TV Recommendations

[wobblyone]

My 26in LG TV is on it's way out

Does anybody know about TVs? It is not something I know much about.
I am looking at around 42in but LCD, Plasma or LED
I've done a bit of Googling and LED seems the way to go, but some plasmas also look good

HELP

[Lambourne]

Hi wobbly here's some advice!

Don't go LCD; LCD will not give you good picture quality on anything over 32inch you will see the screen moving as the LCD engine cannot cope with the bigger screens.

Plasma or LED?;
Whilst both have good picture quality on the bigger screen sizes e.g. 42inch! Plasma runs the risk of permanently burning the images onto the screen if you watch a channel a lot e.g. if you watch a lot of sky there is the risk of the work SKY being on the screen even if you change channel.

I think you have the right idea looking at LED, as these will give you the best picture quality and most come as a smart TV as standard so you can more than watch TV.

Don't forget that if you get a great TV your Blu- ray and Cable/Satellite connection should be able to send good quality images to the TV or it will be pointless, as a general rule you get better picture from cable as the is no atmospheric interference involved, as I am not sure what services Jersey gets I cannot advise which is best for you.

To sum up I think LED is the way forward.

[wobblyone]

Plasma runs the risk of permanently burning the images onto the screen if you watch a channel a lot

That would be 'Emmerdale' burned on my screen ;D
Thanks Lambourne, I will look in the LED direction.

[mcguirk2]

Sorry Lambourne, i have to chime in on some of your comments.

"LCD will not give you good picture quality on anything over 32inch you will see the screen moving as the LCD engine cannot cope with the bigger screens."

I have a 42" LCD and the picture quality is excellent. It more than holds its own with LEDs and Plasmas. Its full 1080p and has a 120Hz refresh rate. The refresh rate is key here. The higher the rate the less strobing you will have on fast panning images. As a rule they are not as bright or as vibrant as LEDs and they consume more power.

"Plasma runs the risk of permanently burning the images onto the screen if you watch a channel a lot e.g. if you watch a lot of sky there is the risk of the work SKY being on the screen even if you change channel."

While true of older plasma screens, the burn-in effect as been greatly reduced if not completely eliminated with the newer plasmas.

"...as a general rule you get better picture from cable as the is no atmospheric interference involved."

I don't know what the over the air antenna situation is where you live,
but OTA will give you better picture quality than cable or satellie provided the signal strength is there. Cable and satellite providers compress broadcast signals to maximize the number of channels they can carry on their given bandwidth. This adds artifacting to the picture. OTA broadcast signals are often uncompressed and will offer superior PQ on an HDTV. If you have the option of putting up a digital antenna, try it and compare it to cable. You can also run both an antenna and a cable/satellite input to you HDTV and switch between the two.

[backtothefight64]

Just to confuse you even more Wobbly here's my two peneth.

I agree with McGuirk, plasma burn in is a thing of the past as is re-gassing.
Plasma will produce better deeper blacks than LCD, which can give the appearance of a better quality picture.

Not so sure about LED, but be careful some are only LED backlit LCD which will suffer from grey blacks in a dimly lit room. They actually look better in a bright room or fluorescent lit showroom.

But hey, don't listen to us. Go out and buy the latest edition of WhatHiFi and Video and get the experts advise !

[wobblyone]

Thanks McGuirk, I had not thought of the refresh rate. I'll be checking that out in the reviews.
This is going to be harder than I thought to choose the right TV. When I bought my last TV I just went out and 'got a telly'. Things have changed!

[madviper101]

Hi Wobbly,

Am looking at getting a new TV too was thinking of this:
www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-UE42F5000AKXXU-42-inch-Widescreen-1080p/dp/B00BTG8AR4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372619301&sr=8-2&keywords=samsung+f5000

But buy it from amazon direct, as I am sure you know they knock the VAT off(for C.I), comes out at £367.08.

Looks very good value. Did originally want one of the Samsung SMART TV's but chatting to people who have them they are not using the functionality(BE AWARE your Mrs will slow down your internet connection watching soaps on iplayer whilst your trying to game).

However if you want to spend some dosh look at this www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-40f8000-1000hz-integrated-4xhdmi/dp/B00BMPORD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372621988&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+40+f8000

I currently have a 42 inch Panasonic plasma which is on its second screen, keep getting vertical lines. Whilst the dark colours are really good, if you have a sunny room the screen isn't that bright. Plus its bl**dy heavy.

I am looking at an LED. I have a LED Samsung monitor which I am really pleased with and the TV's get good reviews. Some of the Samsungs have really thin screens which look great, obviously the more you spend the thinner they get.

Good luck there are a lot of TV's out there. ;D

[Lambourne]

True modern or more high end plasma don't really get plasma burn anymore unless you watch the same channel 24/7 but I would disagree in terms of LCD vs LED I have a 42inch LCD in my room which gives 1080p and compared to the LED down stairs the picture quality is poorer! I suggest you go to a store and compare the picture of the different types in real life therefore you can choose for yourself before you buy! In terms of what service you use over here McGuirk fibre optic cable(virgin media) is generally considered the best picture quality followed by satellite(sky) then digital, although I am unsure of what it is like on jersey. One more thing to confuse you have you considered a 3d tv?

[wobblyone]

Lambourne, you are right with seeing first hand. I will have a look around tomorrow and hope it helps me decide. It is a lot of money to throw away on a wrong choice!
Viper, strangely I was just looking at the F5000 or F5500 Samsungs
They do look nice, but I will have a shop around town and let people be very helpful then buy online
Poor buggers, I don't trust them though. I might just say 'Amazon can give it to me for £, take it or leave it'

[Lambourne]

Yeah go see them choose which one you prefer then shop around for best price.

[psyco6]

LCD or LED have 42" LCD Sony that works great.

Plasma is a thing of the past.They also put off more heat than the LCD,LED.
When I was working in that industry there was talk of phasing out plasma and sticking with LCD.LED was the new kid on the block then.

[psyco6]

mashable.com/2012/05/11/panasonic-plasma-tv/

Article on Plasmas.

[wobblyone]

Thanks for the help guys. After looking at TV's in the shops I decided on the Samsung 42in F5500 LED.
To me the picture looked better than some TV's twice the price.

The shop was charging £699.99 and 9 9ths , Amazon was a shade over £400...um
We do not pay VAT (25%) here so after knocking that off it came to £416.50 ;D

www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-UE42F5500AKXXU-42-inch-Series-Widescreen/dp/B00C7OVA7O/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-theater&ie=UTF8&qid=1372792047&sr=1-4

[sfscriv]

Wow, 25% VAT tax!

Why is the percentage so high?

How loong has it been at 25%?

For what type of goods is the 25% tax?

[wobblyone]

I could be wrong, I thought it was 17% but my wife seems to think it is 25%.
I think the VAT is charged on everything excluding food and maybe clothing
The UK mainland guys should put me right here.