With an eye to the future, what's the best TV to buy in 2011?

Dionysus

For space reasons I'm going to sell my existing JVC TV and buy my first flat panel television. The existing tv uses NTL. There seems to be a lot happening in TV technology these days - Saorview, internet tv, HD, etc - so I'm wondering what is the best TV to buy that will not make the TV redundant after a year or two, but not screw me over with the price at the same time. I really don't need anything that is bigger than a 32 inch screen. And whatever TV I get must be able to go on a wall bracket.

For instance, over on Amazon is this

Sony Bravia KDL32BX300 32-inch Widescreen LCD TV with Freeview Bravia Engine 2. It costs £230.
vs
Sony Bravia KDL37EX503U 37-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p 100Hz Internet LCD TV with Freeview HD. It costs £600.

Leaving aside the 5 inch larger screen what, in layman's terms, will I be getting for the extra £370? If I buy the first one, what will I not be able to do?

Thanks.

Neffa2

The second one (with Freeview HD) will get Saorview, the first one probably will not. The 100Hz feature makes fast moving images easier to watch on an panel too. The Internet stuff is overplayed (PC/Tablets are far better).

The Cush

List of Saorview approved products here - http://www.saorview.ie/products-retailers/saorview-approved-product-listings/

championc

You need to ask yourself if you plan to ditch UPC or not. If not, then just buy any TV and personally I don't think that one connected to the internet is really worth spending anything extra on.

I have one with internet connectivity but you only have access to gimicks (Widgets). I have an old PC connected to the PC socket of the TV so if I want to stream a football match or golf from ustream or whatever, I use the PC onto the TV for this.


C

Dionysus

Thanks for that lads. I might as well go for the internet thing as there isn't much price difference on the Sony model which I found. A few other questions:

1. Presumably the Sony-KDL32CX520BU for sale on Amazon is precisely the same as the Sony-KDL32CX520 which is Saorview compatible?

2. Also, is it necessary to buy a Sony UWABR100 USB Network Adapter Bringing Wireless Internet Access to Your Wi-Fi Ready TV (£55) for this?

3. What else do I need to get? Will I need a keyboard for it, or can I connect it to my laptop and use that keyboard? In particular, do any of you have a recommendation for a wall bracket for a 32 inch Sony? More specifically, I want to put it on a wall in the corner so any suggestions for a suitable one would be appreciated.

Dionysus

One other question, are any of you familiar with Sony's Qriocity? Can somebody confirm that I can use my laptop to access it, and therefore do not need to buy a blu-ray player? Is it any good? Does it essentially mean that I would watch movies via downloads on demand from the Qriocity website rather than going to Xtravision? If so, how much does it cost to watch each film?

championc

Dionysus wrote: »

Thanks for that lads. I might as well go for the internet thing as there isn't much price difference on the Sony model which I found. A few other questions:

1. Presumably the Sony-KDL32CX520BU for sale on Amazon is precisely the same as the Sony-KDL32CX520 which is Saorview compatible?

2. Also, is it necessary to buy a Sony UWABR100 USB Network Adapter Bringing Wireless Internet Access to Your Wi-Fi Ready TV (£55) for this?

3. What else do I need to get? Will I need a keyboard for it, or can I connect it to my laptop and use that keyboard? In particular, do any of you have a recommendation for a wall bracket for a 32 inch Sony? More specifically, I want to put it on a wall in the corner so any suggestions for a suitable one would be appreciated.

My understanding of current Internet Ready TV's is that you get access to Widgets like YouTube or other online media. The most popular use in the UK would be for BBC iPlayer. You then use the TV's Remote Control to control an onscreen pointer on an onscreen keyboard. So I do NOT believe that you will get a browser or anything like that which is why I have an old PC linked to the PC Video port on my TV. So €55 could be a real waste of money. Given that this wi-fi option is available, it sounds like it doesn't have an ethernet port.

Before I got my TV (a Panny), I downloaded the manual and read all the parts that were applicable to the questions I had.


C

jaggiebunnet

depends on the tv re internet. for me wifi is a must so I can watch movies stored on my NAS via DLNA...couldn't really care about the internet access but network access == internet access so all the same really.

OP you can add internet/network functionality afterwards via a bluray player or similar or via something like boxee.