Recommend a new TV please?

M

MandaC

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Hi, hoping you can give some advice to someone who has a complete phobia of all things technological!

My poor tv has packed up and unfortunately I find myself having to shell out for a new one. There seems to be more and more of these lcd tv's rather then the traditional ones. I will be looking for probably a 32" and there ones I have seen are from Phillips, Sharp and Sanyo in the region of £1,200. Has anyone ever heard of the LG brand?
The Sony ones are more expensive, are they better?

Can anyone make any recommendations for me please. I dont watch that much tv, and dont have sky digital or anything like that, just ordinary NTL. Will I have a problem with reception, etc.

Also, in some of the other posts, people mentioned problems with these TV's in relation to the angle of viewing, etc.

Many thanks

MandaC
 
MandaC, I have a 32" JVC flat screen tv (not lcd) as my main tv and I absolutely love it. I bought it 2 years ago for just over 1000 euro and I have had no problems at all. The picture is crystal clear and the sound is excellent. I also have a 26" Sharp lcd in my bedroom and although I am very happy with it as a second television I still prefer the older one. If you don't watch a lot of tv maybe you should go for something quite cheap?
 
DID have a JVC 32" flat screen for €699 and this includes the cabinet, so perhaps this is the way to go for me. Will look into it. Thanks.
 
DID also do a HD ready Philips LCD for €1,199. Have bought one recently and a very pleased. LG are I believe well know abroad but are relatively new to Ireland. You could also check out Komplett.ie - there prices seem keen compared to the DID's & Power City's. Disadvantage is that you don't get to see it until it's bought & paid for.

Gel
 
Used to have an LG computer monitor which was excellent.
Still have an LG washing m/c which came with a five years parts & labour warranty.

As brand I would recommend them.

My own TV however is a Toshiba LCD 1368 X 760 pixelswith built in digital for Freeview
Another excellent bit of kit.
 
gel said:
DID also do a HD ready Philips LCD for €1,199. Have bought one recently and a very pleased. LG are I believe well know abroad but are relatively new to Ireland. You could also check out Komplett.ie - there prices seem keen compared to the DID's & Power City's. Disadvantage is that you don't get to see it until it's bought & paid for.

Gel
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I like the Samsung 32" LCDs for the price - c. €1500 around town, €1350 on Komplett. But I'm not sure if the Samsung and LG LCDs that Komplett.ie sell have the Irish dual tuner for UHV and VHF... Without this, you won't be able to get all the terrestrial channels, unless you get cable or Satellite.

The €1,199 Philips is a bit boring in the syling and not as fully featured as their premium ones, but the premium ones cost twice as much or more!
 
LCD versus Plasma

The advantages of LCD (or Plasma) over CRT have been covered elsewhere on AAM, but briefly:
  • LCD and Plasma are lighter than CRTs and can be hung on the wall which can be very useful from a space saving perspective
  • LCD and related technology is arguably the way of the future - Sony have stopped making CRTs, for example
  • Screen burn-in, low refresh and short lifespan are largely a thing of the past now on modern LCDs and Plasmas. However, for the first 48 hours of usage, the contrast and colour should be kept low, as they are more susceptible to burn-in at the beginning of their life. Also, as with computer panels, avoid displaying the same image (or same onscreen logo) for hours at a time.
  • Viewing angle used to be a problem on early LCDs - not so much any more.
  • Plasmas are better for big sizes (over 42") as they are cheaper to make than LCDs currently at these sizes
  • LCDs are probably better for 32" - 40" sizes as they are easier to maintain than Plasmas (Plasmas can't be re-energised when the gas eventually starts to fade)
  • CRTs on the other hand will have a better picture for the money. If you don't need the form factor (or the cool factor) of an LCD or Plasma, then CRT is the way to go!
  • I have not seen many HD-Ready CRT TVs at 32" - most of the HDTV models are LCD or Plasma
 
I don't watch much TV and wanted something that woldn't take over the apartment so I got 21" LCD for E350. Not going to impress your friends but the picture's great and I love it. Hardly notice it when it's not turned on.
 
21" for €350 seems like a good deal. Can you say what brand and where purchased?
 
It was a Phillips and I got it in Mountjoy square on sale last year. It isn't widescreen, though.
 
Sorry, asked my girlfriend last night and it turns out that we payed nearer 450-500 for the TV. Obviously I was cought up in my own brilliance at having got such a good (if imaginary) deal.
 
Got my Samsnung 32M61 this morning, will set it up when I get home and let you all know what I think....
 
I got a Samsung 32 inch conventional CRT. I got it because it is quite stylish with a very good reception and only cost 599 euro.

I did consider a plasma and LCD but picture quality is not great on either. Remember LCD's are designed for PC's so if you're watching something that is fast moving the picture is generally really bad (e.g. watch a football match and the ball with be blurry).

A lot of people buy LCD's and Plasma's because they want something that looks good and think they'll get a better picture quality. That's not the case.

The only reason I would buy an LCD (wouldn't buy a Plasma either way) is if I want to hang my tv up on the wall. Otherwise I wouldn't waste your money on something you will be replacing in a couple of years (picture quality will get much better and also HD will be brought in).
 
doberden said:
wouldn't buy a Plasma either way
Click to expand...
Depending on the size (>42" I believe), Plasma may be the most cost effective solution

doberden said:
is if I want to hang my TV up on the wall
Click to expand...
.... or generally try and save on wasted space. CRTs are superb value for money, but many (me included) would rather spend a little extra on the TV in order to save the space.
My current living space would lose about 1m^2 straight away and about twice that made redundant if I were to opt for a CRT.

...... the whole playing with a new gadget thing does slip in there somewhere too, much as I hate to admit it.
 
heather said:
How much was the Samsung if you dont mind me asking?
Click to expand...

Mine was 1,799 euro, but you can get cheaper modles, however I went for the latest.

Use it with my xbox360, looks great. Also have anologue NTL which looks pretty good considering the signal.....
 
As for CRT V's LCD...

Most new LCD's are HD Ready and alot of users use it for the 360 which is already HD, so it depends what you want to use it for. I will eventually use it for my Mac also...so it really depends on your needs...
 
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