Posted June 9, 2008 No idea, i'm just as hopeless! I'm after a 32" or higher, price range of about £500-600, preferably plasma i think as i've read that it's better than LCD for numerous reasons, and i obviously want good quality with at least two HDMI ports. I also like Samsung for some reason, i dont know why. My current tv is from them. Anyway, i saw this one but i think 42" might be a bit big for my room. http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1225059280.1213029453@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccgdadeefkhimddcflgceggdhhmdgml.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=555390&category_oid=-28723 Any ideas where i could get a smaller one, 32 or 37 perhaps? What are you gonna be using the set for? Think of the decision between Plasma and LCD as being on a sliding scale; if it's for HD gaming, PC work and Blu-Ray then get an LCD. If it's for Sky, Freeview, DVDs, Wii etc. then Plasma is better. You just need to decide which end your uses are more geared towards. The best Plasma for that money is this: http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0006032036.1213039939@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadeefmiighdcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=122057&category_oid=-28723 Panasonic are giving away a free 5 year warranty on their TVs at the moment, but you have to buy in store. It's just a case of finding a participating retailer near you that sells this set for a decent price. The 42" version isn't much more either! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 9, 2008 Ebuyer is well know. It's just not high street. Ok you can't pick it up but it's free delivery. Also the Comet and Asda ones don't post the response times. I'd rather it's somewhere I can pick it up, I'm a bugger for waiting for things, specially something that expensive and I don't like the idea if it breaks also. At least if it breaks I can walk into argos etc and yell at them to fix it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 9, 2008 What are you gonna be using the set for? Think of the decision between Plasma and LCD as being on a sliding scale; if it's for HD gaming, PC work and Blu-Ray then get an LCD. If it's for Sky, Freeview, DVDs, Wii etc. then Plasma is better. You just need to decide which end your uses are more geared towards. The best Plasma for that money is this: http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0006032036.1213039939@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadeefmiighdcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=122057&category_oid=-28723 Panasonic are giving away a free 5 year warranty on their TVs at the moment, but you have to buy in store. It's just a case of finding a participating retailer near you that sells this set for a decent price. The 42" version isn't much more either! Hmmm, i'll be using it for HD gaming and Blu-Ray. But i got the impression from this website that Plasma was better in general for larger screens. Plasma LCD I'm so confused. It looks so much better from their examples. Thanks for that tip though, i'll ask inside my local Dixons as that would be very handy (i usually ignore the addedwarranty, terrible i know but it costs so much). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 9, 2008 Hmmm, i'll be using it for HD gaming and Blu-Ray. But i got the impression from this website that Plasma was better in general for larger screens. Plasma LCD I'm so confused. It looks so much better from their examples. Thanks for that tip though, i'll ask inside my local Dixons as that would be very handy (i usually ignore the addedwarranty, terrible i know but it costs so much). It's not a particularly good comparison as it's fairly well known now that LCD sets are better at producing whites and Plasma sets are better at blacks. Both pictures could be improved by adjusting the picture settings for contrast and colour, so it's down to refresh rate really and Plasma wins on that score...although LCD is catching up pretty quick with brands like Toshiba's REGZA range. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 9, 2008 Yeah i see what you mean. My current TV is LCD though and i do sometimes think it looks washed out, and when you watch widescreen films the letterbox is a greyish black rather than jet black. So i think i will try the plasma. Or i may just go into dixons and see which one looks the nicest to me! It has to wait until payday though sadly! Only three more weeks to go :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 10, 2008 That website is run by Panasonic and Pioneer :p Plasma TVs have a higher contrast ratio, deeper blacks and crisper whites. Motion blur isn't a problem and generally colours tend to be richer. LCD produces a sharper image, even when comparing 720p vs 720p. You can get a 1080p LCD for the price of a Plasma so there really is quite a huge difference in the sharpness of the picture. LCDs also consume less power and aren't prone to burn in. Buy a decent LCD with 100Hz processing and the only real downside is black level. It's a difficult one, if 1080p LCDs hadn't dropped in price so much then it'd be a no-brainer (in favour of Plasma). That resolution difference does make things more interesting... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 11, 2008 Just a question is 1000:1 contrast ratio ok? I know the higher the better, but everything I have seen curretly is 800:1 which is abit pants apprently xD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 11, 2008 It's not too bad. Not the greatest but it should be ok. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 11, 2008 It's not too bad. Not the greatest but it should be ok. It's probably twice as good as the chunk of metal thats as old as me upstairs, so if it's ok it'll probably be great to me! :awesome: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 11, 2008 It's probably twice as good as the chunk of metal thats as old as me upstairs, so if it's ok it'll probably be great to me! :awesome: Funnily enough the opposite is more likely. These old TVs have contrast ratios in the tens of thousands and produce far better pictures than LCDs. LCD TVs are only popular because they are small and a cheap route in to high definition TV, the techonology itself is crap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 13, 2008 The best Plasma for that money is this: http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0006032036.1213039939@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadeefmiighdcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=122057&category_oid=-28723 Panasonic are giving away a free 5 year warranty on their TVs at the moment, but you have to buy in store. It's just a case of finding a participating retailer near you that sells this set for a decent price. The 42" version isn't much more either! This is my TV. And it fantastic!! Brilliant on BBC freeview (ITV are cheap and nasty IMO!), Sky and Movies. Wii looks good too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 13, 2008 This is my TV. And it fantastic!! Brilliant on BBC freeview (ITV are cheap and nasty IMO!), Sky and Movies. Wii looks good too! How's the high-def though? I dont care about how TV looks, i want the sharpest high-definition picture for games and Blu-Rays. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 13, 2008 Funnily enough the opposite is more likely. These old TVs have contrast ratios in the tens of thousands and produce far better pictures than LCDs. LCD TVs are only popular because they are small and a cheap route in to high definition TV, the techonology itself is crap. Yeah you can't beat a good old CRT. When we first got a HDTV we bought a high-def slimline 32" Samsung CRT. It was the biggest pile of shit I've ever seen. Some parts of the screen were a few seconds behind others. And the colours were crap. People's face would be all one shade. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 13, 2008 Yeah you can't beat a good old CRT. When we first got a HDTV we bought a high-def slimline 32" Samsung CRT. It was the biggest pile of shit I've ever seen. Some parts of the screen were a few seconds behind others. And the colours were crap. People's face would be all one shade. Thats because HD CRTs should cost thousands. Samsung tried to make them mass market, but had to cut the cost by such a large amount that they ended up with a piece of shite. How's the high-def though? I dont care about how TV looks, i want the sharpest high-definition picture for games and Blu-Rays. Motion = Great Black Level = Great Sharpness = Not so great At 1080p LCD and Plasma are level. At 720p LCD is sharper (due to the higher resolution, 1366x768 as opposed to 1024x720) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 14, 2008 I just bought one on a financial plan as i couldnt wait! It's 10% of the price for 10 months which isnt too bad, and the interest was a 10% deposit but it works out better for me that way as i wont notice the change in my bank as much! Anyway, it's the 37" LG5010 and it looked the best in store. LG seems to have a good reputation too so i'm happy and cant wait for it to be delivered next saturday. I could have gone for the 42" which was only like £100 more but i think that might be too big for my room. The 37" seemed to be more than enough when i was in the shop though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 14, 2008 Funnily enough the opposite is more likely. These old TVs have contrast ratios in the tens of thousands and produce far better pictures than LCDs. LCD TVs are only popular because they are small and a cheap route in to high definition TV, the techonology itself is crap. Oh noes don't say that...it should be ok though right? I don't want to go buy it thursday only to find my old tv is way better: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5293393/Trail/C%24cip%3D1500011405.Sound%2Band%2Bvision%3EC%24cip%3D1500011489.Televisions%3EC%24cip%3D1500011496.14%2Binch%2Bto%2B22%2Binch%2BLCD%2BTVs.htm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 14, 2008 Oh noes don't say that...it should be ok though right? I don't want to go buy it thursday only to find my old tv is way better: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5293393/Trail/C%24cip%3D1500011405.Sound%2Band%2Bvision%3EC%24cip%3D1500011489.Televisions%3EC%24cip%3D1500011496.14%2Binch%2Bto%2B22%2Binch%2BLCD%2BTVs.htm If you don't have any HD sources and are using it solely for standard definition stuff then your old TV will be better, but if you have a 360/PS3/Blu Ray player then you'll really see the difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 14, 2008 If you don't have any HD sources and are using it solely for standard definition stuff then your old TV will be better, but if you have a 360/PS3/Blu Ray player then you'll really see the difference. Well I'm buying it so I can use a wii effectively and freeview, so basically what I use it for now, my old tv is just too bulky and annoying...gah why cant i just have a nice flat screen telly, whys it so difficult gah ='[ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 15, 2008 I want an HDTV for under £380. The bigger the better, the better the better. It's for use with my PS3, Wii, and TV. I only care about the picture when playing games though, if the picture's crap whilst watching TV I don't mind. Please help? Should I invest in something more expensive or wait till sets get cheaper? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 15, 2008 I want an HDTV for under £380. The bigger the better, the better the better. It's for use with my PS3, Wii, and TV. I only care about the picture when playing games though, if the picture's crap whilst watching TV I don't mind. Please help? Should I invest in something more expensive or wait till sets get cheaper? For 380 you should be able to get something decent, whether it's really big or not depends, though visual wise you should be ok. I can't actually recommend anything but right now things seem to be quite cheap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 15, 2008 I want an HDTV for under £380. The bigger the better, the better the better. It's for use with my PS3, Wii, and TV. I only care about the picture when playing games though, if the picture's crap whilst watching TV I don't mind. Please help? Should I invest in something more expensive or wait till sets get cheaper? Here's one for £350: link. Seems good....5000:1 contrast ratio, 2 HDMI ports (360 and PS3 at once), freeview, component (best connection for Wii) and 32". Pretty great for that price actually. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 15, 2008 Im not at my computer now so finding links is a bit difficult but the new toshkba and samsung 32" sets can be had for about that. Theres also the Panasonic TH-32LMD70 for about £700 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 3, 2008 Anyone care to lend me some advice for purchasing a new HDTV? Basically I'm looking to replace my 23" shite HDTV (Purchased it at around the same time as the 360 was released). My current one doesn't have any HDMI ports, and is overall pretty shitty. I was thinking about this one http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1098115139.1215110396@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccadeehkmefdjcflgceggdhhmdfho.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=388570&category_oid=-21226 32" is the highest I can go to, mainly because my room is tiny! So is that a nice price for it? Looking for a 1080p (Which that one is) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 3, 2008 Good price, tho the benefit of 1080p is debatable on 32" TVs. In all honesty i'd look at the Panasonic LXD80, from what i've seen the picture is one hell of a lot better despite only being 720p. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 9, 2008 I have a qiestion about HDMI cables. I love my new tele, and PS3 and 360 games look incredible on it, but i am not impressed by the blu-ray quality. It always seems to look better in the shop. Now, i know i have a quality TV with 1080p and all that jazz, so what have they got different? So i started thinking maybe the cheap HDMI cable is the cause. My question is, does a more expensive HDMI cable actually make any difference? I know there was the big Monster scam, but after researching a little people do say gold-plated ones are better and that some cheaper cables dont even support 1080p at all. It's very confusing. I'm thinking of buying a new one if its worth the extra cost, probably for peace of mind more than anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
