bil

OK, need some practical advice here. Want to buy a TV and dvd player.

I look at all the stuff on the labels and my head starts to spin. Normally I'd just call the assisstant over and say 'sell me a TV, and start asking why this is more, and ...whatever.'


Can't do that here because I lack the technical whatsits in Spanish.

So, what makes a good TV? Which things ARE worth paying for? We don't do computer games, but it would be useful if my son could plug in something of that ilk. We have a freesat box that has to fit in, and a cable from the antenna and another from the satellite. Don't need anything too futuristic, but I'm aware that certain things are a good idea.


I see various Hertz, back lighting, LED or plasma, TDT of HD,cable,de page and alta definition.

We are looking at a 40 or 42 inch screen and the prices vary from 500 to 1500.

WRT the DVD, again, what's to look for so that we can play DVDs of all sorts, inc blueray and egUSA bought ones.

I'd really appreciate a bit of help here

bobd22

I'm afraid I just take pot look as they are much the same and the technology moves so quickly. I believe that many are actually made from same basic components in same factory but badged different. As soon as I buy something it seems within weeks there is something newer and better. Obviously you need scart sockets probably 2 of them but you can get doublers for them anywy, some have USB connections not sure what for maybe someone could enlighten me, does that allow you to attch pc and download programmes/films??

Rosemary

Because we are considering a new tv I asked about them in The Lab and was told to buy an LED tv. The only problem with integrated tdt is if it becomes faulty your whole set up is at risk.
Not all tvs use the same components and are definitely not all of the same quality.
Best bet for dvd answer would be to post in the lab, there are many knowledgable and helpful people in there.
Try led-tv-reviews.co.uk or ledtvs.net.



Graham

megmet

Can't really help you myself Bil as I've as much interest in TV as I have in watching a jelly set but.....

If you go somewhere like a Worton store (don't know if they're in your area), you will undoubtedly find someone there speaking perfect English.
I've always found them to be very helpful and knowledgeable about the products on sale.
So far we've bought from them.... TV, Cooker, Fridge-freezer, microwave, computer, screen/TV monitor, printer and a TomTom.
We've never had a problem or complaint so far and any questions we had were answered in English....which when you're buying Tech stuff and you want to know the why and what for it's a great advantage!

johnnyone

Almost everyone who buys a TV forgets about sound quality.
Make sure you listen before you buy, there are some pretty poor quality TVs out there when it comes to sound.
The thickness of the TVs makes it difficult for manufacturers to achieve good sound output and some are much better than others.

If I was buying now I would go for a LED tv with web browsing built in if possible.

snikpoh

Firstly, and to answer your USB question, it allows you to move films from a PC and then play them on the TV - or pictures or music.

I would go for an LED TV.
It should be PC compatible so I could use it as a screen for my laptop.
TDT for me would be essential (why have an extra box lying around?).
I would want it and the DVD to be capable of surround sound (5 in 1 or 7 in 1).
It should have a USB connection (see above).
I, personally, would not go for 3D just yet as I have still to see one that actually works!
It would have to be high definition.
It should have a fast refresh rate.

Can't think of much more just yet. As you say, there are really only about 3 or 4 main manufacturers and the rest buy from them. I seem to recall that the main players are LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony.

bil

Thanks for the suggestions. I've had recommendations for both plasma and LED. What I really need is someone like the PC and Sat guy, who can give me the whys and wherefores.

Sound, yeah, good point about that, and I bet a lot of people don't think about that.

We don't have Worton's, sadly.

The Guy

Be sure to get a HD TV, and not a HD Ready TV.
The latter requires sepertae HD TDT set top box, the former should have it built in, so you can watch the HD TDT channels (TDT Alta Definition)

Your freesat box should plug striaght into the new TV, by SCART, by component or HDMI.

The aerial goes straight into the TV, for TDT reception.

Not too sure what you mean by "another from the satellite"...I would have assumed your satellite cable should go into the Freesat box...but if you have another satellite dish / cable, then that would go into another satllite receiver.
But there are some TVs that have a built in satellite receiver also...

Most TVs have a PC input, good for plugging in PCs and laptops.
A seperate cable would be requried for sound fromt he PC to the TV. Personally, I forget the sound on the TV and just pipe everything through a seperate AV 6.1 sound system.

USB...some play just picture files, some play music, some play only a hanful of "movie" files. I found that Samsung play the most "downloaded" movie files, including the HD MVK file format. Sony did not play these files. (I took a USB stick with various file formats around the 6 or so shops testing TVs, found the ones that played the most files, then researched user comments on the net)

The bigger the contrast ratio, the bigger the range between "black and white".

The more hertz the faster the screen refreshes. Anything from 60htz will do, but 100htz would be better.

There are plasma, LCD and LED (not true LED, more LED lit!). SOme people still say the larger the TV (like 50"+) then plasma is still the way to go.

And, personally, I like the TVs with the speakers at the bottom, or hidden behing, and not stuck on the sides of the unit making it look bulky.

Most DVD / Blurays bought in Europe are region 2 disc only, and may require some "hack" to make them "all region". Also, some players are more problematic playing "copied / backup / downlaoded" discs than others.

Something to consideer are the number of input on the TV...how many SCARTs do you need, or can these also be used via compontent. How many HDMI input may you need.

I too would not really go for 3d at the moment...something in me says it wil be more of a gimmick and will not take off as much as HD has...

Everyones preference is different, so only advice and no recommendations. The only thing I can say is that if you see a TV you want, dont buy it immediately, but research it on the net...and read the user comments...

Unless you have a nice large budget then you could go for a small Panasonic HD TV...the one at Charlotte Motor Speedway is only 200 feet wide and 80 feet high and took Panasonic about 4 months to build....

http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/may/...ee-ar-1070563/

bil

Excellent, I was hoping you'd post.

A couple of questions please.

Contrast ratio, how is that measured and advertised?

Hertz. I see it range up to 400. Is it worth paying much more for 200 or 400? Does it make much difference over 100?

I have been told plasma over LED because it judders less???. Your thoughts on Plasma vs LED please.

The Guy

Like 50000:1
The higher the ratio, the more shades of grey the unit can show, and thus "supposeably" the cleared the colours and definitions.


They say for things over 100htz are good for PS3s and gaming and laptops and Blurays. I have not noticed much difference in anything about 100 htz...i suppose the eye can only "see" and process so much anyway...


Maybe the only way you will see this is for testing it your self...take a "fast" sport, like f1, and play it on both and see the difference, and which has less motion blur....or judder. Remember the TV is only as good as the source signal...

bil

Thanks for that.

Blurays and hertz. It makes sense to be able to play blurays, so what hertz do you need for them? will 200 do, or do you need to go to 400?

A friend talked of phasing and interlace (he has a 42" plasma). What's that to do with the price of fish please?

The Guy

Like I said, I have not noticed and difference so I cannot say if you want 200 or 400....

They are different type of HD...called scaling....(i thnk thats the fishy reference)
you get 1080p and 1080i
I think all 1080p TVs will also do 1080i anyway
1080i are UK HD standard
1080p are blu rays..
Yet some people say that 720p is better than 1080i - especially for fast sports!

read http://hometheater.about.com/od/tele...80ivs1080p.htm to confuse you...

bil

[QUOTE=The Guy;9558988]Like I said, I have not noticed and difference so I cannot say if you want 200 or 400....

No, what I meant was, if you want blu ray, 100 is too little? Do you need 200 as a minimum for blu ray?

Fred James

Totally agree with that point. TVs in showrooms are set up with a special "Demo" mode to make them look good.

There are loads of reviews on the Internet. If you see a particular TV you like just Google the model number.

Another thing I always do before buying a piece of electronics like a TV is to download the manual.

At the moment there are some good deals on LCD TVs as they are all moving to LED. It's a bit of a con really, the screen is the same, it's just the way they light it up. A good LCD screen can be better than a poor LED screen. They may be half an inch slimmer but so what?

Getting a TV with Internet options is not really that good in Spain as all the sites will be Spanish but one with the ability to connect to your PC via a wireless connection is worth it (it's called DNLA access). My Samsung can access all the music, video and picture files on my PC using WiFi (assuming you have a wireless router).

Incidentally almost all TVs use either Samsung or LG panels - mostly Samsung.

With regard to Plasma vs LCD, Plasma can be best in a true home cinema environment with no ambient light but here in Spain if you have a brightly lit room LED/LCD is miles better.

If you want really good sound and don't have an attached sound system a set of cheap PC speakers with a Woofer for around €30 will make a huge difference but these are best attached to the Sky/Freesat/DVD player audio outputs.

As for PC connection, if you have a recent laptop it will have an HDMI connection which is the best way of connecting it to the TV. That way, using a proxy you can use BBC iPlayer.

Forget 3D - it's a passing phase and their is very little original 3D material to watch.

As for DVD - buy a BluRay player - the prices have come right down.

Fred James

[QUOTE=bil;9559005] No 100hz is OK. You do need to make sure the TV is 1080p to get the best from BluRay.

Frankly unless you have a huge screen you won't notice the difference.

Also remember that to get the best from full HD you need to sit very close to the TV. Twice the diagonal of the TV is the optimum distance. It seems close at first but you get used to it.