New TV questions.

[birdieman]

Old CRT TV is pegging out. Took a trip into town earlier and had a wander about Curry's looking the latest in tv's.

Questions -
Is it right to say LED is better than PLASMA which is better than LCD? Personally I was struggling to see much difference between the 3. Rather than LED/Plasma/LCD it seemed only HD signal made any real difference.

Will I really notice the difference in 100hz over 50hz models i.e. I'm told when something moves quickly on screen some say 100hz stops the moving object blurring - is this noticeable or BS? 50HZ models are going with big reductions.

HD - they're all HD ready but is it worth paying sky to upgrade or worth getting a freesat HD box over my usual sky one?

So who is the best online retailer to deliver a 40 or 42" size LED 100hz tv at a good price, safely and quickly and still offer a manufacturers 1 year warranty?

Max Budget £750.

Are all the brands much of a muchness or are some better than others, if so what are good?

Look forward to replies.

 

[bobmac]

Old CRT TV is pegging out. Took a trip into town earlier and had a wander about Curry's looking the latest in tv's.

Questions -
Is it right to say LED is better than PLASMA which is better than LCD? Personally I was struggling to see much difference between the 3. Rather than LED/Plasma/LCD it seemed only HD signal made any real difference.

Will I really notice the difference in 100hz over 50hz models i.e. I'm told when something moves quickly on screen some say 100hz stops the moving object blurring - is this noticeable or BS? 50HZ models are going with big reductions.

HD - they're all HD ready but is it worth paying sky to upgrade or worth getting a freesat HD box over my usual sky one?

So who is the best online retailer to deliver a 40 or 42" size LED 100hz tv at a good price, safely and quickly and still offer a manufacturers 1 year warranty?

Max Budget £750.

Are all the brands much of a muchness or are some better than others, if so what are good?

Look forward to replies.

Don't know


I look forward to the replies too

 

[Kellfire]

£750 for a 40"-42"?

I'd be looking for a 50" TV for that money, you'll get an absolute beast of a machine for that.

My Sony 40" cost me £500 about 18 months ago.

This model - http://www.sony.co.uk/product/t32-v-series/kdl-40v4000#pageType=TechnicalSpecs

It's absolutely stunning. At that size, you can stay well away from plasma and these days LCD can match the plasmas at bigger sizes than this anyway. I'm not totally up to date with the tech, so I won't offer much advice beyond saying that with that budget, you shouldn't get anything other than an absolute monster.

 

[Fyldewhite]

Can't help on the best retailer but we bought a 42' Panasonic Plasma from Comet for 599 (+130 for stand, don't forget to factor this in if not wall mounting although that has a cost too). Very happy with it.

Basically the more Hz the better the screen refreshes and therefore better for action/sport etc. The HD ready thing is a bit of a con as I understand you will only get the full 1080p benefit with Blue Ray or games consoles. Personally I have not opted for the HD box from Sky (yet). Remain to be convinced that with my eyes there's much benefit. HD is better right next to ordinary in the shop but do you really notice when it's home?.... All depends what you watch, how often etc etc. Golf is meant to be much better I believe but I don't watch golf....it's boring !!

Good luck.

 

[Smiffy]

I wouldn't waste my money on LED.
Have had 3 LCD's and am now on my first Plasma, a Panasonic 50" and have never been happier.
The picture quality is much better than any of my old LCD models which bearing in mind the size of the panel is amazing. And it's not the highest spec one either, nor is is full HD. Only "HD ready" and 1080i not 1080p.
But do I notice a difference? Not a jot. My Bluray collection looks every bit as good, if not better, on this one than it did on any of my 1080p LCD's.
I did a lot of studying of different models, reading up reviews on the A/V forums by people who have spent their hard earned on new screens, not just reviews by manufacturers who all tell you their tellies are the best. Have a look....
http://www.avforums.com/forums/tvs/

My Panny was the second cheapest in the range yet everybody who had bought one reckoned the picture quality of this model was better than the top of the range one.
Love it

And don't believe the scaremongers who warn of "screenburn" on Plasmas. Some LG models suffer from it slightly but Panasonic seem to have got it licked. I haven't suffered any on mine despite playing on the Xbox and Playstation.
And buy the biggest one you can comfortably fit in your living room 'cos sure as eggs is eggs you will want a bigger one if you settle for a 42" on the basis that a bigger one will be too big....does that make sense??????

 

[Kellfire]

HD is better right next to ordinary in the shop but do you really notice when it's home?

Yes, it is.

 

[Smiffy]

HD is better right next to ordinary in the shop but do you really notice when it's home?

I have a FreeSat box that picks up a couple of HD channels. If I watch something on BBC1 and then switch immediately over to BBCHD I can definitely see the difference and will always watch the HD offering if there is a choice.
On nature programmes it can be jaw dropping.
And golf? Yes, it does look better in HD.
I'm just waiting for F1 to be broadcast in it, which is a long time away all the time Ecclestone is getting his way

 

[Ethan]

It is too simple to say that LCD or LED os better or worse than plasma, or to buy on other spec features, other than perhaps full HD.

The best makes in your price range are Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, LG, Phillips. There are others outside your price range. What Hifi Sound and Vision does good reviews:
http://www.whathifi.com/Reviews/TVs-Reviews/TVs-Reviews/Rule-Price-601-1000,Screen-Size-42in/

Look for a set with 1080p, aka full HD, rather than HD ready. Look for somewhere where you can demo sets in proper conditions rather than have the bright lights of Currys where all the settings on the TV are turned up to 11.

HD TV is definitely better than SD.

 

[Smiffy]

Look for a set with 1080p, aka full HD, rather than HD ready.

A 1080i panel will handle SD broadcasts better.
And I guarantee you will not see the difference watching a Bluray played on a 1080p screen over a 1080i.
Guarantee

 

[birdieman]

Thanks,
1080p or 1080i - explain the difference please. I thought it was just 1080 against the older 760 something for HD speed?

 

[chris661]

Dont just automatically plump for the biggest is best brigade either, you WILL notice $hitty picture quality if you get a monster screen and the room is not big enough. General rule of thumb is to be sitting 2.5 times the size of the display away to get it right.

Oh and get one where you can connect your laptop/pc up to it as well.

 

[Kellfire]

Thanks,
1080p or 1080i - explain the difference please. I thought it was just 1080 against the older 760 something for HD speed?

1080i is fake 1080p, basically. One refreshes every line every time, one takes turn refreshing alternate lines.

As for whoever said that they see no difference between HD Ready and Full HD, may I suggest a trip to Specsavers?

 

[Smiffy]

As for whoever said that they see no difference between HD Ready and Full HD, may I suggest a trip to Specsavers?

Errr that was me! And I'm already a Specsavers customer.
But then, so must many others...

http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-tvs/1234332-differences-pq-between-1080i-1080p.html

So which give the best "feel"...forged or cast clubs????

 

[Kellfire]

I dunno, what is my putter?

 

[bobmac]

So which give the best "feel"...forged or cast clubs????

Depends where you shove them

 

[RGDave]

If I may be so bold, can I suggest the following.

DO NOT buy an HD ready TV. It's a compromise TV serving neither standard definition or HD properly. In a short while, freeview HD will be available over large parts of the country.

http://www.freeview.co.uk/HD

I bought a FULL HD TV a few months back with in-built freesat HD but only regular freeview. As I had a sky dish (previously installed but unused) I didn't need the freeview HD.

1080i uses interlaced scanning
1080p uses progressive scanning

They both use the same amount of pixels, but they "refresh" at different rates. On normal SD telly (which looks OK, but not that sharp) you won't notice a difference. On HD telly, (with blu-ray for example) the difference is quite noticeable. If you end up getting FULL HD TV signals through freeview or freesat or even sky, the FULL HD is a must. If you don't have any intention, then any decent LCD TV will do the trick.

In a way, the old LCDs of a few years ago probably produced the best picture of standard definition I've ever seen.

I conclude....if you are never going to want to watch HD TV, buy a nice "last-season" TV and ENJOY! You won't even need 1080i......720i is fine, not that they sell them.
If you think you might one day wish to buy a freeview HD box or maybe even a blu-ray player when they come down to £60 in a few years then don't compromise....buy full HD.

I watched the open on BBC HD on a full HD TV and it was amazing.