flat screen TV - what to look out for...
- Thread starter Maz
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derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
Samsung
OP
OP
Maz
Guru
Is this a good'un or avoid it?
numbnuts
Squire
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
Don't get a 26 inch, I have one and sometime you miss the writing start/finish on the screen 32 inch is a lot better
Samsung is a pretty good brand for TVs, especially at the higher end of the spectrum.
That shouldn't happen whatever the size, it's most likely you had it set to the wrong mode. 26 inch is pretty small, though.
addictfreak
Guru
- Location
- Boldon, Tyne and Wear
I have a 50 inch Samsung plasma, which is fantastic. There is so much choice, I think it's probably best to go along to a store and ask a few questions. Mine is pretty much a bog standard plasma, and is perfect for us.
Have a look on John Lewis's website, they have a good selection and the prices are pretty good. On a lot of their TVs you also get a free five year warranty.
Have a look on John Lewis's website, they have a good selection and the prices are pretty good. On a lot of their TVs you also get a free five year warranty.
ACS
Legendary Member
- Location
- Just below the snow line
Screen refresh rate often given in Hz. The faster the rate the better the viewing experience.
<just my opinion>
<just my opinion>
marzjennings
Legendary Member
- Location
- Houston, Texas, USA
Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic all seem to be pretty good. 1080p a must. The new LED screens seem only marginily better than LCD so I didn't bother. Also with the frame rates, 60, 120 or 240hz, 60hz seemed fine to me. Don't get pulled into buying a smart tv (web interface, wifi, etc) if you don't need one. Plus I didn't need a screen with good sound/speakers as I run the whole thing through a receiver. Size? Whatever fits the space and you can afford. We went with a 42" because of lack of space and that was about as big as the wife would let me go. I really wanted something +50", maybe next time when the 4K screens get affordable.
First off you need to measure your screen properly with a tape measure. (the viewable bit)
Assuming you find it 27" then I'd go up to a more massive 32" for low running costs and the most competitive purchase price.
Running costs wont matter if you only do an hour a day but otherwise avoid anything Plasma, and aim for under 40 watts for 32". There is no point in buying HD Ready so buy Full HD. Most are now IPS and decent but certainly view them all.
I'd be specially wary of Asda who, to me, manage to find some of the worst tech available.
Assuming you find it 27" then I'd go up to a more massive 32" for low running costs and the most competitive purchase price.
Running costs wont matter if you only do an hour a day but otherwise avoid anything Plasma, and aim for under 40 watts for 32". There is no point in buying HD Ready so buy Full HD. Most are now IPS and decent but certainly view them all.
I'd be specially wary of Asda who, to me, manage to find some of the worst tech available.
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
50, 100 or 200 here! (Different electric supply)
Or if you watch a lot of films get one which plays at 24 or 48 frames per second.
paul04
Über Member
Another thing to think about. a smart TV will let you surf the internet, watch say iplayer/you tube and so on.
Also my tv has a usb socket, which will let you watch films/play music from a usb memory stick, and I can connect a hard drive so it can record/playback freeview TV.
this is the TV I have
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9089149.htm
Also my tv has a usb socket, which will let you watch films/play music from a usb memory stick, and I can connect a hard drive so it can record/playback freeview TV.
this is the TV I have
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9089149.htm
PaulSB
Squire
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
Couple of years ago we got a 26" flat screen mainly because my wife thought any bigger was too big. On Saturday she said she feels we should get a 40/42"!!!
We have a Sony and its excellent. When I did the research Panasonic came out very strong as well.
This is a big bit of kit and may I suggest aesthetics are very important. On Saturday Tesco had a very good looking Samsung 40" with a very narrow (1 cm) frame which made all the other sets look bulky and ugly. We plan a new TV for Christmas and part of the decision will be how narrow the surrounding frame is - the Samsung looked like a picture, the rest looked like TVs!
We have a Sony and its excellent. When I did the research Panasonic came out very strong as well.
This is a big bit of kit and may I suggest aesthetics are very important. On Saturday Tesco had a very good looking Samsung 40" with a very narrow (1 cm) frame which made all the other sets look bulky and ugly. We plan a new TV for Christmas and part of the decision will be how narrow the surrounding frame is - the Samsung looked like a picture, the rest looked like TVs!
MrJamie
Oaf on a Bike
Like with any purchase it depends what you want to do with it and how much you can/want to afford to spend on it and if you'll really appreciate the best screen with all the latest features. There's probably not a huge amount of point spending a lot on the best screen, if you just watch standard definition TV. You can usually buy slightly older models for a fair bit less and for many IMHO a much cheaper HD Ready (720p) TV would make more sense than paying extra for Full HD (1080p) if they arent actually going to make use of it. Also I tend to prefer Sony as I've found them reliable, but I don't think there's really a lot in it.
One thing I'd keep in mind is the sound (speakers) on LCDs tends to be less impressive than the old CRTs, perhaps because of space, but also they seem to have decided if you want good really sound you buy a home cinema kit. It's more than adequate for just watching TV, but if you follow any suggestions for getting the highest resolution, fast refresh rate, big screen, presumably to watch HD movies/sports then you probably want to at least consider the sound
Also quite often the TV setups particularly in supermarkets can be poor, showing a low quality source on a poorly set up TV making it hard to get a real idea of which picture you like. Oh and don't let anyone sell you fancy cables for stupid prices, whatever their silly claims.
One thing I'd keep in mind is the sound (speakers) on LCDs tends to be less impressive than the old CRTs, perhaps because of space, but also they seem to have decided if you want good really sound you buy a home cinema kit. It's more than adequate for just watching TV, but if you follow any suggestions for getting the highest resolution, fast refresh rate, big screen, presumably to watch HD movies/sports then you probably want to at least consider the sound
Also quite often the TV setups particularly in supermarkets can be poor, showing a low quality source on a poorly set up TV making it hard to get a real idea of which picture you like. Oh and don't let anyone sell you fancy cables for stupid prices, whatever their silly claims.
