Advice for buying a new tv

J.R.HARTLEY

HI, i was wondering if anyone had any ideas forthcoming about my predicament, i need to buy a new tv becuase my sound has gone kaput on the old one,
i was going to buy an lcd tv but a friend suggested i wait becuase they have a limited life and would be almost clapped out by the time HD truely arrived onto my screens, he suggested getting a general one for the next 3/4 year then trading up, however a salesman today told me that sky were switching to hd in the coming months, now i have sky sports through NTL does anyone know if the ntl feed of sky sports will be hd, also how long will i have to wait beofre NTL are bringing us HD i've poked around the website but not knowing too much didn't realy turn anything up, maybe i'm just being thick and the ntl digital is ok to carry HD as long as the program is broadcast in HD., but basically does anyone know how long til we're really using hdtv's and should i go for it now or would it be a bit of a waste

Sparky

NTL wont have HD in ireland anytime soon i think, but when they do you will require a new box that will have the relevent HD output connections.

It depends really on what you feel, not what your friend feels, if your aim is to be viewing HD material when it comes out, then get a HD tv, as most people say if your old tv breaks nows the time to future proof but at the end of the day its up to whos forking out the cash.

I dont know how limited the life of an lcd is, if any.
I have a HD ready 32" lcd, but thats because we dont plan on buying a tv anytime soon, so we made it a HD one, and because we will be getting Skys HD service in the new year.

As ireland is always behind everywhere i dont think HD will break the market anytime in the next 4yrs here, people are only getting changed over to Widescreen.

At the end of the day its up to you, your budget and what you like, LCD and Plasma are great for space saving but the LCD is king of the under 42" market while plasma is king of the over 42" market.

aaf

Sparky-s wrote:

LCD is king of the under 42" market while plasma is king of the over 42" market.

Why? I too am considering upgrading my 32" widescreen for either a 37" or 42" plasma or LCD but am torn about which to go for. Up till now, I was swaying towards plasma having heard good things about them (better blacks) and they seem to be a little cheaper than lcd.

Sparky

aaf wrote:

Why? I too am considering upgrading my 32" widescreen for either a 37" or 42" plasma or LCD but am torn about which to go for. Up till now, I was swaying towards plasma having heard good things about them (better blacks) and they seem to be a little cheaper than lcd.

Its only said because there is no widely available 32" plasma panel.

Generaly LCD's have more clearer colours.

I know of a 37" plasma done, but i havnt seen one in my travels.

Yes plasmas have better blacks, but some people are put off by the "burn" that plasma suffers from.

Are you just upgrading your tv to a standard plasma, (no HD) because they are cheaper than lcd.

aaf

No, was going to get a HD ready plasma. I know about the "burn" but that's over 10 years or so. Admittedly, I haven't done much research into the pro's and con's of lcd v plasma but I will be. Will be also getting dvd hd recorder and maybe new surround sound.

Sparky

yeah i done a LOAD of research before buying, and yes let me tell you it really is a hard decision to make when you look at how much money your willing to part with for what features.

When i was buying i was looking for to have
HDMI
HD Ready, (not HD compatable)
At least 1280x700 res.
32" to 37"

I went to a couple of show rooms and was amazed by what was on offer in terms of difference to the lcd panels and plasma panels.
But i have to admit i fell for the lcd first off.

Dont be affraid to ask to have a look at the rear of the tv for connections, it may say it has this and that, but im old skool, i like to have a good peak at the rear.

Some sites ive come across in my quest to find out info.
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/displays_LCD_vs_Plasma3.html
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv-plasmavslcd.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDTV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/720p

And i highly recommend this place, search and ye shall find answers for everything
http://www.avforums.com/forums/index.php

plasma
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=82

LCD
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=155

HDTV
http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=104

As for surround sound, im sure you are well aware that you should go the dolby digital route.
What setup do you have in mind?
An all in one or a seperates package?
Have a gander on the avforums forums for sound aswell as im sure they would have some answers and inspiration there aswell.:D

aaf

Cheers Sparky-s. Had heard of that avforum alright but thanks for the other links and the advice. Regards surround sound, haven't a clue what I'm gonna go for. The room is far from ideal for setting up stuff and running cables is gonna be tough as we have wooden floors. I already have a Pioneer all in one job with a wireless back speaker so may just hold onto that for a while and get the TV first. Hope this all helped the OP

davidmdickens

Sparky-s wrote:

NTL wont have HD in ireland anytime soon i think, but when they do you will require a new box that will have the relevent HD output connections.

It depends really on what you feel, not what your friend feels, if your aim is to be viewing HD material when it comes out, then get a HD tv, as most people say if your old tv breaks nows the time to future proof but at the end of the day its up to whos forking out the cash.

I dont know how limited the life of an lcd is, if any.
I have a HD ready 32" lcd, but thats because we dont plan on buying a tv anytime soon, so we made it a HD one, and because we will be getting Skys HD service in the new year.

As ireland is always behind everywhere i dont think HD will break the market anytime in the next 4yrs here, people are only getting changed over to Widescreen.

At the end of the day its up to you, your budget and what you like, LCD and Plasma are great for space saving but the LCD is king of the under 42" market while plasma is king of the over 42" market.

Hi
What tv did you go for in the end?

Sparky

davidmdickens wrote:

Hi
What tv did you go for in the end?

The samsung 32" LE32R41B http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/television/tftlcd/le32r41bdxxeu.asp

I have pictures of my tv in action, most of the material shown is HD, like the underwater shots, and others are of SD tv, like sky news sky movies etc.
http://www.images.sparky-s.com/sp_index.php?dir=./Samsung32

Also for any HD tv i recommend the Samsung HD850 dvd player, via HDMI it upscales the dvd picture to HD (i know its not true HD) but it makes the picture so clearer on screen, die hard never looked so good:D

J.R.HARTLEY

pictures look great(i know what you were watching form 6.40-9.00pm on christmas day) , thanks for the advice man, i may try and get the sound fixed and pick up an lcd middle of next year or so.