Ulukai on 2/8/2009 at 11:20
Mine has broked :(
It's not in warranty (4 years old now), and it's only 720p. It's Shiny time!
Criteria:
* Not plasma
* Good all rounder, I'll be watching normal def, high def and using it for my XBox.
* Between 37" and 42"
I'm not a huge AV nerd so I just want something decent and reasonably (£400-£700) priced. I've looked on some AV forums but it's mostly full of people who check the colour correction on Batman Returns with a mass spectrometer and speak through their adenoids.
Also, is it worth going for one with 100Hz?
And how come some TVs claim to be 1080p but don't have 1:1 pixel mapping?
bikerdude on 2/8/2009 at 13:42
Quote Posted by Ulukai
* Not plasma
* Good all rounder, I'll be watching normal def, high def and using it for my XBox.
* Between 37" and 42"
* I just want something decent and reasonable £700 priced.
* Also, is it worth going for one with 100Hz?
* And how come some TVs claim to be 1080p but don't have 1:1 pixel mapping?
Hi Ulukai
This probably wont come as a surprise, but ive been looking into this very subject for the last few years....:cheeky:
As the selection of TV's out there is just bewildering we have to choose a brand, and rescently I have been doing a lot of research (online/in person) on Samsung. I had been concentrating on the 6 series because they offer the most features for the least money, in this case upto £750.
As an benchmark screen, I choose the Samsung LE 40A686 - (
http://www.electrosaver.co.uk/product_details.asp?id=LCD%20TV&Product=Television&productid=LE40A686) link
* This monitor is a very good LCD in that in performs like a plasma.
* its has very wide viewing angles.
* its has very good contrast, whites are nice and bright and blacks are very black but stiull show enough detail.
* its has a good processing engine, its as good as my 36" Tosh CRT for live and moving images - this is part to its 100hz tech andf part nice low response times.
* And lastly it up-scales SD(standard Def.) very well, non of the usual pixelation of blockiness.
This screen is end of life, so is hard to find as Samsung have replaced it(I think) with the LE40 B650.
You also probably wondering why I choose a 40" instead of 42", this is because 40" screens are based on newer panel tech, meaning better colours, viewing angles etc - you`ll find the majority of 42" will be mostly re-baged previous generation panel tech.
Regarding 100hz, yes and always. Go into any Tv store and look at any non-100hz tv and watch when the camera pans from left to right or top to bottom and you will see what can only be described as image lag/judder. 100hz mostly removes this to the point that most people cant see the lag/judder anymore.
And finally there are 2 HD resolutions, 1280*720(720p) and 1920*1080(1080i/1080p), screens that are badged HD ready will only do 720p and screen that are badged Full HD will do either 1080i/1080P but your best getting ones that do 1080P. And as an addendum to that, Terrestrial and Satallite are only broadcast at 720p, its only bluray movies that work at 1080. The ther thing to look for if you watch a lot of HD movies is a feature called 24p(stands for 24 frames per second), more and more movies are using this. 1:1 pixel while common on computer monitors still hasnt filtered into mainstream TV's, seem daft I know, so if you want it you`ll have to look for it - carefully.
Also if looking for a a place to start when buying John Lewis are good because they are the only place offering a 5yr warranty as standard and unofficially they are flexible when it comes to dead pixels. And after them you have RicherSounds 5yr is exra, then Comet & Currys w/3yrs. But as always do lots of research and check the screen out in person if at all possible.
.
David on 2/8/2009 at 14:02
Sky+ HD is 1080i, not 720p
bikerdude on 2/8/2009 at 14:38
Quote Posted by David
Sky+ HD is 1080i, not 720p
Only on the sport channel/s I imagine and I think its not full 1080i either is 1440*1080i, and they stretch it to fit, same as the BBC, ITV etc. Also odds are that there isnt enough bandwidth left over to give the other HD channels more than 720p.
Ulukai on 6/8/2009 at 17:37
Thanks for the comprehensive info.
Not wholly convinced about the 100Hz thing but I'll have a wander through Comet to see if I can see what you're on about.
bikerdude on 6/8/2009 at 17:47
Quote Posted by Ulukai
Thanks for the comprehensive info.
Not wholly convinced about the 100Hz thing but I'll have a wander through Comet to see if I can see what you're on about.
Trust me, you can see the difference when you know what to look for and then it stands out by a mile. When you do go into comet, ask for the head of the Tv sale dept as she/he will know more than the sheep on the shop floor. Where abouts in the UK are you btw....?
Ulukai on 13/8/2009 at 16:14
After much deliberation, consultation with peers and traipsing through shops, I've gone for a (
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/t32-w-series/kdl-40w5500#pageType=TechnicalSpecs) Sony KDL40W5500, which fits very nicely into the space I have without suggesting Chav central. The missus even paid for some of it, because Hollyoaks just isn't the same on a 14" portable, apparently. Result!
There's 100 Hearses in it and 24p input. Apparently you can now get ones with 200 Hearses but only a fool would pay the price and I couldn't tell much of a difference, if any.
Ostriig on 12/9/2009 at 18:18
May I resurrect this thread for some advice? My parents will be moving into a new place this winter, and my dad wanted to finally get a proper TV set for the livingroom. Looking for a good LCD (said he doesn't want a plasma), around the 46'' mark, but the trick is that a 200Hz is also a point of interest. He wants a well future-proofed item.
Given the rumour about Sony bringing stereoscopic 3D to PS3 in the following years, I find it likely that we may come to see movies rolling out with 3D support, too. Now, nVidia's current 3D tech works on 120Hz, and the Sony rumour suggested a 200Hz req.
I was checking out this (
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/t46-z-series/kdl-46z4500#pageType=TechnicalSpecs) Bravia KDL-46Z4500, and it's got a good long list of stuff, with, as far as I can tell, the only notable absence of 1:1 mapping, but something called AFD (Auto Format Detect) present. Obviously, there's nothing like
seeing it for yourself, but can anyone venture an opinion on the features?
It also lists something called "Motionflow" 200Hz - does that mean it's actually 200Hz capable that could be used as a stereoscopic display, or is it some hairbrained scheme with a misleading name? And what's 24p?
Any other suggestions or pointers are very welcome.
bikerdude on 12/9/2009 at 20:03
whats their budget..? as a friend of mine with my advise has just bought as Phillips which ticks all my boxes.
