Hi all,

I currently upgrading my TV from a 26" to a 32".

2 Tv's in mind, i have tried to get "expert reviews" but cant seem to find any - lots of customer reviews though.

http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/388570
Firsty, the toshiba....Full HD - at that price? Anyone know what the catch is?
I'm not sure of "Toshiba" as a make - is this reliable?

Secondly, the Sony
http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/sony/...erredby=WINDOW
I am thinking of getting this, as it's a better make and its cheaper - however, i would be willing to pay the £400 on the full hd toshiba - what i want to know though is this..

Toshiba Or Sony? For once - the top brand is cheaper! However, Full HD - would i be mad to turn that down at that price?

Comments and further suggestions would be very much appreciated - Cheers

Also, the max budget is £500.

1080p vs 768p - you are comparing two different standards so it's no wonder the Sony is cheaper.

At 32" I doubt you'd see much of a picture difference at a normal viewing distance for the extra resolution.

Although my preference is plasma I have to say that I quite liked the pictures from some of the Toshiba LCDs I've seen recently. What are the customer reviews like?

The customer reviews of both TV's are fantastic to be honest - I have to say the Toshiba did edge it in the reviews, but overall they both got average ratings of 9.

It's interesting to know however, that you wouldn't notice much of a difference of resolution with a 32".

I'm now thinking, is it worth paying the extra for FullHD if im going to even notice it?

Also, can't seem to find any information on watching SD on a full HD tv set? - Comments?

- Thanks for your feedback Chris.

It's not so much the screen size as the viewing distance. You'd need to be sat at something like 2 screen widths distance or closer to see a resolution difference. For a 32" screen that means sitting at four and a half feet or closer

How good SD is on a full HD screen very much depends on the quality of the TV's processing electronics. Have you had a look at AV Forums? Here's a link to a search for comments on the Tosh

I had a quick look at the manufacturers web sites for each TV. The Tosh site gives a reasonable amount of decent info. Sony is rubbish as usual. Lot's of waffle and padding but very little hard data for comparison Both sets claim to do 24 frames per second which is good if you plan to go Bluray. Although the Sony is a HD ready 768p set it doesn't seem to support a 1080p input according to the specs If no 1080p support then why bother with 24fps? The only other comment is that the Tosh looks like their top of the range 32", whereas the Sony is their entry or midrange product.

Fantastic

Very helpfull, many thanks Chris.

I have a much better understanding now, i think im going for the Tosh.

Cheers

I've got the Tosh. Cost me £100 more than that though and I've only had it a few weeks!

Can't fault it in HD. Very happy with it. Noticeable difference using the Wii as well. Since playing with the settings to get the best out of the HD picture I've noticed the SD picture losing some quality, so I revert to Scart when not watching HD.

Interesting sideline here.... From what I gather on the Which? website, there is an EU directive that states any Television capable of recieving and decoding DVB-T (Freeview) should also have/include a Common Iterface slot (CI slot)... Therefore, any DVB-T set that doesn't have one is technically illegal...... Has anyone told ASDA, Argos, Curry's and some other retailers selling off "cheap" sets this? Some manufacturers don't seem to be aware of this directive also, S*G*M, B*SH, MATS*I for some!

You're mis-quoting the regulation, it ONLY applies to sets above a certain size - below that there's no such requirement.

I can't say I've noticed any sets breaking this requirement since in came fully into force?.

Just bought a Toshiba 32xv505db 1080p set to replace our dead 28" crt set. Currys advertised it at £399 but none in stock so I took the info printed off the net and asked Comet to price match it and they reduced their price by £100-00 to match it! great set, now I need a dvd player with an upscaler for my collection of discs.

I am going to wait a few months,now with the re session
which we all knew about,being official.

The prices of all electrics will drop like a stone,the repo market is now very busy with loads of bargains, ok YOU TAKE A CHANCE, but a 32 inch LCD for under £60 is well not bad, thats the going rate around here at repo auctions
some sets under 6 months old, Sonys and others

CP

Not according to Which? they checked the wording of the directive very carefully. It is easy to make the mistake that it refers to larger screen sizes (26" onwards) but that is not the case. What makes it difficult is the language of the directive makes it unclear that there are execptions to the rule. Hence; manufacturers were/are able to get away with leaving out the CI slot and adding other features instead. If the directive is reviewed and the wording made clearer, then quite a few current products could be termed illegal and may warrant a maufacturer being prosecuted, and the product(s) being withdrawn from public sale.
It's apity that this wasb't applicable to the firmware/software for DVB-T boxes that used the SetPal system. A lot of misery and confusion could have been avoided.
Last edited by zaeon : 28-10-2008 at 11:41

Which are well known for not getting anything right

Like I said, the directive only applies to sets over a certain size - so smaller sets often don't have them.

Interesting! I'm a Which? (The question mark is part of their trademark BTW) member, and if I take your stance correctly, you are saying that they habitualy get everything wrong, Then why is it they are at the forefront of nearly all major consumer rights issues and offer only INDEPENDANT advice gleaned by rigourous research and extremly roubust testing criteria. (Most of the time their testing proceedures are far more intense than manufacturers or government testing agengies etc). Their legal advice is ALWAYS accurate and precice and second to none( The BBC have on occasion bowed to their legal expertise and used their advice on programmes such as Watchdog for example).
I know I can trust their advice, and it has been proven right far more than it has been proven wrong.
The current wording of the directive is vague enough to mislead manufacturers and the general public into believing that it applies only to screen sizes of 26" and above. It is up for review in 2010, as their may have to be ammendments regarding HD and other developments, so maybe then they might tighten up the wording and make it ALL clear.
This seems to be a flaw with the EU, it's policies can be so worded that they appear utterly nonsensical or unworkable in practice, beuraucracy for it's own sake, so-to-speak. Reminds me of a joke that appeared on the old Not The Nine o'clock News programme..." Due to a new driective from the European Parliament, All apples must now indicate the size and number of pips they contain!".