Some basic TV questions advice.

[The Ors]

Our 28" CRT TV has just gone bang & we need to get a new TV. We don't watch a lot of tele, so don't want anything too fancy but on the other hand I want something of reasonable quality that will last. I was just going to buy another 28"/32" CRT but I've had a look round & they are almost non-existant now, so I'm considering an LCD. I'm also looking at getting a PVR & am pretty sold on the Humax 9200T.

A few questions:

- Will a 26" LCD be big enough or would a 32" be a better bet? (We sit about 8 foot from the TV)

- As both have the same resolution, wouldn't a 26" give the better picture?

- Having looked at LCD's in Tescos, a lot of them seem to have a poor picture. Are they just set-up badly or is there really that much difference between different LCD's picture wise?

- How much do I need to spend to get something decent without being fancy?

The sort of things I'm considering are:

Sony 26" LCD

Panasonic 26" LCD

Sony 32" LCD

Samsung 32" LCD

or possibly one of these & forget the PVR:

Humax 32" LCD TV with inbuilt PVR

Any of the above any good? Any other better sets out there for similar money? Any other hints, tips or advice welcomed.

Thanks in advance

Darren

[Phil-E]

Personally i would go for a 32" as for the little extra money you get a fair bit more TV.

I think the problem with cheapo LCD tvs is there image processing is pretty much none existent!

A good quality LCD panel with have a good quality image processor that will "up-scale" the picture to the higher resolution of the TV.... thats why the cheeper ones have grainy pictures as they dont handle the lower resolution image on the higher resolution display.

If you're prepared to spend the money on those TV you listed above... Currys are doing a Philips 32" one with their lovely Ambilight on the back that we might be getting for £499.

[vRSLen]

A Sony 32" would suit your needs but others will state another brand

[gadgetman]

The gen rule of thumb is you need the next size up when moving from CRT. It's to compensate for loosing the lump on the back - otherwise you'll be for ever thinking your new TV's shrunk

So yes, 32" is what you'll be after. Go for the highest contrast ratio you can - ignore anything less than 5000:1 - colours will be pants.

There are some great deals on the high st at the mo on both Sony and Samsung 32" for £500 max. Find the cheapest, then go to John Lewis as IIRC they price match and offer 5yr warranty!

[Dieselman]

Are you actually looking to change the Tv or would you rather get yours fixed if poss.

[anonymouse]

These might help

LCD TV Buying Guide: LCD Review, LCD TV Review, LCD Display Television

Displays Index - TrustedReviews

A Philips Ambilight gets a top rating for value from these - have an inherent distrust of philips though from the 80s when their quality control went soooo downhill.

[Captain Scarlet]

I have to say I think that the Humax 9200 is a fantastic piece of kit. Always found it simple to use and it has some great features on it. We've had it over a year now and still think it's great. You can now get it in black as well as silver. Since having it my brother and parents have bought them. I would definately recommend it.

If you do get one, it takes about 10 mins for it to upload the electronic program guide once it's turned on. I would suggest to do what I do, and that's to set the box to switch on at a time say 30 mins before you usually get home, therefore it will be all set to go.

In general the pvr's are a great invention.

[anonymouse]

Bought the wife a Pioneer 530H DVD and hard drive recorder 16 months ago - best thing since sliced bread. She uses it for hours every day in the evenings.

I used to edit the recordings to remove the adverts for her but now just leave her to get on with it. Burning DVDs is simplicity itself i.e. even she can manage it

£300 then, still similar - but a quality product.

Do a Google for Topfield - they have twin Freeview tuners - are supposed to be the dogs ******** - but you will have to output to PC to be able to burn recordings to DVD.

For quality, durability - I tend to stick to Pioneer and Panasonic these days. You may pay a bit more more but the reliablity is brill

Sony, despite the 'esteemed' name seem to have suffered somewhat in this respect :thumbdwn:

[Dr Zoidberg]

The Humax is a cracking bit of kit and well worth buying.

As for the TV , I'm still not entirely convinced by flat panels , especially on standard definition source material.

An alternative would be to look on ebay for a second hand set.

You can get some cracking buys on nearly new quality CRT sets - something like a Sony 32" for about £100

[Chris_Argyle]

This is one time in the year when th high street actually have some good buys on TV's! They tend to be on models that will be replace in April time, but still show excellent value. Go in and have a look, and remember many shops now show an HD demo, so dont be shy to turn it over to a live tv feed, just remember to view from the distance you will be watching at. In my opinion panasonics tend to be great all round tv's and the samsungs tend to have the best screens (produce and excellent contrast)... let the backlash begin

Dont however be sold on the thought that if you buy from a large electrical chain you will get instore service should something go wrong, they tend now to point you in the direction of a helpline even if you walk into their store. This isnt to say its a bad service as they will get someone out to you, it just very similar to buying online and is something to remenber.

PVR's are brilliant. As mentioned before the Humax is excellent. The topfields are also good, and are sell in hugh numbers in other contries, this is because there are many customised firmwares available, however i dont think this is something that is availible in the UK models yet, though i may be worng, its been ages since i looked! Cant really go wrong with either panasonics or pioneers either!

Sorry for the novel!

[The Ors]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I have just bought myself a Samsung 37" LCD for £499.99 inc. & a latest model Humax 9200 with 320GB hard-drive. Bit more than I wanted to spend :( but hey, if I'd started at this kind of price I would have ended up spending £1000+. (Sod's 1st law of Home Electricals)

I found the following site useful for the TV: LCD TV Prices

To answer a couple of the questions; I tried to get the old TV mended but it was beyond economic repair. I looked at second-hand CRT's on eBay but down here in Plymouth there's usually less choice & the couple I liked didn't reply to email etc.

I agree with Dr Zoidberg, I'm not entirely convinced by flat panels either for terrestial tele (which is what I will be watching initially) but I intend to keep this TV for as long as it lasts (which I hope will be at least 10+yrs), so I went with the more 'future-proof' option, plus it looks a lot nicer than the sensible option. (JVC 28" CRT @ £149 from Dixons)

Once again; thanks for all the help & advice.

Darren

[pastie]

argos were doing this,

Buy Wharfedale LCD42F1080P 42in 1080p HD Ready Digital LCD TV. at Argos.co.uk

for 450 before xmas,price has gone up but thats still a pretty good tv.