Progress? I DO Hope So

Chris Green · 09-12-2007, 16:51

I've had a Sony 32" widescreen CRT set for around 8 years now - it was one of the original IDTVs and although it won't now retune and re-sort, having missed out on its OTA upgrade, and presumably won't be getting another, its picture has always drawn favourable comment, despite being the basic 50hz version, which to my mind doesn't suffer from that 'peering through a net curtain' effect of its 100hz counterparts.

However, the dreaded words upgrade and HDMI have now reared their ugly heads courtesy of my new Sony RDR-HXD870 DTV Recorder, with upscaling to 1080p.

What fills me with no enthusiasm whatsoever is the fact that every time I look at a typical 'demo wall' of 32" or larger LCDs/Plasma sets, I can't actually see anything that leads me to believe that I'm buying into something 'better', and in many cases, it seems a retrograde step.

Even the Sony 32" Bravia I was looking at yesterday, admittedly in Tescos, seemed to have a lot of colour bleed and digital artifacts. I looked round the back to confirm they were using the HDMI socket but I assume they have to run these through some sort of monitor amplifier. At this particular shop, the Sharp Aquos seemed better which I find difficult to swallow

Could this be why these 'demo walls' are so off putting? Is this why all the apparently good sets are showing animations like Toy Story or Shrek from a DVD player?

I'm not too impressed, except perhaps for raised customer service levels by what I see in John Lewis' either.

fat controller · 09-12-2007, 17:06

You've got it bang on the nail as far as I'm concerned. I'm assuming that your TV is most likely a 32DX1 or similar, which as far as I was concerned always did perform way above their price tag. As if having to upgrade from such a good TV isn't hard enough, the displays in shops do not help matters in the slightest - sure they may be wired via the HDMI socket, but the signal is still badly degraded and full of noise as a result of their distribution systems.

Some LCD's will perform better than others with SD, whereas others might look awful on SD and stunning on HD. I think the trick is to strike a balance between the two. Bear in mind that when looking, any TV will perform much better in isolation when you get it home - particularly if connected up with decent cables and partnered to the right kit. Feed it an HD source, and the results should be amazing.

We purchased two Toshiba sets for staff rooms at work last week (32" & 42") and for the bog standard offering from their range, the performance is quite remarkable. I also have an older Toshiba at home (it replaced a Sony FX series WEGA CRT) and I have been nothing but happy with it on both SD and HD.

If you look at the likes of Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic etc, you are almost bound to find something that you will be happy with.

Oh, and the only benefit that I could see to buying in John Lewis would be their 5 year guarantee.

Chris Green · 09-12-2007, 19:04

Yes, that was going to have to be be my next tactic I think - buy one and hope it's better when I get it home. Certainly a friend's 32" Bravia looks good with Freeview viewed at a decent distance. I did the same with some speakers once - everyone rated them but in a shop they sounded rubbish. At home they're smashing.

Amen to John Lewis', but their 5 year warranty is not without its attractions - I don't suppose I'll be getting 8 years use from an LCD

Scorpio · 09-12-2007, 19:48

Chris, I was a bit of a LCD/Plasma doubter as I regarded my Panny CRT as a bit of a gem and in fairness, wouldn't have made the move to plasma if my wife hadnt been fortunate enough to win a SkyHD system.

On HD, this system (along with my Panny TH42PX70) performs wonderfully BUT the big surprise was how well the Sky system upscales SD broadcasts to near HD levels - I really am truly surprised and grateful!

If you can get an HD source (I see you have Virgin) and check how the HD box upscales SD you will be pleasantly surprised.

Rgd,
Scorp

Chris Green · 10-12-2007, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorpio

Chris, I was a bit of a LCD/Plasma doubter as I regarded my Panny CRT as a bit of a gem and in fairness, wouldn't have made the move to plasma if my wife hadnt been fortunate enough to win a SkyHD system.

On HD, this system (along with my Panny TH42PX70) performs wonderfully BUT the big surprise was how well the Sky system upscales SD broadcasts to near HD levels - I really am truly surprised and grateful!

If you can get an HD source (I see you have Virgin) and check how the HD box upscales SD you will be pleasantly surprised.

Rgd,
Scorp

Thanks for that - I've just been having a look at yet another 'wonderwall' of TVs at Comet and to be fair, you are forced to stand closer to them than you would normally sit. When I moved back one aisle and peered over the top, they all looked pretty good especially at only 32" which is all I'll need in my lounge. I haven't actually got Virgin TV but it's worth thinking about.

09-12-2007, 16:51	#1
Chris Green Forum Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hounslow Posts: 260	Progress? I DO Hope So I've had a Sony 32" widescreen CRT set for around 8 years now - it was one of the original IDTVs and although it won't now retune and re-sort, having missed out on its OTA upgrade, and presumably won't be getting another, its picture has always drawn favourable comment, despite being the basic 50hz version, which to my mind doesn't suffer from that 'peering through a net curtain' effect of its 100hz counterparts. However, the dreaded words upgrade and HDMI have now reared their ugly heads courtesy of my new Sony RDR-HXD870 DTV Recorder, with upscaling to 1080p. What fills me with no enthusiasm whatsoever is the fact that every time I look at a typical 'demo wall' of 32" or larger LCDs/Plasma sets, I can't actually see anything that leads me to believe that I'm buying into something 'better', and in many cases, it seems a retrograde step. Even the Sony 32" Bravia I was looking at yesterday, admittedly in Tescos, seemed to have a lot of colour bleed and digital artifacts. I looked round the back to confirm they were using the HDMI socket but I assume they have to run these through some sort of monitor amplifier. At this particular shop, the Sharp Aquos seemed better which I find difficult to swallow Could this be why these 'demo walls' are so off putting? Is this why all the apparently good sets are showing animations like Toy Story or Shrek from a DVD player? I'm not too impressed, except perhaps for raised customer service levels by what I see in John Lewis' either.

09-12-2007, 17:06	#2
fat controller Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Slightly round the bend Posts: 12,685	You've got it bang on the nail as far as I'm concerned. I'm assuming that your TV is most likely a 32DX1 or similar, which as far as I was concerned always did perform way above their price tag. As if having to upgrade from such a good TV isn't hard enough, the displays in shops do not help matters in the slightest - sure they may be wired via the HDMI socket, but the signal is still badly degraded and full of noise as a result of their distribution systems. Some LCD's will perform better than others with SD, whereas others might look awful on SD and stunning on HD. I think the trick is to strike a balance between the two. Bear in mind that when looking, any TV will perform much better in isolation when you get it home - particularly if connected up with decent cables and partnered to the right kit. Feed it an HD source, and the results should be amazing. We purchased two Toshiba sets for staff rooms at work last week (32" & 42") and for the bog standard offering from their range, the performance is quite remarkable. I also have an older Toshiba at home (it replaced a Sony FX series WEGA CRT) and I have been nothing but happy with it on both SD and HD. If you look at the likes of Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic etc, you are almost bound to find something that you will be happy with. Oh, and the only benefit that I could see to buying in John Lewis would be their 5 year guarantee.

09-12-2007, 19:04	#3
Chris Green Forum Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hounslow Posts: 260	Yes, that was going to have to be be my next tactic I think - buy one and hope it's better when I get it home. Certainly a friend's 32" Bravia looks good with Freeview viewed at a decent distance. I did the same with some speakers once - everyone rated them but in a shop they sounded rubbish. At home they're smashing. Amen to John Lewis', but their 5 year warranty is not without its attractions - I don't suppose I'll be getting 8 years use from an LCD

09-12-2007, 19:48	#4
Scorpio Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerset Posts: 3,048	Chris, I was a bit of a LCD/Plasma doubter as I regarded my Panny CRT as a bit of a gem and in fairness, wouldn't have made the move to plasma if my wife hadnt been fortunate enough to win a SkyHD system. On HD, this system (along with my Panny TH42PX70) performs wonderfully BUT the big surprise was how well the Sky system upscales SD broadcasts to near HD levels - I really am truly surprised and grateful! If you can get an HD source (I see you have Virgin) and check how the HD box upscales SD you will be pleasantly surprised. Rgd, Scorp

10-12-2007, 16:48	#5
Chris Green Forum Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hounslow Posts: 260	Quote: Originally Posted by Scorpio Chris, I was a bit of a LCD/Plasma doubter as I regarded my Panny CRT as a bit of a gem and in fairness, wouldn't have made the move to plasma if my wife hadnt been fortunate enough to win a SkyHD system. On HD, this system (along with my Panny TH42PX70) performs wonderfully BUT the big surprise was how well the Sky system upscales SD broadcasts to near HD levels - I really am truly surprised and grateful! If you can get an HD source (I see you have Virgin) and check how the HD box upscales SD you will be pleasantly surprised. Rgd, Scorp Thanks for that - I've just been having a look at yet another 'wonderwall' of TVs at Comet and to be fair, you are forced to stand closer to them than you would normally sit. When I moved back one aisle and peered over the top, they all looked pretty good especially at only 32" which is all I'll need in my lounge. I haven't actually got Virgin TV but it's worth thinking about.

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Progress? I DO Hope So