Widescreen Recommendation

yourlookout · 14-02-2001, 13:03

Hi, I'm looking to get a 28" widescreen TV and wonder if anyones got any suggestions as to whats good/whats poo out there......

I've got a budget of up to £700 though ideally I'd be looking more at 500-600. 3 Scarts preferably , with 2 RGBs (if poss though willing to compromise on 1) and the others S-Video compatible (not arsed about front-inputs). I'll be using it with my OnDigital box and PS2 mainly and running the sound through my amplifier so the quality of the tuner and speakers isn't vital. Again, Pro-Logic isn't necessary either as I'll be looking to upgrade my amplifier in the future.

Any recommendations (Jesus, anything would be better than my current 14"

)?

Thanks in advance.

Orbitalzone · 15-02-2001, 20:44

Well generally Panasonics and Sonys good good reviews by many people here. Thomsons also give good pictures and are cheaper than Sony and Panasonics.

A Panasonic 28" is available with Superflat screen or normal flatter screen, about £650-£700 for the Superflat and maybe £500 ish for the non superflat. Both have twin scart and Nicam stereo and audio output sockets but no Dolby. Only one scart is RGB the other being Svideo. (both offer composite PAL of course)

Picture quality is very good and the non super flat is still very good, although the picture geometry is slightly poorer on the non superflat.

Sony only do a Superflat at about the same price as the Panasonic at £650 -£700 ish - same features, maybe better sound and pictures, but only slightly better.

Thomsons are bit cheaper but usually have no audio output sockets on the more basic widescreen. Pictures are virtually as good as the ones above, less viewing modes, only 4/3 , letterbox zoom and 16.9 anamorphic. No trick stretch 4/3 modes like Sony or Panasonics)

yourlookout · 16-02-2001, 11:28

Cheers for that, had read good things about the Panasonics previously.

I'm undecided about whether to go for a totally flat screen, to me the picture sometimes looks less 'natural' than normal screens but I dare say thats because I've spent a lifetime watching the rounded variety. Anyway theres no substitute for going round and looking at the things which is what I'll be doing tomorrow (hangover permitting...).

Nikhil · 16-02-2001, 17:32

Definitely go for a flat screen, it is the future (and excellent in my opinion) i've got one of the panasonic flat screens which i bought a year ago. One problem with mine though is that the teletext is sometimes dodgy.
Definitely look at sony, they are making some really beautiful sets now. If you have the money try and avoid Dolby digital/pro logic in the TV (built in) and go for separates, the sound is much better and upgrading is easier.

Good luck in your search!!

Orbitalzone · 16-02-2001, 21:09

Nikhil, have you tried using text in different aspect viewing modes? I noticed on some of the Panasonics, if you used the 'Just' 4/3 stretch mode, it made the Text go wobbly, and if you use Zoom or 16/9 anamorphic text looks fine. Otherwise thats just how it is sadly....

One problem with widescreen, especially superflat, is that they show up little things like wobbles or slightly non straight lines, it's quite hard to get a TV screen setup for totally true and straight lines right across the screen, especially at the edges.

Nikhil · 17-02-2001, 09:06

I use teletext in "just" mode but when it messes up i mean about 3-4 pages jumble up into one and stuff.

Orbitalzone · 17-02-2001, 19:43

I see, in that case it's another problem. I haven't had problems with text on Panasonics other than if there's a poor signal or too much signal. If it does it on digital TV as well then there's more likely to be a fault with the TV. Text faults are rare these days, usually it's a signal problem being received, like ghosting or low signal strength, none of this should apply to digital TV though.

Nikhil · 17-02-2001, 20:05

Wierd thing is my 4:3 sony was fine with teletext and i called out an engineer when i first bought the panasonic and he tested it and said it was ok, he later replaced the set, but i got just as much on the new set. I know it's something to do with the set but can't be bothered to change it now because the picture quality is excellent. One moan about panasonics older flatscreen tvs are that their sound systems aren't as good as say sony.

STORMIT · 02-03-2001, 16:56

I've got a Philips 28" Widescreen. Absolutely super picture, 3 scart, RGB and S-Video input's. Dolby Pro-Logic Surround sound. Perfect picture. It's great! The price was £599 from Curry's. I'd definitely recommend it, the only flaw is that when you turn the VOLUME Up and Down it doesn't display a Volume level but that's the only problem with it!

Nikhil · 02-03-2001, 19:01

Yeah, i'd recommend a Sony, Panasonic or Philips TV, definitely (the philips ones don't half look sexy!!)
If you buy one of those three you'll have few porblems.

zane · 03-03-2001, 00:07

i have a sony kv28fx20 which i consider to give a good picture and excellant sound,i picked mine up as a shop second for a reasonable £480 so keep your eyes peeled for them bargains

Orbitalzone · 04-03-2001, 00:07

£480 for a KV28FX20 is an excellent price to pay, and as those models aren't very old, your ex demo model is still fairly new and should serve you well, plus any problems would have shown up by now!....

Mine comes next week!

yourlookout · 05-03-2001, 13:28

Don't want to alarm anyone but be aware......

After looking around I finally went for the KV28FX20, excellent picture in the shop. Got it delivered last week and the picture quality is great but there was a noticeable bend at the bottom of the screen (and top aswell to a lesser degree) towards the middle of the screen. Its most obvious in 4:3 where the edge of the picture is clearly bent, but noticeable in widescreen too when you look out for it.

I would have thought that this was configurable in the service menu, but I've had an engineer round this morning and according to him theres nothing they can do. He suggested there was an adjustment they could make in the workshop but it will make little if any difference. According to him its a known problem with Sony sets and in his words "I've seen better, I've seen worse". He said I should get the store to take it back and either get a replacement or go for a different brand. I'm going to give it a second chance, and if I've just got a random duff set then fair enough but he implied its a bit of a lottery (I'm hoping he was a bit of a wind-up merchant....).

I'd be interested if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Sam · 05-03-2001, 16:09

yourlookout,

I'm afraid the engineer is right, it IS a bit of a lottery. Get your set replaced until you find one you can live with, though bear in mind that the geometry on any CRT tv is likely to be dodgy, so don't be too picky. You'll never be rid of those bendy lines.

I've been looking at hundreds of TVs in the past few months, including the 32" version of yours, and they all display similar problems to the ones you describe. If geometry is a pet hate of yours though, the Sony set is one of the worse offenders - I was most impressed with the Pannys, try the tx28pk1.

Sam

yourlookout · 05-03-2001, 16:55

Thanks for the tip. I would have been surprised if the picture was perfectly straight, but I would have hoped any bend would have been fairly symmetrical. If the picture bent at the top as much as it does at the bottom, it'd probably be easier to live with.....

Orbitalzone · 05-03-2001, 22:17

Yeah sadly this is a problem with all widescreen TV's to some degree like the engineer said. Some of the non flat Widescreen TV's I have seen are very bendy on straight edges and it is almost impossible to totally correct this in the service mode setup.

Best thing is to try another Sony or maybe a Panasonic TX28PK3 as mentioned, BUT these sometimes are wonky too!....plus they can suffer from flared edges if you have the contrast too high, although this equally applies to most other TVs too. (Most TV's are preset with way too much contrast by the way)

The non flat Panasonic TX28DK1 and DK3s also suffer from curvy edges, try to see the one you're having in operation before having it, if at all possible.

All of this is not a new thing, except that previously on 4/3 TV's this wonky edges would be overscanned out of visual range.

However, Panasonic and Sony TVs are excellent... so don't get put off by these comments, most people are very happy with their TVs.

Trev · 06-03-2001, 00:39

I was looking around my local Asda at the weekend and saw a 28 inch widescreen tv made by 'Pacific' for only £219.

Are these any good and is it a clone of any other make?

le hutch · 13-03-2001, 12:05

you can change the geometry on sony sets. you just need to access the service menu.

info on this is at http://www.kv32tweak.freeuk.com/ , make sure you write down the default settings though!!!

also for your information, the forum at http://www.homecinemachoice.com/index.html , is very useful, full of very knowledgeable people. They will virtaully talk you through the setup if you have any problems.

riaz · 29-05-2001, 20:04

i am also looking for a 28" widescreen and the best one iv seen is the sanyo set for 450 pounds with a silver stand at scottish power.
try the website!

marcode · 29-05-2001, 21:09

I am considering buyin a new 28" Philips pure flat widescreen
Model no. 28PW6515 £688.55
just wonderin if there is any good reason not to buy this set E.g bad writeups or is this a crap price etc

cheers , much appreciated

Kevo · 30-05-2001, 10:30

Now is not a good time to buy a WS TV.

Why not wait a year (maybe less) when IDTVs (Intergrated Digital TV) will be the norm. They are starting to appear now, but are a bit pricey.

I can't understand why anyone would want to buy an anlogue WS TV. Other than DVD, it is only good with a Digital STB which you have to pay a subscription.
You are then only left with 4:3 analog which is going to be turned off in a few years anyway.

It's madness, it just doesn't make sense.

It's like buying a lead fuelled car, you just wouldn't do it

Sam · 30-05-2001, 10:35

mate idtv's are bad. they're plagued with problems and bugs and you cant just easily upgrade like you can with a set top box.

the smart money goes on an analogue widescreen and a set top box

why wait a year for a bugged tv when you can get a nice ws now AND a subscription to sky for a year for less than an expensive idtv?

Kevo · 30-05-2001, 13:05

Good point Sam.

Make that a two year wait then!

If only they would introduce a 'twin tuner' in these STBs so you could enjoy Digital TV on one side whilst recording the other.
Although I do believe that the next gen Sky STBs may introduce something like this........Anybody?

Sam · 30-05-2001, 13:13

Yeah, the Pace Personal Video Recorder (PVR) is supposed to be coming out, but has been heavily delayed. It would allow you to record one prog and watch another just like tivo (I think it may be the same licenced technology). Would be excellent so long as they actually release it and it is at a decent price point (you have to add another lnb to your dish, so extra installation costs would be incurred).

Seems as though we have to wait for everything, so I now decide to get everyting as soon as I can or else I'll be waiting forever!

stephen · 02-06-2001, 03:16

try a toshiba and you'll never go back.stable solid reliable performers.excellent picture,market leaders(the first with DDigital)
at a price you can afford!(you may loose your house if you cannot keep up repayments)Can you really afford NOT to look?

03-03-2001, 00:07	#11
zane Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 1	which widescreen i have a sony kv28fx20 which i consider to give a good picture and excellant sound,i picked mine up as a shop second for a reasonable £480 so keep your eyes peeled for them bargains

13-03-2001, 12:05	#18
le hutch Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 51	geometry problems. you can change the geometry on sony sets. you just need to access the service menu. info on this is at http://www.kv32tweak.freeuk.com/ , make sure you write down the default settings though!!! also for your information, the forum at http://www.homecinemachoice.com/index.html , is very useful, full of very knowledgeable people. They will virtaully talk you through the setup if you have any problems.

29-05-2001, 21:09	#20
marcode Forum Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Scotland Posts: 6	new telly I am considering buyin a new 28" Philips pure flat widescreen Model no. 28PW6515 £688.55 just wonderin if there is any good reason not to buy this set E.g bad writeups or is this a crap price etc cheers , much appreciated

14-02-2001, 13:03	#1
yourlookout Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Posts: 12	Hi, I'm looking to get a 28" widescreen TV and wonder if anyones got any suggestions as to whats good/whats poo out there...... I've got a budget of up to £700 though ideally I'd be looking more at 500-600. 3 Scarts preferably , with 2 RGBs (if poss though willing to compromise on 1) and the others S-Video compatible (not arsed about front-inputs). I'll be using it with my OnDigital box and PS2 mainly and running the sound through my amplifier so the quality of the tuner and speakers isn't vital. Again, Pro-Logic isn't necessary either as I'll be looking to upgrade my amplifier in the future. Any recommendations (Jesus, anything would be better than my current 14" )? Thanks in advance.

15-02-2001, 20:44	#2
Orbitalzone Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sussex Posts: 12,173	Well generally Panasonics and Sonys good good reviews by many people here. Thomsons also give good pictures and are cheaper than Sony and Panasonics. A Panasonic 28" is available with Superflat screen or normal flatter screen, about £650-£700 for the Superflat and maybe £500 ish for the non superflat. Both have twin scart and Nicam stereo and audio output sockets but no Dolby. Only one scart is RGB the other being Svideo. (both offer composite PAL of course) Picture quality is very good and the non super flat is still very good, although the picture geometry is slightly poorer on the non superflat. Sony only do a Superflat at about the same price as the Panasonic at £650 -£700 ish - same features, maybe better sound and pictures, but only slightly better. Thomsons are bit cheaper but usually have no audio output sockets on the more basic widescreen. Pictures are virtually as good as the ones above, less viewing modes, only 4/3 , letterbox zoom and 16.9 anamorphic. No trick stretch 4/3 modes like Sony or Panasonics)

16-02-2001, 11:28	#3
yourlookout Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Posts: 12	Cheers for that, had read good things about the Panasonics previously. I'm undecided about whether to go for a totally flat screen, to me the picture sometimes looks less 'natural' than normal screens but I dare say thats because I've spent a lifetime watching the rounded variety. Anyway theres no substitute for going round and looking at the things which is what I'll be doing tomorrow (hangover permitting...).

16-02-2001, 17:32	#4
Nikhil Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: South Devon/London Posts: 963	Definitely go for a flat screen, it is the future (and excellent in my opinion) i've got one of the panasonic flat screens which i bought a year ago. One problem with mine though is that the teletext is sometimes dodgy. Definitely look at sony, they are making some really beautiful sets now. If you have the money try and avoid Dolby digital/pro logic in the TV (built in) and go for separates, the sound is much better and upgrading is easier. Good luck in your search!!

16-02-2001, 21:09	#5
Orbitalzone Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sussex Posts: 12,173	Nikhil, have you tried using text in different aspect viewing modes? I noticed on some of the Panasonics, if you used the 'Just' 4/3 stretch mode, it made the Text go wobbly, and if you use Zoom or 16/9 anamorphic text looks fine. Otherwise thats just how it is sadly.... One problem with widescreen, especially superflat, is that they show up little things like wobbles or slightly non straight lines, it's quite hard to get a TV screen setup for totally true and straight lines right across the screen, especially at the edges.

17-02-2001, 09:06	#6
Nikhil Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: South Devon/London Posts: 963	I use teletext in "just" mode but when it messes up i mean about 3-4 pages jumble up into one and stuff.

17-02-2001, 19:43	#7
Orbitalzone Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sussex Posts: 12,173	I see, in that case it's another problem. I haven't had problems with text on Panasonics other than if there's a poor signal or too much signal. If it does it on digital TV as well then there's more likely to be a fault with the TV. Text faults are rare these days, usually it's a signal problem being received, like ghosting or low signal strength, none of this should apply to digital TV though.

17-02-2001, 20:05	#8
Nikhil Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: South Devon/London Posts: 963	Wierd thing is my 4:3 sony was fine with teletext and i called out an engineer when i first bought the panasonic and he tested it and said it was ok, he later replaced the set, but i got just as much on the new set. I know it's something to do with the set but can't be bothered to change it now because the picture quality is excellent. One moan about panasonics older flatscreen tvs are that their sound systems aren't as good as say sony.

02-03-2001, 16:56	#9
STORMIT Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: KENT Posts: 356	I've got a Philips 28" Widescreen. Absolutely super picture, 3 scart, RGB and S-Video input's. Dolby Pro-Logic Surround sound. Perfect picture. It's great! The price was £599 from Curry's. I'd definitely recommend it, the only flaw is that when you turn the VOLUME Up and Down it doesn't display a Volume level but that's the only problem with it!

02-03-2001, 19:01	#10
Nikhil Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: South Devon/London Posts: 963	Yeah, i'd recommend a Sony, Panasonic or Philips TV, definitely (the philips ones don't half look sexy!!) If you buy one of those three you'll have few porblems.

04-03-2001, 00:07	#12
Orbitalzone Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sussex Posts: 12,173	£480 for a KV28FX20 is an excellent price to pay, and as those models aren't very old, your ex demo model is still fairly new and should serve you well, plus any problems would have shown up by now!.... Mine comes next week!

05-03-2001, 13:28	#13
yourlookout Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Posts: 12	Don't want to alarm anyone but be aware...... After looking around I finally went for the KV28FX20, excellent picture in the shop. Got it delivered last week and the picture quality is great but there was a noticeable bend at the bottom of the screen (and top aswell to a lesser degree) towards the middle of the screen. Its most obvious in 4:3 where the edge of the picture is clearly bent, but noticeable in widescreen too when you look out for it. I would have thought that this was configurable in the service menu, but I've had an engineer round this morning and according to him theres nothing they can do. He suggested there was an adjustment they could make in the workshop but it will make little if any difference. According to him its a known problem with Sony sets and in his words "I've seen better, I've seen worse". He said I should get the store to take it back and either get a replacement or go for a different brand. I'm going to give it a second chance, and if I've just got a random duff set then fair enough but he implied its a bit of a lottery (I'm hoping he was a bit of a wind-up merchant....). I'd be interested if anyone else has had a similar experience.

05-03-2001, 16:09	#14
Sam Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Surbiton Posts: 133	yourlookout, I'm afraid the engineer is right, it IS a bit of a lottery. Get your set replaced until you find one you can live with, though bear in mind that the geometry on any CRT tv is likely to be dodgy, so don't be too picky. You'll never be rid of those bendy lines. I've been looking at hundreds of TVs in the past few months, including the 32" version of yours, and they all display similar problems to the ones you describe. If geometry is a pet hate of yours though, the Sony set is one of the worse offenders - I was most impressed with the Pannys, try the tx28pk1. Sam

05-03-2001, 16:55	#15
yourlookout Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Posts: 12	Thanks for the tip. I would have been surprised if the picture was perfectly straight, but I would have hoped any bend would have been fairly symmetrical. If the picture bent at the top as much as it does at the bottom, it'd probably be easier to live with.....

05-03-2001, 22:17	#16
Orbitalzone Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sussex Posts: 12,173	Yeah sadly this is a problem with all widescreen TV's to some degree like the engineer said. Some of the non flat Widescreen TV's I have seen are very bendy on straight edges and it is almost impossible to totally correct this in the service mode setup. Best thing is to try another Sony or maybe a Panasonic TX28PK3 as mentioned, BUT these sometimes are wonky too!....plus they can suffer from flared edges if you have the contrast too high, although this equally applies to most other TVs too. (Most TV's are preset with way too much contrast by the way) The non flat Panasonic TX28DK1 and DK3s also suffer from curvy edges, try to see the one you're having in operation before having it, if at all possible. All of this is not a new thing, except that previously on 4/3 TV's this wonky edges would be overscanned out of visual range. However, Panasonic and Sony TVs are excellent... so don't get put off by these comments, most people are very happy with their TVs.

06-03-2001, 00:39	#17
Trev Forum Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Nottingham Posts: 1,256	I was looking around my local Asda at the weekend and saw a 28 inch widescreen tv made by 'Pacific' for only £219. Are these any good and is it a clone of any other make?

29-05-2001, 20:04	#19
riaz Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 672	i am also looking for a 28" widescreen and the best one iv seen is the sanyo set for 450 pounds with a silver stand at scottish power. try the website!

30-05-2001, 10:30	#21
Kevo Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Manchester Posts: 925	Now is not a good time to buy a WS TV. Why not wait a year (maybe less) when IDTVs (Intergrated Digital TV) will be the norm. They are starting to appear now, but are a bit pricey. I can't understand why anyone would want to buy an anlogue WS TV. Other than DVD, it is only good with a Digital STB which you have to pay a subscription. You are then only left with 4:3 analog which is going to be turned off in a few years anyway. It's madness, it just doesn't make sense. It's like buying a lead fuelled car, you just wouldn't do it

30-05-2001, 10:35	#22
Sam Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Surbiton Posts: 133	mate idtv's are bad. they're plagued with problems and bugs and you cant just easily upgrade like you can with a set top box. the smart money goes on an analogue widescreen and a set top box why wait a year for a bugged tv when you can get a nice ws now AND a subscription to sky for a year for less than an expensive idtv?

30-05-2001, 13:05	#23
Kevo Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Manchester Posts: 925	Good point Sam. Make that a two year wait then! If only they would introduce a 'twin tuner' in these STBs so you could enjoy Digital TV on one side whilst recording the other. Although I do believe that the next gen Sky STBs may introduce something like this........Anybody?

DS Forums

Widescreen Recommendation

30-05-2001, 13:13	#24
Sam Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Surbiton Posts: 133	Yeah, the Pace Personal Video Recorder (PVR) is supposed to be coming out, but has been heavily delayed. It would allow you to record one prog and watch another just like tivo (I think it may be the same licenced technology). Would be excellent so long as they actually release it and it is at a decent price point (you have to add another lnb to your dish, so extra installation costs would be incurred). Seems as though we have to wait for everything, so I now decide to get everyting as soon as I can or else I'll be waiting forever!

02-06-2001, 03:16	#25
stephen Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Ireland Posts: 18	try a toshiba and you'll never go back.stable solid reliable performers.excellent picture,market leaders(the first with DDigital) at a price you can afford!(you may loose your house if you cannot keep up repayments)Can you really afford NOT to look?