Right so I want a nee all singing all dancing tv. I can't stand 3d so that's out the question, I want 42inches so I'm after the new led back lighting jobber, and I'm going blu ray on my DVDs, I have no idea about tv's it's something I haven't looked at before, so in after so advice, refresh rates what hd to get 1080p i or what ever else it is! I'm after optimal picture quality, but I want a tv that looks nice as well. Also where's good to buy from? The missues wants free view built in so should I get freeview hd or freesat what ever that is!

Many thanks

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-KDL40EX403U-Widescreen-Internet-Freeview/dp/B003BVI4C6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1306864685&sr=8-4

I bought this one just after xmas as an upgrade from my Toshiba 32inch. The quality is amazing compared to the Tosh. I got it from John Lewis with 5 yr warranty for £499.

It has Freeview HD which gives you BBC HD, BBC ONE, ITV HD and Channel 4 HD. F1 is great in HD

It also has internet TV which if your broadband router is nearby, you can just plug an ethernet cable straight in and watch things like iPlayer, youtube etc. You can also buy a wireless dongle if you are too far away from the router.

For a bluray i would recommend this - http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-5083.aspx

What to look for:

Personally i would go for Tosh, Sony or Panasonic

1080P

50 or 100hz - you wont really notice a difference unless you are into sport.

Don't go for non make supermarket brands as the menus, EPGs etc are usually rubbish and the tuner isn't usually as strong. The Sony gets a PS3 XMB style menu!

Find a TV you like at a price you like then i would try and get it from John Lewis with a price match as they come with 5 yrs warranty.

Keep an eye on www.hotukdeals.co.uk for TV deals to be posted.

Got exactly the same TV as jrw for my parents and from John Lewis too just before xmas. It's been fantastic and once I got the media server link setup it was even better. The dongle is something like £80, the one they "guarantee" to work. I got this instead.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-WNCE2001-Ethernet-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B003D0WZKC

Really easy to setup. Recently changed mey network security setting and it was really easy to change it to match.

only thing is these tvs dont have the led backlit feature.

If you watch a lot of movies (BluRay especially) then Plasma still gives the best picture (top Plasma v top LCD) and also the best viewing angles. LCD technologies tend to give a brighter picture (good for bright rooms) and are better with gaming and cartoons. Unfortunately the best Plasma tellys at the mo are the Pannys and they are now 3D. I am hanging on to my old Kuro plasma in the hope that OLED will come down in price and go up in size. I get to see a lot of tellys at work (I work in TV) and also talk a lot to the Vision engineers and to a man/woman they will say Plasma is still best overall.

only thing is these tvs dont have the led backlit feature.

LED backlit isn't actually that good as they are usually edge lit and not back lit to make them slimmer, which is as far as i can see it is the only advantage to LED, perhaps along with less power consumption.

yeah, now ive been reading up, led isnt as special as i thought, so what draw backs will i have lcd v plasma?

LCD (including all LED lit types) has a drawback as it is subtractive in the way it works. Edge lighting can mean slimmer and even backlighting, but localised dimming is poor if you want high contrast images in the same scene. Zone backlighting has the drawbacks of halo effects. Plasma, on the other hand, is an emissive technology like the CRT was (emissive that is) and therefore each pixel is a controlled point of light, there are no areas of zone lighting or inconsistencies of edge lighting. Hence the contrast ratio of Plama is usually better by a good margin in the real world (not the figures quoted on the box) and motion is usually controlled better. The downsides are things like economy, LCD uses less electricity and brightness, LCD is definitely brighter.

I would recommend Plasma every time, unless you are an avid gamer or watch telly in a bright room. Mind you, LCD does look awesomely slim and doesn't suffer from the slight buzzing sound that some Plasmas emit. I should also add that the top Plasma tellys cost more than most LCDs

Edited 31 May, 201115 yr by Lady Elanore

Found this what you reckon seems good price,

Panasonic viera tx-p42u30b 42 it's from currys sorry can't do link I'm on my iPod!

I'd have to check into the spec on that one to see if it has the latest display. I bought my Dad the previous 20 model and it was great value for money. I suspect that the model you have seen doesn't quite have the top spec screen though. I also think John Lewis are doing it for about the same price and with t a free 5 year guarantee.

Is there a way I can find out what display it had, and what would the difference be in quality and price?

Having had a look at it, it seems to have the latest panel, but is missing some of the more advanced processing. This might make a difference with movies as the the next one up looks like it might have a superior pull down feature for playing 24 frame movies on it more smoothly. As I said, Plasma isn't the cheapest way fo buying a telly and you get what you pay for with the Panny models I'm afraid.

Here are two links to have a look at

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/Products/VIERA+Flat+Screen+TV/2011+Plasma+TV/TX-P50U30B/Overview/7047293/index.html?trackInfo=true

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/Products/VIERA+Flat+Screen+TV/2011+Plasma+TV/TX-P42S30B/Overview/7041178/index.html?trackInfo=true

Sorry panny?? What is the model up? Sorry, easier questions what should I look at in you opinion in a tv, I really don't want to cut corners but I'm not up for spending a fourtune!

Ah that was for the 50" version of the U30, here is the 42" version

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/Products/VIERA+Flat+Screen+TV/2011+Plasma+TV/TX-P42U30B/Specification/7048306/index.html?trackInfo=true

I don't know what difference the quoted 900 lines of moving picture feature will make, compared to the next model ups 1080.

Here is a comparator and you can see the differences between a few Panny models. The infinite Black Pro contrast feature, gives the best picture out there at the moment (imho of course), but I am afraid it is expensive.

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/287749/module/general/compare/products/displayResult.html?p=TX-P42ST30B&p=TX-P42GT30B&p=TX-P42S30B&p=TX-P42U30B

Would you suggest that tv in the link? It's the same price I can go up to 600 but at 450 I could get a ps3 as my bluray player, by the way massive thanks for the help lady elanore.

Ahh yeah that's out of my price tag for now, to be honest I might go for the 450 one as I'm using an Asda's special so it's going to look amazing any way! Or is it worth spending a little more for something else? I'm guessing your pro panasonic for screens?

Ahh yeah that's out of my price tag for now, to be honest I might go for the 450 one as I'm using an Asda's special so it's going to look amazing any way! Or is it worth spending a little more for something else? I'm guessing your pro panasonic for screens?

I fell in love with the Pioneer Plasmas (Kuros) which were ridiculously expensive at the time, but have never been bettered, even though they are no longer made :( The more expensive Pannys can record to external USB devices directly, so you can use them as a crude PVR, but I believe they re very limited as to which Drives they will take. I would trawl through the likes of CNET, Trusted Reviews etc and see what they like as your starting point. If you want to spend money on other things, don't be put off by LCD, it is just I don't believe you will get the picture quality when you get the set home. LCDs tend to look great in shops as they are so bright and overly sharp looking. Plasmas are like the quite kid who sits at the back of the class in school, but really is the one who knows the most, LCD is more like the brash popular kid at the front who will make you tired in the long run (if you see what i mean ).

It is a tough call comparing tellys in shops as the Plasma will always seem inferior alongside it's showy cousin the LCD, but it is the one you can live with better in the long run imho

But as a starter tv that 450 panny is a good bench point right? Seen some lg's and samsungs but it's hard to compare the tv's.

But as a starter tv that 450 panny is a good bench point right? Seen some lg's and samsungs but it's hard to compare the tv's.

You really need a viewing room, but not many places do them :( I would imagine that the money you want to spend would buy you a getter LCD telly, at least not for movies.

If you can squeeze a few more pounds (well more than a few) this seems a great telly. It is the upmarket version of the one I bought my Dad and I know has a great picture. It's slightly bigger too at 46".

http://www.richersou...0/pana-txp46g20

Here are a couple of reviews of it (it is a previous generation model, but from the higher end of the range)

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/televisions/plasma-and-lcd-tvs/panasonic-tx-p42g20b-687126/review?artc_pg=1

http://www.trustedre...46G20_TV_review

Edited 31 May, 201115 yr by Lady Elanore

This seems good value and has the Panasonic Heritage.

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/9420783/art/panasonic/viera-tx-p42u30b-42-full.html?srcid=867&key=Z0l/dBI5a+TeK4h3BDNSACofFy1dR4S7FOBGYlFgZ0gsJERyb+eOct8tATMBXCoaQ3UMCg==

Alternatively look at Samsung.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-PS42C450-42-inch-Widescreen-Freeview/dp/B003DNSJE0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1306880017&sr=1-3

Bought a 46 samsung approx 3 years ago and still pleased with it considering how much its used (son gaming). It did develop a fault after 18 months (vertical lines ) but still under warranty and impressed that two engineers came out and replaced the entire screen and logic panel and ever since its never missed a beat.

We still use a 32 crt tv(Loewe) in the lounge that to me still out performs most of the Flatties out there.

Might be worth taking a dvd disc your familiar with so that you can compare tv's not just for picture quality but sound also.

This seems good value and has the Panasonic Heritage.

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/9420783/art/panasonic/viera-tx-p42u30b-42-full.html?srcid=867&key=Z0l/dBI5a+TeK4h3BDNSACofFy1dR4S7FOBGYlFgZ0gsJERyb+eOct8tATMBXCoaQ3UMCg==

Alternatively look at Samsung.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-PS42C450-42-inch-Widescreen-Freeview/dp/B003DNSJE0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1306880017&sr=1-3

Bought a 46 samsung approx 3 years ago and still pleased with it considering how much its used (son gaming). It did develop a fault after 18 months (vertical lines ) but still under warranty and impressed that two engineers came out and replaced the entire screen and logic panel and ever since its never missed a beat.

We still use a 32 crt tv(Loewe) in the lounge that to me still out performs most of the Flatties out there.

Might be worth taking a dvd disc your familiar with so that you can compare tv's not just for picture quality but sound also.

Logic boards must be a common fault on these then! Got 24 of them in video walls at the school i work at and about 6 of them have had various faults all of which involved changing the logic board and/or the panel!

I have read good things about Samsung Plasmas, shame about the fault you mention. Mind you my Kuro isn't perfect as it suffers from slight buzzing. You can't hear it under normal conditions, just in moments of silence you sometimes become aware of it. Oh and it heats the room nicely too I love old school