McPhee Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I figured this board needed a sole HDTV thread because most of the threads in here are questions about which TV to buy. In this guide i'll go through a glossary of terms, an outline of where the industry is now and where its going in the future, a brief buying guide detailing what to look out for and what to avoid and a list of good tvs at various budgets. I'll start with a brief description of the different types of TV sets (because its late and this will only take me 10 mins): Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) - The classic style TV set. Its being phased out now, first in favour of Plasma and now in favour of LCD. General Advantages: - Cost - CRTs are very cheap, especially when compared to Plasma Advantages over LCD: - Higher refresh rates/response times - Makes the picture appear more fluid - Better colour clarity - Wider viewing angle In short, a CRT produces a better picture than LCD but it does have its drawbacks: Disadvantages: - Bulky - Heavy - High power consumption - Display is analogue so some loss in quality from digital sources - Potential screen burn Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) - The new boy on the scene. These sets are relatively cheap, small, light, power efficient and they are getting better at a fast rate. LCD is on its way up and will be the standard very shortly Advantages: - Relatively cheap - Small and light - Power efficient - Good colour reproduction - Perfect sharpness at native resolution - No screen burn Disadvantages: - Fixed resolution - Poor contrast ratio - Handles blacks poorly - Dead pixels can be a problem - Low viewing angle - Low refresh rate Plasma - Plasma screens are expensive but they produce a great picture. This technology has been on its way out for years but companies like Pioneer and Panasonic continue to push it with great results. Although the market has shifted towards LCD, Panasonic, Pioneer and other Plasma specialists still produce TVs that prove that LCD still hasnt quite made the grade. Advantages: - Good contrast ratios - Excellent colour reproduction - Excellent viewing angle - Handles blacks well Disadvantages: - Heavy - Expensive - Power hungry - Susceptible to screen burn - Fragile Sorry about the lack of an update, i am working on it but as it turns out a decent glossary takes a lot of work. Thought about cutting and pasting but cant find a decent up-to-date one so been going about this the old fashioned way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caris Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Good thread, i never actually new what CRT stood for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jordan Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Heh, me and staff we wondering about making one. Definite sticky. You might want to talk about interlaced and progressive modes (right word?) ie: 480i/p 540p, 720p, 1080i/p etc. Oh and inputs: HDMI, component etc. Good job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogbas Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Nice thread. You also might want to point out that plasma tvs need a dim room. Because the image isn't as bright as in an lcd screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Oh hey, I just suggested this thread. Great minds, eh? If anyone else has anything complete they might like to add, like good brands to go with, sizes, what price to expect, retailers... someone could edit it into the first post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McPhee Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Heh, me and staff we wondering about making one. Definite sticky. You might want to talk about interlaced and progressive modes (right word?) ie: 480i/p 540p, 720p, 1080i/p etc. Oh and inputs: HDMI, component etc. Good job Theres going to be a section in the buyers guide about the different modes and resolutions, one of the most misunderstood parts of TVs today Nice thread. You also might want to point out that plasma tvs need a dim room. Because the image isn't as bright as in an lcd screen. Cheers for that, didnt know. Now i think about it my dads plasma is terrible when its very sunny/spotlights are on Oh hey, I just suggested this thread. Great minds, eh? If anyone else has anything complete they might like to add, like good brands to go with, sizes, what price to expect, retailers... someone could edit it into the first post Yeah, any help would be much appreciated. If you post something up and it fits then i'll add it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Laguna| Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Seeing as CRT was mentioned, I thought it would be OK to ask a question here about one. OK. I have a CRT television with only 1 Scart socket, which is RGB enabled. However, my family need to have the VCR DVD combo thingy hooked up all the time, so that takes up the scart lead. Now if I want to play a console with RGB, I have to use that 1 scart socket in the back of the TV. The two scart sockets on the VCR do not produce an RGB signal, so currently I have to keep groping the back of the TV each time I want to play/end a game, and is generally just very inconvenient. My question is, would something like this, or this work? Would I still get the RGB signals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McPhee Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 They should work, yes. You could always just connect the VCR to the TV via composite using a Scart to 3 RCA (Composite) cable, assuming your TV has composite ports (which most do, the yellow/white/red) Will update this guide on Wednesday, don't really feel like doing it on days i've been working. Probs be another update on Friday and then one on Sunday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielTimothy Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Any suggestons on what makes are best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caris Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Panasonic are one of the best brands in Electrical products, Sony make great TV's as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipaul Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Any suggestons on what makes are best? The aforementioned Panasonic I hear are good, or if you are very rich, bang and olufsen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielTimothy Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 LG - 26" Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV (Decent Size, Sexy Looking, OK Price.) Price: £409.99 (On Amazon) I was thinking about getting this. LG is a good make (right?) so it won't break, it will be good quality and have all the connections I'm after. What do you think? Could my money be used on anything better? Thanks for the replys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McPhee Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 I was thinking about getting this. LG is a good make (right?) so it won't break, it will be good quality and have all the connections I'm after. The LG badge doesnt necessarily mean its a good TV, its like saying Tesco's Basics range is the same as its Finest. You should look at reviews for that TV, if you cant find any then avoid buying because it usually means its dross The 26" version of the critically acclaimed 32WLT66 is only £80 more here: http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~TOS-26WLT66.htm The 32" is available for between £550 and £600 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Tv wise, anything from SONY, Panasonic, LG, Samsung will do fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielTimothy Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Thanks. 10 Characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Boo Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 What are the T.Vs that everyone are getting for their wii's? Panasonic? cause they look lush, but way too expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielTimothy Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Philips Or the LG I posted above? I need to burn birthday money, please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocka Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Okay I think the time has come to start thinking about buying an HDTV. I'm thinking about the future though, as autumn/winter 2008 i'll most likely be off to Uni and want to bring a HDTV that is suitable size wise. I take it LCD is the way to go, as plasmas seem more suited for families who want it for a cinematic experience in their lounge. I'll be using mine mainly for gaming, DVDs (+HD-DVDs/Blu Ray discs in the future) and also normal TV but not as much. What do you guys recommend? What size should I go for? Price wise i'm willing to spend up to £1000 probably, but if any you go over that still mention it because I may wait and get in a sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caris Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 26" Sony Panasonic or Samsung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stefkov Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 26" Sony Panasonic or Samsung. Agreed. I was reading the newspaper a couple days ago and I think Argos, I'm not sure, had a Sammy 32" for £699.99. Which was amazing value for a HDTV imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocka Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 You sure it wouldn't be ideal to have a little more than 26" ? Just seems a little small for my liking, as i'm very used to 32". I am likely to get less than 32" but....26 seems a little too small. I really like the look of this one. What is HDMI btw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stefkov Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Thats the same as my tv, and I tell you 26" isnt small. It's big enough for 360 gaming and watching CSI or the Mighty Boosh. Thats a great price..even though its nearly as much as mine and mine was second hand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocka Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hm I guess it is the perfect size for what I want. Cheers guys, i'm pretty much leaning towards it now. If anyone else has anything to contribute please do however. EDIT: wow play.com have it at a fantastic price http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/924621/Samsung_26_LE26R74BDX_XEU_Freeview_HD_Ready_Widescreen_LCD_TV/Product.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caris Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 HDMI stands for High Def Multimedia Interface. Its the best connection you can get, New 360's, PS3's, HD-DVD and Bluray Players, SKYHD Boxes etc use it. It bassicaly the new Scart Socket. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocka Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 HDMI stands for High Def Multimedia Interface. Its the best connection you can get, New 360's, PS3's, HD-DVD and Bluray Players, SKYHD Boxes etc use it. It bassicaly the new Scart Socket. Hope that helps Ah I see, cool. When you say new 360's annoys me though, as I really don't want to have to go and get that new Zephyr model or whatever. Does the 360 HD-DVD Player count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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