Advice on new TV please

[edcayton]

So, I have had a bit of a windfall. I'm pretty sure I'm going with Virgin, partly to get the better broadband. My old Philips TV is about 20 years old. It has a 20 inch screen, but the old squarer format.

 

I need a bigger picture so I can read sub-titles more easily. I need a wider screen so I don't miss what's to the sides of the picture. I'm not altogether convinced by the picture quality of the modern screen types over CRT but a) no CRT available any more and b ) (haha-avoided the smiley!) my epileptic son assures me my old telly flickers a lot.

 

I sit 8-10 feet from the TV so

 

1) what size screen do I go for? My son's 42 inch is definitely too big.

2) what type of screen-LED, Plasma, LCD or any others I don't know about?

3) any particular make recommended-I used to reckon Sony for picture and Philips for sound, I can't find 

     Philips sets.  Does this trend for "sound bars" mean the sound is poor?

4) I don't have a DVD player, is it worth getting a set with one built in?

5) anything else I haven't thought of?

 

Many thanks in anticipation

 

Ed

 

[wollastonblue]

I don't work for Currys but have a look at something like this: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-blu-ray/televisions/large-screen-tvs-32-and-over/lg-32lb561v-32-led-tv-10002036-pdt.html?sPageInfo=2_20&sSortInfo=price-asc

 

I have been told by a few sources that LG make the bravia engines for Sony. I have a LG TV and they are superb. The best advice I can really give is go to your nearest electrical store and view them yourself. You may think 42" is too big, but believe me you do get used to it, and think how did I watch TV on something so small.

[30801]

3) any particular make recommended-I used to reckon Sony for picture and Philips for sound, I can't find 

     Philips sets.  Does this trend for "sound bars" mean the sound is poor?

Yes.

 

I've never come across a flat TV I can stand to listen to.

[Karhedron]

I have a 40" sony and I have been impressed with the overall quality (both picture and sound).

 

My parents have a similarly sized Samsung which is also very good. I believe the Samsung smartTV features are particularly good.

[MJI]

So, I have had a bit of a windfall. I'm pretty sure I'm going with Virgin, partly to get the better broadband. My old Philips TV is about 20 years old. It has a 20 inch screen, but the old squarer format.

 

I need a bigger picture so I can read sub-titles more easily. I need a wider screen so I don't miss what's to the sides of the picture. I'm not altogether convinced by the picture quality of the modern screen types over CRT but a) no CRT available any more and b ) (haha-avoided the smiley!) my epileptic son assures me my old telly flickers a lot.

 

I sit 8-10 feet from the TV so

 

1) what size screen do I go for? My son's 42 inch is definitely too big.

2) what type of screen-LED, Plasma, LCD or any others I don't know about?

3) any particular make recommended-I used to reckon Sony for picture and Philips for sound, I can't find 

     Philips sets.  Does this trend for "sound bars" mean the sound is poor?

4) I don't have a DVD player, is it worth getting a set with one built in?

5) anything else I haven't thought of?

 

Many thanks in anticipation

 

Ed

 

All TVs are now HD

 

1) 8-10 feet is about right for a 46" to 52", 42" is a bit small now

2) LCD is fine IF it is a good TV, LED backlights can be good, Plasma was brilliant wih Pioneer, but with Panasonic it is a matter of taste.

3) Model more important than make, buy the middle TV of the makers range, so if they do 4 ranges avoid the cheapest and head to head the middle two.

Sony still good, Samsung are well rated as are Lucky Goldstar, Panasonic do plasma as well which are good but use more electric, Phillips not sure of their current status.

4) Not integrated but buy a seperate BluRay player.

5) Make sure native Freeview HD tuner is fitted or buy a Freesat HD PVR - eg the Humax HDR. Humax are the safe choice for PVRs of both Freeview and Freesat just make sure HD.

 

Try testing them on a broadcast signal, BBC 1 HD should be fine, and also a Blu Ray, ask the shop nicely.

 

Most TVs are set up to be overbright so tone down the settings, mainly brightness.

Make sure it has a few HDMI ports for Blu Ray players or PVRs

 

A PVR will change your viewing habits for ever, record what you want and watch at your leisure.

 

I have a 46" Sony W series, cost quite a bit but looked so much better than the cheaper TVs.

[MJI]

Soundbars - no experience, but for normal TV the speakers in mine are OK, for films and games I have a 5.0 surround sound setup (still have not bought a sub woofer but I have 2 floor standers)

[Sidecar Racer]

I have a Panasonic 32'' LCD with smart capability , very good picture but I cant give a good

description of sound quality , that is because I'm partially deaf so use headphones for sound ,

the thing I like about this is that the headphone socket is remote from the sound circuit so you

dont cut out the sound when the phones are plugged in , it means that others can listen at the

same time at a volume that suits them .

 

 The ' smart ' bit is right , it's a damn sight smarter than me , after six months I'm still finding

out things that it will do .  

[Adrian Wintle]

I have a Samsung 22" LED and an LG 42" LED. Both are pretty good.

 

I wouldn't suggest a Plasma these days as they are heavier and much less energy efficient.

 

The difference between LED and LCD is how the screen is lit. The underlying display technology is the same. The LED units are a bit more energy efficient than the LCD ones.

 

I wouldn't go with a combined DVD/TV - if you want a DVD player buy a separate Blu-Ray player (will also play DVDs).

 

The other thing to look at is viewing angle - some TVs are better than others at off-angle viewing (both vertical and horizontal) if there is more than one person watching.

 

Adrian

[edcayton]

Thanks for replies so far guys. Talking about viewing angle, any recommendations about wall-mounting or not?

 

Ed

[hayfield]

We have had Samsung's now for years, ever so good. Our current one we toyed with getting one with internet access, within months we were buying a box to connect to it. Buy the one which has all the internet internally.

 

I have been with Virgin for internet for many years now, last May went on cable. First class service

[MJI]

Our TVs viewing angle is pretty good but it is a few years old now.

[lightengine]

We have an LG bought a few years ago. Really happy with it and as a bonus I can connect it to the 'import music' socket on my music system and the sound is boosted brilliantly.

 

 

edit.

When I sailed in the MN, crew used to swear buying Panasonic tv's as they worked everywhere we docked worldwide with just their tv top aerial or a large light bulb wired up to it.

[cnw6847]

We have a 37 inch Panasonic LED TV and are delighted with it. I also know a lot of people with Panasonic tvs and haven't heard any complaints.

 

Its worth going to look at tvs in the flesh as they can vary a lot, its quite a personal choice.

[coachmann]

I have an LG but have been using my sons Samsung for months. Why? Well because we can and because it has a 'Clear sound' facility that allows us oldies to hear what's being said much better. so when I buy one I know I want a Samsung. Recommended.

[MJI]

I do have to push the point, do not buy the cheapest, and try them head to head.

 

As an example I looke at 5 different 46" Sony TVs, not by design, just happened to be in two local shops and the Pioneer plasmas were not full HD at the time.

 

4 TVs were in the same shop same feed (Blu Ray) and 2 were to be honest quite dreadful, the other two were equally good, I then saw the cheaper of the two in another shop, yes pretty good, theyn the sales person showed me one between the two, well that was good, the best Sony TV of that size was the 2nd most expensive out of 5. The two cheap ones were rubbish, the ones either side of mine were good, but mine was best.

 

Then Sony changed their codes and the Sony LCD TV rule finally broke, which was buy a W series, I bought the last and top of W series range. All the staff tended to own them as they were best value.

 

I think I looked at around 20 different models and makes. I do tend towards Sony kit from long lasting Trinitron TVs and their excellent VCRs (I used to wander around the GWR with a Sony Beta protable)

[30801]

Its worth going to look at tvs in the flesh as they can vary a lot, its quite a personal choice.

Thinking about that, when looking see how reflective the screen is. My Panasonic is quite shiny and you have to angle it so you're not just staring at your reflection.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Sound, if funds allow run it through an audio amp and speakers. I wouldn't use TV speakers for anything beyond the weather forecast and 'talking heads' type productions.

 

 (I used to wander around the GWR with a Sony Beta protable)

Was this 'protable' a Beta version of a time machine they decided not to proceed with?

[wombatofludham]

I have a 37" Smart Panasonic LED and it's the best TV I've ever had.  I've always had Panasonics and never had any faults.  I find the sound fine, usually flat screens can be a bit tinny but this is great for normal viewing, although if I ever get into "home cinema" I might go for additional speakers.  The Smart capability is brilliant for watching iPlayer or YouTube, I spent last summer happily watching every Eurovision song contest from 1957 onwards which someone had kindly uploaded to YouTube...each to their own I suppose.

 

I second the idea of going to look at the screens in use at your local tin-shed emporium of electronics, although I got mine from Richer Sounds with a free multi-region Panasonic blu-ray player thrown in, Richer Sounds can often be good for specials like free blu-ray or dvd players and their prices were very competitive, no connection other than a happy customer.

[Ron Ron Ron]

You cannot judge by the company name because companies like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, LG etc, have different ranges of TV's aimed at different price points and different types of retail channel.

 

For example, the cheaper ranges are not only not-as-good, they often employ the technology and hardware from previous generations of sets and in some cases are not even made by the company themselves, or in their main factories, but outsourced to other manufacturers or made in their own overseas plants which deal with less cutting-edge products.

 

e.g. Samsung may make their more expensive ranges in Korea, but their lower quality budget ranges in their Chinese factories. Likewise Sony may make their top and mid-range TV's in Japan, but their ultra-budget cheapo sets (sold in the likes of Tesco or Argos) are made for them by the likes of the Ying Tong Diddle Hi Ho company in China or the Wok Da Fook Company in Vietnam. [Just examples, the names made up of course !]

 

Retail channels such as Supermarket chains, tend to stock only or mainly budget, lower spec. models from the "big name" manufacturers.

In some cases those manufacturers have created these cheapo ranges just for these low cost outlets.

 

As such, I agree with the advice given above to go for a mid-range model (as a starting point) if you want a decent TV.

Go for a "higher" model if you can afford or can justify it.

 

 

.

[Ron Ron Ron]

......I got mine from Richer Sounds with a free multi-region Panasonic blu-ray player thrown in, Richer Sounds can often be good for specials like free blu-ray or dvd players and their prices were very competitive, no connection other than a happy customer.

 

Richer Sounds specialise in selling "end of line" models at very competitive prices.

Although they do carry some current models, it can be a good place to go for last years mid and upper TV's, at this year's budget model's price.

 

 

.

[Ron Ron Ron]

1) what size screen do I go for? My son's 42 inch is definitely too big.

You will find that compared with old CRT TV's, you will probably want larger screen area.

As the TV's themselves take up less space (including width and height) for a given screen size, a larger screen can easily be accommodated.

It's personal preference, but I'd say the smallest size to replace your 20/21" "square" CRT would be 32"; but that is quite small by today's standards.

In my estimation (YMMV) the equivalents of the old 28" & 32" (flat) widescreen CRT's are 37" & 40/42" respectively.

You might want to look at a 37" first.

 

 

2) what type of screen-LED, Plasma, LCD or any others I don't know about?

As already mentioned above, LCD and LED are both LCD. The only difference is the type of backlighting.

There are even different types of LED screen.

 

Plasma is now on its way out, IIRC it's due to manufacturing costs and energy ratings.

Although Samsung and LG have both continued with a limited range of Plasma sets, alongside their LCD and LED mainstays, it has been Panasonic who have continued to champion Plasma for their mid and higher range models.

Alas this is now changing as Panasonic are finally moving away from Plasma production.

 

Others? OLED - used mostly on high-end and Ultra HD 4000k TV's.

 

 

3) any particular make recommended-I used to reckon Sony for picture and Philips for sound,

See post 20 above.

You cannot always use a brand name as a guide across their entire product range.

 

 

I can't find Philips sets.

I seem to remember reading that Philips are getting out of TV production? However, their web site is showing a range of new models ?????

 

 

Does this trend for "sound bars" mean the sound is poor?

Because of the small space available for speakers, sound does suffer; but this varies from brand to brand and model to model.

It's not as bad as sometimes made out, but some manufacturers have a reputation for poorer than average sound (e.g. Samsung). Some TV's are poor in this department though IMHO.

 

Where it matters is if you want better than average sound quality or to get the best from movies or gaming.

In that case, people will tend to go for a separate surround sound, or a home cinema set-up.

Soundbars are just a convenient way of getting "better sound" or a home cinema effect, without having to have multiple speakers and wires scattered around your viewing room.

Note that Soundbars vary from crap, through mediocre to very good and very expensive.

 

 

4) I don't have a DVD player, is it worth getting a set with one built in?

Don't get a built-in one.

They tend to be associated with budget and cheapo TV's and the DVD or BluRay player is often pretty rubbish too.

Also, if the DVD/BluRay player goes kaput, it's less convenient to replace it than just swapping out a separate player.

 

 

5) anything else I haven't thought of?

Already mentioned - make sure the on-board Freeview tuner is Freeview HD. You'd be surprised at how many have still not been updated.

Many cheaper TV's only have a standard definition Freeview tuner, even though they can handle 1080p pictures.

 

SMART TV - big selling point these days, but I find ours (we have 3 with this) all to be slow and cumbersome in internet operation.

 

3D - don't let any salesman tell you this is worth having.

It's virtually dead-in-the-water as technology and although it's included (gratis) on a lot of TV's, the manufacturers themselves are not promoting or pursuing this feature any longer.

 

4K - The latest sales drive, having replaced the failed 3D exercise in the marketing wars.

At the moment expensive, but prices are coming down and there's very little content to watch in 4K (no TV transmissions, few BluRay discs etc).

By the time that TV broadcasts and Movies are commonplace in this Ultra HD format, it's very likely the TV's themselves will have moved on in quality and technology.

 

Curved screens - Very new, high end only, very expensive. Is it a gimmick?

 

HDMI sockets - Are there enough for your current or future needs?

 

The TV stand (the one that comes with and is attached to the Telly itself) - Fixed or able to swivel?

It may not be important in most situations, but in some rooms, it might be useful to turn the TV slightly for whatever reason.

 

Very important if viewing TV's in a shop/store.

They will almost certainly be working with the screen mode set to "Vivid', "Dynamic" or some such mode.

This setting is primarily designed for use in showrooms, shops etc in an attempt to impress the unwary, or to overcome the often bright and harsh shop lighting.

The result is often a very bright, high contrast picture, with over saturated (and sometimes ridiculous) colours. 

Basically this setting is crap for normal use, but amazingly many people watch these TV's at home with this picture setting because that's what the default out-of-the-box setting is and they don't change it or understand what the TV can do.

In the showroom/shop/store, if the remote is available try and change the picture to "normal", or whatever the name for that is.

 

 

.

.

[MJI]

For example, the cheaper ranges are not only not-as-good, they often employ the technology and hardware from previous generations of sets and in some cases are not even made by the company themselves, or in their main factories, but outsourced to other manufacturers or made in their own overseas plants which deal with less cutting-edge products.

.

 

Definately, the cheaper Sony TVs were rubbish, I had no intention any way but seeing a group of them fully validates this.

[edcayton]

Many thanks for some really comprehensive replies guys. I'm more confused than ever! but will be armed with a better list of questions when I go shopping.

 

I had already decided that I don't want 3D, but haven't heard of 4K-what is it?

 

Ed

[mezzoman253]

Make sure the TV is ACTUALLY EMC compliant. They all SHOULD be if sold in the UK, but many AREN'T, or were "batch sampled".

 

A lot of TV's, more likely the plasmas, radiate RFI from the screen. 

 

You don't want to take it home and find it wipes out your radio or interferes with the neighbours, then take it back and try and tell the "salesman" it's duff.

 

Rob

[roundhouse]

A couple of points to also consider.

 

Check that you get on with the supplied remote contro when you visit a retailer. Our LG TV is great but the remote control has so many buttons that are small and all the same colour that we now have to remember which button does what when viewing the TV at night with only wall lights for room lighting.

 

Also make sure that the size of the TV will fit in the space when it is on its stand. Some of the latest TV's have very small perimeter frames but tallish stands so you can lose the advantage of the small perimeter frame.

 

I would alawys go for a separate DVD / Bluray player as that means you dont have to replace them all in one go when either the TV or player fail or if you wish to upgrade ot the next technological improvement in one of them.

 

Ian