Television tech talk.

[Milzy]

So I want a new tv. My Bravia is over 8 years old now.

So 50 to 60 inch.
Budget around £600.
Must be Bang per buck.
Samsung and LG ideally but others welcome if they are within the parameters set above.

Let’s find my new screen for Xmas and the World Cup.

 

[vickster]

You could also try AV forums for views on pretty much every TV out there

Buy from John Lewis or Richer Sounds for free extended warranty (bear in mind JL deliver for free and as a big TV comes in a big box this is v useful if you don’t own a van or truck)...and they pricematch RS, Curry’s etc

 

[I like Skol]

So 50 to 60 inch.

Are you blind? Not sure why anybody would want such an oversized monstrosity in their living room. Just sayin.....

 

[vickster]

Are you blind? Not sure why anybody would want such an oversized monstrosity in their living room. Just sayin.....

I have a 50” TV, it’s great from around 8ft

 

[Milzy]

Are you blind? Not sure why anybody would want such an oversized monstrosity in their living room. Just sayin.....

That’s why I refuse to go to the cinema.

 

[gbb]

Can you still get plasma tv'...what are the pros and cons ?
My 48 inch Panasonic plasma is the best tv I ever had and it's ...ooh, easily 10 years old I think and still appears as good as new (kiss of death )

Many a time I've stood in Currys etc and REALLY looked carefully at their led/LCD offerings...and imho, they'e nowhere near as good as my old tv.
Plasma may not offer the depth of color but what really annoys me about led/lcd is the black line around objects and the lack of smooth movement...my plasma has supremely smooth motion with sport or fast moving objects.

 

[vickster]

Can you still get plasma tv'...what are the pros and cons ?
My 48 inch Panasonic plasma is the best tv I ever had and it's ...ooh, easily 10 years old I think and still appears as good as new (kiss of death )

Many a time I've stood in Currys etc and REALLY looked carefully at their led/LCD offerings...and imho, they'e nowhere near as good as my old tv.
Plasma may not offer the depth of color but what really annoys me about led/lcd is the black line around objects and the lack of smooth movement...my plasma has supremely smooth motion with sport or fast moving objects.

No plasma for about 5 years now

 

[ColinJ]

Many a time I've stood in Currys etc and REALLY looked carefully at their led/LCD offerings...and imho, they'e nowhere near as good as my old tv.
Plasma may not offer the depth of color but what really annoys me about led/lcd is the black line around objects and the lack of smooth movement...my plasma has supremely smooth motion with sport or fast moving objects.

I am really happy with my 3 year old Samsung LED TV. I don't see any funny black lines round objects.

There is a slight 'dirty screen' effect due to the backlighting which I only usually notice when the image contains a bright surface (e.g. a white wall) and is panned.

There IS a slight blockiness/juddering with rapidly moving objects. There are settings which can smooth that out but I really don't like the 'Stepford Wives' effect that it generates - actors appear to move in an eerily smooth way which I find very creepy. I'd rather put up with the juddering!

 

[MontyVeda]

Can you still get plasma tv'...what are the pros and cons ?
My 48 inch Panasonic plasma is the best tv I ever had and it's ...ooh, easily 10 years old I think and still appears as good as new (kiss of death )

Many a time I've stood in Currys etc and REALLY looked carefully at their led/LCD offerings...and imho, they'e nowhere near as good as my old tv.
Plasma may not offer the depth of color but what really annoys me about led/lcd is the black line around objects and the lack of smooth movement...my plasma has supremely smooth motion with sport or fast moving objects.

Panasonic make a damn fine telly... Curry's etc. are notorious for not setting up their display screens properly and often look a bit crap in store.

 

[ColinJ]

Curry's etc. are notorious for not setting up their display screens properly and often look a bit crap in store.

I agree. They often have the contrast, brightness and colour settings too high for a start.

The first thing I did with my new TV was to look up recommended settings on a TV tech website (can't remember which one). They made a big difference and it was easier starting from those settings and making a few subtle changes rather than trying to start from the defaults.

 

[bonzobanana]

Can you still get plasma tv'...what are the pros and cons ?
My 48 inch Panasonic plasma is the best tv I ever had and it's ...ooh, easily 10 years old I think and still appears as good as new (kiss of death )

Many a time I've stood in Currys etc and REALLY looked carefully at their led/LCD offerings...and imho, they'e nowhere near as good as my old tv.
Plasma may not offer the depth of color but what really annoys me about led/lcd is the black line around objects and the lack of smooth movement...my plasma has supremely smooth motion with sport or fast moving objects.

The best modern equivalent of a plasma tv is a OLED tv. They offer many of the benefits of plasma but perhaps don't offer the brightness of the best LCD/LED backlit sets. However for decent SD images, viewing angles, smooth motion etc they are the best choice I think.

My mother has a Panasonic 720P plasma set and I'm still impressed with the great picture it creates from crappy SD sources even though the panel is starting to fail now with reds looking a bit muddy and the occasional green tinge on some people's skin due the panel being end of life. It's very rare to see this though. Not sure how old maybe 8-10 years.

 

[Stephenite]

So I want a new tv. My Bravia is over 8 years old now.

So 50 to 60 inch.
Budget around £600.
Must be Bang per buck.
Samsung and LG ideally but others welcome if they are within the parameters set above.

Let’s find my new screen for Xmas and the World Cup.

We're thinking the same. We have a 7ish year old Bravia and want a modern telly with all the new features, etc., and bigger too. But when i look around at reasonably-priced TVs the image quality doesn't appear to be any better than that we have already. Maybe a bigger screen. How much are the new Sony Bravias where you live?

 

[Dave7]

We got a 55" Sony last year. Our lounge is quite big so "my seat" is approx 12 feet away......its very good for the sport.
LG had a feature so that eg when watching golf and player was in the shade it automatically compensated. It seemed a great feature and I was tempted....but went with Sony.

 

[accountantpete]

My modern HD LG developed an intermittent problem so I bought an old Panny plasma as back-up for £40. The problem has now gone away but the plasma TV is so much better that the LG has been relegated to back-up duties.

Just avoid the early ones that got so hot that they could melt Andy Peters nose!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrDTSLtWqws

 

[mybike]

And bear in mind that if you buy a 'smart' TV the manufacturers will probably stop supporting it after a few years and the apps will stop working. It's better to buy a cheap stand alone device that will connect to your TV and can be replaced.