it looks far too much like a computer monitor for my taste.

It's now £249 on the Argos website, by the way:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5291883.htm

Last edited by Cylinder : 26-10-2006 at 16:53.

Praxidike · 26-10-2006, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cylinder

Yeah, I was looking at that Samsung as well.

But it looks far too much like a computer monitor for my taste.

It's now £249 on the Argos website, by the way:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5291883.htm

Grrrrr, I only bought it about 3 weeks ago at £300 from Argos.

pjg · 30-10-2006, 14:58

it's only £229 now. And Argos are stocking this Acoustic Solutions model for only £199which looks very similar: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5292040.htm. It would be great if this had a built-in DTT tuner too...

JimRockford · 30-10-2006, 15:01

I ordered the Samsumg one yesterday at the lower £229 price. I should have it tomorrow.

TheWasher · 16-11-2006, 22:02

I am after a 19"-23" LCD for the bedroom. It has to have DVI/HDMI inputs for my PVR, as well as being HD Ready. Widescreen (1366 x 768) and a freeview tuner. Anyone got any suggestions? I have seen the Samsung SM940MW (looks too much like a computer monitor) and the LE19R71BX (looks stunning but not HD ready) Also the Toshiba 20WLT56 ( nice, Freeview built in but not HD ready. Should I go for a 26" which will push all the buttons but might get me in bad books with the other half! If so, what do people recommend I look at?
Many thanks.

Cylinder · 18-11-2006, 19:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWasher

I am after a 19"-23" LCD for the bedroom. It has to have DVI/HDMI inputs for my PVR, as well as being HD Ready. Widescreen (1366 x 768) and a freeview tuner. Anyone got any suggestions? I have seen the Samsung SM940MW (looks too much like a computer monitor) and the LE19R71BX (looks stunning but not HD ready) Also the Toshiba 20WLT56 ( nice, Freeview built in but not HD ready. Should I go for a 26" which will push all the buttons but might get me in bad books with the other half! If so, what do people recommend I look at?
Many thanks.

I like this Sony Bravia 20", which seems to meet your requirements:

http://play.com/Electronics/Electron.../Product.html#

Gormond · 18-11-2006, 19:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cylinder

I like this Sony Bravia 20", which seems to meet your requirements:

http://play.com/Electronics/Electron.../Product.html#

If you read reviews of that TV you will find that it is terrible and no where near the class of the bigger bravia TVs, I recommend you avoid that one.

Cylinder · 19-11-2006, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gormond

If you read reviews of that TV you will find that it is terrible and no where near the class of the bigger bravia TVs, I recommend you avoid that one.

What exactly are they saying is wrong with it?
Because I'm thinking about getting one.

Can you point us to these bad reviews please?

I can only find one - which says it's excellent.
Cheers.

m1ket · 20-11-2006, 07:05

For the same price as the sony 20" you could get a 28" Hd ready LCDTV (unless space is an issue)

25-09-2006, 22:30	#1
Dancc Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 50,507	Smaller HDTVs? How come there are so few smaller, lower budget HDTV models available? I'm looking for a 19 inch widescreen HDTV for my bedroom, so I can improve the quality of play on my Xbox 360. I've seen 1 so far, but it's not even out until October and a bit out of my budget. How come there is such a lack of them? Will they become more widely available in the future?

26-10-2006, 16:14	#16
Cylinder Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 919	I'm looking for a small widescreen HD LCD TV too. Does anyone know if, and where, you can buy this TV in the UK? It's a Thomson 20LW052B5: http://tv.thomson-europe.com/en/Prod...52B5#tabAnchor http://img.clubic.com/photo/00295323.jpg I've had a quick look on kelkoo and google but cannot find a UK supplier. Last edited by Cylinder : 26-10-2006 at 16:18.

20-11-2006, 07:05	#25
m1ket Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: UK Posts: 165	For the same price as the sony 20" you could get a 28" Hd ready LCDTV (unless space is an issue) Last edited by m1ket : 20-11-2006 at 07:06.

26-09-2006, 17:27	#2
Gormond Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 15,714	The reason is the lack of miniaturisation, HDTVs must run at a min res of 1280×720p60 and that's easier to do on a 26" TV than it is on a 19" TV. If you look at the price difference on Sonys HDTVs you will see they are only slight: 20" - £449.99* 26" - £599.99* 32" - £819.99* *Prices from play.com Most people tend to go for the bigger set, also for games consoles like the xbox you are far cheaper to get a 19" LCD monitor for about £120

26-09-2006, 17:32	#3
Praxidike Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 9,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Dancc I've seen 1 so far, but it's not even out until October and a bit out of my budget. How come there is such a lack of them? Will they become more widely available in the future? Was it a Samsung for £300 from play.com? I saw that, I'm thinking of getting either that one or a Samsung 940MW for £300 from Argos, not sure yet which one to get though, the one from play.com hardly has any information about it...

26-09-2006, 18:57	#4
Gormond Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 15,714	Quote: Originally Posted by Praxidike Was it a Samsung for £300 from play.com? I saw that, I'm thinking of getting either that one or a Samsung 940MW for £300 from Argos, not sure yet which one to get though, the one from play.com hardly has any information about it... Pretty sure Samsung don't have any 19" LCD HDTVs out yet, there lowest is 23". They do sell 19" LCD TVs but there not HD Ready

26-09-2006, 20:53	#5
Praxidike Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 9,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Gormond Pretty sure Samsung don't have any 19" LCD HDTVs out yet, there lowest is 23". They do sell 19" LCD TVs but there not HD Ready The 940MW is HD ready. The only reason some places aren't advertising it as HD ready is because its resolution is 1440x900, which isn't a true widescreen resolution (it's 16:10 instead of 16:9), so they can't officially advertise it as HD ready. But it'll handle HD inputs OK, it has component and the DVI input is HDMI ready, with an adapter apparently. So going by the 'HD Ready logo' rules, it's not HD ready, but technically it is, as it'll receive and display HD inputs. It's the only 19" sort-of-HD-ready TV I've come across too, which is annoying. Last edited by Praxidike : 26-09-2006 at 20:57.

26-09-2006, 21:02	#6
Gormond Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 15,714	Hmm not bad but it does lack imputs.

27-09-2006, 12:31	#7
Southak Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 191	17" LCD PC screens are (technically) HR and have been available for years so I dont see that the issue is a technical one. My understanding is that the difference between Hi-Res and Normal-Res on screens lower than 26" is so small as to be barely visible at normal viewing distances, and this is the reason why there are so few HD-Ready 'TV' sets at these sizes.

27-09-2006, 13:09	#8
Praxidike Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 9,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Gormond Hmm not bad but it does lack imputs. Which one? The 940MW? It's got plenty of inputs... Only HDMI isn't there that I can see, but the DVI input can accept it with an adapter...

27-09-2006, 13:12	#9
Praxidike Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 9,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Southak 17" LCD PC screens are (technically) HR and have been available for years so I dont see that the issue is a technical one. My understanding is that the difference between Hi-Res and Normal-Res on screens lower than 26" is so small as to be barely visible at normal viewing distances, and this is the reason why there are so few HD-Ready 'TV' sets at these sizes. On CRT, it's not noticable, but on LCD it really is. Mostly because if it's a PC monitor and a TV all in one, it needs to have at least 1024x768 resolution for it to be useful as a PC monitor, which then means the TV input has to be upscaled to fit, which can look horrible.... But with a HD input, it won't have to upscale at all (depending on the resolution), so on an LCD TV/PC, there's a big difference there.

29-09-2006, 15:21	#10
Farscape888 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,517	Quote: Originally Posted by Gormond Pretty sure Samsung don't have any 19" LCD HDTVs out yet, there lowest is 23". They do sell 19" LCD TVs but there not HD Ready They are bringing one out

01-10-2006, 10:43	#11
Gormond Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 15,714	Quote: Originally Posted by Farscape888 They are bringing one out Where did you get that information?

03-10-2006, 10:10	#12
marshmallows Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,323	Quote: Originally Posted by Praxidike On CRT, it's not noticable, but on LCD it really is. Mostly because if it's a PC monitor and a TV all in one, it needs to have at least 1024x768 resolution for it to be useful as a PC monitor, which then means the TV input has to be upscaled to fit, which can look horrible.... Does it look horrible though if you're sitting on a sofa a couple of yards away?

03-10-2006, 15:24	#13
Praxidike Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 9,103	Quote: Originally Posted by marshmallows Does it look horrible though if you're sitting on a sofa a couple of yards away? Not usually, but it depends on each TV, some do it better than others. It'd be helpful if you could see the TV in action before you buy it.

23-10-2006, 21:03	#14
Dancc Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 50,507	Just seen this product at Argos. Never seen a 15" HD on the market before, bit smaller than I was looking for but great price. Will this be fine for the Xbox 360? http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...elevisions.htm

23-10-2006, 21:27	#15
ntlhellworld Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,649	Quote: Originally Posted by Dancc Just seen this product at Argos. Never seen a 15" HD on the market before, bit smaller than I was looking for but great price. Will this be fine for the Xbox 360? http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...elevisions.htm Thats not a true "HD ready" TV - argos have mislabled the item (its not even widescreen which makes the 360 shine). For the price of that one though you could get a Widescreen acer 19" (1440 x 900) or a square dell 19" (1280 x 1024) monitor - both perfect for playing 360 (although as already mentioned "1440 x 900 widescreen" isnt true widescreen). -Chris

26-10-2006, 16:51	#17
Cylinder Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 919	Quote: Originally Posted by Praxidike I saw that, I'm thinking of getting either that one or a Samsung 940MW for £300 from Argos...... Yeah, I was looking at that Samsung as well. But it looks far too much like a computer monitor for my taste. It's now £249 on the Argos website, by the way: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5291883.htm Last edited by Cylinder : 26-10-2006 at 16:53.

26-10-2006, 16:59	#18
Praxidike Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 9,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Cylinder Yeah, I was looking at that Samsung as well. But it looks far too much like a computer monitor for my taste. It's now £249 on the Argos website, by the way: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5291883.htm Grrrrr, I only bought it about 3 weeks ago at £300 from Argos.

30-10-2006, 14:58	#19
pjg Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: SW London Posts: 180	it's only £229 now. And Argos are stocking this Acoustic Solutions model for only £199which looks very similar: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5292040.htm. It would be great if this had a built-in DTT tuner too...

30-10-2006, 15:01	#20
JimRockford Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,989	I ordered the Samsumg one yesterday at the lower £229 price. I should have it tomorrow.

16-11-2006, 22:02	#21
TheWasher Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 12	I am after a 19"-23" LCD for the bedroom. It has to have DVI/HDMI inputs for my PVR, as well as being HD Ready. Widescreen (1366 x 768) and a freeview tuner. Anyone got any suggestions? I have seen the Samsung SM940MW (looks too much like a computer monitor) and the LE19R71BX (looks stunning but not HD ready) Also the Toshiba 20WLT56 ( nice, Freeview built in but not HD ready. Should I go for a 26" which will push all the buttons but might get me in bad books with the other half! If so, what do people recommend I look at? Many thanks.

18-11-2006, 19:32	#22
Cylinder Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 919	Quote: Originally Posted by TheWasher I am after a 19"-23" LCD for the bedroom. It has to have DVI/HDMI inputs for my PVR, as well as being HD Ready. Widescreen (1366 x 768) and a freeview tuner. Anyone got any suggestions? I have seen the Samsung SM940MW (looks too much like a computer monitor) and the LE19R71BX (looks stunning but not HD ready) Also the Toshiba 20WLT56 ( nice, Freeview built in but not HD ready. Should I go for a 26" which will push all the buttons but might get me in bad books with the other half! If so, what do people recommend I look at? Many thanks. I like this Sony Bravia 20", which seems to meet your requirements: http://play.com/Electronics/Electron.../Product.html#

DS Forums

Smaller HDTVs?

18-11-2006, 19:52	#23
Gormond Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 15,714	Quote: Originally Posted by Cylinder I like this Sony Bravia 20", which seems to meet your requirements: http://play.com/Electronics/Electron.../Product.html# If you read reviews of that TV you will find that it is terrible and no where near the class of the bigger bravia TVs, I recommend you avoid that one.

19-11-2006, 15:55	#24
Cylinder Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 919	Quote: Originally Posted by Gormond If you read reviews of that TV you will find that it is terrible and no where near the class of the bigger bravia TVs, I recommend you avoid that one. What exactly are they saying is wrong with it? Because I'm thinking about getting one. Can you point us to these bad reviews please? I can only find one - which says it's excellent. Cheers.